Remodel #1 before/after pictures

How do I start this final blog? Let's try the beginning. Roger and I got married in 1977, had two kids, bought a big house, fixed it up and lived in it for 24 years. As a family, we have very special memories of our home and lives on Elmwood Ave.

About 5 or 6 years ago, knowing our kids were eventually going to begin their lives "away" from us, we started looking for a smaller home. There's a part of me that is still surprised we actually followed through! We looked at several homes but nothing felt right until we looked at the house on Carla Lane. Although it needed LOTS of work, and still does, we saw the potential. We know others, especially our kids, thought we were crazy, but after much prayer we decided to make the move. Because it is such a great area, we knew we were "buying the neighborhood" so Roger started drawing plans to make the house ours. 

Thanks to the tireless work of my hubby Roger, Trinity Renovation's Scott Monday, JSO Construction's Jared Oller, CS Design's Casey Soderlund and countless others, our vision is now reality. Enjoy scrolling through our first remodel. 

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

The new built-in living room bookshelf was an added bonus...a great suggestion from a very creative friend.

I can hardly wait for a rainy day to sit in front of the fire in my cozy new living room!

For those of you who have been following our process, you know this remodel was not without a few bumps along the way. I will again sing the praises of our Project Manager, Scott, who did whatever it took to make things right. 

We know we are incredibly blessed. We look forward to having many family and friends gatherings so that you, too, can enjoy what has been given to us. All we have is a gift from above and we are grateful beyond words.

Stay tuned, people. Remodel #2, if all goes according to plan, should begin in September or October. The previous owner enclosed a patio and made a bonus room. We have been using it as storage and a place to watch TV. It, too, is coming down and will be replaced by a den. Here is a taste of what is to come.

Our door is always (well, almost) open. Please feel free to give us a call and stop by for a glass of your choice. I might even have some special treats in the pantry!

Bye bye for now.

Week 15

We are almost there, folks. This week brought the installation of the fridge and dishwasher.

Almost as important was the installation of the cabinet that houses Roger's toaster. If you know the Dials, you know how much they LOVE bread.

The zipper wall came down this week, which gives our cats the freedom to roam the house. I am sure they are very glad for this stage of the remodel! Thank you, Scott Monday, for this amazing way to keep the dust out of the back part of the house and a secure place for our cats.

This weekend brought touch up painting and baseboards.

We've moved the furniture back into the living and dining rooms and once the blue painter's tape is removed, we will make some decisions on where to place the couches, chairs and tables. 

This week will bring the installation of the kitchen drawer hardware and pantry shelves. I will then be able to move the food out of the plastic bins and into their new living spaces. I can hardly wait to fill it all up! 

I know I promised before/after pics. We're not quite there yet. Patience, my friends. It'll happen.