Let's Get Acclimated..

There's nothing I love more than a good Before & After reveal. As in, I'm typically so impatient that I will fast forward entire shows just to see the end result. Just ask my husband. He loves that about me. (HONEY! I SAW THIS THING ON PINTEREST/TV/BLOGWORLD AND I NEED IT RIGHT.THIS.SECOND!) Ha! Unfortunately, unless you have an endless amount of free time, a massive budget and/or the resources of a hollywood production crew, the term "quick renovation" is an oxymoron. It's a good thing my better half is pretty amazing at this whole construction thing. With his building expertise and my design eye, I think we'll make a pretty good team.

We're going to be taking this renovation slow. We want to do it right and we'll be doing 90% of the labor ourselves, meaning we'll be working in our spare time. "Transformation Tuesday" will be taking on a whole new meaning for us now, but be patient as we slowly restore this incredible home. It's lasted 109 years thus far. We want to ensure that it lasts 109 more!

I thought this would be a good time to introduce you to the home as it sits now. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. As you can imagine, there are some super cool features like a total of SIX fireplaces (two were covered at some point) and an abundance of original hardware and fixtures. But, we're also dealing with 100+ years of piecemeal electrical and not-so-fabulous "updates" like 4685368 brass fixtures, wallpaper galore and emerald green carpeting. 

So, without further introduction.. Let me show you what I'm workin' with..

(Warning! Photo Heavy!)

INTERIOR:

Foyer/Staircase. Stairs need some TLC. We'd like to open up the wall on the left. There's potential here!

First bedroom to the right of the foyer. 14 ft. ceilings, hardwoods & original fixture! One of the covered fireplaces is in this room.

 

Bath off BR #1. Gorgeous. (Sarcasm) Hello, Wallpaper!

Formal living room to the left of the Foyer. Original door leads into formal dining room.

Bay Window in the formal living room.

Formal dining. Opens up to formal living room and kitchen.

Original double doors leading to kitchen from dining room.

Kitchen. Yikes. It's going to need an overhaul..

Informal Dining/Eat-In area. That wall has to go. We'd love to open it up to enjoy a big open kitchen/LR space!

Informal living room. This area was an addition at some point as is not original to the home. It does offer quite a bit of square footage, but it's certainly outdated. We think we'll be able to raise the ceiling height here which will really open up the space, as well!

Informal view from master bedroom. We Love those corner windows! They offer a stunning view of the lake and is something we take advantage of daily. 

Laundry & Bathroom #2

Master Bedroom 

Master Bedroom

Upstairs Bedroom #3 

Upstairs Bedroom #3 

Upstairs Bedroom #4

After carpet removal! Goodbye, Green shag! 

 Upstairs Bath #3. Yikes. But, at least there is a third bath!

EXTERIOR:

Front Door. We've already removed a large metal storm door,  removed all the window screens and pressure washed, so this area has already gotten a minor makeover.

Front porch 

Corn Crib. Needs some TLC and rehab, but it's such a cool space to work with! It's also full of some awesome weathered scrap materials that I CANNOT wait to get my hands on! 

Pole Barn. It's Huge. Did I mention? HUGE. Also needs a little TLC. But *wow* at the potential!

So, here she is in all her glory. We love her. All her her curves and all her edges. All her perfect imperfections. Ha! But, sincerely. The imperfections are what make this home authentic and unique and comfortable. I'll be back soon with more updates!

We Bought a Farm

Today is the day, folks. Moving day! It's exciting and exhausting and terrifying, but it's all we've ever dreamed of.

In January of 2011 we purchased what we thought would be our forever home in historic downtown Cullman, AL. It was old and charming and full of history and we adored it. But when the April tornado outbreak swept across the southeast just three months after we closed on our home, we had no choice but to turn a new leaf and try to navigate the new path God was directing us down. We lived in three different hotels over the 7 months following the storm and in November of 2011 we finally closed on our new build.

We've spent nearly three years in our charming neighborhood which boasts a "Front Porch Living" lifestyle and we've really enjoyed getting to know our incredible neighbors. But, it's time for a change. We knew when we closed on the new build that it probably wouldn't be permanent. And that was ok with us. The months that we were displaced were overwhelming, to say the least.  There were lessons learned and much insight & perspective gained through our experiences. We decided to take it slow and try to find a property that was just right for our family. Somewhere we could really put down some roots.

Those who know us well know that we've literally been browsing properties since the week after the tornado outbreak. Brett and I love to take weekend drives and scout out listings and explore different areas around the state. Things moved fast once we found "the farm". Located in the charming city of Columbiana, AL, this beautiful farmhouse dates back to 1905. It sits on 12 acres and is surrounded by even more serene land. There's a stocked 3 acre lake that's also the oldest man made lake in Shelby County (how cool is that?!), two old barns to rehab and wide open spaces for the boys to play. Heaven. We prayed for guidance, peace and grace in making the decision to take this leap of faith. We put an offer on the farm, listed our home & had a contract on our house in two weeks. Today we get the keys. Today we become one of those crazy families you watch living through a renovation on HGTV.  Today we bought a farm! It's going to be a long and slow process, but this is what we love! This is our soul food! And - God willing, we'd like to stay awhile..

Now, THIS is what you call "Front Porch Living"

We'd love for our family and friends to witness the transformation of this little piece of Heaven and I can't wait to watch my family grow and prosper here. I'll do my best to document our projects and share the property history as we discover it ourselves. We can't wait to explore! Welcome to the farm!

Heaven on Earth