Good Morning, Friends! Today marks the first official post in our renovation series—a long journey that I’m sure will include many, many updates along the way. I want to start by answering some of your most frequently asked questions, as there’s been a bit of confusion around our house and moving situation.
Where are we moving and what are we doing there?
Initially, we planned on renting something. We weren’t planning on purchasing a home, but after navigating the challenging rental market, we decided buying made the most sense for us. And sure enough, we found our new home quite by chance, a home that a relative owned that we have always loved. It was on the market off and on, and we struck a deal so it felt “meant to be”.
The house is old and very stately and has been lovingly maintained in pristine condition (seems like we gravitate towards those, doesn’t it)! . It seems like big manor homes like this are not en vogue anymore at least not with younger people, they don’t want the headache, maintenance and many do not care for the more traditional style anymore. But, we sure do! We’re keeping things simple for now with just a few updates:
• Painting a few rooms and adding wall to wall carpet in 2 bedrooms (makes things so much cozier)
• Adding sconces to brighten up a dark hallway.
• Redoing two small powder rooms and adding built ins to a closet
So, I guess you could call this a “mini renovation”!
Will we keep this second house?
No. The plan is to aesthetically give it a little facelift/lighten things up and sell it when we move back into our forever house.
How long will we be out?
We are being told the renovation will take between 1 year to a year and a half, so its going to be a while. Buckling in and hopeful ready to the challenge that lays ahewda
What are we doing to our home that we are renovating?
Tore down the far left of the house, built a new foundation/basement, will have an attached 3 car garage (the current garage is a separate building), new family room, mud room, laundry, guest suite. The main body of the house will be renovated from inside, walls coming down, re configuring space, etc….mostly in the kitchen area. Living room sunroom and dining room all to remain pretty much the same except for new floor and new windows. All bedrooms and bathrooms remain where they are but are being renovated. Adding a new roof and windows. Yes, a lot. That is the project in a nutshell.
When are we moving?
We’ll be moving in about 2–3 weeks, which means it’s been a whirlwind of fast and furious decision-making for my husband and me. This post is just the beginning—an overview of what’s happening as we prepare for this next chapter.
Stay tuned for more updates, progress photos, and design decisions. I can’t wait to share this journey with you all! Now for some pictures…
So here is a look at where our forever home stands!
The tear down was on the far left of the house as you can see above
So far left will be new basement, garage, new family room, mud room (entrance to main house)
New bedroom in new house, painted a beautiful soft blue on all trim, doors and fireplace (would have loved white marble but the green is there so its staying)!
And here is progress in the house we moving into, painted the trim, fireplace and doors in master this beautiful blue and love the way it came out, carpeting getting installed later this week
Powder room flooring getting installed
Powder room #2
Hallway under way, painting and preparing for sconces
Among the many rapid decisions decisions I need to make …I decided to wallpaper these two tiny powder rooms, when I say tiny, you have no idea! But it will give them some personality. I could literally spend the next 3 months scouring wallpaper brands and never scratch the surface but we don’t have the luxury of time (our work crew is only there for another week) I decided to find the top 5 or 6 and draw the line there. So here’s where I need your help. Attached below are three options for each powder room. Would love your take!
So here are the pedestal console sinks we ordered, and the wallpaper choices. Please if you are so inclined vote for your favorite for each colorway (one bath has polished nickel and the other has polished brass)
If you have specific questions related to these projects please answer them in the comments section, and I will answer them there as well.
And that’s the latest around here! Look forward to sharing much more as things continue to progress. Like, I said there will be lots more to come on both house fronts, so stay tuned! Thanks for stopping in, wishing you a fabulous day. Until next time…..
We built a small home/cottage there which is step one for a master plan and love going there any chance we get. However right now with our current construction, we are holding off for a while to resume that..also we need to wait until we are spending more time there. In the meantime, we have a small cozy home base there!
I would love to see photos of the temporary home that you are moving into. Thanks for sharing your renovation plans for your forever home! I know it will be stunning, when completed!
