Home Sweet New Home: One Year Update

It's been one year. ONE. I can't even believe I'm writing this - but it's been one year today since we purchased our new home. 

We didn't really have a plan other than we knew we were going to renovate it, and it would be some time in 2020 when we moved. If you had told me on October 22, 2019 what the next year would have been like I would have laughed and laughed and laughed at you. Here's why...

New House Thought #1: The bulk of the renovations will be done by end of January, so we will move February Winter Break. 

Reality: We moved in June. Into an unfinished house. 

New House Thought #2: Our current home will sell quick. What will we do about the kids schools? 

Reality: A major pandemic hits the world and we need not worry about things like schools. 

Or homes selling too quick.

New House Thought #3: It will be so nice having a GC (that is not us) taking care of all the details. 

Reality: "Hi. We're GC Mr. Magnolia, his assistant Jen, and our three tiny foreman. Welcome to our remodel!"

New House Thought #4: We can't wait to go pick out all the new shiny home things!

Reality: Is it available on Amazon? (See pandemic comment above.)

New House Thought #5: "Hey kids grab your masks! Mom's painting something."

Reality: "Hey kids grab your masks! Mom's talking to the contractors, picking out flooring, grabbing new towels at Target, standing in the driveway with the landscapers..." 

In short, the things we were most stressed or worried about never came to fruition. Things we weren't even thinking about became the largest hurdles. However - and I'm in the minority of this thinking - I actually think the slower pace and limitations we faced actually made it a more enjoyable process. 

2020 cut out a lot of extra in our lives for a few months. So that freed up a lot of time that Mr. Magnolia and I normally wouldn't have to concentrate on the remodel. Granted lead times, shipping times, and quarantines dragged out the process in some portions of the build (especially towards the end), but having the time to focus on it all made it less stressful. 

It also gave us more time to stare at the house and add an extra project. Or ten. 

All that extra free time allowed us to tackle projects we didn't think we would have time for until next year or the following. 

So pandemic remodeling...honestly not that bad.

From start to finish, construction/remodeling took us about nine months. We still have a few small things to tweak and a few outdoor projects that seem to be dragging, but otherwise we're done! 

Out of all of us, I was the most hesitant about moving and doing a major remodel. In the end, I think it was one of the best decisions we could have ever made. It was fun to do as a couple and as a family. It has been a dream to let our kids have so much space to run around and play. And it has been a much easier transition in terms of schools/activities/lifestyle than I could have ever planned. 

I'll try to share some fun before and afters soon of all the different rooms. It's amazing how much some of the spaces have changed! 

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Home Sweet New Home: We've Moved In!

Hi friends! It's been a few months since I've given an update on our Home Renovation Project. I laugh and laugh and laugh at the thought that when we originally bought this house back in September we thought we were going to move in February. 

And were nervous about the kids being forced to transfer schools mid-year. 

And what would happen if we sold our house too quickly. 

Just goes to show you God has other plans sometimes. 

School? Well, y'all know what happened there (#pandemic2020). In the end moving schools was the least of our worries. 

Our other house? Still own it. 

New house? WE OFFICIALLY MOVED IN! 

| Cup | Bracelets | Pool Details | 

We actually moved at the end of May. With Summer approaching, the kids done with "school", and renovation at a point that was livable we decided to just go ahead and move in. Mostly because it was becoming tough to manage the renovations from a far. It was also tough keeping our home show ready at all times with three kids and a furry shedding dog, when there really isn't any where to go. 

| Beaded Light | 

The kids were troopers through it all, and since the pandemic is still going strong, we didn't really get to say goodbye to our old neighborhood like we wanted to. We are still close enough to visit, but it still wasn't the way we wanted to leave. 

| Beaded Flushmount Light | Outdoor light | Large Outdoor Light |

To speed up the process we did a lot of the finishing details ourselves. It helps to be married to a super handy husband. 

