The Place We Didn't Buy & Another That Was SO Much Worse

In our search for a house, we spent only one day actually looking at houses in person. I think there were five that we toured. Because our budget was so low and we knew that we wanted to buy in one particular town, the pickins were slim. The house we eventually chose to buy was the least expensive by thousands of dollars, and it was also had the least amount of problems to fix. Yes, it had the most trash, but trash can be picked up and thrown away for free! Take a look at one of the houses we toured.

View from the living room looking into the dining room. That's carpet on the dining room wall, too.

Our realtor warned us before we went in that there was a lot of shag carpet but nothing could have prepared us for the reality. Who puts shag carpet on the walls? In several different colors? Then we went into the basement to be greeted by this:


Why? Why? Why? I'd be surprised if this house sold. The smell of mold was so overwhelming Vino was sure he got lung cancer just walking in there.

By the way, I found a before & after recently on design*sponge. Our house was a museum compared to this place. Kudos to the people who could see past that bathtub. I've tried the link to more photos but it doesn't work anymore. I would have loved to see more!

Transformation: The Miracle of Paint!

This is my 50th post! I could have passed that milestone months ago if I'd blogged regularly, but it is what it is. Happy 50th to me! :)

Thank you friends old & new who have given me encouragement in comments! This house renovation is not for the weak willed or olfactoraly sensitive. I believe I made up a new word. Anyways.... Remember this?


It has now become this:


Ahhhh. Grey. That's Vino's sister Renita who came to help us paint one day. Our friends David & Treva came the day before, but I wasn't there to take photos. Thank you to all of you!! Especially for painting the ceilings, the most dreaded of painting duties. You all did a fabulous job! Here's another view:


And a close-up of the paint against the wood trim (which could stand to be re-done, but that's a project for another lifetime).


The cutting has been done in the kitchen, now it needs a couple of coats on the walls, then the trim:


Remember this room (front bedroom)?


The accessories are gone (except a giant tv which has become a resting place for small tools), and the walls are primed for paint:


The back bedroom has lost its 80s wallpaper border and is in the process of being primed. Can't wait to paint the trim white! This room will one day be a nursery. We have great hope of that one day!


The paint is all from Behr. The wall paint is Behr Flat Enamel. I love it because it goes on smoothly & dries with a velvety finish that minimizes the flaws & bumps in the plaster walls. The trim paint is a Behr semi-gloss. I don't have the colors available right now, but I'll post them later.


Vino has been documenting this whole process on video that he will one day put on his YouTube account. We trade off being host. Doesn't he look cute in his bandanna? Kinda gang-like cute? :) He's worked really hard on this house while fitting it in with his job, too!


We are liking this house more and more every day. I'm getting antsy to be done with this phase so we can move in and enjoy it. I lay awake at night picturing us sitting on our Craigslist sectional (to be featured in a later post!) with a cozy throw & cushy toss pillows. Jane Monheit or Stacy Kent are playing on the stereo. We're sipping hot tea & reading under the soft light of floor lamps (yet to be "found"). It will be lovely. I promise!