1920s Fixer-Upper HUGE Renovation Update- Wait Until You See These Before And Afters! #DIY

Well, my friends, it nearly killed FTD and I, but we finished the first floor painting, and immediate renovation needs.  Are you ready for some amazing before and afters??


Looking back on the past 6-months, I am in awe of the work we completed on the house. FTD laid floors in three rooms, we dealt with two major water leaks, put up a temporary bamboo fence in the back yard, completely killed and reseeded our entire lawn, spackled, sanded and painted seven rooms; half of which had layers upon layers of hideous wall paper (Thank you wall paper steamer for saving my sanity), scrubbed and scrubbed our Rookwood tile fireplace to restore it to it's original beauty... and replaced the blinds throughout the house.  I'm proud to say our first floor completely refinished, with the exception of the Kitchen... I have very big plans for that including blowing out walls, adding a backdoor and of course, all new appliances.  I'll let you know when I win the lottery for that...

Thanks to Heavenly eInterior design firm offering their services free of charge for the entry way, dinning room and reception areas, the house really came to life. We decided to go with the same colors for the wall and trim throughout the entire first floor to create a nice light space and airy flow.  We also used mirrors throughout to add even more light. We'll be damned if the winter blahs are going to make us feel like we are in a cave!

And now without further ado, my badass 1920's house renovations...

The Entry



Reception




Fireplace
The thing was filthy from years of being shined up with furniture polish, then sitting dormant to collect dust and dirt in the wax.  YUCK!
Dining Room
FTD killed it in this room. How he fixed the walls is beyond me...

Family Room
Between the wall paper and horrifying two color trim from the former owners half ass updates, this room was the most work and last to be finished. I worked in stages: Remove wallpaper, sand the glue off, prime, paint... cry... rinse. repeat.
SO WORTH THE HELL!!!
It's amazing to look back and see just how much has been done! 
 FTD's Office

This room was wallpaper hell with three layers, one that had been painted over and some crazy 1920's paste.
**HUGE thank you to FTD's Brother for flying over from Australia to spend his holiday prying the paper off the wall!**

I can't believe we finished just in time for the holidays and bitter winter.  Needless to say, we are hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas. And maybe one hell of a New Years Eve party too!

So what's next?

As much as I would like to say SLEEP, my bedroom is just not a sanctuary yet, so that's the next major renovation... it' needs a complete redo...


It's one big square with wonky hardwood, drafty windows, and what the hell is that molding???

Anyhoo.... wish me luck!

To see the individual posts on the various projects, pick a link from below!




  •  5 Important DIY Tips For First-Timers a.k.a 5 DIY Lessons I learned the Hard Way.
  •  Do You Know Why Wallpaper Is Called, Wallpaper? #DIY
  • I just want people to love my yard, is that too much to ask?
  • I'm killing 90% of my Lawn on purpose, and I am SO SO SO excited!
  • The Concepts Are In From The Interior Designer... I Need Your Help
  • 1920's Fixer-Upper Update: The Renovations And #DIY Are In High Gear!

  • April is an award-winning writer and blogger. Her work has been published in over ten countries and four languages. From books to newspapers, to print/online magazines and everything in between, you can find her work. For more on April, Visit AprilMcCormick.com