FIRST HOME RENOVATION PHOTOS

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Purchasing your first house is such a fun, scary, exciting moment in life! I thought it would be fun to share some pieces of our first home renovation as a way to reflect on this part of our lives and give inspiration to anyone who needs it! Sheldon and I had lived in military housing most of our life together so when we decided to move to Michigan after his enlistment we were so excited to purchase our first home. Planning out future updates, collecting ideas on Pinterest and dreaming about the future of your family (or just yourself) in your space is such a high. We really had no idea where life would take us post military so we played it safe and bought an older home in a safe neighborhood right by where Sheldon grew up and started our Michigan life.

Before Renovations

Our house was built in the 60’s and had 1 previous owner. It had great bones, a beautiful yard and tons of potential! The listing photos were taken when there was snow on the ground so we really didn’t have a great idea of what the front or back yard would look like. We also weren’t able to check the house out in person so we were going by Sheldon’s memory and family members who were familiar with the house. It was a strange buying experience for a first time home owner but I’m so happy it worked out the way it did.

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Over the years we made minor adjustments ourselves. My husbands parents helped us a ton on bigger projects, my parents helped when they would visit us throughout the years and we hired a family friend to make updates along the way. At one point we hired a local builder to add a master suite onto the house and to insulate our 3 seasons room.

RENOVATIONS BY BUILDER

• INSULATE 3 SEASONS ROOM
• BUILD DECK OFF OF NEWLY INSULATED ROOM
• ADD MASTER CLOSET
• ADD MASTER BATHROOM
• CREATE HALLWAY WITH LAUNDRY HOOK UPS

All this was done when we thought we were finished having kids. Two kids later, we clearly planned a little too early! Our renovations by the builder would have looked a lot different if we knew we were going to have more kids.

RENOVATIONS BY US + FAMILY & FRIENDS

• REMOVAL OF WALLPAPER
• UPDATE KIDS BATHROOM
• REMOVAL OF BEAMS (I KNOW, BAD CHOICE)
• PAINTING
• NEW TRIM
• RECESSED LIGHTING
• NEW CARPET
• NEW DISHWASHER INSTALL
• REPLACEMENT OF OUTLETS
• REMOVAL OF TREES, BUSHES & VEGETATION

That’s all I can think of right now. I’m sure I’ll continue adding to the list as I wrap this post up. Our next major renovation was going to be our kitchen. We were going to put floor to ceiling pantries in our old dining room to extend our kitchen and replace all the cabinets. We were also looking forward to double ovens and new appliances. Lastly, I wanted to put laminate flooring in from our kitchen to the dining room. Our carpet was already ruined from spills and dog accidents. We just didn’t make it that far!

HOME PHOTOS AT PURCHASE

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FIRST HOME RENOVATIONS AT SALE

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FAVORITE PURCHASES

These are items from our first home renovation that I would repurchase again if I could go back and do it all over! Most of our furniture actually came from Jerome’s in California. We purchased it in 2012 and its held up very well! I highly recommend checking them out if there is one near you.

• DINING ROOM LIGHT – CLICK HERE
• KIDS BATHROOM TILE – CLICK HERE
• GIRLS ROOM BUNKBEDS – CLICK HERE
• FRONT ENTRY PENDANT LIGHTS – CLICK HERE

I can’t tell you how many times I cried when we left that house. It was truly our home. Our kids had spent majority of their life there and it broke my heart knowing Charlotte would never share that memory with them. I was in love with the view out of our back windows into the hayfield. We could see so much wildlife from our back window and it was also my view when I woke up in the morning. Ellie was in love with her pink room when she was little. I have videos from when Sheldon was deployed of her saying she couldn’t wait to show her Daddy her pretty pink room, Sawyer loved his room too. You should have seen him light up as a toddler when he got a big boy bed! Penny came home to us in this house and it was the only home she ever knew. Bellatrix loved sitting on top of our couch and watching the squirrels while we were at work all day. I complained about this house a ton to my husband but honestly, it holds a special place in my heart and always will. You can read more about this sob story here as well as see additional pictures of the house!