Stallworth remodel

Well, since I have an unexpected "day off" with Jane in school and Baby not requiring any attention yet, I guess it's about time to post about our home remodel. If you know us well enough to follow this blog, then you know that Richard and I love fixing up houses! Our previous three houses were in such bad shape that we had to renovate before we could even move in. Back then, our days as students and teachers allowed us the time in the summer to do just that. This time, however, we didn't have the margin to start busting down walls the day we signed the closing papers. Instead, we just had the paint and floors redone in the bedrooms and proceeded to move in last August, a mere two weeks after closing. Thankfully, our house was in good enough shape to live in but still in need of some future updates. So, after nine months of planning and brainstorming, we got to start construction in May.

The first step was converting our two-car garage into living space. With the baby coming, my "studio" got kicked out of our third bedroom, and we also wanted a little more play space for Jane and her future sibling. So here is what we are calling "the activity room."

Mommy's side

Kids' side

The rest of the summer was spent sprucing up our existing public spaces. We added openings in two of the walls leading into the kitchen, had den and kitchen linoleum replaced with hardwood and existing hardwoods refinished, and had everything repainted. We also moved the dining room into what was intended to be the living room, and made the original dining room into a study/library for Richard. We love the fresh, clean, and open results!

Here are some before and after shots. You can see all the wonderful treasures that were left in the house in the "before" pics. (We filled an entire 30 yard dumpster just emptying out the house and attic before we moved in!)

Den before (facing kitchen wall)

Den after (facing kitchen opening)

Den before

Den after

Kitchen before

Kitchen after
(I was set on keeping the pink oven, but we decided the
pink sink, stove top and walls were a little much)

Dining/living room before

Study/dining room after

Dining room after (new opening into kitchen)

We have had so much fun fixing up this old sixties home. Now we are ready to settle in and grow into a family of four!