Work in Progress
The house I'm working on in Birmingham is starting to come together and although it might look far from done, it's actually quite close and this is where the fun begins.
Here is some of the journey.
This is an early century bungalow in a sort of Cape Cod style that has been added on to in various forms though the years. One of the previous owners spent way too much time watching HGTV and was perhaps partially blind. As often happens with older homes, behind each wall is a new hidden surprise. Rolled up newspaper serving as insulation, un-level ceilings, bad sub flooring, mis-matching brick/stone finishes, issues with bad carpentry. This home had it ALL.
We basically removed every single finish without making too many structural changes. Flooring, baseboards, crowns,cabinetry, vanities, appliances, built-ins, light fixtures - everything had to go. Once the major issues were resolved as far as structure and support, we began to rebuild.
The breezeway didn't need too much. But a fresh coat of paint on walls, trim, ceiling and flooring made all the difference in the world.
Before
After
The back room which is a four seasons living space with a fireplace had perhaps some of the most difficult challenges of the whole house. So we repainted all the mismatching brick and stone in a nice airy gray, ripped out the bead board walls to add insulation and re-dry wall, then added new flooring and painted trim. Lots still left to do but you can start to see it taking shape.
Before
After
Are you starting to feel it? This will be the best room in the house I think. Once all the window trim is white, walls pale gray, and the cardboard is removed to reveal the nice chocolate brown wood flooring. Picture a beautiful area rug, some comfy upholstered chairs, a nice table. And these are the sconces that go on either side of the smaller windows (where circular cut-outs are).
And the kitchen. I hesitate to even post any pix at this point because the yet to be installed backsplash and lighting is far too awesome, but at any rate, there is much improvement.
Before
After
Again, flooring is a dark brown wood. Tile back splash is a 2X6 tan glass tile (brick pattern). Window treatments coming. Pendant lights, banquette, dark cabinet door hardware, lots of fun stuff.
And finally, we have the master bathroom. Everything had to go. Here you can see the typical bad finishes and workmanship.
Before (yes, that's me on the iPad)
After
Pale gray wood-like tile flooring. White textured subway tile in shower. And this nice turquoise-ish wood mirror will be going in above vanity with a pretty oil-rubbed-bronze 4-light fixture above.
Whew! That's it for now. Can't wait to show all of the REAL after photos. Sourcing furnishings now. It's gonna be a little gem.
XO