It’s still sinking in: In 2011, I bought a house. My first house. A beautiful, 1957 tri-level home with lots of windows, an open floor plan and an amazing walk-in closet. But, it’s also a dated home with contact paper-covered cabinets and faded orange carpeting, not to mention a room full of paneling. In other words: In 2012, I’m going to be busy.
Luckily, I have help. My boyfriend Josh shares my DIY spirit and love of all things mod. (We’re still figuring out how to get our hybrid corgie-bulldog-mystery puppy, Miles, to help us peel off wallpaper. Bacon grease? )
Josh and I at a 1960s-themed party. Guest starring: my bouffant 'do. Photo by Jennifer Harper
Miles at play. Sticks > wallpaper.
Each week, I’ll share our progress, from room-by-room moodboards to finished projects to dramatic before-and-afters. I hope you’ll follow along! To keep it all in perspective, I’m making a few more promises, resolution-style. I pledge to…
Make Progress Every Week… I’ll do something to better my house every week, big or small.
But Don’t Expect It to Happen Overnight. As any homeowner probably knows and I’m about to find out…it’s a marathon, not a track meet. ‘Nuff said.
Appreciate the Good… I’ll remember every day, even when I’m covered in bits of popcorn ceiling and shreds of tiny floral wallpaper, what made me want this place. Things like waking up to this every morning:
Sunrise from master bedroom
And Tolerate the Bad. There’s plenty of design wrongs to be righted in this house (more on that later) but I can live with all of them…for now. It will build character, right?
Get Input From You. Yes, you! I’ll need your help along the way to tell me if my color palettes look totally crazy and help me choose which lamp is the right one. Right off the bat: Any tips on getting rid of those last few boxes?
‘Till next week…
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I saw the Dream Home in Utah program recently on TV and have to say the house is spectacular.
Is the property zoned for horses? Utah is a little bit of Heaven on earth and whoever wins that house will enjoy special people and live in a place that will lift you spiritually. Congratulations to the designers and I'm sure you'll have some very happy winners. I can't wait to see who is blessed with the Vermont home. What a special thing you do for your viewers!
Every home I've ever bought entailed an entire rehab. I know what will be dealing with but I also know the satisfaction you will gain from "making it your own" and seeing transformations you can be proud of. Best of luck. It looks like a great property! Oh, and perhaps Miles' snout marks will help moisten the paper enough to make peeling dated wallpaper a breeze (at least around the baseboard).
Thanks! I think you're right, I'm sure I'll love it all the more since I get to completely customize it. But there's definitely a long road ahead. P.S. I will let Miles know he should get started on that wallpaper while I am at work.
Liz, great intro post! I can't wait to see what you guys do with the place. (And I can't wait to see more of Miles. He is PRECIOUS.
)
Maybe you can fit your puppy in a carry-on bag and come over for a play date (slash painting party.)
This is going to be a fabulous adventure, Liz! I'm excited to read about it every week. If you need to borrow my dog, Roxie, you are totally welcome. She peels paint off of the door frame if you refuse to let her in a room.
Roxie's services sound promising. Maybe she could teach Miles a couple of things.
This is so exciting. I love home makeovers! Can't wait to see your progress. I completely gutted my bedroom a couple of years ago and it's hard work! Kudos to you for doing a whole house. This should be fun.
Christina
http://becauseofmadalene.blogspot.com/
Thanks Christina! I'd love to see photos of your bedroom makeover.
So excited for you guys! I can't wait to see what you choose for your house. And I'm swooning over the views!
Miles might just be the cutest goshdarned thing I have ever seen. *jaw dropping*
I think so too! I'll tell him you said so.
I'm excited to follow along!
This will be fun!
Can tell by the photo of your house that it's going to be great. Will be following along.
Thanks Jan! I'm excited to start making progress.
I absolutely love following DIY adventures, especially from the very beginning. It's going to be so fun to see your place transform, Liz
Be sure to give us lots of pictures!
Yes, that sunrise would certainly be a draw! Congratulations, Liz, how fun!
Wow! You guys have a great slice of heaven on earth. I thought that when Josh sent me the pictures. Your right that remodling is a marathon and not a sprint. ( coming from a guy who is re-doing a 1901 home) Be the turtle and remember to enjoy not just the work you put in to it, but the people that you do it with. Trust me, alot of good and fun memories are made, along with bad ones, while working on your "American Dream". I will see you when its time to start with the fence and cant wait to see it in person.
Thanks! We are so excited to have found the right house, finally. You are welcome to come by anytime and help us strip wallpaper. Can't wait to see your house as well!
Would love to see some overall "before" pics on the house before you get started. I recently bought my first house (2008) and have been slowly making all the changes. It is quite wonderful (if expensive) to see the vision take shape.
Wallpaper removal tips:
My husband and I just spent the week removing wallpaper from a bathroom. It was "supposed" to be sized AND STRIPABLE… though I seriously doubt that. We bought the standard liquid wallpaper spray remover BUT that did not work at all. What worked best was a spray bottle of vinegar and water, 50%-50%. Tarp your floor and then spray and go work on something else. After about 4 sprays and wait sessions, the paper started to bubble. Then we could GENTLY pull and scrape it off with a paint scraper. It tooks us about three days of spray and scraping and the paper was gone. Be sure to wash the walls well with a wet rag to remove any remaining pieces AND glue. Our bathroom is now painted a "almond" color (that looks like a medium toned gold/tan) to go with the existing oak vanity and trim. Our jazzy (maple/black/gold/silver) granite counter and black sink arrives next week. It already looks 100% better. WELL worth the hard work so hang in there.
Sounds like vinegar/water was a great help, and I like that you didn't need to use harsh chemicals. Q: Did the vinegar smell over-power the room? Have others had good luck with vinegar/water?
We've got hallway wallpaper that is ancient–the glue underneath is clearly visible. I'm interested to make it as quick and painless as possible.
Thanks for the tips! We have tried the liquid wallpaper spray in one room but it wasn't that effective, I'll have to try the vinegar/water solution.
Try liquid fabric softner 1 capful to 1 quart water. Stir to mix and sponge onto the wallpaper. If wall paper has a water resistant coating score it with a wire brush before treating or use one of those handy wall paper scorers. Let this solution sit on the paper about 20 minutes and then proceed to scrape off. Wash walls to remove remaining solution. Smells good too!
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Im going to LOVE this. My husband and I are first time buyers in the midst of a short sale hoping to be in our new home in the next few months. We are lucky our perspective new home is realitivly new built in the 2000's, while it certianly lacks the charm of your awesome place, I probably wont have to do anything too drastic, just upgrades and design elements.
Good luck, cant wait to read more about how it turns out.
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That reminds me of when we first moved into our current home. It's not as extensive as what you probably did, but we did get to the point where we hired someone who did perth wall removal.
Liz, So excited for you! Remember our first house (2nd, 3rd and 4th house renovations — all DIY –phew!) Hope you add lots of salvaged and recycled goodies too