Hi Tina,
I picked 2 and 5 only because if your powder rooms are so small and you eventually want to resell the home, I’d go neutral as possible incase the new owners might not like the darker and or save them some remodel dollars. Anyway you pick it will be gorgeous! I’ve done 8 years of real estate sales, and those areas of kitchen and baths are critical points for sells and especially important to the female buyers. All choices are beautiful, but I’d keep it simple and still opulent. I’d don’t know how you manage to do all you do. You are an inspiration!!
Love the blue and white chinoiserie wall paper. Who makes it and what is the name of the pattern? It is gorgeous!
One question I don’t recall you answering is why you sold your French manor house that you built which started you blogging? You spent several years building your old house and then sold it to move into your “Forever” house which you are doing a major renovation on…
Sorry I didn’t clarify…the paper I am inquiring about is choice number 4. I know it seems logical to go with lighter colors in a small powder room, but I think sometimes doing a bold paper like the deep blue chinoiserie is striking in a small space because there isn’t too much of it. It seems counter-intuitive, but I love a surprise like that. You don’t generally spend that much time in a powder room to get sick of it or be overwhelmed like you would if it were a master bath where you are putting on make up etc.
It is going to be so much fun following along as you renovate. Would you please share the names of numbers 4 and 5 wallpapers> Who makes them? Thank you.
Do you really think this will be your forever home? I think you like different style homes. I sure do! I could own several styles and would love decorating all them…I know your husband wanted to live by the water so you may stay here.
I am so excited for you and your family as your forever home will be wonderful. Thanks for sharing the renovation process with us. I am looking forward to your updates.
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Good Morning, Friends! Today marks the first official post in our renovation series—a long journey that I’m sure will include many, many updates along the way. I want to start by answering some of your most frequently asked questions, as there’s been a bit of confusion around our house and moving situation.
Where are we moving and what are we doing there?
Initially, we planned on renting something. We weren’t planning on purchasing a home, but after navigating the challenging rental market, we decided buying made the most sense for us. And sure enough, we found our new home quite by chance, a home that a relative owned that we have always loved. It was on the market off and on, and we struck a deal so it felt “meant to be”.
The house is old and very stately and has been lovingly maintained in pristine condition (seems like we gravitate towards those, doesn’t it)! . It seems like big manor homes like this are not en vogue anymore at least not with younger people, they don’t want the headache, maintenance and many do not care for the more traditional style anymore. But, we sure do! We’re keeping things simple for now with just a few updates:
• Painting a few rooms and adding wall to wall carpet in 2 bedrooms (makes things so much cozier)
• Adding sconces to brighten up a dark hallway.
• Redoing two small powder rooms and adding built ins to a closet
So, I guess you could call this a “mini renovation”!
Will we keep this second house?
No. The plan is to aesthetically give it a little facelift/lighten things up and sell it when we move back into our forever house.
How long will we be out?
We are being told the renovation will take between 1 year to a year and a half, so its going to be a while. Buckling in and hopeful ready to the challenge that lays ahewda
What are we doing to our home that we are renovating?
Tore down the far left of the house, built a new foundation/basement, will have an attached 3 car garage (the current garage is a separate building), new family room, mud room, laundry, guest suite. The main body of the house will be renovated from inside, walls coming down, re configuring space, etc….mostly in the kitchen area. Living room sunroom and dining room all to remain pretty much the same except for new floor and new windows. All bedrooms and bathrooms remain where they are but are being renovated. Adding a new roof and windows. Yes, a lot. That is the project in a nutshell.
When are we moving?
We’ll be moving in about 2–3 weeks, which means it’s been a whirlwind of fast and furious decision-making for my husband and me. This post is just the beginning—an overview of what’s happening as we prepare for this next chapter.
Stay tuned for more updates, progress photos, and design decisions. I can’t wait to share this journey with you all! Now for some pictures…
So here is a look at where our forever home stands!
The tear down was on the far left of the house as you can see above
So far left will be new basement, garage, new family room, mud room (entrance to main house)
New bedroom in new house, painted a beautiful soft blue on all trim, doors and fireplace (would have loved white marble but the green is there so its staying)!
