For those of you new here on the blog I’m going to do a quick recap before I tell everyone the latest news with the house. Kramer and I bought a foreclosure house back in August of 2013. Here it is…
I was ready for us to own our own home and with Kramer being a stubborn and insisting that we live close to the farm and with him being super cheap, this was the best I could get him to commit to. Seriously… $24,000 was the amount I could get him to put into the house..and that’s what we got it for.
We ripped off the back 1/3 of the house. You can see the part that juts out here. From there, all across the back is what came off. Check out this blog post to see why we took that part off.
As crappy as the house looked from the outside, it was the woodwork we fell in love with.
We also liked that the house was very open inside. Most old houses aren’t.
We bought the lot next to the house for $8000. We needed it to be able to add this garage.
We hired an architect and he came up with a plan and we modified it a bit to come up with this. We also added on a kitchen, laundry and bathroom along with a larger entry way.
Work on the house didn’t start until the following year.
We not so patiently waited for plumbers and electricians and other workers.
From the outside our house looks awesome…
the inside, needs work. We moved in before most people would have. Lots of things aren’t done…even five years later. We were okay with that. Kramer liked projects…for the most part I did too.
But..in June of 2019 Kramer died and I’m left with projects I don’t know quite know how to tackle. My stairs going to the upstairs, is the biggest eye sore.
Ick..right?? I’ve been living with them for five years and decided, it’s time. I’ve been waiting to get the gumption to do it. All I could see ahead is hours on my hands and knees sanding and pulling nails. That didn’t sound fun at all. Then I heard of a place that refinishes without sanding. I saw that he had redone the floors of a Facebook friend of mine. It looked good. Hmm. That sounded interesting to me. I wondered if he did stairs. I got up the nerve and asked.
HE DOES!!
I talked to the guy and he’s going to be coming. I’m so excited!! I feel the price is reasonable…I’m so thrilled!! Saving my time and my knees is so exciting and beyond that, it will be professionally done! YAHOO!!
That leads me to another problem. When we moved here, I had only one icky beat up newel cap.
Kramer had bought a turning lathe with the intention of making two but that didn’t happen. So I started looking online. I found a guy on Ebay that makes them. That’s awesome. I’m checking with the local woodworking place here in town before I order from him. I’m so excited…
Did I say how excited I am?? I AM!!!
Fixing the stairs is actually going to happen. I have other projects planned for the house over the next coming year. I’m so happy that I finally will get some more things done. I’m hoping someday the inside of the house will look as nice as the outside.
If you’re up to follow along for some more remodeling projects, stay tuned!
I love the way you redid the outside and inside of your home. It is beautiful. I can’t wait to see the completed stairs, I’m sure they will come out looking wonderful.
I am SO EXCITED for you!! What you’ve done with this house so far has been completely amazing!! I think that these projects will also be a good distraction and provide things for you to look forward to over the coming year. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
I’ll be looking forward to your remodeling posts! Those stairs had years of abuse, kids going up and down them.
How exciting to see another project get done. You got this Jo
I sure hope that his method of redoing the stairs without sanding them down will last for years and years! I really like the shape of that newel post, it’s very unusual. Good Luck!
Exciting! Wow! You were brave digging into that house! But look at the end result! Beautiful!
How exciting! Can’t wait to see your posts! I love reading and seeing other people’s home improvement projects!
Jo- First- I love what you’ve accomplished with the house! As a professional hardwood floor installer/sander/refinisher of almost 20 years, it makes me sad to have to tell you that the service the sand less refinishing companies provide is not going to be what you want. Your stairs definitely need sanded to deal with the heavy wear and damaged areas. You should be able to find a sanding company in your area to refinish them properly for somewhere in the $600 range. I’m sure that’s more than the “Sandless” service, but it will look much better and be a better investment in the long run.
I just hate to see you spend hard earned money on something that won’t last and you won’t be happy with.
How exciting for you!! You’re home looks awesome!!
I understand. Sometimes it just takes time to finish projects, but you will love it when it is done.
I love seeing people’s renovations. Keep sending pics
Great news, Jo! I hope the completed project turns out to be just what you were hoping for.
Wonderful news!! I’ve loved watching you turn your house into a real home. We’ve been remodeling our house since we moved into it in Aug 2015. I understand living with things undone as that’s what we are doing. We have lots of projects in work and it’s going to be a long time before we get done as my husband doesn’t want to hire anyone as he feels he can do the work better. As long as he’s working long hours the improvements will be slow. Looking forward to seeing your finishes!
Your house looks great! We had our kitchen cabinets done with the no-sanding and we’re very pleased. Hopefully your man can make two newel tops like the one you had, but if not, two new ones will be better tHan what was. Love your blog abd your spirit! Thanks for posting!
I am tickled for you! Can’t wait to see and hear more as it happens.
Oh I don’t blame you for buying that house the interior woodwork is beautiful! Praying for you and yours. The littles are so sad when they’re sick.
I’m so glad that you have your house. I can’t imagine what you would have done if you were living on the farm when Kramer passed. I look forward to seeing your continued progress on your remodel. I love your blog and reading about your family. If my life were half as interesting, I’d blog, too.
It’s fantastic when you can find people who can and will do the work. We need many things done, but it’s hard to find qualified, willing people at a price we can afford. I’m so happy for you! Can’t wait to see the results.
Well I can’t wait!!! and I see I’m not the only one!!!! YEAH for doing it.