Hi! Let's renovate!

About 5 years ago, we bought and renovated our current house.  I had so much fun during the process, I had to jump in with another project!  When we realized that our current house was just not our "forever home", I started looking for another place that more suited our family's needs.  Our new home, "the 1036", ticked a lot of our boxes!  I wanted a family home that had been loved (but not renovated) on a larger lot.  We needed something with good bones and room for our 3 kiddos to play and learn.  Having a space that could be beautiful, yet more functional for our family was top priority!  I'm such an old house nerd, so I needed it to be an old house.  We love the convenience of the new place to our UMS school, church, and work!  Here are a few before pictures!

The original blueprint from the 1950's

Following, I'll post some "before" photos" so that you can see what we're working with!  

Our renovation plans are to try to keep as much of the original house as possible.  We may change things as we go, but we are hoping to paint the house (interior and exterior), create a 3rd floor attic space, remodel the bathrooms, make a new master suite, create a new kitchen and informal dining space, build a screened porch on the side of the house, and add a laundry/mudroom addition to the rear facade.

Facade-- Before Renovation

Original kitchen.  It's dark in here!  Everything goes.  This room is connected to the family room.  We will be enlarging the kitchen and converting the family room into a casual dining space and keeping room of sorts.  We'll do something pretty to the large cooking fireplace (placed in a corner of the family room!)

We love the original distressed ceiling beams in the family room.  We plan to refinish to match the new flooring.  Too dark in here for a good picture!  (See what I mean about being dark?!)  As a side note, I have a "thing" for original wood shutters.  They are much smaller than modern-day plantation shutters.  You can't buy them anymore (well, at least not mass market).  I tried!  I was excited to have some of these remaining in the house.

After some research, I learned that this is called a Williamsburg cooking fireplace.  As my friend mentioned, it looks like something that the Berenstain Bears would use to prepare meals!  My first thought was to scrap the fireplace altogether, but we decided to keep it to for added coziness in the family room.  Two different builders pretty much told us that it would nearly-impossible to find a mason that would build something like this in 2018.  

I'm envisioning meals by firelight...It DOES have some unique features including a built-in iron, a pot holder and meat hook for true cooking, and a niche for firewood in the side.  We will definitely remove the Laura Ingalls Wilder-looking wood trim, as well as re-surface/clean/restore it!

Original Entry Hall.  Mrs. Edwards LOVED wallpaper (on the walls, or on the ceilings!) The two-entry foyer was treated to this paper...I am a huge wallpaper fan myself, but this was just "dated" and not "historic" or "special".  I'm hoping to cover the paper with some painted wood paneling a la Gil Schafer style.  (If you're not familiar with his work, please check it out!  My inspiration for the renovation is mostly coming from Gil!)  At minimum, we will putty and repaint the hall.

Here's a view of the entry hall from upstairs.  I'm in love with (and have big plans for) that little built-in bookshelf.  Notice also the door (to the right of the large window) that is what I'm affectionately calling the "Las Vegas style" entry into the master bedroom.  More on that later.  And...more details about the rest of the house.  Those I haven't lost yet with my going on will have more to see soon!