With our one-year wedding anniversary only a few days away, I thought it was fitting to celebrate another exciting milestone: two and a half years in the house!
Two and a half years of renovations, projects, furniture builds, sanding, house conversations, building, tearing down, planning discussions, tiling, painting and oh so much more.
To commemorate this exciting time, we’re taking a trip down memory lane and sharing alllllllll the changes. From the very first demo to where we are today.
So, grab a cup of coffee and let’s dive in!
The Exterior
When we first moved in, there were four exterior doors, two of which being main entrances.
- before – february 2016
- after phase #1 – july 2016
- before – february 2016
- after – july 2016
We removed the ramps going up to either one, picked a main entryway and replaced the other entry door with a window.
- before round #2 – october 2017
- AFTER
The front porch got a set of stairs and most recently, a complete re-seal and paint job.
- BEFORE
We built two entrance pillars, added a fence for the dogs, put a deck over the crumbling concrete slab and are about halfway through adding an attached garage to the east side of the house.
- before – august 2017
- after(ish) – august 2018
CLICK HERE to read more about the exterior.
The Interior
The Entryway
As I mentioned above, we had two main entrances when we moved in. We knocked down several walls and moved the main entrance to the east side of the house.
- before – october 2016
- before – october 2016
The first space to get an overhaul was the entryway. We added brick flooring, put up built-ins, swapped out the door, added a barn wood wall and installed overhead lights. Most recently, we replaced the south window and Brett built another storage bench to add a little division from the rest of the room.
- AUGUST 2018
- after – august 2018
CLICK HERE to read more about the entryway.
The Living Room/Stairs
Since knocking down the main divider wall, this area hadn’t seen much action until recently – with the most eye catching being the addition of stairs and a linen closet.
- 2016
- after – in entry towards stairs
- before – MIL apartment
- AFTER
- before – from kitchen towards entry
- after – in kitchen towards entry
We also added a new window and replaced one of the old ones; they will be on either side of the fireplace (where the TV currently sits).
- before – january 2018
- AFTER
- before – january 2018
- AFTER
CLICK HERE to read more about the living room.
The Kitchen/Dining Room
The kitchen has been in constant transition since we moved in. It started with moving around the standing pantry and then transformed into painting the cabinets… and then repainting them… and then moving the stove-section to make room for the pantry door.
- before – february 2016
- before – february 2016
- before – may 2016
- BEFORE
It’s been an ever-evolving space but I think it may be safe to say this is how it’ll stay until we do the complete makeover.
- AFTER
- after – august 2018
CLICK HERE to read more about the kitchen.
The Guest Bathroom
This was our first complete room transformation. We cut the size in half and reconfigured the plumbing, moved the doorway, added a tub/shower combination and built a custom vanity with a concrete countertop.
- before – february 2016
- after – august 2018
- after – august 2018
CLICK HERE to read more about the guest bathroom.
The Laundry Room
When we first moved in, the laundry was downstairs. We took space from the guest bedroom and framed in a laundry room and closet, reconfigured the plumbing and added a giant window.
- before – january 2017
- after – september 2017
- before – january 2017
- 2017
CLICK HERE to read more about the laundry room.
The Guest Bedrooms
Originally, there was a mini-mudroom that had a doorway to the mother-in-law apartment and the main house. We knocked out that space and combined the office and mother-in-law bedroom to make two guest bedrooms, each with a closet.
- before – mother in law apartment bedroom
- before -mudroom; MIL apt. to the left, main living to the right
The larger of the two bedrooms hasn’t been touched too much, with the exception of making the entryway door a window and replacing the other window.

after-ish guest bedroom #1 – january 2017
The second guest bedroom was made over during our second time participating in the One Room Challenge.
- 2017
- before – guest bedroom #2 – august 2017

after – november 2017
CLICK HERE to read more about guest bedroom #1.
CLICK HERE to reach more about guest bedroom #2.
The Office
The latest room to (almost) be completed is the office. This was part of the stairs/linen closet/pantry addition. It seemed like an easy add, especially since we’re both working from home a little more often. It’s not quite done but definitely in usable condition.
- before – march 2016
- after – hallway – august 2018
- after – july 2018
- after – july 2018
CLICK HERE to read more about the office.
So, there you have it. Two and a half years of projects, renovations, planning, blood, sweat, tears and oh so many memories. It’s funny how quickly time flies. And also how much we love doing these posts – it’s a good reminder to ourselves that we actually have come a long way. It’s easy to get lost in the busyness and go down the rabbit hole of how much more there is to do – but these little reminders are great for perspective!
Here’s to many more projects and even more memories in the next two and a half years!
All our best,
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