As I write, we’re up to our ears in the bathroom renovation. There’s a lot going on, with dust, noise and the ubiquitous portaloo. It’s easy to feel we’re going backwards, rather than forward. So, it’s high time we did a little recap on all the things we’ve got done over the last six months. The ‘before’ photos in this post are all from the sale listing. They show the house in the best possible light, but even with all that fish-eye and extra exposure, the ‘after’ photos still show how much better it is. You’ll just have to imagine the improvement in the smell.
Transformed dirty and dingy living spaces
When we first moved in, there was cat hair, fleas and dirt everywhere. Apart from the filth, the house was just tired. Walls were scratched, dented and in some cases had actual holes in the plaster. The paint was sad. The carpets were finished and there was indestructible but awful lino lying on the slab. We had awful grey plastic roller blinds in every window, and not all of them worked.
We ripped out the flooring, fixed and painted the walls and ceilings. There are now lovely new curtains and blinds gracing the windows. It’s clean! There are no fleas! We hung our artwork! While there are still little things to go, these living spaces are just worlds ahead of where they were.
Next, I want to tackle painting the window frames, building bookcases into the lounge and refreshing the kitchen. But for now, that before and after is giving me life!
Taking the master bedroom from cat haunt to comfy oasis
Fun fact: we didn’t sleep in the master bedroom for the first six weeks we lived in the house. Because we had to keep the windows open for my cat allergies, we didn’t move into this room until it had new paint and flooring in. But wow! What a difference those made.
While I still have to paint the doors to our wardrobe and the bathroom, this room is pretty done. Perhaps one day I’ll finally get around to updating our chipped second hand side tables. But for now, I’m really please by home cosy and bright our bedroom has become.
The renovation from blah to blue in the office
Ah, one of my favourite projects! My office originally shared the same cat-carpet-dirty-drab-wall issues of the rest of the house. It was also very dark, as it’s east facing and has a huge overgrown hedge outside it right now. Even when we cut this down, it won’t get a lot of sunlight.
So now it’s a glowing, cosy room for me to work in. I love how the blue has turned out. The art seems to dance against it, and when the early morning sunlight dapples against the blue I fall in love with it all over again. I’m still working on curtains and a cosy armchair for this room. But she’s come a long way from her beige era.
Don’t forget the small renovations count too
There are also lots of other, smaller projects that we’ve been getting done. They’re not photo worthy, but they all count as we try to bring this house back from her renter fatigue. We fixed leaking taps, cut down overgrown trees and try to eradicate the weeds. The guest room is also painted, and I’ll share more of that room soon, once it’s no longer the dumping ground for … everything.
Looking back at all this shows how far we’ve come. While the to do list feels endless, it’s nice to reflect on how much we have done in a relatively short space of time. So much to be grateful for and enjoy! If you’re heading into a renovation (whatever the size), definitely take those before and after photos. It’s important to celebrate the wins, because the journey can be a long one.
