When we moved here, we didn't have a lot of options for a home. We tried to rent because we didn't know how long we would be here, but found the rental market expensive and difficult. You have to pay to submit an application and are subsequently told that at least 12 other people have also applied. More often than not, there would be some excuse or the landlord would raise the rent to an impossible amount and we would lose the rental. So...we decided to buy. Through a friend we found the most amazing realtor and began the search with much optimism. Our optimism would be short lived as we found that even though we qualified for a good amount of money, we would not have been able to afford a mortgage without a lot of compromise. We put in several offers only to be rejected because there were higher offers or fewer contingencies. Finally, we found a house that was much smaller than what we wanted and needed some work. To add to the issues, we knew this home would need some remodeling which would dig significantly into our savings. However, we had to purchase the house without actually seeing it in person because we lived across the country. When I was finally able to see the house, it was even worse than I originally thought and would need more work than I planned for. We knew that we would need to start with the remodeling that would bring the most benefit cost-benefit in the long run, meaning finishing the basement. We found our contractor through a friend, so we knew the quality would be good and from some research the cost relatively good.
And so we began...
We went from a hideous cappuccino color to a lovely soft grey everywhere.
Then....the accent walls.
Mady got a lovely purple....her choice....
And we went for a lovely grey green to go with our mahogany bedroom set, but still reflect the soft grey walls.
To save money we did almost all of the painting ourselves. It was QUITE a project as we had to paint most of the house, but it taught a great deal of patience. I learned a lot about how to tape off and paint without it taking as long as the first room.
Next blog....Finishing the basement.
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