A New Friend and Fellow Home Remodeler
I’ve met a lot of great people thanks to this blog. And when I say “met,” I mean it as “we’ve exchanged comments, read each other’s blogs and occasionally send emails.” I love how gracious, witty and caring you all are and appreciate every reader out there, even those who don’t always appreciate what I have to say.
With that being said, there’s one particular reader I’d like to introduce you to. Her name is Kelly and boy, has she taken on some monumental projects to transform her fixer-upper home! After seeing her photos on Flickr, I knew you guys would love to see them, too. Since she doesn’t have a blog of her own, I invited Kelly to do some occasional guest posting here. She kindly agreed. So, without further ado, please welcome my friend, Kelly, a 27-year old graphic artist who was not afraid to take on the hard work, stress and rewards of remodeling an entire house.
House hunting can be a lot of fun… at least for a little while. But after two years of viewing scary pig farm-esque basements, carpet sample covered bathroom walls (yes – WALLS), wavy hardwood floors and bowling-ball-through-the-walls foreclosures, I was ready to spend the rest of my life renting. Finding a live-able house in my price range seemed impossible. But then a miracle happened.
On July 29, 2006 my mom went to an estate sale at this house in Neenah, Wisconsin.
She overheard the woman running the sale say the house was going to be put up for sale. My mom quietly inquired about the house and was soon dialing my cell phone. She was CONVINCED she had found the perfect house for me. Of course, I had my doubts. But after she told me the asking price, I just HAD to see it. We set up an appointment for that very same day.
When I walked into the house for the first time and saw this beautiful unpainted woodwork, I just knew it was THE ONE.
Mothers are always right, aren’t they? Twenty-five days later I closed on the house. The final price – $35,000! (Since the housing market has crashed, that price doesn’t seem so outrageous but, a few years ago, no one that I know had heard of a house going that cheap!)
My house was built in 1857 and (ahem) needs a little work… but it has potential! The previous owner lived there for 60 years and was legally blind for the last 20.
Here’s a view of the dining room:
See the dirty tracks in the carpet? The little old lady used an office chair to scoot from room to room.
Here’s the kitchen:
Ummmm, the pink curtains are kind of cute…
And the bathroom:
Gross!
This is just touching the surface of the big barrel of fun I call my home. I hope you’ll enjoy following my remodels here as you have Liz’s. Until next time, keep on hammerin’ nails and not thumbs!
-Kelly
Are those the original cabinets? Looks like with a little TLC they could really be quite nice.
Originally I was going to keep the cabinets. I even stripped, sanded and refinished the inside but left the doors for later. Now, having lived in the house for a few years, I realize that the kitchen layout just isn’t going to work. For one, the counter under those cabinets is too short. They might be the right height for a little old lady but I’m 5’8 and have to bend over pretty far to chop my veggies and whip up delicious baked goods. Right now, the kitchen has been put on the back burner because I’m at a loss of what to do with it.