Yeah, that's a phrase that really applied to the house when we first saw it. (Still does for the most part!) The previous tenants were a young couple that apparently had no pride in the place they lived. The landlord had hauled a couple tons (literally) of trash out of the place,
after the tenants had moved their stuff out. The living room carpet was not only stained and filthy, it reeked, which of course made the entire house reek. Many other places in the house were dirty or damaged. An attempt to paint some rooms left paint spots on the hardwood floors and trim. The bedroom walls had touches of artwork from small children. The list just goes on and on.
 |
| Living room prior to the carpet replacement |
It really is a gorgeous house though. The hardwood trim is original, as is much of the hardware for the doors. Some changes have been made by other owners throughout the years to modernize the home. Enough of the heart and soul of the home remain though and with a little TLC, this place has so much potential. So we are going to try to find a way to balance out the cost and effort to make it nice, even if we remain renters. Downstairs we have a foyer and formal parlor, both with french doors leading into the living room. Also, downstairs is the formal dining room, butler's pantry (with built in china cabinet), kitchen, laundry, half-bath and the study (which has an exterior door leading to the front porch as well).
 |
| Parlor French Doors |
|
Since last summer, we did a few improvements, such as replacing the dishwasher and adding a garbage disposal in the kitchen, adding a security system and upgrades to the exterior lighting at the back of the house. Prior to us moving in, the nasty carpet in the living room was pulled out and replaced. We've painted a couple of bedrooms and we have been working on color combinations for other areas of the house. There are a couple of other projects lined up, ready to start as I find time.
 |
| Looking into the dining room. |
So we have our work cut out for us. I decided to have this blog to show off pictures of our progress to our friends and family who are interested in seeing how it goes. As those that know me, I'm far from the decorating type and I have very little background in doing any kind of home improvement. I just have a love of history and beautiful homes like this one. So join me in my adventure, watch me learn and laugh at my mistakes!
 |
| Built-in china cabinet in the "Butler's Pantry" |
Yeah, that's a phrase that really applied to the house when we first saw it. (Still does for the most part!) The previous tenants were a young couple that apparently had no pride in the place they lived. The landlord had hauled a couple tons (literally) of trash out of the place, after the tenants had moved their stuff out. The living room carpet was not only stained and filthy, it reeked, which of course made the entire house reek. Many other places in the house were dirty or damaged. An attempt to paint some rooms left paint spots on the hardwood floors and trim. The bedroom walls had touches of artwork from small children. The list just goes on and on.
No comments:
Post a Comment