Our First House – Page 47

Our Past Four Years…

Published on June 21, 2010May 25, 2011 by Our Humble Abode1 Comment

We have done quite a bit to our humble rancher since Ben bought it back in 2004. Most you can see, like paint and trim, but others are a little more difficult to notice-if you can see them at all. So, here’s a little recap of things Ben did before we were married:

Cut out and installed egress windows in basement bedrooms and the office.
Drilled a well.
Installed wood burning fireplace.
Removed siding to add insulation all around the house.
Replaced all upper level windows, enlarging the bedroom windows by one foot.
Replaced the kitchen linoleum with tile.
Knocked down the kitchen wall to create a half wall:

8. Closed ½ bath and created ¾ master bathroom.

Changes we’ve made since we’ve been married:

Added trim to the 3^rd bedroom and repainted.
Added trim to the guest bedroom and repainted.
Repainted living room and built an entertainment center.
Gutted and refinished main bathroom.
Added oak floors and trim to master bedroom. Repainted.
Installed a new glass back door.
Finished 1^st basement bedroom.
Installed a central vacuum system.
Added trim to the dining room and repainted.
Removed the chain link fence and built a new painted white fence.
Planted 17 fruit trees, boxwood, roses, peonies, lilies, and other flowers.
Installed a larger electric panel and moved it to the laundry room.
Built and hung new shutters and window boxes.
Dug a trench to install the geothermal system:

15. Gutted and unfinished master bathroom.

16. Installed a new front door.

17. Finished office, including built-in bookshelves and cabinets.

18. Finished basement living room with painted trim and built-in entertainment center.

19. Finished basement bedroom with trim.

20. Finished basement bathroom, complete with 6 foot jetted tub, open vanity and soon to be steam room.

Of course there are several smaller projects we’ve finished, too.

Things I Love About Our House

Published on June 18, 2010September 9, 2010 by Our Humble Abode6 Comments

I’m sure most homeowners at least like their houses. We love our house, especially some of the features and details. Here are some of our favorites:

Our deep windowsills:

Our master bath window sill is marble clad:

The pantry above our stairs is great, too, although the doors could use a little love.

It is huge and holds almost all of our non-perishable food items, paper towels and larger dishes.

We have added white trim to almost every room in our house. It seems obvious that we love it, so here are some detail shots:

I love the crown moldings above the doors and windows in our master bedroom. It is convenient to have the hidden lighting, too.

The guest bedroom trim is simple, but definitely adds character to the room.

Here’s the plate rack we added to our dining room. Capped off crown molding and quarter round trim provide storage for large platters, but serves as artwork, too.

White trim in a basement bedroom brightens up the space and adds interest.

Our basement bathroom is outfitted with simple trim topped by a shelf, providing a display area and small storage.

What do you love about your house? Maybe some architectural details? Lighting? The layout?

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Published on June 17, 2010March 26, 2013 by Our Humble Abode2 Comments

You’ve seen the good, you’ve seen the bad before pictures, but you haven’t seen the truly ugly. Well, I think it’s time… Use caution, this isn’t pretty.

Yep, our laundry room is in need of some love. We have heard that it’s a bad idea to completely finish a utility room, just in case of an emergency. With that said, we plan to add some closet doors to hide the back wall and the left side, where our geothermal and storage tank are. The tile will extend into the laundry area from the main basement. We will sheet rock that small area, to make it look good if the door is open. When all of that is done, we’ll get some new, good lookin’ appliances. But, for now, we have an ugly room…

Good Things, Martha

Published on June 16, 2010September 9, 2010 by Our Humble Abode3 Comments

I’m here to show off some more recent finds.

I ordered a new light fixture from CB2 and stumbled upon this little cutie for $9.95:

It was just too cute to pass up. And the shipping cost was the same for both. Win-win.

I also found this great entry rug at Ross for

…wait for it…$10.99. It has the rubber backing we need to prevent sliding and damage to the hardwood beneath. I love the added pattern and the colors are great for our space (and hiding dirt).

I’ll share my really great deal soon. Here’s a teaser-dining chairs.

What about you? Any great finds recently?

Lighten and Brighten Up!

Published on June 15, 2010September 9, 2010 by Our Humble Abode4 Comments

I love light and bright rooms, don’t we all? I have compiled a list of changes we have made to make our house brighter.

1. Add a sky tube to a dark, windowless room, like our main bathroom.

2. Mirrors! The mirrors in both of our upstairs bathrooms extend to or close to the ceilings. The large mirrors reflect light while making the space feel larger.

3. Our new dining light fixture makes our space feel brighter because the shade is white. The old fixture was oil rubbed bronze, so it felt darker.

4. When Ben replaced all of our windows, he enlarged some of the windows. All three bedroom windows are now 1 foot closer to the floors. The added light does make a huge difference. Ben also made a smart decision by making egress windows in our basement. All of the basement windows were the smaller of the two shown below. Not only are the bedrooms more functional, livable bedrooms, but the light is great. It doesn’t seem as much like a basement.

5. Our new front door has a window. At first, I hated the idea, due to lack of privacy-I liked to look out our peep-hole at the people on the other side, knowing they couldn’t see me. Now, they know I’m on the other side of the door-not answering… Any who, I love the light this little window lets in. The new back door is almost entirely glass, too. I love it, lack of privacy and all.