The (dreaded) Kitchen

Lets just say we were excited to get into the house and begin work, and we knew that removing the wallpaper in the Kitchen would definitely be a bad experience.  I guess we didn't realize HOW BAD.  The proof is in the pictures!

 This is the ceiling (you can also see the walls a bit) of the kitchen.  The fan had clear plastic blades.  Isn't it lovely?

The "black splash." Yes, they wallpapered the back splash, sides of the cabinets, and even the outlet covers!

Full shot, this is taken from the dining room.

Other side...

Seriously, the wallpaper took us over a week to remove.  Especially when it came to the ceiling, because there was a lovely surprise...

What is that plaid? Oh, just contact paper (from the 50's) under the wallpaper (from the 80's)! Imagine our surprise.

 Sorry, not the best shot, it's the only one I have for right now.  Painted the back splash grey. We will eventually replace the floors and put up an actual back splash, but this was perfect for now.

 Isn't that white ceiling nice?  We changed out the light fixture (thank goodness, there was NO overhead lighting in the kitchen before).  Also, got the new refrigerator for helping my aunt move, and painted the walls pale blue.  Counters, sink, faucet, oven/stove, and dishwasher will all be replaced eventually.  I'm thinking about removing all of the upper cabinets around the window, because it just blocks the view of the pool!

Pool: Before & After

Well, you saw the pool in the previous photo, so let me update you on that.  I don't want you to think we've let that swamp prosper any longer than we had to!

 As you've seen this is the before...

 

Little creatures living in it and all...

  

Getting the gunk drained out...

  

YAY! Phil admiring the size...

 

The surface refinished...

 53 hours later, we have a clean (and full) pool!

 The pool is quite old, the tiles are original, and Brian (our pool hero) told us the tile was in great shape so we didn't have to change it.  I'm glad we got to keep the vintage feel of it.  Overall, it took about 3 weekends to get this pool read for swimming!

What have we got ourselves into?

Looking back at the house when we first looked at it, I can't believe we were able to look past its, well, for a lack of better word, horribleness. It was rough, but both of us could see the little diamond waiting to shine under all that muck!  We actually went to the house several times before we called the realtor, and snuck in the back yard lol.  Here's what we saw our first few times walking around the yard:

 

The front of the house wasn't too bad, just extremely over grown.

 This is actually a really cute grilling area.  Has a stainless steel counter.  Look at the stuff growing up the house. Creepy!

 

This is standing at the back of the front yard, looking towards the house.  You can see the pool enclosure. 

 

This is what happens when a pool sits and no one takes care of it for almost 3 years. That silver stuff back there is the tarp that was covering it.  The PVC pipes were holding it up.

 A rotten looking stair, you can see all the gunk in the water too.

...and THIS had been festering in the water for who know show long.  It was about the size of a basketball.

I bet you can't wait to see the after pictures! :)

It's been a year!

Well, last month was a year, and I've decided that a blog would be a good way to showcase the progress we've made in our home.  A lot of the changes were just cleaning up (the yard/pool) and getting rid of wallpaper and painting on the inside.  A blog will be a good way to show before and afters, and even the work that's still in progress. Hope you enjoy!

Love,