Re-entry into Blogland: OLD HOUSE RENOVATION UPDATE

It’s been a lot… 2019.

In January, we received the first call telling of a longtime friend’s “out of the blue” death. Since then, there have been four more unexpected calls—and three more lonnng trips to Texas.

We saw a beautiful sunrise this morning as Trip #5 got underway.

Renaissance Man will do yet another funeral this weekend, and we’ll count it a privilege to grieve alongside friends and family.

Honestly, we just want to stay home. To work on our house. To rest.

Instead, today is an opportunity to reconnect with you here! How have you been, friends? I want to keep my promise to take you along on this old house renovation we took on late last year. I want to show you a few projects and pretties that we have been able to accomplish—so I won’t feel so far behind!

Let’s do it!

Warning:  There are some major in-process projects here, so dial up your imagination and come along!

As a reminder (or in case you’re new here, thank you!), last November we bought an old farmhouse that now sits in the middle of our small town. I told you it was built in 1910, but I’ve since learned that was the date of our county’s earliest tax records. Based on a few construction and decor clues, I think our home was built in the late 1800s, but I haven’t had time to do more research. That will be a fun project for another day!

Immediately upon moving in, we updated mechanicals and other “invisibles,” sanded paint from and refinished beautiful heart pine floors, and made a very long to-do list of projects.

It’s an old house. There will always be a list of projects!

It’s finally becoming home. I’m learning to fall in love with it; not feeling like a mail order bride quite as often. I’m beginning to get a vision for what the ol’ gal can be.

If you’re following @smalltownvictorian on Instagram, you’ve seen some of these projects—but not all!

Let’s begin outside in the front yard.

Yes, “clean the foundation” is still on the project list.

We thought we’d wait until next year, but one Friday afternoon we turned in the driveway, and the overgrown mess of rhododendrons and out-of-control vines was more than we could stand—so we pulled out the chain saw (and eventually the car with chain hooked to trailer hitch!) and pulled out those eyesores. By the next evening, landscape cloth was down and hydrangeas, ferns, hostas, and hollys were planted.

Added to project list:

1. Clean the foundation
2. Buy foundation vent screens
3. Level porch in a couple of places
4. Repair rotted wood

Now we can enjoy the porch without fighting the invading vines and infestation of mosquitoes!

Meanwhile, inside the front door . . .

Dining Room

For many years I’ve wanted a handmade needlepoint rug in the dining room, but they’ve always been pricier than I was willing to pay. And then one day Renaissance Man pointed out an online auction taking place in nearby Knoxville, and I found stole this beauty. It’s 9’ x 12’ and exactly what this old house dining room needed! I barely even notice that to-be-replaced-someday wallpaper.

Dining Room project list:

1. Replace wallpaper
2. Stabilize broken hearth tiles
3. Add built-in pass-through-to-kitchen china cabinet
4. Open doorway to kitchen
5. Replace 1960s windows with original design/size
6. Window treatments

Guest Room

This is our primary guest room. It currently has walls (now sans wallpaper) that look like the beauties in the south of France with areas of chippy green paint that perfectly match the green in the reversible coverlet I found at Hayneedle.

I realized the other day that the old hooked rug in our bedroom is the perfect complement to the bedding in this room—and the perfect size—so it’s going to be moving across the hall. So is the chippy-paint dresser I salvaged from a century-old farmhouse in North Carolina. It will make a great bedside table.

Guest Room project list:

1. Repair/paint 3 walls; add shutters to 4th wall for accent
2. Repair dresser; find new hardware
3. Buy bedskirt and 2 more king pillows
4. Add bedside lighting
5. Rug
6. Curtain panels
7. Pictures

Attic Guest Room (aka Boys’ Room)

This little attic room was going to be my office/craft room until I realized I was *worthless* up there. I’d get busy on the computer and totally forget about laundry needing to be moved to the dryer or meat to thaw for supper two floors down.

Instead, we’ll turn this into a room for the grandsons (and an extra guest room). The antique iron beds were another auction steal at $10 apiece and only required a quick sandblasting clean-up and spray paint to make them useable again. The vintage matelasse spreads are simple and hard-working; perfect for two little boys. And the vintage trunk (that was our coffee table when living in the fifth wheel) makes a fun window seat.

Attic Room project list:

1. Reclaimed barn wood on stairwell wall
2. Bookshelves
3. Lighting over beds
4. Curtain panels (buffalo check?)
5. Wall art

Master Bedroom

This custom floral linen duvet cover I found the other day for $11 at a local thrift store is to blame thank for disrupting my master bedroom plans. I absolutely love it, and I’m finally getting excited about pulling our room together. It’s gorgeous with our bed and the new-to-us antique Austrian wardrobe that is my primary closet. There’s also a sweet little red settee now sitting at the foot of the bed, but I’ll save most of my ideas to share another day. For now, it’s really good to have a plan coming together!

Master Bedroom project list:

1. Paint (wallpaper?) upper walls
2. Paint wainscot
3. Purchase duvet insert
4. Add canopy to hide window behind bed
5. Window treatment
6. Find antique dresser for bedside
7. Add bedside lighting
8. Replace ceiling fan
9. Open wall into Master Bath

Someday office/craft room

When I decided the attic room was not going to work for my office/craft room, I had to rethink everything downstairs. So here’s what we decided:  When the kitchen moves across the hall (as originally planned), the current kitchen will become my space rather than a library. (We’ll add bookshelves to the living room and call it “good”.)

We were planning to use some of these cabinets for my storage anyway, and this way we won’t have to move them up two flights of stairs! The sink will be nice for craft projects, and I’ll figure out what do with the the empty stove and dishwasher spaces. I like a good design challenge!

Yesterday I found five Country Curtains valances in their original, unopened packages at a local thrift store (anyone seeing a pattern here?). I got all five for what one would have cost! When Country Curtains closed recently after many years in business, I was sad I’d never get a chance to purchase their pretties again. Little did I know… These are going to be perfect in my office!

Office/craft room project list:

1. Move kitchen across the hall
2. Remove wallpaper
3. Replace cabinet hardware
4. Hang window valances 🙂
5. Get creative!

And finally . . .

Sunroom

Other than the low-ceiling, dirty carpet, un-air conditioned, currently-used-for-storage addition on the other side of that door, the sunroom was probably my least favorite room in the house when we moved in. It’s an addition on the back of the original farmhouse, and there are so many things I would have done differently. Perhaps someday I will.

If I could have closed the door on it, I would have. But the door out to the driveway is in the sunroom, so . . .

One night awhile back Renaissance Man and I were enjoying our favorite Friday night “cheap date” (an auction!) when I spotted this 3-piece cane back set. It’s old, super heavy, and the off-white upholstery fabric was clean! At first I gave it only a cursory look; I didn’t need another sofa. But when it came up for auction, I saw it in a totally different light. I saw it as the foundation to my sunroom; the glimmer of hope that I just might find a way to like that room.

And when the bidding stopped at $30 (yep, you read that correctly!) and my number was called, well the love affair with three more pieces of old furniture began. But that’s a story for another day.

For now, suffice it to say that it looks great with the pair of down-filled pillows I found (for less than the price of one insert) at the thrift store. 😉

Follow @smalltownvictorian on Instagram!

Related posts:

The Master Suite: Old House Renovation Story Transformation of our old house GUEST ROOM Lessons From An Old House Renovation The Kitchen: Old House Renovation Story