Hillside Renovations Part IV: Before and After Lower Level Living Room and Kitchen (Copy)

Well….who’s in the mood for some before and after photos? It's been a while since we have updated everybody on the renovations on our Hillside home, so we decided to get moving on a new blog post to show you some of the transformation.

At our home, everything is consistently a work in progress. We just ordered a couple of different runners to choose one for the kitchen (recent obsession Loloi rugs…), and things are slowly coming along on the bookshelves. Despite the lack of finished product, we took some photos anyway!

The kitchen was a little bit of a process. We chose to install a subway tile backsplash, changed the hardware out for brushed brass, and added a multi-patterned hexagon gray tile to the floor. The end result feels more like us!

For the den, we painted out the built-in and mantle with Sherwin-Williams tricorn black, added some trim to take it all the way to the floor so that it looked more finished, and then painted the walls with Sherwin-Williams pure white paint. The addition of new sconces with vintage brass touches completed the job!

We had the red oak floors refinished with water based black stain to help tone down the red, making it a rich brown color. We chose a diamond leather rug, and outfitted the furniture with some Italian leather recliners (comfort won over style for movie nights) and a great apartment sofa from Ikea….we changed out the legs for a more mid-century turned leg.

All in all, we are starting to love it. The kids often have the popcorn maker and gumball machine going and movies playing. It is a cozy space and we are settling in!

Have you made any updates to your home? We’d love to see them!!

Casey and crew

Hillside Ave - Before and After - Part One

We are excited to show you our preliminary makeover at our new home on Hillside Avenue. Everything is still in transition but it's been fun to start to pull things together. Please enjoy a few before and afters of our progress so far. Here you will find the entryway, the dining room, and our front porch: a quick note about a little front porch project that we did. We found an old window up in the attic and we turned it into a herb planter!

Our home is still a work in progress, but it's been really fun! We hope you enjoy some photos. Happy Halloween!

HILLSIDE AVE - ANOTHER WEEK OF RENOVATIONS

Happy Sunday!

Here is the recap on another week of renovations!

Our neighbors from Weldon are moving after 30 years. We are all sad that they will be leaving. CJ has been their chicken keeper for about 5 years now and they have generously given our family their chickens since they cannot take them along. We are grateful and excited to keep the chicken “farm” alive. Moving the coop, however, was not easy and thankfully we had some great help to make it happen!

Hillside is pulling together. Another really great and exciting moment was the delivery of our grand piano. This was really exciting for all of us. After buying my first electric keyboard in 1999, it has served me and our family very well through countless moves from college, military life, through now. We had vowed that once the space allowed, we would invest in a “real” piano. The folks at JML music really pulled through for us and made this dream come true. For the first time since I graduated high school, I have a real piano to play and it is a dream come true. You can believe the house is already full of great sound and several guest artists have made their debut on it!

We are still waiting on some electrical work and then the painters can return to finish their end of things. Having used nearly 60 gallons of paint, Hillside is definitely getting refreshed! We are turning to the downstairs kitchen where we will start the renovation there of replacing the backsplash, hardware, lighting and replacing the tile floor. That job is exciting but DUSTY!

Things keep progressing and we have made the move over to Hillside, so if you are looking for us, we’ll be there. Living in renovation is always a challenge, but we are hanging in there with the bulk of the work behind us. Annika has been working her organization skills in the kitchen - we are loving more space - even with all the chaos of moving!

It’s a mess, but we are getting there. Hope you enjoyed the update.

Have a great week and we’ll “chat” soon!

Casey and Crew

HILLSIDE AVE - OUR NEWEST DESIGN PROJECT

We are so excited to introduce our newest Haymount Homes design project, Hillside Ave!

There is so much to love about Hillside. From over 600 square feet of porch living to exposed brickwork and architectural detail throughout the lower level, there is eye candy to be seen everywhere. The grand foyer welcomes you in and the beautiful 120 year old pine floors honor Southern tradition.

This home has been lovingly updated for the last six years, and we are the proud new owners. We have included a present state home tour for you and are hoping you’ll follow along as we place our Haymount Homes stamp on the design.

Stay tuned for updates and you’ll be able to follow us on Facebook and Instagram, using the hashtag, #hhhillside.

For now, enjoy the present state home tour….we are thrilled you stopped by!

- Casey and Carl

GLENVILLE RENOVATIONS - LIVING ROOM AND LAUNDRY

So with the approaching hurricane, I am looking for a distraction. I figured I would start highlighting some of the renovation before and after photos from our Glenville Ave Project. I never did complete that with Hull Rd (our last project), and I had regretted it. I did not want to make that mistake again!

