More House Renovations - Day 4 & 5

We took a much needed day of rest after the first 3 days of work, then it was back to the grindstone.  During days 4 and 5, we framed out the newly opened walls (in preparations for kitchen cabinetry, the new fridge, and a breakfast bar to come.)

We also framed out the new wall which will enclose the expanded eat-in kitchen and also serve as the back wall of the new master walk-in closet.

We then prepared the master bedroom wall for demo by removing the drywall and cement board; this weekend we will sledgehammer the remaining blocks to extend the master bedroom and create the new master suite.

The tree trimming company (Sunrise Tree Service) came out and trimmed back our beautiful and giant tree to prepare for the new roof we're getting next week.

We began some interior painting in the bedrooms.  This color is called Mature Spanish Chestnut and you can get a gallon at WalMart for under $8!

We made the first exterior update to the house by painting the door a deep chocolate plum color.  Mom snagged some awesome coupons for 2 free pints of paint by Benjamin Moore, and each of us used 1 coupon scoring 4 FREE pints of paint!  This door took less than 1/2 pint to paint...  Free Renovation!!

Kitchen Renovation - Day 3!

Bring on the sledgehammer!  Today we took down the other load-baring wall separating the kitchen from the former dining room - a wall that was previously the home's original exterior wall before the dining room was added as part of an addition.  We will have another of these walls to tear down during the renovation so if anyone has some frustration and stress they would like to get out by kocking a sledgehammer into concrete blocks, we're taking volunteers!! 

Here are some pictures of the before and after:

And of course some video of David swinging the sledgehammer! :)

GARAGE SALE on October 15 & 16 - more items to be updated often

We are attempting to salvage as much out of this house as possible and pass it along to those who might need these items.  As we come across things in our new house (we're exploring the attic contents soon!) we are setting items aside for an impending garage sale.  And as we're packing up our things from our current place we may come across a few more items to throw in the garage sale pile as well...

Below are some pictures of some of the items that will appear at the garage sale.  Check back often as we will continue to add more pictures of items we find.  We intend to host the garage sale on the weekend of October 15 & 16, so mark your calendar and plan on visiting us!

Kitchen Cabinetry & Countertop Remnants

Electric Oven/Stove

Fridge/Freezer

Standing Lamp

Medicine Cabinet/Vanity Light

Sink Cabinet (sink and faucet ARE included)

Mirror

White Ceiling Fan with Globe Light

Light Wood Ceiling Fan with Frosted Lights

Vintage Wall Sink (faucet NOT included)

Resin Owl :)

Kitchen Renovation - Day 2

After tearing down the cement board of the dividing wall between the kitchen and living room, we had to build up two temporary support walls in order to remove the majority of the load-baring wall.  Here are some pictures of the progress (the first photo is the before shot of the wall separating the living room and kitchen):

We also tore out the shelving in the hall closet, which will become a laundry closet for a stackable, full-size washer/dryer.  Here's the before and after:

Afterwards, we picked some of the white grapefruit from our tree in the front yard as a take-home gift for our fabulous electrician (shout out to Adam at Mr. Electric!!) 

And look what we found on the roof!!  This item will appear at our garage sale in 2 weeks (October 15&16) if you want dibs on it!

Kitchen Renovation Begins - Day 1

How do you begin a renovation?  With the kitchen of course!  The transformation for our house will be extreme, having begun with a tiny U-shaped kitchen with merely a sink, fridge, and stove.  After the renovation, we will have an open-concept galley kitchen with modern appliances, granite countertops, and a gorgeous glass tile backsplash.

Here are some before pictures for your frame of reference:

Can you imagine having 2 people in this kitchen at one time?  And I know you like that pinkish countertop!

After tearing out the cabinets, countertops, and appliances, we attacked the wall dividing the living room and current kitchen...

Here's a video of David and Jen tearing down the wall:

It's Official, We Bought a House!!!

We finally own a piece of South Tampa!  Our new house is in an adorable neighborhood, among many beautiful homes.  When we say new, we mean new to us.  This home was built in 1955 (and the original parkay floors and pink and teal bath tiles can prove it!)  It's sort of the red-headed step child of the neighborhood, and you may have an inclination to avert your eyes when driving past at first...  But we saw a lot of potential, and over the next month we will renovate and transform this little dollhouse into our modern dream home.  We hope you'll enjoy sharing this journey with us, and look forward to having you visit us soon!! :)