Monday, August 17, 2009

TA DA....

~We moved into our HOME on August 17, 2000~

Knowing it needed some TLC, we knew we were just the family it was waiting for! It is now totally re-sided on the outside by my husband. Why did it take so long you might ask? Well, he literally did this whole house from stripping off all of the old 1960's faded yellow aluminum siding, to rebuilding practically every wall of this house from the foundation up and every corner around the whole house. Up and down a thirty foot plus ladder more times then one can count over the course of any day he may have available. Every vacation, every weekend off, he has been dedicated to finishing this house. He blew in insulation in every wall, drilling every hole and moving the ladder as needed. He even had the scare of back surgery thru the course of these last nine years and had to take some valuable time off for about a year. But, because he was determined NOT to have back surgery, he let the house wait and his back healed, although he still has to be careful.



He has made this house our HOME!


This is where it all started. The backside of the house was in such poor condition when we purchased it that he decided to start there and give our neighbors some relief from the sight they had to look at for years. Plus he figured it would keep him inspired to finish the whole house if the back looked better then the front.











Not too bad huh?



When he finished the back he moved to the front. The entrance to our HOME was not what I would call welcoming at all. They had put down black outdoor carpet on the steps and it was weathered. The pillars at some point had been replaced with these awful iron pillars that had rusted and the whole surround to the door was peeling and cracking.


So we have replaced the pillars and removed the carpet and scraped and repainted the entire surface. Added new light fixtures and a new mailbox. We still have to do something with the steps. He wants to brick them and I say paint them, either way it will be better then the black carpet!


The last thing he finished was just in the last week. My porch!

This porch was being supported by 3 cinder blocks and all of the detail work around the bottom was rotted and had sunk into the ground about 6 inches. So all of those little spindles had to be re-made, by my husband. One of the pillars even had to be repaired and there was no ceiling to the porch. The railing all had to be stripped and 2 portions of it totally rebuilt.



This picture is mid-redo of the entire house. Notice no ceiling!



Close up of the porch surround.

My husband made each and every slat that surrounds the porch.

Mimicking the originals!





Close up of the new ceiling.

There were something like 86 boards that had to be nailed in.

All tongue and groove bead boards!





Finished porch!
Much better!



This is how I tried to make it look pretty while waiting for it to be completed! Notice the old yellow siding and the original clapboards. The green shutters are hiding a hideous circuit breaker box that was installed at some point, now I have what looks like a little piece of furniture hiding it to make it more presentable. Thank you honey!


This is how it looks now. Hubby wants to get new furniture for out here. Something more comfortable then my old wicker. I can go for that!

The porch floor gets alot of weathering, so it had to be scraped down and repainted. I did that painting and ran out of paint. So called hubby to stop by and get more of our color with one of those little swatches. He came home with the right paint, but it mixed up dark gray instead of the "pumpkin stem" we originally had. So back to the store to return what made more work and get the right mix. Just one more delay!





Our doors inside and out of our HOME are all taller then the norm. So any replacements have to be "custom". That can get quite expensive, so I decided to just paint this storm door.

I think it looks brand new!



I decided to mix it up a bit and instead of having hanging baskets I picked up these railing baskets. We found these lanterns at Wal Mart on clearance for $10, so we decided to hang those in place of the baskets. We like it!




Our HOME originally had a palladium window in the peak, but it had been removed when they put up the yellow siding back in the 1960's, as well as all of the intricate trim work around the windows and doors. We purchased a new window for the peak and he and I installed that. We are still married and love each other very much, lol! That took alot of work with me up in the attic and him out on a 40 foot ladder trying not to drop this window, it is about 4 1/2 ft wide and quite heavy. I could post alot more pictures, but I think you get the "picture" that I am very proud of what my husband did and all that it entailed to make this house our HOME! There are still things that need to be done, but the big stuff is completed 9 years later!


It is hard to believe the changes our HOME has gone thru since we moved in. Going back thru the pictures was shocking and fun. We sometimes forget what it looked like back then.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed seeing the transformation!