In the end, when we moved renovations were about 85% done. The Master Bath and the basement were still under construction. And if I'm being honest didn't really finish up until last week. 

Last minute we decided to gut and renovate our Master Bath.  The sub contractor we used said what we wanted to do was relatively easy and would take him under two weeks with his full team. We were on track for that, but The Rona got us. Logistically at least. 

| Lighting | 

The garage renovation started last week and it's the last thing on our list. For now. We've already determined that in the next few months we are going to have to replace all the windows on this house. But that's a quick project. Once the garage is finished - we done. 

Slowly, but surely we've been unpacking and making this house our home. While I am super sad to be leaving my old neighborhood and the memories we created in our old home, this has been a fun process for us. 

It's been fun turning something into our own. It's been amazing playing in the pool daily, and we've had a blast entertaining people. Having a large yard and quiet streets has been a huge positive for our family. I can see what kind of childhood they will grow up with, and it's more than made the decision worth it. 

| Wall hook | Mirrors (sold out - round version) | Cabinet | Faucets | 

I'll share more details soon. It's amazing to see some of the before and afters of each room. 

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Home Sweet New Home: Renovation Update

It's been awhile since I've given a little New Home update. These last few weeks have been crazy to say the least, and we were nervous in March that our entire renovation would have to come to a screeching halt. Luckily, things have continued smoothly for the most part and we are still on track to finish the majority of our renovation in early May. 

Not the best time to be selling a house, trying to move, and trying to coordinate a renovation - but, we've been rolling with it. 

Here's a quick little peek at some of the changes that have been in the works...

First order of business was a quick refresh for the outside. We pressure washed, replaced any rot or damage, and brightened her up a bit. Out with the yellow and in with some fresh white, new shutters, and re-designed front entrance. 

I kind of want to put something in the center peak, but haven't decided yet. Any thoughts or suggestions? 

We've got all sorts of big plans for that pile of brick. And not just for the outside either. We liked using brick as a backsplash/wall in our current house and wanted to bring that element and then some over to the new house. Stay tuned. 

But it will be used for the garage wrap as well. Which by the way is starting to look less like a garage and more like the living space we envision. 

The old garage will now be home to our mudroom, a guest bedroom and a full bathroom. We are building a new detached garage with an attached hallway this side of the house. More on the why and the details of this to come, but this by far was the largest part of our renovation. 

The powder room was one of the first rooms I knew I wanted to redo. Mostly because the orange faux textured paint that here before wasn't my style. It's a work in progress, but luckily you can order everything on the internet these days (including this sink!) and all the extra elements to this room will be done soon. 

Top to bottom, every room in the house was repainted. We overall lightened everything up and went more neutral. Except for one room...

My office I decided to go a little bold with color and chose Sherwin William's infamous Iron Ore to decorate my walls. I think it will all come together in the end with what I have in mind, but if not...at least it can be changed. 

The dining room ceiling is probably one of my favorite parts of the entire house. This room has changed a ton from it's original look, and I couldn't be more pleased with how it's shaping up. 

The stairs going upstairs were painted brown instead of stained brown. The paint was starting to wear off - especially with the amount of traffic and tools being used on them during the renovation. So while it wasn't in our original plan we decided to fix them now to match the rest of the house while we weren't in the home. 

We also chose to update and change the banisters as well since they would need to be replaced anyway. 

 Sorry for the crooked picture. There weren't any banisters or rails on the stairs during the time of installation and I'm apparently faint and the thought of heights. So this is me crawling on the ground to stay low, standing up for a quick pic, and then crawling back safely down the stairs. Needless to say it was entertaining for all involved. 

But this is one of the kids rooms. We have this same trim and shelving in their rooms today and like it so much we just told the carpenter to replicate the kids current rooms. They've done so many projects for us over the years so I just let them have at it. 

The basement has probably been our other biggest project during this renovation. It was already finished, but didn't necessarily have the right set up we were looking for. Also, having a husband who works in construction helped us realize pretty quickly that some of the things they did to finish it out weren't really safe or up to code. So we gutted most of it, and started from scratch. 

