Ready, Set, GO!

It's officially "good-bye" to the old house. It wasn't without a few glitches in the process...negotiations about selling our personal property with the house, getting the proper earnest money, and, at the end, nearly a voided contract due to the buyers' agent misrepresenting the original offer. *Insert picture of me yanking out my hair*   But I won't dwell on it because it's over! Such a bittersweet day. But onward and upward!

The boys were excited about the giant moving van. It was challenging to keep them out of the workers' way. 

A few projects got completed immediately.

One, D used an epoxy system on the garage floor. This is the same Rust-Oleum system that we used at our old house. A little more work this time because it wasn't going down on freshly poured concrete (which means several days of alternating work and waiting for it to dry). D had to clean and etch the floor prior to applying the epoxy. And this time I didn't get to toss the sprinkles in the paint. Bummer. We were so happy with the system at the old house that we decided to use the same exact product at the new house. A change from 10 years ago is the availability of an additive to the solution to keep it from being slippery when wet. I am so happy with the final result.

Cleaning up the garage, removing old grit and oil.

Hard to appreciate in a photo, but this is the final product. 

Second project is the mailbox. I was not intending to do the mailbox right away, but the boys and I were spending time in the driveway while D was prepping the garage floor, and they were desperate to help somewhere. When I say desperate, I really mean begging/whining. A nice outdoor can't-mess-it-up project was called for. The mailbox was a black plastic faded mess and had the old owners' name on it. We can't have that!

Sad, sad mailbox

So I rooted around our stash of leftover paint and found some white indoor/outdoor paint, and a can of blue paint that would adhere to plastic.
Even though I endured some teasing ("that's a really blue mailbox"), I LOVE the end result. The house numbers were given a fresh coat of hammered metal spray paint, and the vinyl sticker was ordered from Etsy. We've already used the mailbox as a landmark to help guests find the house. Oh... and in true four year old form, the boys helped for all of 5 minutes.

Now a thing of beauty! (yes, I did edit our address in the photo but you get the idea)

 Project three was a special one for the boys. Inspiration from various places on the internet. Completion by one handy husband.  Yes, the boys are totally sold on the new house.

Who needs to take the stairs when you could use the slide?!

Next project: Removing old carpet from the entire second floor and fixing the squeaks before the installers arrive. Can't wait to be able to set up the bedrooms and begin to put things away.

And So It Begins

I can't believe I'm blogging. I said never yet here I am.

I think it's safe to say we can blame the "new" house. From the first time we saw it, I think we both felt we would have to document our renovation.  The house is not so special from the outside but it really does have the potential to be upgraded, renovated and, frankly, up-scaled. Its livable now but with some work it can be something really great. I think that's one of the reasons we were drawn to it in the first place. No emotional ties to the current decor. No guilt about ripping out existing finishes. Yet we have time and energy to invest in a project that will benefit us for years to come. 

Deciding on a title for a blog was more difficult then I had anticipated. Childhood worries surface again: will everyone think it's dumb? Maybe it is dumb. Then I'm stuck with it forever. Strange how I never felt that way about naming my boys; some things you just know in your gut. Who am I kidding? I obsessed about names for 8 months and then we made our decision. But for this blog... Night Owl Renovations it is. When you have two active boys who are up at sunrise, the only way to get things done is by being a night owl. We'll be burning the candle at both ends for these projects but I know it will all be worth it in the end. 

D and I have joked a lot recently about Our Life Version 2.0. We're in a new phase of our adult life and it's miles away from our life together before kids. It's time to upgrade things. Time to invest in the things that make our lives easier. Time to move from our beloved first home and take on new challenges. 

Closing on both homes is coming up very soon. I'm looking forward to taking a bunch of ugly *before* pictures. Check back soon to see my design ideas the ideas I've borrowed from Pinterest and Houzz and to see our construction progress D's handy work.