23 comments:

  1. Oh Lisa
    Your home is SO BEAUTIFUL!!! What a lot of work, but what a reward for it. You must be so thrilled to own such a wonderful home. Thanks for showing us the before and after.
    You should join Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ for her metamorphosis Monday. I know everyone would love to see this post. Can I come and share a glass of lemonade with you on your porch and have a dip in the pool?
    Hugs, Rhondi

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  2. Lisa, your home is deserving of a magazine spread!! It's the kind of house we all dream about! Your husband deserves a million pats on the back. I'm going to send your link to my dad. He is refurbishing a house that is almost 100 years old...96 or so. He's like your hubby...redoing each and every board correctly.

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  3. I love it!!!!!!!!!!! You did a beautiful job. I love the colors. I love to go to Raleigh, NC to the historic district and see the wonderful "Painted Ladies".

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  4. I just found your blog and so glad I have. What a beautiful Home you have. your husband has done an amazing job, it is just wonderful. Catherine x

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  5. Very Nice! Your redo looks great ! What a pretty place to call home.

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  6. What a beautiful restoration! You and your hubby should be very proud, I'm sure that your home is very pleased with her new makeover too!

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  7. You have a beautiful home! One to truely be proud of!!!

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  8. I'm floored. What a beautiful renovation! I especially love the porch surround!

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  9. What an undertaking! But your results are just fabulous. How long did it take you? I especially love the porch and the window.

    I'm sure you are so pleased. Your husband did a wonderful job. ENJOY!
    -Angela

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  10. What a wonderful renovation! Gigantic undertaking! How wonderful to have such a skilled hubby! He did a marvelous job!

    Tina

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  11. Lisa your home is a GORGEOUS and wonderfully welcoming work of art! Kudos!!!!

    ~Blessings to you my friend. ~Melissa :)

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  12. I actually wanted to cry reading this. I love the pride you have in your home and your husband. And my gosh, you should! And he in you. Beautiful, beautiful home. It must feel soooooo good!

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  13. I am so impressed. I love it and all your hard work really paid off. It is beautiful and welcoming. Enjoy.
    Jean in virginia

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  14. You tell your husband-coming from the Queen of DIY that he did a fantastic job. It really is amazing. I love the pride and love that comes through as you speak about your husband and this project.
    This is my first time to your blog. I hope you will come for a visit.
    Cheri
    Its So Very Cheri

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  15. Hi Lisa,
    I just found your cute blog. Your HOME is absolutely beautiful. Great job Hubby!!! What a wonderful transformation. It was very nice to meet you. Have a wonderful day.

    Blessings,
    ♥Ana

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  16. Hi Lisa,
    Your home just shines with love. Your husband and you have done a fabulous job.
    I enjoyed your post very much quite the transformation.
    Have a wonderful day,
    Elizabeth

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  17. My goodness! What an incredible job you have done. Yours is the very first house I have ever seen with pink like that..and I love it. SO cottage! I have idea's for the trim on ours..but Sweeties is a bit scared of change...he is still reeling from just getting married and all my STUFF! :)

    The little railing pieces your husband made and the beautiful paint job! The man is amazing...
    I love it, Lisa! Just love it!
    I bet people slow down and look. I would probably be brazen and knock on your door and gush! (I'm kidding!) No, I'm not! LOL
    Hugs..
    Mona

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  18. Great Job! Hey, now that he's done, if he gets bored you can just send him over to my "Frugal Country Cottage". Even though it's a new home, I still have a ton of things that I'd like done, like finishing the basement and putting a small deck on the back lol!

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  19. Oh I am so in love with your house. Do you have an extra room for me? You have done a beautiful job with your wonderful husband.Thanks so much for sharing all those pictures.

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  20. You and your hubby did a gorgeous job! Our doors are all taller than normal, too, at 84 inches. I wish I would've thought of your idea before we, long ago, threw out our storm door. Now we just don't have one, but that has been bad for the old french door-front door so that could use replacing too. Eek! It gets expensive alright...

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  21. You have such a beautiful home! It's all ready for This Old House magazine!! I love that you took the time to do it back to its original look. The fact that he made all the little pieces for the porch is just amazing, that shows such commitment. Enjoy it, it's gorgeous!
    ~Michelle

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  22. OMG you be sure and take care of the Handy Man you have. I love it!


    cindy@stitches

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