We are slowly remodeling our home as we live in it. Follow this new series, as I will update the blog with the remodels we have already done and the latest updates and remodels.

Look at my second post in this series, “The Kitchen Remodel.”

Looking for a New Home

We bought our home in 2018, right before the market went wild. We ended up purchasing a half-acre lot right outside city limits—literally right outside. Our house was built in the 1970s, and besides the updated kitchen in 2011 and one bathroom that was updated as well, we stepped back into 1975 when we bought it.

Before I found this house, we had decided to take a break from house hunting as we wanted more land than our mere 9000-square-foot lot in a housing development, more space to house guests, and more bedrooms for said company. I am very particular, so house hunting is hard. While perusing Zillow one morning, I noticed that this house had been re-listed after a cash offer fell through. I immediately asked our realtor if we could see it. When we showed up, we discovered the third acre we planned on had been turned into a half-acre. With the price increase, we were at the top of our budget.

We decided to look still. Our realtor opened the door with the key from the lockbox hanging from the double front door, and we stepped inside. My first words were, “How do we make an offer?” Jordan said, “Lauren, you haven’t even seen the rooms yet.”

But I knew—the smell, the homey feel; I saw the potential.

Do we want to be house poor?

Because of the price point, we offered a bit lower, wrote a sweet letter, and our offer was accepted! We quickly put our other home on the market, and within three days, we had an offer and accepted it. We lived in our 70’s home for three years before doing any remodeling. The house sat vacant for five years before we purchased it and remarkably was clean.

The house has character. It is considered a tri-level but has a floor underneath our main level, so we have four levels. The stairs to the upstairs and mid-level are open, making a rather cut-up home feel very open. The house was sold as a four-bedroom, three-bath with two non-conforming rooms on the lowest level. We love our home and its character.

Some Simple To-Dos That Turned into A Big Oops

We had decided not to do major remodeling, but we did have a honey-do list of little things around the house we wanted to get done when we moved in. Three weeks into living at our new home, there was a large dance mirror on the wall in the basement’s main room, and we wanted it out. Long story short, it shattered, and a piece of glass cut the back of Jordan’s ankle down to the bone. It completely sliced through his Achilles tendon. I called 911, the ambulance came, and because it was such a clean cut, he didn’t need to go in the ambulance, and I was able to take him to the ER, where he had surgery two hours later. It was a freak accident, but we are glad he fully recovered. Lesson learned: tape up your mirrors… a lot.

Since then, we have remodeled much of the house, only sometimes because we wanted to. But when we can renovate with insurance money, we will take the opportunity to put equity into the house.

A lot has changed since these photos were taken and I can’t wait to share all the upgrades, renovations, and changes we have made to this house and the 1/2 acre it sits on.

Here are our before pictures.