House-iversary

Four years ago today we became home owners! Little did I know that just four years later I'd want nothing more than to get rid of my home sweet home, but hey, life would be pretty boring if it was predictable. Since it's the anniversary of the day our house officially became our home I thought it might be fun to take a look back on what's changed since the day we bought it back in 2006...

Master bedroom before:

We painted over this peachy pink ugliness on the same day we bought the house, it was our first project as brand new homeowners and we felt it was a necessary improvement before any furniture was moved in.

Master bedroom after:

Den before:Brown and boring! Painting over the wood paneling took several coats of heavy duty primer but I'm so glad we freshened it up since I spend so much time in this room- I love how sunny and warm it gets in here in the afternoons.

Den after:

Half bath before:I came home from work one Friday and spontaneously said, "I really hate this bathroom." and just started peeling wallpaper. We spent the whole weekend scraping, sanding, and painting and a few days later the eighties look was gone!

Half bath after:

Dining room before:We didn't have to change much here, we liked the neutral paint colors from the beginning so all we did was update the gold fixtures and hang some curtains.

Dining room after:

Kitchen before:

Our biggest project was totally worth it. When we bought the house the kitchen was barely functional, that tiny harvest gold oven wouldn't even fit a standard cookie sheet due to all the 1970 insulation inside it. The island was awkward and cramped up against everything else, but since they had used it as an "eat in" kitchen there was plenty of space for us to redesign the whole thing.

Kitchen during the renovation:

Kitchen after: Master bath before: I know I've already blogged about this transformation, but I'm so pleased with how it turned out I think it needs recognition again and my renvoation recap wouldn't be complete without including it.

Master bath after:

Backyard before:
It was so sad and stark that we don't even have a good picture of it. Just imagine a brick wall on either side of the patio. The above "before" picture isn't even a "before" picture, we planted everything you see in it.

Backyard after:

I guess we've accomplished a lot in just four years! There was still a lot we were dreaming of updating someday (new floors, the guest bathroom, planting trees, new windows, etc.) but it is exciting to start dreaming about our next house instead.

Would I do it all again if I had known I'd only be in this house for four years? Absolutely. So happy anniversary house, thanks for the memories and please, please sell soon!