The scary and fun part of a remodel

It's no secret to many that I'm not a fan of a "new build" typically. A custom build, maybe. But I usually opt for older homes. So of course that means I love walking in to homes and seeing the potential. The area we live in has many houses built in 1950's or 1960's and it goes without saying that they often need some work. I hear all the time from people "I can't handle a remodel. I'm not cut out for construction." And this is why...

This is a picture of what the floors at Blossom looked like when demo finished. Because of the original flooring, the subfloor also had to be demo'd. 

Then there were the walls. 

This is about the point where most people bail out. The chaos. The dirt. The ugly. It can be a lot if you're not focused on what it WILL be. I walk in and get excited. 

Charlie tagged along one day and told me it looked like a house from the 1700's. 🤭 Here's a peek of a bathroom during demo, well minus the toilet that was out later that day. You could literally see down to the basement in 1/3 of the house. 

 

Pretty scary if you're a homeowner. Or a kid. Or anyone who hates construction. 

But let's talk about the end product...that bathroom above? Now looks like this. 

And this...(there's a shower behind that open door but since the bathroom is small, it's too hard to photograph for this amateur photographer). 

The other main bathroom went through quite the transformation as well. It first started like this. Blue and green wallpaper with a green and white floor. The shelf and vanity were installed beside the pedestal sink so it was very choppy. 

And now, with just a little vision...

In truth, this bathroom was renovated with box store items. Yep.  Vanity, lights, towel bars, etc. are all from Lowes and mostly in-stock items. You don't have to do tile or high-end finishes if your budget won't allow. You can still get a very nice look with other options. 

We replaced the floor with basic LVP in a barn wood style. It's waterproof and easy to install (which translates to less labor and thus less $$). The shower (not pictured closely) is a simple insert vs. tile to save more money. Also a simple fix for rough plaster walls - bead board. Some say it's not "in style" but in certain rooms, it can really add a touch of texture and provide another visual element without breaking the bank. 

A long vanity with a large mirror was all this bathroom needed to be more functional. Of course I added some fun elements in the art to make it feel more cozy...

What's hard to see is that the paint, the simple decorative touches, new lighting - all those details helped pull both bathrooms back to life. 

So while the in-between can be scary, the finished product is so rewarding! Stay tuned for reveals this week on the rest of the spaces. You're going to see some pretty amazing changes!