It was the summer of 2021 an my husband and I were relocating back to Phoenix in the middle of the crazy housing market. We felt like every time we found a home we liked, it would have multiple offers within hours. We knew that we needed a plan if we were going to find a house. We looked at many new builds but our problem was that unless you were going to build a custom house on your own lot, all of the new builds were being built on the smallest lots. We figured out pretty quickly that if we wanted to have a nice, large yard, we were going to have to buy an older home that we would need to remodel.
We knew which part of the city we wanted to be in and found a home that was in a neighborhood we always liked. And lucky for us, our offer was the one that got accepted! Did I mention that we purchased our home virtually? That is kind of important to our story because when we finally got the keys to our home and walked inside for the very first time, we knew we had a lot of work ahead of us. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like the house was a disaster, it just had not been updated since it was built 20 years ago. I had officially retired from teaching and the remodel became my new full time job.
When we saw our new kitchen for the first time, there were things we liked about it, and there was a lot that I really did not like at all. When I looked at this space, I saw appliances that were dated, the color scheme of the the room was drab and why was the island so small when there was so much unused space in this room? As those thoughts were racing through my head, I was also starting to visualize all the potential that this space had. I knew we would be changing the color of the cabinets, floors and walls. I could completely envision a much larger island. And I could also see new light fixtures that this space desperately needed.
This next room is our guest room. I know it looks like a room that just needs a fresh coat of paint, but that was just a small part of what this room needed. The carpet was so old, and so gross. The walls looked like they had been used as a giant dartboard because there were tiny little holes everywhere. My best guess is that someone had used tacks to hang up pictures anywhere they wanted. So. Many. Holes. The blinds were old and full of dust, and that ceiling fan just is not our style. If we were actually going to let our guest stay in this room, we were going to have to put some work into it.
Let’s talk about the bonus room. This room has its own set of stairs in the back of the house and is located over the garage. It has a balcony that overlooks our courtyard and a window what looks over the backyard. The owner before us used this space as a gym. The pipe hanging from the ceiling was used as a chin-up bar. Do you see the drapes and valance? I am pretty sure those have been there since the house was built. They were heavy and covered in years of dust. I could not wait to take them down. This room is a decent size and I knew we could make this into a game/tv room that we would love.
Of course, a house tour would not be complete without a visit to the primary bedroom. The bedroom is very spacious and has a small, little reading nook on one side of the room. It also has a nice sliding door that leads to a balcony that overlooks the backyard. The carpet, light fixture/fan and draperies definitely need to go. I can’t wait to paint these walls white!
Here is the real gem…the primary bathroom. I really don’t understand why someone thought it was a good idea to put that giant tub in the middle of the room. I envision pulling that out to replace with a freestanding tub. It will need a cute little chandelier over it. We will change out the vanities and mirrors and of course add new light fixtures. On the right side, I want to add 2 sets of shelves with a cute little bench under the window. I know this bathroom will be so beautiful when we are done.
There is definitely more to share about this house, but you will get to see every room as we transform them. I want to share ideas that I hope will inspire you to try new things in your home, and I also want to show you how I complete projects so you can learn along with me.