And here is progress in the house we moving into, painted the trim, fireplace and doors in master this beautiful blue and love the way it came out, carpeting getting installed later this week
Powder room flooring getting installed
Powder room #2
Hallway under way, painting and preparing for sconces
Among the many rapid decisions decisions I need to make …I decided to wallpaper these two tiny powder rooms, when I say tiny, you have no idea! But it will give them some personality. I could literally spend the next 3 months scouring wallpaper brands and never scratch the surface but we don’t have the luxury of time (our work crew is only there for another week) I decided to find the top 5 or 6 and draw the line there. So here’s where I need your help. Attached below are three options for each powder room. Would love your take!
So here are the pedestal console sinks we ordered, and the wallpaper choices. Please if you are so inclined vote for your favorite for each colorway (one bath has polished nickel and the other has polished brass)
CHOICE 1
CHOICE 2
CHOICE 3
And for powder room #2
CHOICE 4
CHOICE 5
CHOICE 6
__________________________________________________
If you have specific questions related to these projects please answer them in the comments section, and I will answer them there as well.
And that’s the latest around here! Look forward to sharing much more as things continue to progress. Like, I said there will be lots more to come on both house fronts, so stay tuned! Thanks for stopping in, wishing you a fabulous day. Until next time…..
Thank you for sharing. Best wishes for success!
You have amazing style. I haven’t heard about your home in Palmetto Bluffs, are you still building another home there?
Both homes will be lovely!
Do you consult or do video design consults?
We built a small home/cottage there which is step one for a master plan and love going there any chance we get. However right now with our current construction, we are holding off for a while to resume that..also we need to wait until we are spending more time there. In the meantime, we have a small cozy home base there!
I would love to see photos of the temporary home that you are moving into. Thanks for sharing your renovation plans for your forever home! I know it will be stunning, when completed!
Love your taste. What is the color and brand of the soft blue? Love it!
Thank you, the color is polar ice by Benjamin Moore.
Am repainting our kitchen cabinets.
Wondering what color the cabinets were in your previous kitchen
Would choice #6 look good in powder room #2?
I love that paper!! I’m
I am old enough to have paid my dues with avocado green anything…….
Hi Tina,
I picked 2 and 5 only because if your powder rooms are so small and you eventually want to resell the home, I’d go neutral as possible incase the new owners might not like the darker and or save them some remodel dollars. Anyway you pick it will be gorgeous! I’ve done 8 years of real estate sales, and those areas of kitchen and baths are critical points for sells and especially important to the female buyers. All choices are beautiful, but I’d keep it simple and still opulent. I’d don’t know how you manage to do all you do. You are an inspiration!!
Love the blue and white chinoiserie wall paper. Who makes it and what is the name of the pattern? It is gorgeous!
One question I don’t recall you answering is why you sold your French manor house that you built which started you blogging? You spent several years building your old house and then sold it to move into your “Forever” house which you are doing a major renovation on…
Sorry I didn’t clarify…the paper I am inquiring about is choice number 4. I know it seems logical to go with lighter colors in a small powder room, but I think sometimes doing a bold paper like the deep blue chinoiserie is striking in a small space because there isn’t too much of it. It seems counter-intuitive, but I love a surprise like that. You don’t generally spend that much time in a powder room to get sick of it or be overwhelmed like you would if it were a master bath where you are putting on make up etc.
Wallpapers, no. 2 just doesn’t seem like your taste and no.3
I am getting tired of. The first one is new and refreshing.
It is going to be so much fun following along as you renovate. Would you please share the names of numbers 4 and 5 wallpapers> Who makes them? Thank you.
Do you really think this will be your forever home? I think you like different style homes. I sure do! I could own several styles and would love decorating all them…I know your husband wanted to live by the water so you may stay here.
I am so excited for you and your family as your forever home will be wonderful. Thanks for sharing the renovation process with us. I am looking forward to your updates.