Month 1 Re-Cap
Whew! Has it been a month already?! I swear every month this year since COVID-19 started has LITERALLY flown by, its quite saddening, really... the summer months are usually my favorite because everything seems to slow down a little and you can actually enjoy and take time for yourself.
Anyhow, regardless of the time flying by I wanted to journal what all we have accomplished in the first month of this renovation. I am sure I will miss out quite a lot because we have been busy bees! People ask if we’ve moved in fully or are we fixing it up first... We have moved in but in to one room which will eventually be my office once the actual bedroom under renovation completes. They also ask do you have all of the furniture? And then start throwing suggestions on where to purchase a couch or recliner, etc. I guess for most people it’s normal to want to go purchase all of the ‘things’... It’s actually funny, I am rarely the type to sit on a couch or much less have time for that. With all of the renovations going on we literally work non stop until time to bathe and bed at night if that gives you any idea!
I am also the type to not want to fill my creative space and mindset with just ‘things’... yes, we could go get a cheap couch or a table set or whatever it may be BUT doing so stunts my creative process and sets me back feeling that my space is filled with clutter. Clutter is one thing I wanted to very much so limit when purchasing this home. I would rather hold off on the unnecessary’s so that when my hard work pays off I can get what I really want and not waste my time and energy on meaningless pieces. We are also very DIY-ish and have a great build in mind for our kitchen table space (stay tuned!).
As a creator I wanted to start this space fresh and clean from room to room. This gives me a clean mindset and canvas to let my dreams come true. As you will see during the renovation process of this 1950’s farmhouse is that I want to bring back the bones of the house but also include and highlight on elements of what ‘gives me life’ whether it be the original glass door knobs, brass fixtures, original hard wood flooring, exposed brick, you may even see a touch of modern...
Also as a creator I tend to notice the details. Every little detail, I see you! I may be picky, I may be OCD, who knows... but detail is very important! Being an older home it’s obvious it is going to have character which I LOVE! However, also being a previous rental home there’s a ton of details that were slobby or half... you know what. So with that being said there’s a ton of work to be done before I can get down to the nitty gritty and actually start implementing my design process where you will see the outcome. In lack of better words we are basically back tracking what previous owners have done to get a clean slate so we can build from there.
Here’s a majority of what has been done thus far:
1. Removed master bathroom toilet that was cracked (thanks previous owner!)
2. Replaced P trap and plumbing under kitchen sink... it was stinking horribly and had all sorts of food gunked up in it, clean as a whistle now though!
3. Wiped down all baseboards, doors, walls, ceilings to help remove the past tenants smell...
4. Painted the kitchen countertops to give a temporary clean look.
5. Painted/stained front porches to give a temporary clean look until COVID-19 goes away and material prices lower. We will then be redoing the whole front porch situation.
6. Removed trash from yard around the house. There were buckets of nails dumped, trash, bottles, old paint buckets, etc. everywhere!
7. Cleaned out both sheds full of useless items (off to the dump we go!).
8. Ripped out every inch of carpet in the entire house and discovered we have PERFECTLY good original hardwood floors, YIPPEE!!
9. Removed all tack strips, staples and then reinforced nails coming out of wood.
10. Removed a non working stove the owners left (thanks previous owners once again!).
11. Replaced all burnt out light bulbs, there were a ton!
12. Trimmed up all trees left standing and cut down a huge pine that was blocking the view of the house as well as a horrible huge holly tree. Got rid of all of the overgrown bushes too!
13. Started a flower bed and landscaping around the home.
14. Painted all of the exterior doors to give the house a face lift.
15. Painted the main hallway, hall bath, as well as mud room/laundry area.
16. Weed eated all of the grown up foliage, weeds, etc. It was tall... like taller than me...
17. Burned out all of the old tree stumps around the property.
18. Removed all of the old cable lines strung all over the house like confetti.
19. Pressure washed the house, front porches and back patio.
20. Removed ceiling trim in master bedroom to prepare working on the ceiling.
21. Scrubbed paint off of hardwood floors.
22. Sealed exterior rock foundation.
23. Discovered a well on back patio.
24. Removed horribly dated screen doors from exterior doors and literal TOBACCO STICKS nailed to trim :)
25. Prepped yard for pest and rodent removal.
26. Installed clothes line (while we wait for back ordered dyer to arrive).
27. Closed off fireplace vent.
28. Resurfaced an old church pew for hallway entrance.
29. Installed new washing machine! (It’s pretty fancy).
30. Created a winter garden space behind the shed.
What projects have you been working on this past month? I would love to hear!
XOXO,
Sophia 