Ever watch a season of Fixer Upper and think you and your husband are basically Chip and Joanna Gaines? 😆Yeah, me too. 😅
Here is a look at what we did, how we did it, and the finished product we LOVE.
HOW (Nerd section, but relevant. Skip to the WHAT if you’re a free spirit at heart)
We are a one income family and if you’ve been following along since we bought our home, you know almost every major (and minor) thing that could break, did break our first year of living here. So, “easy fixes” like painting, scraping popcorn ceilings, and adding light fixtures had to wait. We knew other projects would need to take financial priority in 2020, so our desperately desired, but truthfully unnecessary cosmetic updates would need to remain small.
However, we scraped together a modest budget to transform the main living areas of our home. (Not saying this to brag or insist you do things the way we did–you go Glenn Coco!– but just giving you a transparent look at how our first major “do-it-yourself-project” went.) We priced out as much as we could ahead of time so we didn’t have any shocks when our totals rang up at the checkout.
Not only did we create a budget, but we “capped it”. Before we even started we set aside a certain amount of money we planned to use and tried not to go over this amount. Like many projects, things ended up costing more than we originally planned, but we had to decide how flexible we were going to be and where that money was going to come from. We still paid for everything in cash, so our project stayed modest and affordable.
WHAT
- We scraped popcorn ceilings in our upstairs hallway, dining room, kitchen, and living room. If/when we do this again (in other areas of our home), we may try the knock down look or just hire someone else to do.🤪
2. After this, we installed light fixtures in the dining room and living room (which had no light fixtures prior). This was not originally accounted for in the budget but we realized, since the ceilings were torn apart and we would be painting the walls, now was the time to install some much needed light in two very dark rooms. We were able to save money on this part of the project since two very wonderful friends helped Christian install the lights and taught him how to mud the areas that needed to be patched.
3. Then we mudded and sanded the ceilings and patched and textured the parts of the walls that we needed to cut into for the lights. (My amazing hubby did most of this as it was a dirty job that couldn’t be completed in a naptime. By this point, we were in quarantine and had zero outside help and one of us needed to be with Lucy. THANK YOU, CHRISTIAN!)
4. Next, we painted the ceilings and walls. I consulted many friends and family members on paint colors. The main color would be in both north and south facing rooms. I wanted to stay neutral but use a color that would also look warm and inviting in both spaces.
5. Lastly, my handy hubby installed a new pendant light by the front door and chandelier in the kitchen.
6. We LOVE it and are enjoying the finished product.
Even though we were exhausted from this project, I really was looking forward to “finishing” these spaces and the rest of the house. (This is the first of many projects-my dreams and lists are endless 😂). One side of home projects that I hadn’t really considered is the slow transformation that takes place over years. We are never really “done” and that’s okay. Choosing to love every square inch of this house anyways.
We are far from professionals and many times I cursed ever starting such a project, but it was totally and completely worth it.
Scroll through the photos below to see the before and after! (Click to enlarge.) And check out our timelapse at the bottom of the page!
We’ve put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in this house over the last two years, so Christian painted our names on the dining room wall so we could “stay with this house forever.” 😍
