Renovation Reflection

*Warning: LONG POST!*

This month marked two years since purchasing our current home. We didn't actually move in until March of 2006, just after we found out we were expecting the Bean. During the month of February '06, we started the long process of fixing up our house, which is still not completely finished. But, we absolutely love it and I feel so blessed to be able to raise our family here.

The best thing about our house is the location, followed by the layout and the lot. We had a long list of must-haves from 4 BR's and 2.5 BA's to a large kitchen, a separate formal living room and family room, and a large enough dining room to accomodate our family. We also wanted a fireplace and at least a one-car garage, as well as some sort of outdoor space (either a patio or deck) to hang out outside and a flat lot where kiddos could play. We have all that and more. A single house boasting over 2,000 square feet and a nice yard is exactly what I've always wanted. At times I've been discouraged throughout our renovations, feeling like the list keeps getting longer rather than shorter, but then I have to look back at everything we've accomplished since we've moved in. So, here goes:

Phase One

• When we moved in, the first thing we did was clean every inch of the house including floors, walls, ceilings, cupboards, etc. even into the garage. We settled on a Thursday, and Mom took off work that last weekend in February to help me clean (thanks so much!). I don't think the place had been cleaned in at least 15 years and just some elbow grease and rubber gloves made the entire house smell better.
• From there, we took off the paneling in the good living room and the fake wood/foam beams on the ceiling. That enabled us to tear out the wall between the living room and dining room.
• We then took off wallpaper and painted all four bedrooms upstairs, including the ceiling and starting the trim with some help from our family (thanks!). Shawn also painted our master bathroom and we started painting the powder room downstairs.
• We enlisted the services of our plumber Brad Keiser (who I would highly recommend) to fix up our powder room, adding a pedastool sink and new hardware as well as a new toilet. We also had him install a new sink in the kitchen, along with a new faucet, and a new state-of-the-art garbage disposal along with our new GE Profile dishwasher from Mom & Jamie (thank you!). Our brother-in-law Mike helped trim the window sill so the tall Delta faucet we bought would work (thanks!).
• We also put new flooring in the powder room downstairs, but we still have to finish painting and fix the trim. It just hasn't been a high priority.
• Next we paid to have carpet installed on our stairways and all the bedrooms upstairs. While the hardwood was pretty, we knew we'd have babies crawling around and thought the carpet was more practical and warmer.
• We installed a new towel bar, shower curtain bar, and toilet paper dispenser in the family bathroom that the last owner had newly renovated. I tried re-grouting some of the beautiful neutral tile with little success.
• Shawn replaced all the outlets & switches throughout the house to be a uniform, more up-to-date white after Grandpa Ginder showed him how (thanks!).
• We hired a fix-it company to install a dining room chandelier, a new kitchen light fixture and pendant lights over the breakfast bar that all coordinated. They also painted the kitchen & dining room walls a beautiful deep red, finished the drywall work where we had torn out the wall & paneling and made sure a few of the bricks outside were all the way they were supposed to be (is that called stepping or pointing or something?)
• After moving in, we hired a youth to paint the living room walls & ceiling and the upstairs hallway walls and ceiling. The color wasn't quite right, though, so I think we want to repaint it at some point.
• We also hired a tree company to take out the largest tree in our front yard, grind the stump and remove all the roots that were sticking out of the ground.
• Grandpa Ginder & Kevin helped start trimming up our overgrown shrubs and yardwork while we were in the hospital having Joshua.
• There, our renovations ceased for awhile as having a baby took over our lives...

