I hate split-entry houses...and yet I bought one.
My name is Jesse and I have just purchased a fixer-upper in Georgia. I am a recent transplant from Philly and this is my second house. The first was about 100 years old and full of all of the charm (and problems) that the vintage implies. The house I just yesterday closed on was built in '83, and has little inherent charm, but plenty of issues:
*termites
*broken AC unit and return
*mold in the garage
*a shaky second-story deck
*musty carpeting
*missing bathroom tiles
*original exterior paint...and only that paint
*missing and hanging gutters
* a water heater that needs a new T-P valve
*original, hideous fixtures
*a filthy, poorly-installed, outdated kitchen
*bumps and bruises everywhere
One might wonder why we bought such a house. Simple: we could afford it. The termite exterminator will be out to stop the issue tomorrow morning and we've already started putting small holes in walls to make sure the damage is limited. Any damaged studs will be sandwiched by new studs and we'll go on with our lives. Sadly, the termites won't. We'll be paying for a quarterly extermination plan because in this climate, it's not a question of "if" you'll get an infestation, it's a question of "when." Or so they tell me.
Today, we spent a little time at the house with Marc's 4yo. He played in the open spaces while Marc and I removed 4-5 upper cabinets in the kitchen. They were obviously mounted by a homeowner who didn't own a level. The cabinets are pretty basic, but with a little paint and new counters, they will do. We also went to Lowe's to pick up cleaning supplies, some basic tools, and paint chips. I wanted to price other supplies but my iPhone (AKA, "Keeper of Lists") decided I wasn't allowed to do any such thing, so it will have to wait.
Tomorrow, we will clean the kitchen and one bathroom. If the water is turned on by then, that is. We will also take most of the rest of the upper cabinets down and decide what will be reused. The walls will need to be patched in preparation for new paint (a spicy pumpkin color!) and measured for open shelving. I've decided to leave three of the upper cabinets up, but two of them will have their doors removed. The only closed upper cabinet will be the one that the stove hood is mounted to. I'm 5'3" and high cabinets in a kitchen that is plenty spacious are just silly. To me, anyway.
Some of the base cabinets have false drawer fronts, so I plan to build real drawers using the existing fronts. The same cabinets (probably sink bases) have no shelves, so that will have to be remedied as well. After a thorough cleaning and some sanding, the cabinets will be painted black and hardware will be added. I may splurge a bit on the hardware, actually. My last kitchen had hand-made drawer loops and pulls from Restoration Hardware. I may have to take a trip there and see what's to be had now... IKEA (yes, I know) has decent butcher block counters at an affordable price. I bought them as a temporary measure in my last place but we never replaced them because they were awesome. For about 8 years we cut directly on them, put hot pots on them, did crafts on them, entertained friends and family. As far as I know, they are still going strong. I'll have to ask my 15yo-->he lives there half of the time with his dad.
The floor will stay. It's not the prettiest tile in the world, but it's in good shape. I'll likely pick up an Oriental runner to break it up. I've not yet decided whether an island made of cabinetry or a tall table would be best. Each has merit. I already own two vintage bar stools that need slip-covers but are otherwise good to go. I do know that there will be a small seating area on the bearing wall. I have a generous piece of foam salvaged from a chaise I once owned, and that will top a built-in bench. Once we, you know, build a bench *lol* I have a circular pedestal table that is about 2.5' wide that will serve us well, and two French chairs that will look quite fetching once they have new fabric on the seats.
Did I mention the hideous light fixtures? *shudder*
I will try to post kitchen pics w/ my next entry. iPhone willing, of course *hee*
*termites
*broken AC unit and return
*mold in the garage
*a shaky second-story deck
*musty carpeting
*missing bathroom tiles
*original exterior paint...and only that paint
*missing and hanging gutters
* a water heater that needs a new T-P valve
*original, hideous fixtures
*a filthy, poorly-installed, outdated kitchen
*bumps and bruises everywhere
One might wonder why we bought such a house. Simple: we could afford it. The termite exterminator will be out to stop the issue tomorrow morning and we've already started putting small holes in walls to make sure the damage is limited. Any damaged studs will be sandwiched by new studs and we'll go on with our lives. Sadly, the termites won't. We'll be paying for a quarterly extermination plan because in this climate, it's not a question of "if" you'll get an infestation, it's a question of "when." Or so they tell me.
Today, we spent a little time at the house with Marc's 4yo. He played in the open spaces while Marc and I removed 4-5 upper cabinets in the kitchen. They were obviously mounted by a homeowner who didn't own a level. The cabinets are pretty basic, but with a little paint and new counters, they will do. We also went to Lowe's to pick up cleaning supplies, some basic tools, and paint chips. I wanted to price other supplies but my iPhone (AKA, "Keeper of Lists") decided I wasn't allowed to do any such thing, so it will have to wait.
Tomorrow, we will clean the kitchen and one bathroom. If the water is turned on by then, that is. We will also take most of the rest of the upper cabinets down and decide what will be reused. The walls will need to be patched in preparation for new paint (a spicy pumpkin color!) and measured for open shelving. I've decided to leave three of the upper cabinets up, but two of them will have their doors removed. The only closed upper cabinet will be the one that the stove hood is mounted to. I'm 5'3" and high cabinets in a kitchen that is plenty spacious are just silly. To me, anyway.
Some of the base cabinets have false drawer fronts, so I plan to build real drawers using the existing fronts. The same cabinets (probably sink bases) have no shelves, so that will have to be remedied as well. After a thorough cleaning and some sanding, the cabinets will be painted black and hardware will be added. I may splurge a bit on the hardware, actually. My last kitchen had hand-made drawer loops and pulls from Restoration Hardware. I may have to take a trip there and see what's to be had now... IKEA (yes, I know) has decent butcher block counters at an affordable price. I bought them as a temporary measure in my last place but we never replaced them because they were awesome. For about 8 years we cut directly on them, put hot pots on them, did crafts on them, entertained friends and family. As far as I know, they are still going strong. I'll have to ask my 15yo-->he lives there half of the time with his dad.
The floor will stay. It's not the prettiest tile in the world, but it's in good shape. I'll likely pick up an Oriental runner to break it up. I've not yet decided whether an island made of cabinetry or a tall table would be best. Each has merit. I already own two vintage bar stools that need slip-covers but are otherwise good to go. I do know that there will be a small seating area on the bearing wall. I have a generous piece of foam salvaged from a chaise I once owned, and that will top a built-in bench. Once we, you know, build a bench *lol* I have a circular pedestal table that is about 2.5' wide that will serve us well, and two French chairs that will look quite fetching once they have new fabric on the seats.
Did I mention the hideous light fixtures? *shudder*
I will try to post kitchen pics w/ my next entry. iPhone willing, of course *hee*
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