Our perfect place to surf the web, play Rock Band, read a good book, or watch a Doctor Who marathon.
Where: Seattle, Washington
When we moved in: December 2010
Living in an apartment was nice for a little while, but our hearts desired a place we could and play Rock Band at deafening volumes. So we went house hunting and found this baby: build in 1977, located on the Eastside of Seattle, this place needed some serious love when we found it. Fortunately, we had lots of love to give it.
Our goals:
- Create a comfortable place to live with space for all our indoor hobbies (app development, computer games, console games, cosplay, sewing, weight lifting… yeah, we are indoors people!)
- Sharpen our DIY skills
- Increase the home’s resale value – we got it at a bargain, but there’s work to do to catch it up to the rest of the neighborhood!
Our mottos:
- You can learn anything on the Internet!
- If we seriously screw it up, we can hire a contractor
- The ER is open all the time, right?
So where are we now, after 3 years of home improvement?
Front Exterior
- Replaced all exterior lamps (~$100)
- Removed monster hedge along driveway (free)
- Tore down rusting tool shed (free)
- Replaced falling-down fence section ($200)
- Tree removal, landscaping cleanup & maintenance (some labor from us plus ~$3000 worth of tools, hired help)
- Replacement roof support post ($800)
December 2010
I took this photo the week we moved in. The car is outside because the garage is packed with moving boxes! Also note the giant hedge along the driveway and the sagging roof over the front entrance.
Side Yard
May 2011
Our side-yard had been neglected. I pulled these weeds out myself (no rupees were found :\ )
November 2012
Vegetation killer + mulch (and some utility paint, because this photo was taken when our water line broke!)
Backyard
- Planted three arborvitaes and four shrubs
- New mulch
- Trimmed neighbor’s invasive tree branches (you’re welcome)
May 2013
The backyard came with about a month’s worth of dog poop. After the poop was picked up, all that remained was a bare and boring yard.
June 2013
Shrubs! Green things! We planted these arborvitaes in May 2013. 
Garage
- Set up a killer home gym (wanting a home gym was one of our reasons for buying this place!)
- Replaced furnace (the old one was 18 years old!)
- Replaced water heater in 2012 (the old one blew a leak onto my elliptical and TV)
- Painted grimy walls with some surplus “oat cake” colored paint
December 2011
Family Room
- New carpet, drapes
- Painted walls and wood trim
- All new electrical outlets & switches (at last, plugs stay IN!)
- Painted fireplace white
- New sofa, a $900 Karlstad from IKEA
- New TV!
December 2010
This is how it looked the first week we owned the place, after I pulled out the 1994 carpet.
June 2011
Six months into living here, it’s starting to feel cozy. The couch is too small for both of us (it dates back when I lived alone) and the TV’s kinda small for how far away we sit.
December 2012
Painted the walls green to match the kitchen. Also swapped heavy red drapes for white wispy drapes.
June 2013
Brought home an IKEA Karlstad couch and a new Samsung television. Finally, we can both fit on the couch and see the TV.
Kitchen
- Installed a Staron solid surface countertop in “Pebble Frost” (speckled white)
- Installed a Kraus stainless steel undermount sink
- New faucet
- Refinished the cabinets myself (a few weeks of labor, $60 worth of paint)
- Attached “pull knobs” to each cabinet door and drawer
- Removed 5 layers of vinyl and plywood from the floor (we did this ourselves over a period of 4 weeks)
- Installed Shaw laminate flooring – Read my review here
- New appliances: dishwasher, refrigerator, range hood
- Removed fluorescent lighting bars from ceiling recess and installed a sleek pair of can lights
- Had the popcorn ceiling professionally scraped off
- Painted walls the same mint color used in the family room
- Installed our own 6″ DIY tiled backsplash along the countertop
January 2011
Yellowlicious!
January 2013
Dining Room
- Had the popcorn ceiling professionally scraped off
- New drapes
- Removed heavy wooden blinds
- Replaced dated chandelier
- Painted window frames white
- Replaced electrical outlets & plates
- Removed carpet and replaced with Shaw laminate flooring
- Painted walls “Toasted Almond”
- Painted wood trims white
- Caulked where wood trims meet walls
December 2010
From humble beginnings…
January 2014
Living Room
- Had the popcorn ceiling professionally scraped off
- Drapes for windows
- New carpet
- Toasted Almond wall paint
- Popped Corn wood trim paint
This room spent most of its life with us as a dropzone for charity donations, junk, and new projects. During the Christmas season the living room is home to our Christmas tree and our many plushies (who like to congregate around the tree).
December 2010
January 2013
June 2013
We moved the older sofa into this room and tossed a lot of the junk. Holy wow, did it ever help.
Downstairs Bathroom
- Fresh paint on wood trim, walls, and ceiling
- Installed new lighting fixtures
- Hung a new, lighter weight mirror
- New toilet paper spindle and towel bar
- Installed a new vanity (a $40 find at Home Depot!)
- Shaw laminate flooring
February 2012
March 2012
April 2012
Entrance Hallway
- Pale Mint wall paint
- Popped Corn wood trim paint
- Removed popcorn texture from ceilings
- Installed Shaw laminate flooring to replace the multiple different floors and seams that used to be in this area
- New carpet on the stairs
- Cut a hole into part of the closet’s interior wall to reveal more storage space
- Fresh paint inside closet
- New tile flooring inside closet (replacing ancient filthy carpet)
Upstairs Bathroom
- Replaced toilet, vanity
- Removed sliding glass doors from shower
- Strip of new shower tiles to replace the damage caused by the shower door frame
- Fresh paint on walls
- Replaced broken bathroom fan
- Replaced light fixture, light switch, electrical outlet
- Hung new mirror
December 2010
May 2011
Master Bedroom
- Fresh coat of paint on walls
- Replaced loose / worn out electrical outlets
- Installed new carpeting
- Covered windows with light-blocking drapes
- Added a few decorations
December 2010
July 2011
Computer Room
- Wall paint + carpet
- New ceiling light fixtures
- Curtains for both windows
- Standing desks
- Guest bed for visitors
December 2010
+ Carpet and computers
June 2011
November 2012
Painted grey and added standing desks (not shown).
Sewing Room
- OMG, the paint
- Installed new carpet
It was love at first sight when we stepped into the largest bedroom, with its almost 13′ x 13′ dimensions and huge window with a view of the front yard trees… except for the wall paint, which was pretty dark and took a whole bucket of Kilz to cover up.
November 2010
December 2010
July 2011
Master Bathroom
- Painted the hated lavender walls white
- Refinished the vanity in effort to bring it into the 21st century
The floor is buckling in numerous places (Allure is a terrible product that has no place in your home, letalone your bathroom) and the shower is unusable due to missing wall tiles.
June 2011
January 2013
Small Bedroom
- This is where we keep our junk. We don’t have a basement. :)
Keeping it Real
The nightmare of mess and chaos behind the before and afters.
