Well, we did it! We bought, renovated and listed!  We also argued, laughed, problem solved, sweat, designed, cleaned, hauled and yes, we plan to do it all again next year.  Chris and I are excited to share more of the journey and plenty of the not so fun details.

An exterior paint job in SW Dovetail, and a major facade change with the bedroom windows brought the flip house out of the 50's, but my favorite exterior project was the addition of the arbor over the garage.  This added some charm and interest to an otherwise simple ranch.  Some Clematis vines next summer would be the cherry on top!

​This first blog installment on the renovation is going to focus on the biggest change, the open floor plan and kitchen. It wasn't a bad layout to begin with, or at least the living room and dining room were already open to each other.  The kitchen, however, was very small and very closed off.  Opening that up was the plan from day one. Here is where we started and how we got to the end result...
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​We began here....
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This was definitely a tough part of the demo and remodel .  That 22ft beam was a four man job!​

The kitchen and dining are also where we ran into our first "life lesson of flipping" about what contractors you hire, how you pay them and who to trust.  An expensive lesson involving an electrician who us left hanging was finally resolved with the assistance of a different local electrician that stepped in to help us get it done.   I guess it's good we are learning as we go, but this was an expensive lesson.

I like doing tile, and after finishing the chevron tile kitchen backsplash, the plan was to create a shiplap on the back of the kitchen island that would mimic the chevron.  Turned out great! 

We selected a charcoal colored granite with a leathered finish, which gave it almost a concrete look.  Finishing touches of black hardware and lighting with both black and gold accents helped to pull everything together. 

The addition of the sliding door, where there was previously only a window, brought the open floor plan home.  Now there is even more natural light and a gorgeous view of the back yard and stone wall.

 As you can see, the difference is like night and day! More light, more kitchen and most of all a beautiful space to spend the days.

Let's go straight to the AFTER photos! If you're anything like me, you like to skip right to the good part.  The before look, details and cost friendly tips to follow.

Fresh. That's how I would describe this guest room makeover.  Even though many things in the space are vintage or vintage inspired, there are other touches that bring a more modern vibe along with the light colored walls that keep Fresh in the forefront.

The guest room has remained untouched since we moved in three years ago and I've been dying to take it on.  Starting out with  a 3D design program to see my vision come to life was fun to do (and can be addictive!).

The shiplap went up fast and was completely done in two days.  It's made of  6" planks of 1/4 plywood or underlayment.

If you haven't seen the blog post about my "faux chimney", you can see it here to get all the details about making this German Schmear architectural feature using brick paneling.

Next came the floor.  The carpet was pretty gross but underneath was some hardwood  just waiting to take center stage.  After sanding down lots of paint and the old finish  I added Special Walnut stain and two coats of polyeurathane.

The budget for the bedroom was small.  I'm re-posting some of the photos to show you where many of the pieces and decor came from in hopes it can inspire you to jump into something you've been putting off because of a limited budget.   Most things were found at flea markets, thrift stores  or discount stores and web sites.

Collecting things for a makeover takes time.  Write down your ideas for the space you want to freshen up so you can start a list of items you may need.  Visit local thrift stores for small decor items, search Craigslist or LetGo for larger pieces, and then fill in at discount shops or hit up Amazon for that one elusive splurge.  For me that was the ceiling fixture.  I knew what I wanted, it was just a matter of waiting it out to go on sale, and it finally did.
Now I just wait for a house guest!

I'm in the process of making over our guest room and doing a shiplap look (that post to come later).  As you will see in the photos, there is an odd "bump out" in the middle of a wall where our furnace vents run up to the roof.  In my original design it was going to be done in the same shiplap look as the rest of the room, but once the faux chimney idea came to me I was so glad I hadn't gotten to it yet with the wood.

The first step was to run to Home Depot and buy a sheet of faux brick paneling.  I lucked out by getting the VERY LAST ONE! More than likely it was still there because it had some damage, but who cares about that when you plan to cover it in joint compound, right?  It also meant it was half price due to the damaged area.  Even better!

I used a jigsaw to make the necessary cuts, and applied the paneling with a nail gun.  You can also use construction adhesive, however  I didn't want to damage the plaster should I
decide to ever remove it....as if! 
That completed the first step.

  Now to create the old plaster "German Schmear" look. I just used what I had on hand, which was about half of a bucket of joint compound that was left over from the bathroom remodel.  Perfect!
I grabbed two different trowel sizes, but found that I preferred the smaller size to apply and "smear", then followed with the larger one to knock down some of the roughness and
give a dragged look to some areas.  And in case you were wondering, yes those are my pajamas and slippers.  I tend to jump into things right after my morning coffee and news... then sort of
forget to get dressed, or brush my teeth for that matter. 

Here is where I suggest you take a step back.  When you're working up close it's hard to see the big picture.  Step away and see if you're loving it.  I decided I liked that it was inconsistent.  Heavier with more coverage in some areas, and thinner in others.  YOU CAN'T GO WRONG HERE! Because guess what? It's water soluble! At this point you could even take a damp rag and start wiping away areas if you want more exposure.  Or do as I did and wait until
was was nearly dry and "scrape & chip" away areas.  Between water and scraping you have
plenty of opportunities to play around, and of course can always go heavier if
you want a very plastered look.

Once my chimney was almost dry I decided to scrape some away and reveal more brick to let a little color show through.  If you did this and didn't like it you can just as easily add more.  The only step left to do after it's cured overnight is to very lightly sand off any places that are rough
and wipe down with a damp cloth.

I absolutely love it!  It looks as though we really did discover the brick chimney behind our plaster walls.  Now back to finishing up the bedroom makeover and get that shiplap painted!

From my initial design board to the finishing touches, it was worth all the work.  There's something so rewarding about making a vision come to life and doing it ourselves.  We started demo in February, but then life got busy and spring came...then summer.... and yeahhhh. 
We jumped back in this fall and met our goal of finishing before Christmas! And a week to spare!

From plumbing hassles, to bad knees... it's all in there!   The before and  after photos will tell the story.