We purchased our first home June 2018 when we were only 24! Buying a home was always a huge dream of ours, and I always knew I wanted a fixer-upper. Fixer-uppers are NOT for everyone, but we love it! We...Read More
Leaks, wild life, inspections. These are the things I wished I was told to look out for before buying an old house.
Virtually tour this renovated vintage meets modern 1950s character house for small space renovation and design inspiration!
Follow this list for some awesome home makeover ideas!
The “after” keeps the pink!
If you are renovating your home, start with these 10 cheap and easy DIY home hacks!
Our DIY home renovation: kitchen, living room, dining room, kids' bedrooms, bathroom, master bedroom closet, utility/laundry room, pantry renovations.
Check out these easy ways to update and refresh your vintage tile bathroom and preserve original details of a home.
Not sure where to start when remodeling a house? Use our interior demolition guide to renovate your home from the inside out.
We started a major house renovation last fall. Part of that project allowed us to gain interior access to our old, original basement (our house was originally built in 1896!). Prior to the renovation, we
Want to know how you can renovate an old house on a budget to make money? Follow these 8 steps and create equity in your home!
Do you have questions about painting your house exterior? Here I answer FAQs about painting home exteriors & share before and after photos!
Brighten your day by trying one of these cute pastel home exterior ideas on your abode. From lavender to peach, there's something for you.
First time homebuyers fixing up an old house with a little DIY and a lot of love in Wichita, Kansas.
How we gave our 90's bungalow a modern farmhouse style exterior makeover! See the renovation before and after images and list of sources!
Best House Exterior Renovations By Joanna Gaines; Here are the best before and after reveals on the show Fixer Upper. House Front, & Curb Appeal.
If you have an old basement with the laundry downstairs like me, you may want ideas to update and refresh your space. This project has been...
This 1960s ranch in Maine was "bland and boring," not to mention tiny, with only 750 square feet, but now has the charm and curb appeal of a cozy cottage.
It's hard to believe it's been two years! Here's an update on all the renovation projects we've been working on in our mobile home!
When you can’t renovate, iterate.
The couple’s renovation embraces the many layers of change
This 1960s ranch in Maine was "bland and boring," not to mention tiny, with only 750 square feet, but now has the charm and curb appeal of a cozy cottage.
It's hard to believe it's been two years! Here's an update on all the renovation projects we've been working on in our mobile home!
Across the board, it’s safe to say that kitchens saw a lot more activity than usual this year. Between quarantine orders and social distancing restrictions, the kitchen really lived up to its reputation of being the heart of the home—turning into a safe haven of sorts for nourishment and quality family time. In some cases, these spaces even became temporary offices, business hubs, and classrooms.
Inspire yourself to make home improvements by looking at before and after photos of home improvement projects. Fixing up your home can be a rewarding experience, but it can also be a difficult, frustrating project. Home improvement is a huge industry, from decorating to construction to landscaping. Here, we'll share some inspiring before and after home improvement pictures of our homes over the years. Check out these Before & After Pictures That'll Inspire You to Buy a Fixer Upper!
Hey guys!!! So, I haven't blogged in nearly 4 months. It's crazy. I barely even know where to begin! There's so much to say and so much to share, so let's just jump right in and pick up where we left off. Our little Ava is now 5 months old and doing really great. We survived 4 months of colic/milk allergy/reflux and between that and a pretty difficult pregnancy, I felt like the wind had been knocked out of my sails. But, little by little, things are getting so much better and I'm slowly starting to feel like my old self again. Thank you guys so much for being patient with me and understanding that I needed some time off to focus on Ava. I'm so grateful for this precious girl, and I'm sure one day I'll look back and laugh about the past year. But, like, not yet. Ava on Halloween...finally giving us all sorts of sweet smiles. So, let's get down to business. In the final few months before I had Ava, I was able to share with you guys the finished basement renovation, our upstairs flooring redo, and the nursery. But I kinda ran out of time (duty called) before I could share the finished living room. So, a quick 5 months after I finished it, today I can finally show it to you. Many of you guys have been following my blog for awhile now and have already seen the before pictures of the upstairs living area, but I'll share them again, as it's always a nice reminder of how outdated our house was when we first moved in. So, here are the before pics. This is the living room in May of 2010 when we first moved in...wall to wall carpet, outdated light fixtures, dark wood trim, and windows so old that you could feel the wind in your hair when you stood next to them. This was what the entryway looked like. Outdated light fixture, parquet flooring and carpeted stairs, rickety old stair rail, and dark wood trim and door. This was what the dining room looked like. There was a wall between the kitchen and dining room that made the room almost too tiny to use. There was an old glass sliding door that barely opened, dark wood trim and wainscotting, outdated light fixtures, and a tile/carpet combo. This is what it looked standing in the dining room and looking into the living room. This house sat on the market for a really long time before we bought it, as it was obviously totally outdated. I was a little scared, as it was our first house and I had never renovated anything in my life. But, ultimately I decided to just go for it and I'm so glad I did. Renovating it took me almost 5 years to complete. Sometimes it was totally stressful, sometimes I wanted to quit, but ultimately it's one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. And I learned a lot. Which is great because we won't live here forever, and the next time I renovate a house, I'll be much better equipped. So, that being said, here are the pics of what this upstairs area looks like today. Let's start with a little recap of the dining room and entryway and then we'll move into the living room. One of the things that made the biggest difference was knocking down the wall between the dining room and kitchen. We also built a new stair rail, painted all of the trim and wainscoting white, added new light fixtures, and installed white washed hardwood flooring. I painted our kitchen cabinets and updated the hardware when we first moved in the house, and although in an ideal world I would have been able to fully renovate the kitchen, I decided that I could really stretch our budget by just painting the cabinetry and working with what we already had. In the dining room, I added a