We had a lot to work on with Glenville. The house was built in 1941 and had gone through minimal updates. We began with the living room and laundry. There was a lot to do including:

• Trim and Wall Repair

• Floor Refinshing

• Bookcase repair

• Door Fixing

• Removal of debris

• Fireplace insert removal

• Relocation of the Water Heater (it was in the kitchen - we moved it to open up space in the kitchen for cabinets; this is typical of the 1940’s homes)

• Replaced all windows

• Replaced sheet vinyl flooring in the laundry room with luxury vinyl tile

• Ceiling repair and paint

• Paint, paint, and paint!

The final product was clean and simple. We used Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray in eggshell which is one of my favorite greiges/grays . it has enough warmth in it to be cozy, but not so much that it turns something beige. The trim is nearly Sherwin Williams Extra White in a semi-gloss. The laundry room flooring is by Shaw Matrix in Franklin Hickory.

I will talk about the floor staining in another post, so for now, enjoy the befores and afters!

I hope you enjoyed the before and afters of the living room! Stay tuned for the rest of the series! Stay safe during the hurricane please!

Casey

INTRODUCING GLENVILLE AVE - OUR NEWEST HAYMOUNT HOME

We are delighted to announce the completion (or near completion anyway) of the newest Haymount Home: Glenville Ave.  This 1941 beauty features 2 bedrooms and 1 one bathroom and is on a wonderful street in the heart of Haymount.

This project was a shotgun renovation, featuring top to bottom renovations throughout, and it was completed in less than 8 weeks.  We discovered this home and realized that it needed to be brought back to its full potential and could not wait to get moving on making it shine!

Please enjoy this home tour.  Forgive the fact that everything was not perfectly cleaned up (floors still need cleaning and there are a few little things missing like the smoke detectors that are not in and a few missing outlet covers :)  They will be finalized this week.  There is also a shed that is still under construction and will be renovated as well.  Our focus was on the house for now.  Don't worry - over the next few weeks we will be featuring a bunch of blog posts with before and after photos for your enjoyment. 

Normally we stage all our homes to highlight their beautiful potential, but we were not able to do that for Glenville....because we already have clients moving in!  They contacted us prior to finishing the renovations and fell in love with Glenville.  We could not turn them away and they promised to decorate it beautifully and let us come back for pictures; we are excited to see how they make it their home!

We welcome your feedback on Glenville.  Please drop us a line and let us know your thoughts.  What did we get right? What did we miss? Though Glenville was rented before it even hit the market, there is good news in store: we start our next project at the end of the month, so stay tuned!

“House + Love = HOME”

Hope you enjoyed our tour!  Drop me a line and let me know what you think!  Have a great week!

- Casey and Carl

OUR NEW PROJECT

YIPPEE!!  I am happy to announce that our next project is underway!  We are under contract for our next Haymount Home and could not be more excited to get the ball rolling on this historic charmer.  This home will be our smallest home, but we are planning to pack it full of charm and make a wonderful happy home!

There is a LOT to do with this home, so I figured I would give you all a little glimpse on my planning process at this stage in the game.  We are conducting our due diligence on this home (meaning we have a week to determine if it is more than we want to handle).  Once that window is complete, we are going forward with the contract.  Currently, we are set to close 2/1/18.  

The rehab work on this little gem is going to be slow and steady because we plan to save up money and pay for everything in cash as we go along.  In our efforts to avoid too much debt, we figured that it'd be better to take this approach with this darling little home.  Though it will take a little longer, it will be fun to have the time to really think through the decisions and try to optimize this home for it's next occupant. 

During this time period of due diligence, I usually do several things to determine what potential work is required for a home.  I figured illustrating my thought process might be helpful to someone in the same situation or looking to get into the rental market.  However, my brain tends to go all over the place, so just strap-in and take the ride! One disclaimer: Pictures are deceptive.  Although adorable, this little home home needs quite a bit of help.  The pictures don't fully illustrate that.  Once we have the home closed, I will be going through to take more detailed photographs for our projects and repairs needed.  For now, you'll have to trust me on these things!

Let's begin.

EXTERIOR

Siding - Pretty good shape. A couple of holes (repairable I hope)

Roof - Time for a new one

Front Porch - some rot - will either repair or replace

Front Porch Trim - damaged - needs replacing

Screen Door - rough.  either will clean up or it will get a new one

Front Door - hoping to preserve this with paint

Windows - yikes. Old and charming with pulley systems still in place. Super cool, but not that efficient and difficult to operate overall.  Poor painting in the past.  We'll see.  Either clean them up well and see what we have left, or replace.

Shutters - probably will paint. If need be, we'll replace.

Mailbox - Missing - needs one!

Porch Light - functional, so that will probably stay

Foundation - so far so good, but there are some soft spots inside the home, so I question some of the joists below.  I am going under the house on Sunday to inspect everything with a contractor friend.

Backyard is awesome - private and cute - needs some clean up (cannot really see from this photo)

Back Door - Jam is rotting out.  Will probably just replace the whole thing.  This house is on a hill and water likely heads that way.  We are going to have to consider some options for controlling that issue.

