Once there was a sad, tired house.
It was overgrown, peeling, and sagging. Desperately needing of repair. And in major need of weeding.
It longed to be loved and looked after. It yearned for paint. It dreamed of less holes in it’s walls.
It longed to be free to be modernized!
Cue to enter: the Kudey family.
They saw such great potential in this old house. (haha, I just reminded myself of that home improvement TV show with Bob Vila back in the day. Does anyone else remember it?)
The husband loved the layout, downstairs man cave, and large dining room.
The wife went crazy over large kitchen, quiet area, and the thought of what this house could one day be!
The little boy loved the space to run around and around and around (It had a hallway with two entrances to the living room that act as an island. Perfect for running in circles.) He also loved that he would be getting the biggest bedroom in the house, lol.
So the happy family decided it was a perfect fit. And set on an adventure to turn the house into a home.
The old house saw hope finally on the horizon.
It got excited once dark curtains were torn down and light was let back into its shadows. Fresh neutral paints were painted over it’s ugly pink and blue walls.
Even their fat kitty, Petra was happy…
Holes were spackled in. Cabinets were stained. Wallpaper was torn down.
Runaway plants were dug up or pruned. Gorgeous roses, hydrangeas, bleeding hearts, etc. were planted in their places.
Then the couple took a break.
But the house screamed, “There’s still so much more to do!!”
A year and a half later the couple said, “Okay, now let’s REALLY get to work!”
First, it was time to update the bathroom from hideous…
To fabulous…
The house cried, “More, more, more, please!”.
The wife said “Okay, I’ve got this one. Let me tackle a little bit of the kitchen.”
“That dropped florescent light ceiling, has GOT TO GO!” She exclaimed.
So down came the dropped ceiling…
But, oh dear, there’s a hole in the ceiling no one expended would be there! No wonder this poor house was so miserable.
So a wooden brace was hammered in. Then came a piece of drywall cut to size. (wish I had taking pics of these steps). A heavy coat of spackle was then applied. It was getting there…
The lights were torn down and replaced by modern track lighting. Then finally a couple of coats of paint…
“Ahhhhhh” The house sighed. “That’s feeling better! But what about the counter tops and back splash?”
The couple sighed.
“That part will have to wait.” The husband said. “But don’t worry! We have some more projects up our sleeves!”
“Yes, let’s tackle the sun room!!” The wife shouted with joy.
“It’s such dead unused space out there that we don’t use because it reeks of cat pee and that ancient door lets in so many wasps, ugh.”
“Only if it will cost less than $200.” The husband was worried. “And that includes a new door.”
“Challenge accepted!” She searched for ideas on Pinterest and went to Lowe’s, and came back with a few ideas up her sleeves.
First, walls were scraped of all the peeling wood and splinters. Then several coats of beautiful Satin White Exterior paint was applied.
Ick, the door was next…
Goodbye old door!! Wasn’t too hard actually. A screwdriver really helped with this job though.
Hello tight fitting, perfect looking, and practical storm door!
Next they ripped out the disgusting carpet. What was left of the carpet padding and glue had to be scraped by hand. It was a challenging job, but after a long afternoon they finished off by scrubbing the plywood with a mixture of bleach/white vinegar/pine-sol/water. Now the smell was finally gone at least!
The couple debated of what to do next. The husband wanted carpet, while the wife wanted tile. They settled on an option that was a tenth of the price of either one; simply staining the floor.
They killed two birds with one stone by using the same dark stain they used to paint their back deck. Win win!
Ahhhhhh, so much better…
Now it was time to decorate and make it look like home!
It was now fitting with a fan for those hot summer days (although they are few here in Pennsylvania, it’s true), and finished off with a big rocker for mommy and a little rocker for Riker.
Lovely! The house was so happy and refreshed!
During all of these improvements the couple had hired a good friend of theirs to paint the exterior of their home. Yes, it had finally become their home sweet home…
From dreary…
to refreshed… (Garage doors painted by the wife)
Even the small back deck got a makeover…
Rich looking now!
(Deck painted by the amazing husband.)
And now…drum roll please…the big reveal!
My favorite part is our new front door color!
The house was finally overjoyed! Happy house, happy wife! 😉
But the story wasn’t done yet, because the next project is the dreaded basement. This is hopefully going to be tackled before winter hits…
More DIY renovations to be continued!
Total cost of DIY renovations:
Kitchen ceiling:
New ceiling vent = $20
Track Lighting = $39
Paint = We had extra paint. so free!
Total = $59
New Storm Door = $125
Ceiling Fan = $30
Stain (which was also used for the deck) = $36
New Outlet/Light covers: $4
Total: $195 (under $200!! Oh yeah!)
So what do you guys think?
Do you see places we still need to improve on in our fixer upper?
Would love to hear your thoughts! 🙂
Laura K. Ito 
[…] summer brought some much need renovations to our house (you can read more about them here), a trip to Pittsburgh to visit my sister, lots of fun with our growing boy, and joyful times with […]
LikeLike