The Remodel: Part I

When April and I purchased our home in RSM, we did so with the idea of making major renovations. Since our Aliso Viejo condo did not sell (thanks real estate market), we pulled some equity from it, and plotted some big league home improvements on the new digs. We figured the remodeling should start as the escrow docs were finalized. The keys were handed to us just after the 4th of the July, and the games began.

The games are still ongoing. It has been project on top of project. Flooring, carpeting, paint, the entire kitchen, and a family room fireplace removal have all been tackled. This does not include furniture, appliances, and electronics.

We are now about 3.5 months into the process. A little blood and a lot of sweat has been shed. It is always fun to do a little before and after comparison. Almost the reveal on Trading Spaces, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Designed To Sell........fill in your personal favorite home show here.

The first thing we did was put some new paint on the wall. We went with a neutral, earth tone. For part of the house it is a lighter beige, and in parts that receive more light, we put a darker shade of beige. The next thing we did was put in the new flooring. There is new carpeting for the upstairs loft and bedrooms.

The photo on the left is the before master bedroom. This was how it looked when we were looking at the property. Notice the flesh colored carpet, and the mint green on the walls. On the right is the after master.

Photo on the left, the before living room/entryway. It is the view as you first walk in the door. Again, the photo on the left was how the place looked during the previous ownership. The photo on the right is the after.The entire downstairs is now covered in a porcelain tile that has the appearance of hardwood. Since we will have a young boy prowling these floors, we did not want to worry about nicks in a real hardwood. The tile looks great, and is so durable. The new flooring has a distressed look to it. We are quite pleased with it.

In addition, Mr. Gary Becker, the father-in-law extraordinaire, put in the superb baseboards. He has been so helpful in the sprucing up of this house - and the ol' condo. Gary is our Schneider.

Schneider's handiwork

We have also tried to do a little gardening. The biggest little project we have done with the yard to date is the planter in the front yard. The photo on the left is the before. You can kind of see the overgrown patch blocking the porch. On the right is the after. We planted two little topiary trees and a smattering of flowers. Most of the plants are still alive, by the way. The grass is still alive as well, but it is being attacked by the crab grass weed stuff.

I'll post the more exciting remodels in the next day or three. The kitchen transformation has been fairly dramatic.