We have running water!!

This week at the house we've been working on tying up some loose ends so that "big things" can start happening soon.  Though the pictures from one post to another don't look much different these days there is still a lot of progress being made.  Soon the changes will be a lot more visible and we will start seeing things come together to make our house look more like a home! 

One BIG task we've knocked off the list this week is the plumbing.  We officially have running water in the house!!  When we bought the house there was a pipe in the laundry room that had frozen and busted causing lots of damage to the surrounding area.  Because of this, the water to the entire house has been turned off for quite some time.  This week, Mr. Stan Reid came to the rescue and spent much time and effort helping Kyle repair the pipes so that the water could be turned back on.

The soffit in the kitchen also came down this week!  One step closer to those beautiful cabinets stretching all the way to the ceiling.  I know Kyle is especially excited about this feature in the kitchen as he will likely spend a lot of time getting things off the top shelves for me. ;)

More tack strip is coming up so that the floors are all ready for the pretty hardwood that will cover them soon.  We had some special helpers stop by this week just to work on this tedious task.  And they loved every minute of it! :)

Isaac found the work this week less than thrilling.  One day he will enjoy being at this house, I'm sure of it!  Until then he will spend most of his time there strapped to his momma's back and taking in the craziness.

Walls are coming down!

There are lots of things happening around the house these days.  I guess you could say it's quickly becoming our "home away from home" as we spend most of our nights, weekends and any other free time we can find there.  We even ate our first meal together in the dining room! It may have been take-out on a blanket in the floor with a milk carton for a table, but it was a fun memory for sure.  We have also been so very blessed with lots of friends who have given up time to come help us with some major projects going on.  So, for any of you (and your wives) reading this, THANK YOU!!  We absolutely could not do it without all of you!

Knocking out the paneling in the den was one of the very first things we did in the house.  A fairly simple task but what a difference it makes!  Even without walls the room feels bigger and cleaner.  We also took out the damaged drywall in the laundry room and bathroom and got rid of the toilet and vanity in the bathroom.

The "demo phase" continues upstairs in the master bathroom where we've taken out the vanity, shower, wall, and soffit, and added the framing for the new wall and door.  I'm super excited about how much these changes have opened up the bathroom!

Without a doubt, the most noticeable and exciting progress so far is this huge wall coming down!!  Now, I have to admit at this point that when I say "we" I usually actually mean "Kyle and friends".  I don't have many skills that are useful at this point other than cleaning up after things are torn down.  However, I did get to help knock out drywall in this room and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  After all of the drywall came off the walls, a large section had to be torn from the ceiling so that the beam could be put in the attic.  (The picture of Kyle is the aftermath of ceiling demo)  Once the ceiling was out, the beam was put up, the studs were removed, and the wall was completely gone!

Another major milestone that we hit was getting the cabinets and appliances taken out of the kitchen. The soffit still has to be taken out but even this progress makes it easier to envision what this area will eventually look like.  I love how open the space is without the overhead cabinets above the bar area!

Isaac came to check out his Daddy's work and wanted to help!  He even found a screwdriver that's nearly as big as him.  It won't be long before he's big enough to be Dad's helper.

We bought a fixer upper!!

Well...as of a few weeks ago we are officially first time home owners!  Our "new" house is a total fixer upper and we couldn't be more excited to make it our home.  I thought creating a blog would be a good way to document and share this fun experience with everyone and (for your all's sake) it will likely be more pictures than writing.  So, here are a few "before" pictures and a little preview of how we hope to fix it up!

The outside of the house is currently brick and some sort of stucco type finish.  Our plan is to give the exterior a total face lift with new windows and garage doors, shutters, painted brick, siding and lots of landscaping.

The house is a split level with (or at least what I'm calling) a main floor, upstairs and downstairs.  This is the living area on the main floor.  We're tearing down the wall to the left so that it will open up into the kitchen and dining room.

The dining room won't change a whole lot. We're losing the chair railing and wainscoting, repainting, putting down new floors and updating the lighting.

A total overhaul is in store for the kitchen and breakfast nook. And I have to say, this is the room that I am most excited about remodeling.  Everything that is currently in here is leaving! We'll have new cabinets that extend to the ceiling, new countertops, a tile backsplash, appliances, lighting, flooring and paint. 

Downstairs is this lovely den complete with paneling, a fully mirrored fireplace, and concrete floors.  The paneling will be replaced with drywall, something good will happen to the fireplace, we will put down new flooring, and the sliding door will be replaced with new (hopefully) french doors.

This half bath and laundry room are located just off the den downstairs.  Before we bought the house there was a pipe that busted in this area at some point.  Hence the missing walls.  Our plan for this part of the house is to separate the bath and laundry rooms by extending the wall between the two.  The bathroom will get new walls, vanity, toilet, and flooring.  For the laundry room, our plan is to replace the flooring, move some of the old cabinets from the kitchen down here for extra storage, and (obviously) add a washer and dryer.  I would really like to put in a laundry shoot from the master bath upstairs.  Basically a hole in the floor so I don't have to carry laundry downstairs.  We'll see if that actually happens.

The master bed and bath aren't in terrible shape but they will receive a little updating.  A wall will be put up to separate the bathroom and a door added.  The wall to the right of the vanity will be taken out as well as the soffit above the vanity.  The vanity and toilet will be replaced and we're taking out the fiberglass shower and laying tile instead.  Both rooms will receive new flooring, paint, and lighting. 

The other bedrooms are just in need of a little TLC.  After all of the wallpaper is taken down, these rooms will get some new paint, lighting and flooring.

 The guest bathroom upstairs will need some work too.  We'll remove the soffit above the vanity, replace the vanity and toilet, lay new floors and paint.

I think that's about all for now.  We're so excited to be starting this new adventure and happy to share it with everyone.  Thanks for taking the time to read (or maybe just look at the pictures) this long post.  More updates are to come soon!