July Goals

Really excited that July is here! Our contractor starts tomorrow (insert tears of joy) and from now on, we will see nothing but change and progress on our trips back to the house! We were actually able to accomplish quite a bit in June. Here is how we did:

• Finalize financing options* - DONE
• Create an electrical plan - DONE
• Create a to-scale floor plan - DONE
• Donate old clothes and household items - DONE
• One more trip to the dump - DONE
• Measure broken glass - still need to do this...
• Look into home owner's insurance - DONE
• Drop off item at Brian's mom's house - still need to do this...

Brian did a lot of work this month on securing our financing, as well as getting the house insured. It is tricky to get insurance coverage on a house that is uninhabited (especially one that is in such poor condition as ours) but luckily we found a company willing and we can sleep a little bit better at night. :) The last time we visited there had been a bad storm and the neighbor's house across the street has in tree in the front yard that caught on fire from the touching electrical wires. Old house + fire = catastrophe.

I bought software to try and create floorplans, but embarrassingly, I couldn't figure out how to work the darn thing and ended up hand-drawing everything. There were no instructions with the software and any tutorials I could find were in another language. I plan on figuring it out one day, but since we are in a time-crunch here, hand-drawing was my best bet.

I am really nervous that since we can't be at the house often while the work is being done that there are going to be a lot of misunderstandings. Do you guys have any suggestions on how to make sure you and your contractor are on the same page when you live so far away from the project?

Ok, for July, here is what we (or rather our contractor...) are hoping to get done!

• Have foundation work complete and floors leveled
• Beadboard demo-ed
• Floors demo-ed
• Measure broken glass and FIX windows (need to do this!)
• Find old doors for master closet

Here are my favorite Instagrams from June! Happy July, friends!

Exploring Salvage stores in Durham, NC

My new David Austin rose bushes starting to bloom

Celebrating 3 years of marriage with Brian at our old stomping grounds

The cutest little milk glass light fixture

How to Save During a Renovation | Budget

While we are taking a bit of a break from working on the Myrtle House, I wanted to take a second to discuss what we have learned so far during this renovation process. Hopefully I can save you all some headaches if you ever take on a similar project down the road. ;)

When we first started the renovation, I was in the mindset of us doing 100% of the work ourselves minus the major systems (electrical, HVAC, plumbing). However, now that we are halfway through, I have reconsidered. Here are some things to think about (that we did not) to help save you some pennies.

1. What is this project REALLY going to cost for you to DIY?
   Sure, you could save some money by tackling this project yourself, but have you thought about the hidden costs associated with it? Do you have to buy a lot of tools you may never use again to get it done? Do you have to rent a truck to get the supplies to the house? Sometimes it may end up being more cost effective to have a pro with the right equipment do it for you.
2. Consider the distance from you to the project location.
   This was a big money-suck for us. We live three hours away from the Myrtle House. Every time we go down to work, we end up spending about $60 on gas and $30 on food/caffeine. So just the travel cost of going to the house was almost $100. That travel expense adds up over time and could pay for a lot of labor instead of you doing the work.
3. Know where to shop.
   Please, whatever you do, never buy something from a big box store without looking at Craigslist or a salvage/re-store first. You can usually buy things for about 50-90% off retail prices by buying used. What I have usually found (especially with vintage architectural salvage) is that the quality is sooo much better than you find in a Lowes or Home Depot. You can find things like cabinets, doors, tile, furniture, windows - pretty much anything. Trust me, you will save a ton by starting at these places first.
4. Overestimate on everything.
   Things will usually cost twice as much as you think they will and take three times as long to complete. Always cushion your budget by a good 10% for unexpected things behind the walls.
5. Have a good contractor.
   Make sure to find someone who has excellent reviews/recommendations. Also make sure he or she is someone you trust.
6. Try to repurpose everything.
   Old cabinets? Re-face them. Collapsing sheds covered in barnwood? Use it as decking. Damaged pine subfloors? Make a custom dining table! We are doing all of the above in the Myrtle House. That is the beauty of an old home; the materials are so substantial, they can be re-purposed into new and durable things.
7. Take people up on their offer to help.
   This was hard for me as I am a pretty proud and stubborn person. But when someone offers to help you demo, paint, or offer services they are experienced in, take them up on it! Throw in some adult beverages to show your appreciation. It will be neat to look back and think to when your dad/brother/best friend helped work on that project with you.

