The old stairs were made out of plywood, not original to the house and in horrible condition. At one time they must have been covered in carpet. At least I hope so!
We had a carpenter replace the old plywood stairs leading to the top floor with nice steps made from cherry wood that was generously donated by my dad.
Before and After, Restoration Diary
Jeannie and I paint my home office
These are the very first photos of us working on the house. They were taken the week before we moved in. We were trying to get the house clean enough to live in. I have this goofy “I can’t believe I’m a home owner” grin on my face!
David stripping the fireplace
Our restoration SWAT team included Jeannie, a long time family friend, who flew in from Indiana for a week. She was amazing. She cooked meals, spackled like a pro, painted, sanded, spent more time with me at Home Depot than either of us probably care to remember and she even helped peel up old linoleum from the bathroom floor!
Living Room
David’s brother Chris flew in from Utah for the weekend to help us paint and whatever else we asked him to do. He said it it was “fun” but he has’t come back to visit since. We think he is waiting until the house is finished.
Looking into the den from the living room
Our friend Jeff also dropped by for a few hours to help paint. I think he went on a McDonalds run or two for us. We lived on McDonalds the first 3 weeks we had the house – especially after Jeannie left.
Looking into the den from the living room
Extra large register vent in the floor between the living room and dining room
Dining room’s built-in china cabinet
Dining room, box beam ceiling
Den
Den floor
Kitchen
Kitchen counter was built right up to the pantry cabinet door. Obviously, the door to the cabinet can’t be opened.
We found a phone jack every 3-5 feet, running all around the upstairs bedrooms. Wonder what all those phones were used for?
The Green House
Stripping Paint and Refinishing Woodwork
Historical Bathroom Photos“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
{a few of my favorite things}