edelstein: before & after

It was still pretty cold in April of this year - I distinctly remember because we closed on this house that we planned to remodel and rent out, and then we walked in the door and I set an infant car seat down on the floor and realized that none of us was wearing enough layers to stay warm, and the place did, in fact, still smell like cigarette smoke.

However, the previous homeowner had left a gift for the kids, and I was moved to tears by her generosity and thoughtfulness. Truly, what a gift from her and from God - to realize that this was exactly where He wanted our family for this period of time.

The dust started to fly and the overwhelm did not abate but the grace abounded and with lots of good help and expertise from many sources, 2823 W. Main St was transformed into a habitable place. We're honored and excited to be renting it to three sweet girls who keep it sparkling clean and photo-worthy at all times... and since that's the best way to tell the story, here are the photos!

Back door, but the most frequently used - Laura gets all the credit for the landscaping transformation in this photo and the next. I'll take credit for the cute little baby on the sidewalk. :) 

Front door - rarely used, not much changed here. 

Detached garage - again, Laura's landscaping and garden were big improvements. The frame around the garage door was also painted. 

The house is situated like this along the street. The Edelstein Congregational Church is on the other side of the road. :)

The back door of the house opened to a small mudroom area with a bathroom on the left and then this galley kitchen. We tore out the cabinets, intending to re-use them, but they ended up in the garbage on account of having fallen apart at the slightest tug. Interesting fact: those plaid curtains fetched $5 at our garage sale! And a set of dishes I found inside the cabinets fetched $3!

The curtain you saw in the previous before/after has since been replaced with an actual door for the pantry.

If you walked to the end of that old galley kitchen and turned around, here's what you'd see. That door is the back door, and that wall is GONE! It's much more spacious. The galley kitchen became the dining room... 

And the dining room became the kitchen. 

It was definitely the hardwood floor in the dining-room-turned-kitchen, and not the green curtains or carpet that sold me on this house ;) Additional problem: the ceiling wasn't fit to be anything, much less a ceiling. The solution: rather than add to it - tear it down. We were delighted that removing the ceiling took only about an hour and a half, and revealed beautiful wood underneath! Between Grant and Laura there were countless hours spent staining and trimming to match, but it was worth it! This space is a favorite of the new home. That island was a VarageSale find that my mom and I painted and added new hardware.

The full kitchen. So we were going to use those cabinets that I pointed out back in one of the first pictures, but like I said, they weren't any good. And so we brought in the ORIGINAL kitchen cabinets that were hanging in the garage, painted them and added new hardware, and built a few filler cabinets and new fronts.

That door from the kitchen leads into the living room. It's small and narrow, but it's amazing what a big difference new carpet, fresh paint, and letting in more natural light can make. 

Living room - In the before picture, the piano went to Grant's parent's shed (Todd tuned it), and the couch and entertainment center went in the dumpster. Although the couch in the after picture looks similar, it's not the same one because NO ONE would have wanted to sit on the old couch.

I had a somewhat awkward conversation with the previous homeowner about that plaque of Jesus above the couch that was built into the wall. Her mother had requested it placed there to ensure that Jesus would always be present. I assured her that while we planned to take Jesus down from the wall, we had no intention of kicking His presence out of the home. The doors you see in this photo lead to the stairway (two bedrooms upstairs) and a closet, while the door that is just slightly hidden leads to the... 

 ... main floor bedroom - I think the worst thing you can do for a bedroom is put a bed in it that is way too big for the space - as evidenced in the 'before' picture above. A twin bed fits much better, and the renter even fit her sewing machine in the new space! :)

Bedroom at the top of the stairs - all the furniture you see in the 'before' photo stayed with the house... let me know if you want that dresser! :) The renter's much-cuter furniture makes this space so cozy!!
more pics below...

No before picture here, but some paint on this texture that forms the wall of the closet made it kind of a fun part of the room. I LOVE her yellow chair. :)

This doorway leads into the next bedroom. 

As much as we love trees in the outdoors, the wall decal was a little much. :) There's a wall-mounted desk in it's space now, thanks to the creativity of the renter, and the room is painted a relaxing blue color. 

Looking back toward the doorway

One more angle of the bedroom

Back to the main floor - the one and only bathroom. None of the pictures are good, because they can't be in such a small space, but we used very little of the bathroom that was already there. We (or rather Noah) tore out the cast iron tub, and we replaced it with a tub/shower unit on the other side of the bathroom. Grant built a new vanity cabinet to fit the old sink, and we pulled the mirror and light fixture out of, um, our own main bathroom... WHICH is being remodeled as I post this right now.

Like most projects, this one was a stage of life - a stage that we will always look back on and think of as a blessing. We pray it continues to be that for all who live there! The strength for the project came from God alone, and knowing that is humbling. By His power, for His glory!