We made it!!

Fred and his dad putting the kitchen island together

Two weekends ago, we spent the first night in the house. We hadn't moved any furniture yet, so we slept on an air mattress... I'd like to say it was a wonderful night, but it wasn't. First, there are no curtains up yet in the bedroom, so the street lamp that is right beside the house was shining brightly into the room all night. It was a cold night and I thought a quilt would be enough warmth... it wasn't. Then, the wonderful air mattress started to deflate in the middle of the night. Our first night at the house was a perfect example of how the project has been... Nothing has gone right in our transformation of the house, including our time sleeping there. We have a real bed over there now... that shouldn't deflate.  I'm determined to beat anything the house can throw at me! It was very nice waking up in the morning and being in my home. The coffee maker was set up and we had gone to the store for a few items..... it's coming along.

Dining set

We brought over my beautiful dining set. It's perfect for the dining room. Although, Fred wanted to put all four leaves in to stay, which made our very large dining room look very small.  We took out a leaf and it still had 8 chairs comfortably around it. Now we just need a rug. We had gotten a red one, but that was when we were going to paint the room brown. Now, the red walls and red in the rug clash... that rug will go to the guest room. Now I'm thinking a pretty gold rug to match the gold curtains I want.

We're starting to move boxes and furniture. We still have a lot of packing to do, but there's time. We moved over the guest bedroom set and put up curtains in there. That will give us some conveniences. I have also moved most of the kitchen over. We're slowly making the house a home.  We now have curtains in all of the rooms, making the house look so much better.

This whole process has taught us a lot. Most importantly that if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself. Our contractor was great for the big things, like the kitchen, but when it comes to the details, I don't think as much time would have been put that we put into them. We have put blood, sweat and plenty of tears into this house. It has been completely transformed from a house that no one loved and sat empty for years, to our home that we are so proud to have restored. While, it has been very frustrating at times, I am so pleased with the job we've done and what the house has become. I can't wait for everyone to see it!

There's no way we would have ever been able to finish this house had it not been for  the hard work and dedication of Fred's parents. His dad has been at the house nearly every weekend for the past 8 months. He has taught us new ways to address problems and how to be handy. We are eternally grateful for all of his hard work and will never be able to repay him, although we'll try.  

We're almost there!

Fred painting the last spindle

After 8 grueling months, we have almost made it to the end! The house has been scraped- and sanded- and primed- and now painted! And, we pulled up the paper off the floors. I've forgotten how beautiful they are!

Paper pulled up in the guest room

Fred's dad working on spindles

The last few weeks have been hectic and we would've finished by now, but there were a lot of factors as to why we didn't. But, we made it! Getting the painting finished wasn't so much difficult as tedious. We have a lot of corners and trim and EVERYTHING needed a second coat. I'm sure we'll still come across places that need to be touched up. The house looks beautiful though. We're so excited to finally be able to enjoy our new (old) home.

Beautiful floors

We've finished pulling the paper off the floors and have gone through each room cleaning up where paint may have splattered on the oak toe kick. Then, we cleaned the house from ceiling to floor and have decided that we need to hand wax the floors. It will offer better protection for years, but it's going to take forever.

We also have a few projects still in the works, but they won't prevent us from living there. We still need to scrape, sand and paint some of the interior doors and shelves. We're also still working on painting the muntins of the windows. Fred's dad is doing an amazing job on them and there are only a couple left to complete.

Banister in the rear stairwell is back!

As we near the end of the project, I reflect back on what the house once was and feel proud and blessed. We have created something beautiful that we will be able to enjoy for years. It's almost surreal that we're nearly complete...... now, who wants to help us move? ;-)