It has always been my dream to renovate a house. I am talking full-on renovation from head to toe, start to finish. I have always wanted to take an underappreciated and neglected home and bring it back to life. In June of 2014, the beginning of my home renovation dream was realized. I purchased my third home. It was my first “official” renovation project, a 1929 Stucco bungalow, in Fayetteville, WV. When I found it, it had great bones but was in need of a lot of love. I could not wait to get my hands on it. I was ready to jump in and start making it a home again…or so I thought.
The Back Story
When I stumbled upon this little bungalow, hidden behind the overgrown bushes, I knew this home needed some major TLC. It was the perfect renovation project.
At the time, it had been vacant for over four years. It was undervalued, but the perfect size, and in the perfect place. The house had great bones too. The for sale by owner sign was barely visible the night I walked by. However, it quietly peeked out, from behind the clunky hedges, and called my name.
I was not looking to buy another house, especially not a property to renovate. I was comfortable renting a sweet little cottage on the opposite side of town. My rental was fixed up exactly the way I wanted it and I was content. Each day, I would walk through the house blessing it and the joy that I felt living there. But you know how the story goes…
I was playing poker at a friend’s house one night, looked across the street, and saw a little stucco peeking out behind hedges. In front, barely visible, was a For Sale By Owner sign. The next day I could not get it out of my head. I asked my parents about it (they are both realtors and both grew up in Fayetteville), they looked at each other and said, “Jan’s house?”
Jan’s House
Living Room After
Living Room Before
Jan had been a friend of my mom’s in high school. Her family grew up in the little stucco I was asking about. Immediately, it brought back memories of high school for my parents.
My mom had spent many nights in the house growing up and knew it well. That day, we called the number on the For Sale by Owner sign and sure enough, Jan answered. We met her at the house. It quickly became a reunion between friends. My parents and Jan laughed and told stories of the nights spent in the house. At that moment, purchasing it just felt right. Jan’s family grew up in the house, her parents had owned it for over 75 years. Sadly, it had sat vacant and neglected for over 4. When I looked at it in February, it had sat quietly on the market for over 9 months.
Immediately, I put an offer in on it. Jan and I worked out the details and it went into contract. As the contract moved forward, I met her at the house several times. Each time it felt like it was meant to be. She told me stories of her parents and their life there. Her dad loved woodworking and was constantly working on home improvement projects around the house. He had huge gardens in the backyard and her mom was a dietician. Fresh food and healthy cooking are two things that I rank as a priority in my life. The conversations we had about gardening and fresh food made me feel like this little home was exactly the place I needed to be to explore these areas further. Finally, after months of setting up contractor bids, getting the financing in order and waiting… I closed on my little stucco charmer.
My First Home Renovation
In June 2014, it was finally time to start the complete home renovation I had always wanted.
This little house needed it all; a new roof, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, floor plan changes, a new kitchen, a second bathroom. You name it, it needed it. I hired contractors for the roof, HVAC, plumbing and electrical. My dad and I completed the rest of the renovation, with some help from friendly volunteers. It was my first construction job. I was so thankful for my dad and his wisdom and help every day. I learned a lot and I am excited to share the journey with you.
A few Before and After photos
It has been over four years since the start of my first complete home renovation. The house is about 85% complete, certainly comfortable and livable and I love it. However, I have a few confessions to make…
Confession Time
Elizabeth, Sanding the Office Floors
1. When I started this renovation project, I was way in over my head!
I had never managed an entire home renovation project before. I had no idea where to start planning. Over the years I had made cosmetic changes to houses I lived in. I would fix them up with paint, fabrics furnishings, simple DIY project. The renovation business was on a whole new level and I was not ready. To this day, I still cannot believe we made it through the process.
2. Budget, what budget?
At the time, I knew how to keep a simple monthly budget, but not a renovation budget. I made the mistake of winging it through the project. Luckily, I am frugal and we came in only $3500 over budget for the project. We got creative and repurposed as many materials as possible. Our creativity kept us inspired and on track financially.
3. I honestly thought the entire renovation would take no more than 2.5 to 3 months!
It took 10.5. I thought I would live in the shed outback during the renovation. It was summer, I could rough it for a couple of months. Fortunately, I did not have to live in the shed. My parents took me in during the major renovations. Renovations always take longer than you think they will. This one was no exception, it felt like it took forever.
4. I am most proud of:
a) Saving the original pine floors in the living room/dining room.
The pine floors were a stubborn passion project. I spent four weeks, in the middle of winter, in the dark, with no heat, on my hands and knees using an oscillating tool to cut through ¼” black, mastic tar to save the original pine floors in my living room and kitchen. In the end, it was totally worth it! I was hell-bent on saving them. They turned out beautiful and I couldn’t imagine having them any other way.
b) My kitchen.
We moved the kitchen to the back porch. The big, wide windows offered such an inviting atmosphere I knew it would be the perfect spot for it. Everyone who visits my house comments on the kitchen. It is old and rustic, but incredibly warm and welcoming. It has been so much fun to explore food there. I consider it the most inspiring room in my home.
Kitchen After
Kitchen Before
5. I think the home renovation bug is out of my system, at least for now!
As I stated at the beginning of this post, it has always been my dream to renovate a home. The experience taught me so much and I am so thankful for the home I have now. I appreciate the small details in it because I know everything piece it took to get where we are today. This leads me to a whole new level of appreciation for my house. For now, I don’t plan on tackling another complete home renovation in the near future. I used to joke that I would live in my house until I was 95. I am not sure about that. However, I need a little more time until I take on another project like my 1929 stucco bungalow.
With that being said, I have a lot of renovation tips, DIY and interior design projects that I am excited to share with you here on the blog. I cannot wait to continue the journey with you as I continue to make this house a home. We are off to a good start now, but it is still just the beginning…
I started blogging about my renovation journey when I had my original blog, The Mustard Ceiling. I have archived the relevant posts on Elizabeth Morton Creative. To catch up, read the following…