Rear Door Light - ugly and needs a new one

LIVING ROOM

Check out those hardwoods!  They are lovely however someone did a really bad patch on the side of the room.  I will photograph it later, but I am going to see if magic can happen and they can be repaired...then the entire house is desperately in need of refinishing.  I wonder what stain we should go with??

Replace Shoe Molding - for some reason, it was removed in this room.  Needs to go back!!

Fireplace - no clue if it works.  It is also sunken a bit on the right.  Not sure it is still sinking, but need to find out. Back to under the house.  Either way, it is still charming. 

How about that awesome window trim? Love the thickness and detail. probably will loose the window cornices though.

Walls all need some addressing. Ceilings need some crack repair.  Work.....

KITCHEN

Yikes.  Lots to do here.  This is just one side of it.  There is actually quite a bit of space for such a small home. Normally you find a lot of galley kitchens in homes like these, so I am excited to have a little room for play here. 

Flooring - going to be getting new flooring (unless the budget gets too tight)

Cabinets - replace. We need to add more and these have seen their time.  Time to go.

Sink - double stainless steel. Will likely keep unless I find a great deal on something amazing!

Faucet - old and boring. Could work but I would like a better one. 

Appliances - time to replace. They are actually nice functionally, but they are unattractive and I would like better ones.  Unless something gets crazy on the budget, I plan to replace.

Walls and Ceiling need some work.

This is going to add up in this room, but I cannot wait to see it happen!

DINING ROOM

Floors - again, refinish

Wall and Ceiling repair 

Definitely a new light fixture (something beautiful needs to happen here - it will be gorgeous then!)

Loose the window cornices 

BEDROOM ONE

Refinish Floors

Repair walls/ceilings

Clean up the closet

New Light fixture or Ceiling Fan

BEDROOM TWO

Same thing, clean it all up by doing the floors, cleaning up the closet, fix walls and ceiling, and then get a new light fixture or fan

BATHROOM

This has to be great for a one bathroom house to work well for anyone.  This one is going to be a bit pricey with all the needed work. 

Tub - lovely original porcelain tub. Might need a reglaze, but mostly it looks like it needs its own deep cleaning bath first.  We'll see. It stays for sure.

Tub surround - this is less appealing. If the budge allows for all new tile in the bathroom (walls and tub included), then I will go for it.  We'll have to see what the money looks like.  At a minimum, some things need repair. 

Vanity - functional, not that old. Might be repainted, but ideally, I will replace this.  I love pedestal sinks for beauty, but they do lack storage. We'll see.

Toilet - seems okay, but house is winterized so there is no plumbing to check.  It's not ugly though! Needs to be re-grouted at the base.

Mirror - dull.  We can do better.

Light - rusted. time for a new one. 

Closet - small inside but there - yay storage! Needs repainting.

Floor - OH MY.  Mostly rotted out. Not good - needs complete repair and replacement.  

BACK PORCH

Enclosed back porch. Loving that ceiling actually. Hating the paneling (what's new?)

Lots of potential on this, but needs to be thought through.  I am not sure it is wired and vented for heating and air, so I am meeting with my HVAC man on Sunday to look at options. 

If we can get this space heated and cooled, I want to make it an awesome laundry and mud room. I know it has great potential, but at what cost? That is the question.  The floor is a little angled away from the house to prevent water being an issue (remember the rotting door - that is at the back of this room).  I am wondering if we level the floor with concrete leveler (expensive) if it would elevate the floor more and prevent water issues.  Not sure.  I need to discuss the options with my contractors.  

This would also require re-routing water lines.  I would like the water heater and the washing machine (both currently in the kitchen), to find a new home out here.  That will require a new plumbing.  It will also require my electrician to complete some changes too. 

However, if we can finish off this space and make it "finished square footage", we will add nearly $10,000 or more to the value of the house.  Not bad, but it could cost a bit in the process.  We'll see.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Hallway has need for floor repair and refinishing

Attic access is difficult and small.  I have no clue what shape it is in.  This house also lacks any storage building or garage, so my easiest place to claim the storage would be the attic.  I need to install an attic pull down and stairs in the hallway.  

Attic storage - going to likely have to floor part of the attic for storage and I anticipate there being almost no insulation left up there. I am just hoping it is not a disaster up there as who knows when it was last looked at. 

Access to wiring.  The house looks like it has been somewhat updated for wiring, but getting up to the attic will help further determine that.  It will also help create the ability to adjust the wiring in the future.  Clearly, we need to get into that attic!!

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”

— Confucius

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS!

Thanks for joining my home tour.  What are you thoughts? Have we lost or minds or does this little home have potential to be great? Would you take on a project like this? Does the idea scare you?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

I will keep you posted......

- Casey