Gaines Style

PB and I are not house-flippers in any sense, nor would we ever claim to be. However, if you've followed us at all over the past year you might think differently. Last year around this time we were buying our first home in Columbus, and while it was essentially move-in ready, we did a few things to spruce it up to our liking. Nothing major, we just painted everything, did some yard work, and took out a wall in the basement. We moved in last August, got settled quickly, and really loved that little brick house. We heard a few comments about what a nice starter home it would be for us, but honestly, we felt like it could easily be our forever home. Then February happened and PB was pursued by a large church in northern Ohio who needed a new youth pastor. After much prayer and wise counsel, he accepted that position and we moved two hours north in May. At the beginning of June we closed on our new house and promptly began renovations. In all seriousness, we could have just moved into the house, but all our projects started before we bought it and when we realized we weren't going to be able to fit our large table in the dining room. So we decided to take out a 3/4 wall, rearrange the kitchen, add an island, redo all the flooring, and paint everything (I'm just not a huge fan of pastels, ya know?). So on demo day, which was realistically demo two-weeks, we felt a lot like Chip and Joanna Gaines. "Fixer Upper"is one of our favorite shows to watch together, and I had just finished reading their book "The Magnolia Story". So I was feeling especially connected to the Gaines family. So anyway, renovations began and below you'll find some photos capturing our experience. Enjoy!


Before- Living room. That green 3/4 wall separated the living room and dining room and had to go!
Before- Kitchen
Before- Kitchen/Dining Room
Before- Master bedroom
Before- Nursery
Before- Guest bedroom/Office
Tearing out carpet in the Living room
Removing cabinets (we saved them all and gel stained them gray)
My dad helped with flooring one day on his way through town for work.
PB carefully removing cabinets.
Removing the 3/4 wall. Ethan and Kevin helped with moving all of the electrical.
The wall is gone!!
We were blessed to have our good friend, Matt, from Columbus, come help with removing the laminate flooring.

Our new friend, Jodi, painting in the guest room.

My mom came a couple times to help with painting and cleaning.

Dad is a master painter and craftsman! 


Working on taking out the pantry.


It's gone! 


This home renovation might have been a bit more than we bargained for, but I'm so happy to say we're finally settling in and getting organized. There are a few little projects left to do to be completely done, but we're taking it easy now that we're in! Below are some pictures of the (mostly) finished product. Enjoy! Also, we're ready for company; so the next time you make a trip to the Cleveland area be sure to let us know! We'd love to have you! Oh, and finally, PB and I usually choose a clever name for each of our homes. In Columbus we had the Sarasota and the Sycamore. So far we haven't landed on a good name yet for our Elyria house. As you peruse the pictures, let us know if you think of a good, meaningful name!

View of the kitchen/dining room from the garage.

View of the living room from the garage.

View of the living room from the front door.

Master bath (I don't have a picture of the spare bath).

Guest room- ready for company!

Master bedroom.

Master bedroom.

View of the kitchen from where I'm sitting in the living room :)

Garage door on the left, front door on the right, and gallery wall in the middle.


This place is finally starting to feel like home!






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dear Miles (One Month)

Image
Dear Miles, It's hard to believe you're already over a month old! It's gone so fast for the most part, although at times in the middle of the night it's seemed like forever. But we are so grateful for your little life and so hopeful for your future. We pray faithfully that you will trust Christ at an early age and grow up to love and serve Him with your whole life. That is the only way to be truly satisfied and have purpose in your life, Milan.  Here are a few highlights from your first month on the outside: -You now weigh over 11 pounds (all muscle, I'm sure) -We had family pictures taken by cousin Silvia -So many people showered you/us with gifts and meals and visits (Thank you, everyone!!) -You've been to youth group every Wednesday night since you were two weeks old -You've been to church every week since you were one week old (You usually sleep through those last two, but we won't hold that against you until you're a little ...
Read more

Farmer vs. Pastor

Image
When I was growing up I always pictured myself marrying either a farmer or a pastor. I always wanted to be, or marry, a veterinarian, but for whatever reason I could really only picture myself marrying a farmer or a pastor. I have no idea why I was so drawn to two incredibly different, but incredibly difficult roles, but I was. Growing up in small town Indiana I kind of figured I might end up with a farmer husband, and I really liked that idea. I know that I glamorized this idea in my head, but I pictured myself working out in our big garden pulling weeds, watering, and picking fresh veggies, gathering fresh eggs from our chickens, feeding our cattle and goats, and occasionally playing with a new kitten or puppy. The idea of that labor-intensive role as the wife of a farmer was somehow intriguing and inviting to me. I loved the idea of dirt under my nails, hanging my clothes outside to dry in the sun and breeze, and living in an old farmhouse with a big dining room (that is by far the...
Read more

Beating the Pregnancy Pukies

Image
I'm currently blessed to be in my second pregnancy. From the very beginning of this one I thought I was having another boy because everything seemed so similar to my first pregnancy. However, I was so excited and shocked to find out that baby #2 is a girl! With both of my pregnancies I have been blessed to have pretty minimal symptoms. Yes, I was tired during the first trimester, but other than that, nothing crazy. I can count on one hand the number of times I felt nauseous with either pregnancy. Maybe I'm just a "pregnancy unicorn" as one of my cousins and dear friend dubbed me, but I have also been very intentional in a few specific areas during my pregnancies that I think provided significant results. I'm going to share with you some of the things I tried and seemed to work well for me. Obviously I can't guarantee the same results for you, but many of the things I tried were just good for me anyway, regardless of being pregnant. I'll post a couple of ...
Read more