This used to be their basement kitchen, pantry, and refrigerator area. It will now be a living room. 

And what used to be the living room will now be the bar of all man cave bars. This is us spending one of our pre-quarantine date nights mapping out where every bottle, wine fridge, cube of ice, and - most importantly - television will go. 

Listen, if we ever get out of quarantine - drinks for everyone. You're all invited. 

There still seems to be a lot to do, but our general contractor (a.k.a the husband) has told me we have about two more weeks before it's move in ready (minus the garage). 

Like any project it's had its ups and downs, but considering all the snags that we could have had along the way, especially these last few months, its gone way better than I expected. 

I'll share a more detailed update once every things finishes! But for now we're excited to use the outdoor space when we do visit and enjoying the fun process of making it our own. 

And keeping my husband off Zillow. 

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Home Sweet NEW Home: Before the Renovations

Yesterday I shared the news that we are moving, and today I'm going to give you a little peek at the house. This is the house before we began renovations. For the record, it is a gorgeous home. Could we have moved into it right away and been fine? Absolutely. 

The home is a custom build from the early 2000's, and the home owners did do a fair amount of updating to it over the years. It is also an eerily similar layout to what our current home has now. That made it easier for us to say, "Yes!". 

Because we already knew how things from our current home would fit, it made it much easier for us to envision ourselves in the space, as well as what we could do to each space. Basically, we are taking what we've done to our current home and replicating it here. 

The previous owners actually did a major renovation to the main floor of their house including a kitchen update only a few years ago. It has a ton of fancy features added to it. Features that I have absolutely no idea how to use. Those who know me personally know that that oven (any oven) is just for show. 

But the cabinets...let's just say that they make my inner OCD extremely giddy. 

When I say it needed work, most of the main two floors of the house really only needed cosmetic updates. Paint, a little bit of dry wall repair, and some flooring replacement were all that were originally on our list. The bathrooms were really the only spaces that needed updating. But again, we could have lived with them too. 

The garage for awhile was our biggest sticking point. We knew we needed a different layout that what the house came with. The garage was too small for either of our cars to fit. My SUV barely fit on one side if we left the door open, and Mr. Magnolia's truck...not a chance. Throw in kids toys and lawn equipment...we knew it wasn't going to happen. The garage would just end up being a storage space and that was feasible long term. 

Originally the owners were going to build a garage because they were running into the same problem, but then they decided they wanted to build a house for the next stage of life now that they are empty nesters. So they gifted us their architectural drawings. We went back and forth (a million times!) on what to do. We asked friends, family, and contractors their opinions. We came up with multiple different scenarios, but ultimately landed on the fact that what they had planned made the most sense. So stay tuned because that is probably the biggest change coming to the house over all! 

The basement is probably our second biggest change. This is where most of the "quirky" came in. I'll share more on this later (because trust me it's a much longer post), but here's a quick peek at some of the basement before we began renovations.

 The outdoor space is what drew us to the home originally, and to date it's still our favorite thing about the house. As much as I will miss my current home, seeing the joy on my kids faces each time they run through the yard, play in the woods, or hit a baseball ball without having to worry about smashing a car or window reassures me we made the right decision I think. There is no doubt they will spend countless hours making memories outside. 

And now you see why my kids were all like, "Mom, quit crying tears over the first piece of hardwood flooring you stepped on when you brought us home from the hospital, put a for sale sign up, and get me a pool float." 

The previous home owners own a pool and landscape design company. So the property has a lot of fun perks. And pretty flowers that I have no idea how to take care of, and have a crazy feeling have already lived their best life. #blackthumb

I'll do a renovation update post soon to show progress. I'm not sure if I will do one big one or room by room. Thoughts? 

The kids have been troopers all Winter, and now that we are getting close to the end we are all excited to move into our new space!  

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