Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Remodel/Facelift (Part 1)



OK...I debated whether or not to share our house remodel/update...frankly it is embarrassing how we have been living the past 17 years. Well, I’m excited that we are finally doing our remodel/facelift and it is consuming most of my time right now...so I decided to share it with you. This will never be my dream home but until we leave this community...it is what it is.
We live in San Manuel Arizona which was a copper mining community built by Del Webb in 1953. All the houses were built with “slump block” and all looked almost exactly alike except that some houses are side entrance and some are front entrance and all had carports and no garages. Magma Copper owned the houses and then got completely out of the reality business in the mid 1990’s. Since the company sold off all the houses, people have been trying ever since to change the look of their homes inside and out. All the rooms and bathrooms are small. We purchased our house in 1994 as a “fixer upper” intending on a remodel shortly after we bought it. Well, three boys and the expenses of children don’t always let you do what you’d like to do. The mine was shutdown in 1999 and we were job hunting and decided it wasn’t the right time to spend money. Then the money was there but no time to do it...something always got in the way. Well, I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!! I’m making the time and using the money!!!
My husband was born and raised here and worked in the copper mine until 1999 when the mine was shutdown. I’m originally from southern California and didn’t move to San Manuel until 1992 and went to work at Magma Copper (BHP Copper). So that’s how we ended up here. Nobody in their right mind would live here unless they worked here...well that’s my story. I’m sure a lot of people who live here wouldn’t be happy with me saying that but they don’t read my blog...well hopefully. This will never be my dream home but we are in San Manuel for a while so it is what it is and I will work with what I have. 
I forgot to mention that my husband and I have done some stuff to the house in the last 17 years...I do need to give us some credit. We had siding put on the outside of the house because I’m not a “slump block” kind of girl. Also we put in all new windows that are “colonial” style. We updated our kitchen and one of our bathrooms. We have also managed to do landscaping in the front and back but have a little more to do but these areas look a million times better. OK...so this is what we have so far...first, we have a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house. We are starting in our living room and dining room...again small and we are not going to down any walls here. We did open up the kitchen wall and added a bar when we did our kitchen remodel sometime ago. We have decided not to knock down any walls anywhere in the house because we think that the more rooms we have the better off we’ll be if we decide to sell. So, as we remodel/facelift each area in our house...I’ll share what we started with and what we are gonna do at the time we do it. Otherwise I’ll bore you to tears.
OK...here we go...this is really gross...so don’t freak out. Some work has started and ugly furniture has been moved out. Furniture will be ordered this Thursday but it won’t be delivered for 8 to 10 weeks...so ugly furniture will have to be moved back into the room until new furniture gets here.




The above photo is a view from the front door looking into the dining room. So for this room...we have covered the “slump block” with dry wall and will put up dry wall where you see the window. That window used to look out onto a patio but before we purchased this house; the previous owner built on a big master suite. However, when our boys all moved out, my husband and I moved to the front part of the house in a small bedroom and I took over the master suite so I could have a big sewing room/office. Phase two of our remodel will be that the master suite will become our “media room” (my husband calls it the “man cave”). Anyway, our contractor is currently mudding the walls and will then texture the walls in both the living room, dining room, kitchen, and hallway. He will then paint and add bead-board to the dining room area and then at the bottom part of the kitchen bar. He has already added recessed lighting (canned lighting) to the kitchen, dining room and living room all on dimmers! Yippee...I’ll be able to see...our lighting was horrible.




This view is from the dining room looking at the living room. This will be painted and a new window treatment added as well as new flooring.
See not a lot of space to work with...but my husband and I are watching lots of episodes on HGTV and DIY networks to give us inspiration when working with small areas.
So the next update for Phase 1 will probably be after I get back from the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach. If you are going to this show, please be sure to stop by our booth (Booth # 808, 10A).
Thanks for stopping by and kisses from Gidget.

P.S.


Phase 1 - Living Room, Dining Room, Master Bedroom & Bathroom.
Phase 2 - Laundry Room, new Sewing Room/Office, & Media Room.
Phase 3 - Patio 

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