Mason Jars | Myrtle House

Brian's grandmother was a canner. When it came to preserving food, she was not messing around. In the Myrtle House were boxes and boxes of old cans. While a tad excessive, I couldn't get rid of them. I feel like they belonged in the house.

So now what to do with them? Some will be repuroposed as fun drinking glasses and others as flower vases. I would also love to use some of them (with lids) for holding flour, sugar, and other kitchen essentials. Any other ideas?

Kitchen Design | Myrtle House

Ahh, the kitchen. Arguably the single most important room in a house. Unfortunately for older homes, kitchens are quite small. Considering the fact that most kitchens used to be detached from the main dwelling in case of a fire, I will take a small kitchen inside the house over an outhouse any day. :) Opening up the wall between the dining room and kitchen in the Myrtle House helped, but I am hoping that by sticking to a lighter color palette, we can make this room feel even bigger. The colors and finishes in the kitchen are actually pretty similar to the master bath design plan (hey, I know what I like), but I think this will help create continuity in the house. So here we go, my budget-friendly kitchen specs.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9

We are re-purposing almost EVERYTHING in this kitchen, including the existing cabinets. We will add trim to these to create a Shaker look, and paint 'em up a glossy white. Can you believe that countertop is laminate? Me neither. Such a great option if you are going for a marble look but don't have the marble budget. Again in here I am going with chrome fixtures and oil-rubbed bronze accents. That Antique Bronze Pendant is gorgeous, but I plan on finding an old brass one to re-finish. I am so excited to get started on this kitchen!

You Are Never Too Old | Life

As 30 steadily approaches (I will be 27 in July), I always think two things:

"How did that happen so fast?"

and

"I am not ready for 30!"

A couple of years ago, I found a life timeline I had made for myself when I was a freshman in high school. Here is how it went:

20 years old: Get married

20-23 years old: Work in corporate design firm

23 years old: Have first child

24 years old: Start own design firm; buy dream house on the beach

Oh, 14 year old Elizabeth was apparently a big dreamer and thought 24 was pretty old since my life goals ended there! I am glad a few of these goals haven't come into fruition yet (I think if I had gotten married and had babies when I was 23 years old I would be going through a quarter-life crisis right about now). Although, living on the beach doesn't sound too bad... I think 22 year old Elizabeth was a lot more sensible when I graduated college and went on to find work in a field I was not thrilled with (retail/buying) because I thought that I no longer was able to make a new timeline. Bad economy + looming student loans + interior design degree = you take what you can get.

However, now that I am a bit older and (hopefully) wiser, I realize that it doesn't matter how old you are or what kind of situation you are in, it is never too late. Take it from wise mister C.S. Lewis: "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."

Angie Makes

Maybe you have had this dream ever since you can remember, but life threw you a few curve balls and you never got to follow through with said dream. Or maybe you went to school and got a job in the career path you thought you always wanted, but now five years into your awesome corporate job, you hate it. Doesn't matter. It's never too late.

Will it be easy? Probably not. You will have to take risks, usually financially, and work really hard. But, if it is something you dream about doing, I can't find a reason why all of that stress and hard work wouldn't be worth it.

Still not buying? How about an example. :)

Exhibit A. Harriette Thomson - 91 year old marathon runner

Adorable little Harriette has not been a runner her whole life. In fact, she didn't start her running career until the spry young age of 76. Even with many health issues, Mrs. Thompson has powered through and raised over $90,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (a group close to her heart as her brother died of lymphoma). From Harriette: “You’re never too old to do it,” she said. “I started my first marathon at 76.”

So whether you are itching to make a career change, pack up and move to a different country, or just pick up a hobby you don't think you will be good at, don't think you are too old to try something new. Go ahead and become a professional beekeeper, or move to Thailand, or start training for the Badminton Olympics. It will never happen until you start. And let's face it, you're not getting any younger. ;)

Down with the Wall | Myrtle House

So if you follow along on Instagram, you may have seen we got the wall knocked down! Woohoo!

If you can recall, here is what it used to look like. So dark, so small, so gross. Blah.

Let there be light!

This is going to be a prime entertaining space... eventually. :) Still more demo to do in the kitchen (upper cabinet and counter tops are coming down), but we are starting to see this room shape up. We plan on keeping the base cabinets (I couldn't get rid of those flour bins!) so I foresee lots of paint in our future.