"Every house where love abides
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home sweet home
For there the heart can rest."
~ Henry Van Dyke

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The good, the bad and the ugly.....

Yesterday we got the keys to our new house. Not these of course but a friend stopped in yesterday evening and gave us these as a housewarming gift.

The bad.....We were totally startled to find this monstrosity sticking up in the middle of the bedroom. We had not been told that the pipes were not worked into the floor when the owners had the shower room built downstairs. They also left the connection from a radiator that is no longer there in the living room. These are things were will not be able to have sunk into the floor without going into 5 digit figures so we are going to have to be creative. We renegotiate some off the price at the closure to compensate for the extra work. Now we have to put on our thinking caps.

The ugly.....We knew the house needed a very strong cleaning. This photo shows you a little of how dirty the walls are if you enlarge it. We are literally vacuuming the entire house, walls and ceilings first before we even start painting. It has not been painted since it was built 16 years ago.

This does not show the condition of the wood floor. It is going to be totally renovated and my studio is being painted as I write this.

The front door and door for the shower room (which is now all open in the bedroom) were delivered last night. Sorry the photo is dark. Tomorrow work starts on both this and the upstairs bathroom. I am so anxious to start seeing something come together.

The good.....The man who is going to do the floor came this morning to do a test patch. He put a double smoked color stain on the part he sanded and had a series of other colors for us to see but we told him this was exactly what we wanted. It was actually better than I had even dreamed it would come up. You can get a glimpse of the color with a drawer from our hutch and cushion from our couch. I am really excited to see this floor transformed.

I hope to keep a record of the renovations on the blog so we can reflect back ourselves when it is all finished.

15 comments:

Littlebit said...

Heidi,
What fun you will have seeing it come to life, though, and making it fit your very own personalities. I imagine you will find lots of little things along the way, but in the end, it will be "home." Love the door..and that view is spectacular!

Nancy said...

Well, first, the floor is going to be really pretty. Glad he could do that. I cannot believe the previous owners would leave that mess and not tell you. Knowing you, it will be turned into a useful positive. Put your thinking cap of. Bet you already did.
It is going to be great when you get finished.
Love you, Mom

Celestial Charms said...

I'm sure every thing will come together in time. I'm looking forward to seeing all you do.
Maureen

onlymehere said...

I'm pretty shocked that they took the radiator and left such a mess for you. This is why I hate buying houses, there's always at least one unpleasant surprise. Sorry that you had so many. I'm pretty excited to see your studio and what you've chosen for it. I love your positive attitude about it all though and the fact that you found the perfect color for the floor is a great big bonus! Keep on smiling. :)

Susan in SC said...

Love the floor color. You have lots ahead of you to do!

Simple Home said...

You're going to love it when it's all done, but I know there is going to be some work to get it where you want it to be. It looks like a wonderful home though. The floor is going to be beautiful.
Blessings,
Marcia

Jeanne said...

It's always a bit of a shock when you see the house empty of everything and finally yours - things seem to show up that you hadn't noticed before. I know you and Jos will make it a wonderful cozy home though with hard work and a little patience. :) Blessings on both of you and your new home. We will be watching it be transformed.

Jackie's Stitches said...

Congratulations on the purchase of your new home! I love the darker stain on the floor - it's going to be fantastic.

Ginny said...

It seems like there's always something when you move into a new-to-you home! You're so creative that I'm sure you will figure out a fix for your unsightly mess. That floor is going to be lovely.

DonnaTN said...

You are so creative that if anyone can make lemonade out of those couple of lemons it is you! The house will be lovely once you have put your personal touch to it. So glad you are getting started on the work. What is the saying; once begun is half done?

Tracy said...

Hi, Heidi! Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you with the new place. Always surprises when taking on a new house...LOL! Hope everything goes well, and it will be fun to see in time all the changes you make and it all coming together. LOVE the floor stain color. Be taking good care and rest... setting up new home is exhausting sometimes! Happy Days ((HUGS))

Elizabethd said...

Horrid to have so many disappointments in your new house, especially if it was left dirty...that's not nice.
I'm sure you will make it your own and it will be beautiful.

Tone said...

Finally starting the new life, new home!!
As friends have told us the two times we have bought a new house... "oh this is typically you!! - all this work and painting and problems"! -... but you know what... - in the end it becomes HOME - and everything is ok!

have a lovely autumn, - I have spent last week at the mountain - fantastic autumn colours now!

Andylynne said...

Oh Heidi what a lovely space you will have. The floor is beautiful I can see why your so excited. The space looks bigger than your other space. Optical illusion or is it somewhat bigger? The house seems open and airy. When you have your own things moved it it will be so elegant. Can't wait to see what your going to do as time goes on.

Sonja said...

Every day this house becomes more and more a home! Your home!
Can't wait to see the changes that were made the last couple of days. See you soon!