Starter Stories and oodles of Memories
Before: A run down little home in a nice neighborhood right on the edge of city limits. The outside consisted of rotting boards and horrible yard upkeep.
Sometimes it is fun to look back through old pictures reminiscing over all the memories. I was inspired to share before and after pictures of our starter home by a great company. Urban Compass is a real estate company that seeks to connect those searching for property with exactly what fits their personality and taste. They have a great neighborhood guide page that can get you started if you are looking for a place in the NYC area.
Every couple or individual enjoys seeing progress made on their home whether they are renting or paying a mortgage. We were absolutely thrilled to purchase this little “fixer-upper” in a quaint part of the city. Ours was tucked away on a dead end street and had a huge acreage of woods behind it. We felt a little set apart, but not too far away from the amenities of the city life, work, and school.
After: Just a bit of sweat and hard work was given to transform the outward appearance. Wow! What a difference it made.
Before: Our backyard was really big and we knew with a growing family it was going to be used often.
After: (we did redo the deck right before we moved last year)
Before: What woman wants this as her “dream” kitchen?
After: A coat of Tudor brown paint on the walls and crisp white painted cabinets made for a pleasant place to serve family and guests. (We did have wooden floors laid when we sold it)
Before: Look at that living room—straight from the 80’s. Yuck.
After: I used joint compound and textured the walls giving the paneling a major makeover. A bit of heat resistant black paint on the fireplace and a healthy dose of decorating made for a more sophisticated atmosphere.
Before: The guest bathroom at it’s prime!
After: Nothing a fresh coat of paint, curtains around the shower, decorations, and beautiful tile cannot fix.
Before: Boys bedroom was nasty…
After: I flat textured the walls again and painted them a dark blue using the white bed and bedding to pop. Adding a touch of orange with the basketball theme was a fun way to create something that fit his tastes.
Before: Girl’s room at its “glory.”
After: Pretty and pink with a purple chandelier, beads, and lots of fun decorations.
Before: We had a running joke that the person who painted this room liked the Pampers wipes container color. This room was the first to be painted.
After: A coat of sage green paint, a refurbished mantle headboard, diy curtains, and pops of our personalities fixed it right up.
Before: The Master bath was pretty bare, but we took care of that.
After: We put up bead-board around entire room and textured the top and ceiling adding the same green paint as the master bedroom. My sweet husband found an old dresser for $30 and made it the new vanity. A fun new brown tile gave the floor a major uplift.
So, lest you think you cannot make a nasty house your home, I’d have to argue with you. It takes time, work, and a little money, but every house has great potential. Sometimes you just have to step back and ask yourself what you truly want. That’s what we did before purchasing this house. We had to look past all the rough edges and realize we could make it beautiful to us!
I’m a yard sale/thrifty shopper and love making our space perfect for us. We sold this starter home this past summer and are now tackling our next HOME…
…with much excitement and hard work.