Extreme Makeover: Split Level Style

The Song Anna Sun by Walk the Moon fits this post perfectly.

Screen falling off the door door hanging off the hinges

My feet are still sore my back is on the fringes

We tore up the walls we slept on couches

We lifted this house we lifted this house

What do you know? this house is falling apart

What can I say? this house is falling apart

We got no money, but we got heart

We're gonna rattle this ghost town

This house is falling apart

We moved into this house four years ago.  As you know from previous blogs, it didn't have much going for it.  90% of the walls were covered in a thick stucco paint that must have been applied by a blind monkey.  I think the original carpet from the 70's was still here and the previous owner let their rottweiler and bulldog have free roam of the small carpeted area in the family room.

Joe and I weren't sure about all the work it would need and then we took a nice long look at the backyard with the pool and hot tub. And with that one look, we knew. This house would be the place. The place where our friends could come to hang out.Where BBQ's, birthdays, pool parties would reign and little did we know how many dance parties would occur.  For about three years this house shook every weekend. Our poor neighbors. But some of the best moments of our lives happened here in this craphole of a house.  Whenever I got sad about how awful it looked inside, I would remember how much fun we had had the previous weekend and how people felt comfortable to have a good time because there was no way you could run anything or cause any damage! I know Joe and I will never forget the pre-baby years in this house and we hope that our friends don't either.

Over the four years, we have slowly begun to fix things up here and there. Always knowing that one day in the near future we would have a family here.  We got pregnant in February of 2011 and had to step up the home improvements big time.  Here are some before and after pictures to give you an idea of what we started with and where we are now.  We aren't done yet, but who ever is when you are a homeowner?

Moving Day! We took down the sold sign and all of our friends and family came over to help us move in.  They were probably shocked at what we had chosen to spend so much money on.  Maybe that's why they have always been willing to come over and help us with our improvements! 

This is a picture of our living room shortly after we moved in.  Notice the giant sun painted on the main wall. How could you not notice really? That was there when we moved in and he became affectionately known as "Mr. Sunchez".  Joe decided it was too bright for him by the window so he gave him a pair of sunglasses and a moustache for flair with a permanent marker. And the green machine couch is there too! 

Mr. Sunchez and us before he disappeared under three layers of primer paint.

This is a picture from our champagne toast the night we moved in. You can see the horrible wallpaper on the right kitchen wall and the countertop I am sitting on that separated the family room from the dining room.

Here was one of our big demo days. The guys knocked down the wall and countertop separating the kitchen, dining and family rooms. It left us with a hole in the ceiling, no kitchen island and exposed flooring for about 2 years. We had to move the microwave and kitchen cabinets, rewire the electrical stuff (fancy terminology for someone who barely allowed to be the the hammer holder) and redo some of the plumbing. Thanks to all of our friends and Dads, this actually worked and opened up the room so much.  

 Here is what we used as our kitchen island during the LONG time of reconstruction.  It was kind of like a mullet. All business in the front and all party in the back.  It was what we could salvage from the cabinets that we had left after demo day. 

This year, the guys and Dads returned to tear up the nasty carpet and outdated kitchen floors. It was not an easy job and I was no help with a 3 month old baby that I was hiding in the bedroom to keep her away from dust and noise. 

And finally, here is where we are today! Walls have been sanded, skimcoated and painted. Celing fan replaced. Railing painted from black to white. Window trim painted from bare wood to white. Nasty carpet up, laminate floors down.  Old couch outta here and the brand new Su Casa sectional looking oh so at home in this space! I don't think it wants to go back to the store, it is happy here:)

View of the kitchen. Walls gone, island replaced. New curtains and light fixtures.  

There is still a lot of small details to be done, but overall we couldn't be happier with the way this house is shaping up. It was a LOT of hard work and probably the hardest thing for me was being patient while we slowly waited until we could afford to do things. Piece by piece we have put together a pretty decent looking home. And the final piece to the puzzle was definitely the sectional. I like it more than I even thought I was going to. I chose a light gray color and it looks AWESOME in the family room that is neutral and white and then right next to it is the blue kitchen with white accents. We hope to make it to Su Casa this month to check out some decor items for the kitchen and hallway. I will write another post to show you what we like since this post seems to not want to end!!

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