"We shoulda bought that house."

It was about this time, a year ago, that Sonia uttered these words. We were returning from spending Spring Break with her folks in South Carolina. She was referring to a house we had let slip away a few months prior. Or so we thought.

Fast forward a year to today. We are now residing in (and working on) that house. Here's an update on the various projects.

My mom and dad visited for a couple weeks around Christmas, and then again in early March. Both times, we dove into numerous projects, under the skillful guidance of my dad. He's hard to keep up with! We worked on some of our quirky ductwork, built shelves in the garage, laid slate tile in the foyer (to match what we laid in front of the fireplace), laid linoleum floor in the bathroom, adding more insulation in the attic, etc. Mom kept the family in clean/ironed clothes, and wonderful cooking. We also relied on her “eye” in quite a few design decisions that we had to make. While we were stirring up dust and making messes, she kept the place smelling good and feeling homey.

The side entry had a long hallway running along side a large room (which used to be a two-car garage) which the previous owners had used as a bedroom. We wanted to open it up as a family room, and turn the closet into a mudroom. It's still in progress, but we're pleased with the changes so far.

Before

Current

Before

Current

As we got into this project, we found ourselves saying, “Well, while we've got this torn up, we might as well fix/add/change this while we're at it.” So, the “Let's tear out this wall” project grew to include replacing some rotted exterior wood under a new exterior door, relocating outdoor lighting, rewiring some of the lighting, wiring for a door bell, a window seat (photos coming soon), etc.

The dining room was not a major project, but is coming along as well. Basically we started with new paint and a light. Then we decided to have hard-wood floors laid. A friend, Don Hone, of Floor Connections mills the wood here in Newark. He and his crew did a beautiful job.

Before

Current

As always, you can browse more photos here.

Meanwhile, we're back to work!