So, something big, something really big, happened during my blogging hiatus. Brady and I purchased our first home. Eee!
Talk about some serious adulting.
The whole process of finding our dream home was a whirlwind - it only took 30 days total from start to finish. Whew! By the time I had even gotten my feet under me we were practically sitting at the closing table. But, from what we were told, "that's just the nature of the market" or... something real estate-y like that. We just nodded our head and smiled.
I am convinced that when God created the idea of relationships he, simultaneously, had the concept of house hunting in mind. The two really are birds of a feather; they require patience while you wait for "the one" to come around, communication, compromise and the occasional heartbreak when the one you "swore was the perfect fit" is no longer an option.
And boy. Finding our home was no different.
We started off our search with a bit too high of expectations - let's just say our budget and our wish list didn't exactly align. It took a lot of serious conversation to decide what were our "must haves" and what were our "would be nices". Apparently open space, walk-in closets, and stainless steel appliances don't come standard on a teacher/nursing student salary. Shocking. I am convinced our new realistic approach (I mean come on you can't blame us, it isn't like we had ever bought a home before!) and an open mind is ultimately what led us to our quaint, adorable, absolutely perfect-for-us home.
Look, Mom and Dad! We are homeowners!
The house we found was nice... but it wasn't "ours". It didn't feel like us.
And it didn't look remotely like the millions of pins I had saved on Pinterest. Also shocking. Thus.... the Van Dykes embarked on Project RenoVANtions (get it- hah!).
So, we jumped all in- sander in hand and "renovating is easy" in mind. After all, HGTV said so.
Oh, how quickly we were proven wrong. Home renovation is anything BUT easy - stressful, chaotic, expensive, yet totally worth it.
We are nowhere near done, even the rooms we have begun to renovate are only 75% there (if you find yourself wondering "where are the curtains in this lady's house" don't worry, I wonder the same thing. Daily.)
So, without further ado let's embark on part one of our Home Tour Series - the newly renovated family room! Why only one room you might ask?
1. I can't show all of my blogging cards at once... come on, now. Gotta keep you coming back ;)
2. The Bachelor starts tonight so, homegirl has to get off the computer stat
3. All of the other rooms are currently overflowing with moving boxes... HGTV never shows that part of renovating #realityTV
Welcome to our new family room!
The biggest projects we undertook in this room were replacing all of the orange laminate with new slate oak hardwood floors, building a mantle, and picking out a million new throw pillows (Brady doesn't count this as a project but I know all of my ladies out there know what a job that is!).
Thanks for stopping by; I love having a spot to host friends - even if it is via the computer screen. Come over again soon to see more of this little place we call home: dining room, master bedroom, and home office are next in line!
Use the email subscription button off to the right to make sure you don't miss the next room unveil!
Design services provided by Nicole Romero -follow & contact her on Instagram (@nicoleromero11).
Labels: design, DIY, Homeowners, renovations