Phase Two

• The next round of renovations started with removing the second large dead tree from our front yard, grinding the stump and getting the landscape smoothed out and adding grass seed (hopefully it will grow this spring!).
• We then replaced the old broken driveway (which had been ruined with tree roots) and expanded it from a single lane to typical size where you can park four cars. It looks SO much better and now we don't have to worry about anyone falling or turning their ankles.
• Next, we got a brand new roof, new gutters & downspout with a new rain leader system that pulls water away from the house. In replacing our roof, we also took down the big chimney that was in the middle of it, which also gave us back more closet space since the chimney had been added later. Eventually we want to get a gas insert for our fireplace that will turn on with a simple switch.
• The contractor aluminum capped all our windows & around the garage to make our house maintenance free (or basically maintenance free). This included new front porch posts and shiny new house numbers to coordinate.
• We got all new replacement energy-efficient windows and new exterior doors. The front one is a more decorative one that we picked out with a cherry wood finished and beveled glass that we just love.
• We got a new, more energy efficient bay window that lets a lot more light in and actually opens now! The window sill is also a lot deeper for my plants.
• Next, the contractor replaced some of the siding in the back as they wrapped our sunporch to match the rest of the house and took out an old rusty blower that was no longer needed. The sunporch was also given a little insulation and new aluminum capping, and the screen door on it now closes properly. Woohoo! That was one of my favorite parts from an annoyance standpoint.
• UGI installed a brand new energy efficient, long-lasting gas furnace and hot water heater. The central air unit had just been replaced before we bought the house, so we didn't need to replace it.
• We got all new white six-panel interior doors along with matching white six panel closet doors that close properly with the new, more plush carpet.
• The Energy Conservation Center installed the standard amount of insulation in our attic and underneath our living room, dining room & kitchen to help with heating costs. There was literally almost none before.
• An electrician added recessed lights in the good living room, a new motion sensor on our garage door, a new outlet in our powder room & laundry room for our freezer, new outlets at the front & back of our house to make yardwork easier, and fixed all the three-way receptacles that no longer worked. We also fixed some bad outlets around the fireplace and the light outside the laundry room door. We also replaced the light outside our front door just so everything was fresh & new.
• The contractor (formerly an electrician) replaced our old electric unit with an updated, up-to-code 200 amp electric service. He also rewired the basement to code and fixed a few things that the previous homeowners had installed/patched in themselves.
• We replaced all the old copper pipes with new ones to make our plumbing up-to-date. That included adding a trap for the master bathroom shower.
• They finished the trim in the dining room & living room where we had torn down the wall.
• We had our gorgeous ceiling fan installed in our master bedroom and a new recessed light above the family bathroom bathtub, along with a new light fixture above the mirror in the bathroom.
• All of our smoke detectors got replaced with new 10-year lithium battery ones.
• We had our kitchen completely torn out and all new cabinets, drawers, hardware and countertops installed. We bought a new GE Profile cooktop & downdraft system that was put in, so now all of our appliances are new and match.

• Now we are anticipating the birth of our second child in just a few short months! We must put in the closet organizer in what will be Joshua's new room and decorate for him...

Phase 3

• We just finished phase 2, but we already have a long list of things that must be accomplished in phase 3. These are mostly cosmetic, though, like refinishing the hardwood floors in the living room & dining room, installing a gas fireplace insert, taming the wild landscape in our backyard, hanging some of our larger paintings, and buying new curtains for our living room, etc. These will have to wait until we save up more money and have more time on our hands to do them ourselves.

I love our little house. Some day, I'll have to post before and after pictures, which I have but will take too long after I've already written a short novel here. While the house needed some work, it's also solidly constructed and basically up-to-date with all 'major things' now. I feel we've been very blessed with the opportunity to own a home in one of the best school districts in the state, let alone the county, with the elementary school literally behind our house. We have fields to play in, playgrounds within walking distance, and most things that we would want to do in this area are between 5 and 10 minutes from here. The pediatrician is less than a mile from our house, which was huge this past Friday when Joshua was having difficulty breathing. Even the hospital is about a 5-7 minute drive (depending on traffic lights). We have plenty of space for our kiddos & us and yet the house feels cozy, too. Most of all, I'm thankful for my husband and sons to enjoy it with. May it not only bless our family but all who enter.