Oh, where to begin… in January of 2018, my husband and I bought our first home. For most people, this is probably one of the single most important events of your life. But for us, this event became even more amplified because we were purchasing my husband’s late grandfather’s 1950’s ranch-style home. I was immediately drawn to the home because it is situated in one of the best neighborhoods in our little city. The first time I set foot into the home, I could immediately visualize the potential. That being said, it was a complete gut job. Now, over a year and a half after purchasing the home, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears later, it feels like we might never finish our home.
In that time, we’ve learned a thing or two about home renovations, mainly how much time and money it truly takes to do things right. To save some money, we’ve demoed most of the house ourselves. This included removing wood paneling, plaster walls, shag carpet, and other fun items that come with owning a home built over half a century ago. Now that we are close to finally getting a contractor to start on the project, it is crazy to look back at where we started and realize how far we’ve come.
As exciting as I was to see all these things come out of the house, I’m even more excited to see my vision for the house come to fruition. Before we even purchased the house, I used Microsoft Paint to design the updated exterior of the home (not very sophisticated, I know). We then worked with a local architect to turn my rudimentary drawings into professional plans. If you’re doing a complete remodel like we are, working with an architect is almost essential, especially if you’re working with a contractor or need to get a building permit.
Check out some photos of before and after demo as well as the architect drawings!