The Complete Before and After Tour
Walking into our home for the first time, my husband and I saw it differently. I had heart eyes. I was bursting with excitement and seeing all it’s potential beauty. Already I was feeling a sinking feeling of despair that something so wonderful might slip through our hands!
“It is a dream! An absolute dream!” I said to Mark.
“Are we looking at the same house?” He replied.
He was seeing it practically. Surveying all the potential problems and wondering if this house would be a nightmare. All the while, he was supportive of my enthusiasm and provided a good rational balance to my eager emotions.
The same day it went for sale, we had both our fathers walk through the house (as they are experienced handymen). Both reassured us it was a good investment. Needing to act quickly, we put an offer in on that day.
This is what we saw…
Before
First Impressions
Upon first entering, we noticed the scent of stale air mixed with dog urine. The floors had stains on them and were very dusty but seemed salvageable. The walls were covered in dirt and peeling, in some areas giving glimpses of the wallpaper beneath. Wallpaper that covered the walls AND ceilings. The houses most recent paint job was confusing to say the least. The best way I can describe the upstairs bedrooms it is to say it looked like a paint sprayer and a vacuum both simultaneously exploded. The rest of the house was painted teal. The walls. Teal. The doors. Teal. The outlets. Teal. The heat vents. Teal. The ceiling. Teal. The cabinets. Teal. The front door. Teal. The bathtub. Teal. If this house were on the TV show Fixer Upper, there is no doubt in my mind Chip Gaines would call it “The Teal House.”
Upon deeper investigation, we found the foundation of the house was in good condition. The basement was dry and clean. The electrical box was a very outdated 50amps (most homes are around 200 amps these days). The electrical throughout the house seemed to be hazardous and would need a total replacement. The plumbing was questionable with every sink and the toilet containing warning labels. The roof was old but there were no signs of leaking. There was no air conditioning and the heating system was against code. Lead paint was a concern in certain areas and the basement likely had some asbestos residue.
But overall, the house had a ton of potential, it was just waiting for the right vision. A vision I saw immediately.
My Vision for “The Teal House”
I planned to brighten the space and make the rooms look bigger by painting everything white. I wanted to keep elements of its old charm like the dining room corner cabinet and the chandelier along with it. I planned to honor a bit of the past with tiny elements of teal, for example, the hanging pendant light over the kitchen sink is the same color teal as the old kitchen.
I was ready to put up a fight to salvage the wood floors, even if it meant stains in some areas. I knew immediately I wanted to keep the old iron banister leading upstairs and had plans for repurposing the old malm fireplace from the basement. I also saved the old light fixture in the bathroom. It was too cute not to!
The rest of the vision took hours and hours of sketching, researching, measuring and remeasuring. It was a process that was continually growing and changing throughout the renovations, until we were left with what we have now.
After
I decided to leave the bathroom door its original teal color while painting all other doors in the house white, just to add a little character. I loved the globe light in the stairwell and would leave it just as it was when we saw it on that first day.
The Dream Continues
And so the dream continues! I am always coming up with new projects and adding little changes to each room in every season. To stay up to date with my newest projects, follow the Married & a House Instagram and/or subscribe to my emails at the bottom of this page.
After photos by Kirsten Smith Photography