Landing the Airplane...

Our house is getting closer and closer to being ready to rent.  We are so excited to be putting the final touches on and as Kris would say "land the airplane".  It's really turned out so wonderful; better than we could have expected.   If we hadn't just moved and renovated our house, we may seriously consider moving in ourselves.  Here are some recent pics...

I LOVE the front door being red...I've always wanted a house with a red front door...and there is a little red mailbox that matches...it's a total score.

The living room is huge and I love the floors!  They may be my favorite floors that we have done to date...they are so pretty!  The living room opens up right into the kitchen...

Our cabinet guy worked wonders in the kitchen and really made the kitchen so functional but also added fun details like glass cabinets over the sink and a seating area at the island.  Plus there is now a giant pantry for lots of storage.  And we splurged a little on an apron sink and super fancy faucet...I heart both of them... I can't wait to see the kitchen finished when the backsplash goes in and the remaining appliances. 

 Hello Pretty...you had me at splash...

Off the kitchen is a room that could function in so many ways (and because of the french doors and natural lighting, it's my favorite room in the house).  It would be a wonderful home office, or it could be a formal dining/living room, or a great playroom, or if you're a dude reading this you could fill it with dead animal heads (that would be Kris's ideal use for the space - lol)... the uses are endless...

We still need to peel the plastic off the doors from when they painted but I heart the doors. They make this room so cozy...

 And the knobs are super fun...

The first two bedroom are pretty similar, both have great closets!!  

Across from the front two bedrooms is the hall bath.  We captured the space that the AC intake was originally in and added a great built in (I wish we had done this in our house, it's genious - anyone renovating their house should do this - you gain so much space back!)  

 The shower turned out great with the little shelf...

In the back of the house is the master bedroom and bathroom.  

 The master closet is HUGE...this is half of it...

 The master bathroom ensuite is right off the master bedroom...

Master bathroom

 The shower is killer...we're still needing the glass, but it's really going to nice when it's done!

We also put in a new fence...it not something I normally would be all that excited about, but it really is pretty...who knew a new fence would make such a difference?  The backyard is super huge, which is really great for grilling and having friends over in the summer (I wish we had a backyard like this).

And for all the guys reading...here's a pic of the garage (aka man cave)...

And just because they are so cute...here's are some pics of the boys at Christmas...

Wishing you a happy and blessed 2014!

At it Again...

I apologize for not having updated the blog in over a year...yes, I know that's a little crazy!  However, we did have a baby in the mean time...plus we've been at it again renovating yet another house in the Spring Branch area.  We bought this as a shell.  There had been a kitchen fire in it in 2012 and the rest of the inside was then demoed by the previous owners.   They then let it go cause the job was just too overwhelming...that's where we stepped in.  It's by far the biggest remodel job we've done to date.

The first thing we did was take the roof off...

 It really took the whole "open" floor plan concept to a new level - lol...

Once we got the roof back on we could then put in the windows, insulation, pipes, heating & AC, electrical, sheet rock, and pour new concrete slab.

 This is what will become the living room and kitchen...

 Back of the house, we added a new fence and sod.  Eventually there will be a patio and pergola off the kitchen/garage area.  It's a really, really great backyard!

After that things started coming together quickly...

 This is the dining room/office/play room, this room really could be used for so many different things, which is why it's one of my favorite rooms in the house! And the natural lighting is amazing.

 We hire only the best contractors to work on the job...

We've now gotten to the fun stuff...paint colors, tile, crown molding, custom cabinets, huge showers, built in pantries/linen closets, new floors, lighting...  it's not 100% done yet, but we're so pleased how it's coming together!

 I'm in love with the kitchen sink and faucet!

Kitchen with custom cabinets...can't wait to see the hardware on and the soft shut installed. We bought the high end, stainless appliances last weekend, they will be stunning in the space.

 Hall bathroom...

 Master bath shower...

It's really coming together.  It will be beautiful when it's done!   When we're done it will be 3 bedrooms, 2 bath room, huge living room, formal dinning room/office, custom kitchen, closets gal lour (the closet space is really amazing in this house, I'm a little jealous), HUGE back yard, great front porch, new garage doors - pretty much new everything! We're going to rent this beauty starting in January.  Message me if you're interested in renting it or know someone that may be interested!  We've poured the last year of our lives into the house (along with raising our boys) and can't wait to have someone fabulous in it to make this house a home!

Before & Afters

Thanks to all our wonderful friends who came to our house warming party, it was so fun seeing everyone.  For those of you who missed, here are some before and afters of the casa...

The Entry Way
Before...

 After...

What we did...

1) Added a wall to define the space between the entry, dining and living

2) repainted and added quarter round

3) updated the light fixtures

4) replaced the front door

The Dining Room

Before...

After...

What we did...

1) repainted and replaced the light fixtures

2) replaced the window

3) Added new flooring

 The Bar Area
Before...

After...

What we did...

1) took down the wallpaper and textured and painted

2) replaced all the cabinets with custom cabinets and new hardware

3) added granite and a new sink with a water filter

4) added a mini fridge and new lighting

5) replaced the flooring

The Den/Guest Room

Before...

After...

What we did...

1) replaced the window and flooring

2) painted the wood panelling and took down the wallpaper, textured and painted

 The Living Room

Before...

After...

 What we did...
1) painted the wood paneling
2) replaced the flooring
3) updated the windows
4) opened up the wall between the kitchen and living room
5) Added new can lighting and a new ceiling fan

Half Bath
Before...

After...

What we did...
1) took down the wallpaper and repainted
2) replaced the cabinets, toliet, fixtures, hardware, granite, sink and lighting

The Laundry Room
Before...

After...

What we did...
1) took down the wallpaper and repainted the walls and existing cabinets
2) replaced the flooring and window
3) filled in the place that has the extra fridge with a custom sewing area

The Kitchen
Before....

After...

What we did...
1) removed the old cabinets and island and replaced them with custom cabinets and island
2) moved the double ovens and fridge
3) opened up the wall between the kitchen and living room
4) replaced the light fixtures and added can lights, took out the recessed lighting
5) added a new sink, fixtures, ovens, stove top, granite, hardware and flooring (new backsplash is still to come)
6) Added a window to the driveway and built in seating area

Hallway to the bedrooms
Before...

After...

Hall Bath
Before...

After...

What we did...

1) took down the wallpaper and retextured and painted

2) replaced the tile on the floor, bathtub and backsplash

3) took out the old cabinets and replaced with custom

4) added new granite, fixtures, lighting, hardware, mirror, sinks and toliet

Boys Bedrooms
Before...

After...

What we did...

1) repainted, replaced the windows, carpet, and light fixtures

Master Bedroom

Before...

After...

 What we did...
1) replaced the carpet, windows and lighting
2) closed in a door to the bathroom and retextured and painted

Master Bathroom
Before...

After...

 What we did...
1) replaced the cabinets with new custom cabinets
2) replaced the corner tub with a new bathtub
3) opened up the wall and extended the master shower area
4) retiled the floors and shower
5) added new granite, windows, fixtures, hardware, lighting, carpet (in the closets), sinks, and toilet
6) removed the wallpaper and retextured and repainted
We're still waiting on...
1) shower glass
2) wood paneling paint for the bathtub
3) mirrors and frames

We also closed in the exterior patio to make an office area and play room...

Outside we added a new patio, playset and front and back doors.

We're still waiting on gutters, landscaping, kiddie cushion play area and sod.

That's the casa...there are still things to work on (and probably will always be) but overall we're so pleased with everything and can't wait to settle in and raise the munchkins here.