bold rug that I found for $60 (I know it's not for everyone, and that's okay.). I found the dining room table at a salvage shop, and the white leather chairs with metallic legs I found on Overstock. The original post about the dining room with sources can be found here. Also, we've talked about my orchid sabotage many times, so...that's a fake orchid. I've got a child to raise. Here's a quick view from the landing at the top of the stairs. You can see where we also knocked down the wall and widened the old doorway into the hallway. Here's a look around the corner. You can see how we painted the old outdated wainscoting white. We also replaced the old sliding glass door in the dining room with nice french doors. In the entryway, we replaced the light fixture, and installed double doors on the coat closet. We replaced the carpet on the stairs with hardwood treads and painted white risers, and we also built a new stairrail. I painted the existing front door Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze (favorite!), and added a little silver coat hook from HomeGoods. One of the deer heads broke off after I brought it home. And now this little coat hook reminds me of Jesse tinkering in the garage for an hour, determined to fix it for me. I think there was some ametuer welding going on in the garage, but I was too pregnant to waddle out there and watch. And now, let's move on to the finished living room. I don't expect this room to blow anyone's mind. But, it's come such a long way, and it's where we spend most of our time, so it definitely deserves at least a little time on the blog. We replaced the light fixtures, added some inexpensive tufted couches and a giant comfy ottoman, the rug is from awhile back, and then I thrifted the TV console. Here's a pic of the TV console I found at the thrift store. It's obviously nothing special, but it was the right size and $20, so...sold! I painted it (using the only furniture paint I ever use anymore) and changed out the hardware. It has a super glossy lacquer finish and looks really great up close. I'll eventually mount the TV on the wall, too. Here's a closeup of the hardware. Some little polished nickel pulls from Home Depot. I haven't decided on what kinda curtains I want to hang yet, so for now the windows are just bare. It took us 5 years to finally replace those old windows, so I don't mind looking at the new ones in the meantime. I added some Etsy pillows to the sofas. Here's a view of the living room looking back into the dining room, one of my favorite views. We built the mantel and made the stacked log insert for the fireplace (both were done awhile ago) and then I freshened up the mantle with some things I had around the house. The little framed floral art is a print I found on Etsy. And then, I made some art of my own...some black and white abstract art for above the sofa. I had Jesse build me a basic wooden frame. And I spray painted it with this Krylon Foil Metallic silver spray paint (affiliate link). It's good, ya'll. I think I'll be using it as my go-to silver spray paint from now on. It made my little frame look like actual metal or like it was silver leafed. Either way, good stuff. For the painting itself, I just used some Sherwin Williams Simply White paint (the same color that's on the walls), mixed it with a little gray, and then sketched out a doodle and filled it in with some Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze (the same black paint I used on the front door). It's probably not gonna end up at a museum, but it took me an hour and only cost me a few bucks, so homemade art for the win. And that, you guys, is the finished upstairs living area! I'm sure it will continue to evolve and change, but it feels great to at least have it furnished and not under construction. We lived in the basement throughout most of my pregnancy, so it's nice to no longer be a cave dweller. And I'll leave you with this picture of how the living room looks in real life, filled with baby stuff. Because it would be ridiculous to pretend like my house always looks like the above pictures....it took me at least twenty minutes to clean out all the baby apparatus before I could take some blog pics. Let's be honest. :) As for the blog, a lot of you have asked what my plans are. I plan to slowly get back into the swing of things, as time allows, and as quickly as my brain starts functioning like normal again. Thank you guys for all of your sweet comments and messages. I appreciate it so much. I know I'll eventually find my groove again, but right now I'm still doing a lot of this. And I wouldn't have it any other way. 'Til next time! Follow my blog with Subscribe to LiveLoveDIY with email! Enter your email address:
Are you living in or buying an outdated home? This article provides five thrifty, simple and smart ways you can do a home renovation around your outdated place without remodeling.
Old houses often come with markers of the eras in which they were built, like intricate woodwork, vintage-style window panes, and more. Some of those old-school features are charming; others, not so much.This bathroom, from homeowner Kristen Wineinger’s 1909 Craftsman, had a little of both. “The green tub, sink, and toilet was brought down by ugly beige tiles, vinyl flooring, and a very old medicine cabinet,” Kristen says.
Below is our bathtub. We had plans to get rid of it as soon as we moved in, but then surprisingly we enjoyed using it! So now we want to keep it, but that 80s l…
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Finding a fixer upper can save you a lot of money in the long run or can turn into a money pit. Here are my best tips on picking the perfect fixer-upper.
This Pace Arrow Class A Motorhome has been transformed from blah 90's decor, to bright and modern! See all the renovation details!
A red brick house can be beautiful; however, it’s a strong look and can be one of the toughest to work with, particularly for color palettes.
Feeling the effects of depression during a house renovation? You aren't alone! Here are tips to manage the overwhelm during a home remodel.
Starting your own renovation project or getting ready for a remodel? You have to see this 1970's living room before and after!
This flip house went from drab to fab! From foundation to roof, every bit of this house was remodeled and flipped—the after pictures are so much better!
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September and October are ideal times for landscaping. That's why we've curated this list of 10 ideas to liven up your landscaping this fall.
If you have an old basement with the laundry downstairs like me, you may want ideas to update and refresh your space. This project has been...
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20 year old Double Wide Mobile Home Renovation on a budget. See how we're updating this old mobile home to a modern farmhouse double wide!
Here are the latest trends in colors and materials for a modern exterior makeover. Often, simple changes can create a more livable space and make your home feel like a relaxing retreat.
These 16 modern rustic house exterior makeovers will inspire you to combine opposites in interesting ways to create the home design of your dreams.
