When we bought this house...

When we bought this house in March 2018, we knew that the prior owner and her late sister had lived here for the previous 40 years. Our understanding was that the house had been decently maintained but not updated in any significant way, that much was clear by sight and confirmed by the pre-offer inspection we had conducted. It wasn't the most thorough inspection, since the housing market - and the relatively low price of the house - meant we needed to move fast and make an offer without contingencies, but we wanted to have an idea of what we were getting ourselves into.

We knew we'd have to put some real money into the house in the first year to make sure it was safe to live in; we did an electrical upgrade and some plumbing work before even moving in, plus painting every room to cover up the intense smell of cigarette smoke. We also took the screen enclosure off the front porch almost right away, had the porch roof replaced, rebuilt the back deck and stairs down to the backyard, and had a new six-foot wooden fence erected around the backyard. The plan from the beginning, though, was to save up for a whole-house renovation down the road, putting off as much auxiliary work (structural and/or cosmetic) as possible so we could just incorporate our whole vision into one big project without earlier work needing to be redone. I've had a few preliminary conversations with design/build firms to see if we could do any of the work we have in mind in phases, but... not really. It really should all be done at once, they agreed, except for finishing the basement, which could be a separate project logistically but isn't the top budget priority for us.

So far, we've mostly been successful at waiting. We did have to put down new hardwood floors throughout the first floor in spring 2021 because the original 100-year-old floor was just falling apart, and we installed vinyl planks in the kitchen as an interim aesthetic measure. Our handyman made a few closets more functional, too, and we replaced the vanity in our single bathroom as well as the dishwasher when that died. Otherwise, beyond decorating and, as finances and my husband's patience have allowed, redecorating, I've been doing my best to scratch the project itch by just fantasizing online, which is why we're here on this blog!

Unless something unexpected happens, we're now about 18-24 months away from being able to afford to renovate the whole house. And that means I can start turning those fantasies into actual research! I've been saving thoughts in a spreadsheet and images on Pinterest, but I think writing them all out here will be more fun. Plus, I get to play with moodboards and collages again! That was fun when I last blogged - I'm looking forward to playing around.