In July 2006, I purchased my first home, a little three-bedroom house built in 1947. While I knew that the house needed a lot of work (it had been empty for five years), little did I know that it would take me ten months to get moved in. From mold to rotten subfloors to slanted walls to flooded dirt basements to gutted bathroom and kitchen, the quest for running water and functional kitchen and bath has been quite the process, particularly for a woman working mostly solo and by the seat of her pants.
During the process, I learned a few things. I learned that you can’t lift a house using a wrench, that you can’t drill through ceramic tile, and that I like comma-separated clauses in threes. I also learned that I actually like this stuff. I have a passion for finding beauty in the forlorn and for bringing ideas to life. After years of casting about, my interests in art and design, architecture, gardening, historical craftsmanship, and old-fashioned hard work are beginning to coalesce.
Today, I am still working on that house, although the large jobs have now moved outdoors as I remodel the landscape. I’m also working on other house projects that you’ll read about in these pages. In addition, I’m writing as the primary contributor for “Around the Yard” at http://garden.dannylipford.com.
This site is devoted to my adventures in the renovation of environments, both indoors and outdoors. I welcome comments, questions, tips, and connections with other brave souls!
You go girl!
Congratulations and best wishes for a smooth renovation of your new home.
Julie,
Please email me your address.
I’ll have to come back and look at your updated website.
Love,
Heavin
Wow, Great sight and even better revamp of the house! ( :
I LOVE your designs and the house looks positively magnificent. Not only have you improved upon your resale significantly, but you’ve truly made a house a home.
That said, I do have one concern with the sanding and I thought it might be a great topic of discussion for your blog since it’s about renovating an older home. Did you test for lead paint before sanding? Did you have to deal with any of the typical issues with older homes?
We wanted to purchase a beautiful home built in 1950 and ran into lead paint, asbestos in popcorn ceilings (I had no idea), tiles, attic, around pipes, etc. We got an immediate education in old houses, but it hasn’t stopped me from searching for one. In that case, there were too many issues. It looks like you got lucky with the ceilings. Popcorn ceilings post-1990 are safe, but prior to 1990, most if not all contain some asbestos.
With lead paint, people working on older homes should have their blood-levels checked regularly for safety.
Cool site! I got my school to “unblock” it so I can actual see it now from school! Hey, I don’t have your e-mail address handy at school, but I’ll see what it is when I get home…