Remember how we bought a house? Well today, I'm finally going to show you some pictures of it! I'm going to be extremely candid with you. I've been scared to show pictures of our house to anyone, even to my real life friends, because I'm genuinely afraid that people will think we're crazy.
So many of my "blog friends" showcase their gorgeous homes, and I start comparing and worrying, knowing ours will never measure up. Our house is a California ranch-style, 1598 square feet, with two bedrooms and two baths. It was built in 1966 and belonged to the original owners until they passed away recently at over one hundred years old. When we bought it, the inside was totally unchanged by time, still containing original carpet, light fixtures, popcorn ceilings and wood paneling. The main wall in the dining area was covered with mirrored tiles and the master bathroom was mint green. When we first saw it, Brandon compared it to Graceland.
But we loved the neighborhood and the large lot the house sits on, with its mature trees and beautiful roses and hydrangeas in the backyard. We also saw an opportunity to get an amazing deal. Gradually it began to grow on us, and I saw a vision of our lives there. Not fully understanding the overwhelming amount of work ahead of us, we put in an offer, and so our adventure began! Meet our house, as it looked when we got our keys on October 1, 2012...
The Entry & Front Living Room:
The Guest Bathroom:
The Master Bedroom:
The Laundry Room:
The weekend after the house closed, we ripped out all the carpet and had the popcorn ceilings stripped. I remember staring at our house, with tears in my eyes, and telling Brandon that I feared we'd made a mistake. There wasn't a single part of the house I didn't hope to change, and at this realization, I was completely overwhelmed. After some deep breaths, I decided to fully commit to believing in my vision. I promised myself that someday, nobody will believe how "us" our house is.
Like I said, it's not our dream home. Someday, I dream of having a Tudor or Colonial style house with marble countertops, high ceilings, a big dining room and a couple more bedrooms. But for now, I'm just so thankful to own a home that we can afford all by ourselves at 23 and 25 years old. I'm thankful to be in a neighborhood that we absolutely love. And I'm thankful we had extra money leftover, so that we could begin phase 1 of renovations immediately. I'm beyond excited for the next chapter of our lives that we'll spend living here! We still haven't moved in, but now, a month and a half later, I've seen so much progress and I feel so much better about this decision. I can't wait to show you the changes we've been working on! Starting Monday, I'm going to take you through our house, room by room, with updated pictures and details of future plans. Be prepared-- I like a lot of white, and crystal light fixtures!
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Learn more about our house remodel here: 1. House Tour, The Before Pictures (October 2012) // 2. House Tour, The Living Room (November 2012) // 3. House Tour, The Kitchen (November 2012) // 4. House Tour, The Den (November 2012) // 5. House Tour, The Bedrooms (November 2012) // 6. House Tour, Remodel Phase 1 Completed, (January 2013)