Small Changes, Big Impact
When we placed an offer for our home, we knew it would need work due to its age, but also to make it our own style. What we didn’t know was the challenges we would face surrounding our moving day. With my husband’s accident, we weren’t able to start much of anything very quickly. And when we did get to start, we found out just how many issues we might run into.
After 9 months in our house, we certainly aren’t done, but we have made quite a few changes that have made a big impact on the function of our home, and we’re starting to see the style come together, little by little.
Updates to the Layout
I’ve already mentioned that I much prefer a well-divided floor plan as opposed to an open floorplan. With that in mind, one of the first things we did was further separate our main area. The kitchen and living room used to be separated by a pony wall with a strange style that resembled a prison cell. We removed the bars, reframed the doorway, and added sheetrock in the openings to create two defined spaces.
On one side, it’s a solid wall next to our kitchen table. On the other side is where we built into the kitchen to add a laundry closet. We used an existing doorway that was an entrance to the hall, and framed up a room around it. Caleb even included a pocket door on the back of the laundry closet for easy access to the water and gas in case of emergencies.
Because we added a laundry closet, we also had to move our gas heater. It was previously in the hall, just across from that opening. We decided the best place for it was in the living room. And in the coldest months this winter, it was a great location for heating our home!
Finally, the biggest change we made was moving our entrance from the living room to the hall. Before, when you fist entered our home through the front door, you could see straight into the bathroom. Which wasn’t really a problem as much as just not very visually pleasing.
When we moved the heater, it obstructed that doorway a bit, and we had an old non-working radiator on the opposite side, so we removed the radiator, and framed for a new opening. This blocked the bathroom from line of sight, and created a more balanced feel with the adjacent opening to the kitchen.
Updates to the Kitchen
After changes to the layout, our focus has mostly been on the kitchen. As the most productive part of our home, we want to complete those changes sooner rather than later.
The first thing we needed was more cabinetry, and what we thought would be simple turned into removing flooring, wall paneling, sheetrock, and subfloor. We did eventually replace the subfloor and get the cabinets in place, but we still need to level them, buy one last cabinet, and replace the countertops before we can move on to the finishing ouches like backsplash, wallpaper, and trim work.
In an extra silly twist, we also found out that a cabinet above our sink was blocking the top half of a window. That cabinet, along with the fur down above the cabinets came down to create a brighter, taller feeling.
Small Changes to the Bath
We haven’t done much in our bathroom yet, but believe me, that’s coming. To this point, I have painted it a creamy white, and we have replaced the vanity. the vanity is a repurposed dresser that we’ve had since we got married. The plumbing gave my husband quite the headache, but so far, I’m loving the results! We still need to attach the modified door, but if you’ve ever remodeled a home, you know how it goes.
Other Updates
While they aren’t construction-related, we have made changes that have kept us moving in the direction of making this home our own. We got a new bed frame that fits our personal style more, and have collected some great vintage furniture to help bring each space together.
Extra Photos
Thank you for visiting Headed for a Homestead Blog. I’m Rebekah, your creator and author since 2023. As a new blogger in this big space, I’m still learning the ropes, and just as excited as when I began. I hope you’ll take some time to look around and maybe find a recipe or project you’d like to try.
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Love reading and seeing all the progress and changes you two make in order to make this sweet little house Your HOME😘😘