All the ink of the signatures, initials and dates have dried on the thousands of papers it takes to buy a house. That might be an exaggeration, but that's what it feels like.
We have the keys and have already moved a few boxes over.
We had our first dinner at the new place. Sadly it was fast food, but we did eat it on the front patio where we waved to one of our new neighbors as he rode by on his bike.
We definitely saw a few more things to add to the to do list; it's weird the things you notice only when there's no furniture in the house (or when the furniture that's hiding things is moved).
But we still love the place and can't wait to move all our stuff over. Now we just have to pack it.
Our house in the '90s
Here's what our house looked like in the '90s. I'm guessing this photo was taken sometime in 1993 because that's when the previous owner purchased it.
The tile we dislike
In our second bathroom there's tile that we don't like, but that our contractor said was, "too expensive to remove." He went on to explain that it was expensive tile that was put in well and if we took it out, that no matter what we did, there was pretty much no way we'd recoup the costs. This is that tile.
We do realize that most people would love this tile (in real life it's more pink than in the photos), but it's just not us. We're the type of people that told our Realtor, "no granite in the kitchen, no travertine in the bathroom."
Our plans are to cover up as much as we can with teak. So the front ledge, the ceiling and probably the indents.
We do realize that most people would love this tile (in real life it's more pink than in the photos), but it's just not us. We're the type of people that told our Realtor, "no granite in the kitchen, no travertine in the bathroom."
Our plans are to cover up as much as we can with teak. So the front ledge, the ceiling and probably the indents.
Master bath and laundry: before and after
Our master bath contains the washer and dryer. It looks like it used to be two separate rooms - a small bath and a small laundry closet. It also looks like there used to be pink tile in this bathroom.
Old colors
Before they showed the house, the old owner painted the entire interior a nice, soft grey that we're actually planning on keeping - at least for the time being. Before they painted though, they had some crazy colors going on.
Living Room:
Kitchen:
Second Bathroom:
Office Wall looking in Master Bath:
Living Room:
Kitchen:
Second Bathroom:
Office Wall looking in Master Bath:
Front garden: before and after
The old owner put in flower beds to separate the front patio from the rest of the yard. It's a nice idea and makes the patio feel a little more private. We're planning on replacing the wood with metal.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Front porch: before and after
The old owner of our house has a collection of photos online of some of the work he did throughout the years. I actually like the porch better before, but I realize that most people will see it as an improvement.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
