sandyshouse: March 2012

#3 - What to do first.......

RIP OUT ALL THE CARPET!!!!!!

I am quite positive the root of the kitty issue lies in the extremely shag carpet that runs through the entire 2nd floor. I'm not sure if you noticed in the pictures from the previous post, but YES that is carpet around the toilets! Ew. Yuck. Why do people do it?! Just so it's a little more comfortable for the footsies on those cold winter mornings?! They're called SOCKS!! Don't like socks? Slippers then! Or get one of these things I don't know the name of:

(Does anyone know what this is called without Google-ing it?)

I really have no clue why carpet around the toilet is even an option. I heard somewhere it's safer for people with kids because there is no slipping and sliding after bath time. But last time I checked, a bath mat does the same job. Whatever, I'm not here to discuss the pros and cons of wall to wall carpet in the bathroom. I just know that:

toilet + shower + kitty litter box + enclosed space with humidity =

RIP THE CARPET OUT!!!!

Just in case taking out the carpet was not enough to fix my allergy issue, I thought I might need to clean out the vents. Ummmmm, guess what I found on Groupon right when this thought crossed my mind.......

Hello!! Talk about perfect timing. $49?! Purchased!

Renovations:

In terms of construction, I know of two major projects I need to tackle before I move in:

KITCHEN & MASTER BATHROOM

I need to figure out how I can get my kitchen to go from this.......

to this........

Sarah Richardson

Martha Stewart

I also need to figure out how to get my Master Bathroom from this......

to this.....

Sarah Richardson

Candice Olson

Ahhhhhhhh, wishful thinking..................but I'm going to try my best anyways :).

#2 - C'mon in!

So at first glance, this house is what some would call "move-in ready". HOWEVER, upon closer inspection, we got a LOT of work ahead of us. First of all, I'm deathly allergic to the place. The previous owner had a kitty (I never saw it but I'm sure it was perfectly cute and cuddly). But yea, I have to do everything and anything to erase all evidence a cat ever stepped foot in the place. Secondly, it doesn't look like anything has been updated since the house was built in 1981 (Same age as me). See for yourself!

Living Room (I think the floor are somewhat new)

Living Room/Front Door

Kitchen/Access to Patio

Kitchen (The tile counter top may have been updated as well)

Patio

Front Bedroom/Office and Back Bedroom

Jack and Jill Bathroom

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom


Powder Room

So these are all pictures from when the previous owner was still living there. She did an incredible job keeping the place up. I really didn't notice all the things I had to do until she moved out. AND YES, I want to do it all before I move in!

#1 - Welcome to sandyshouse!

On January 30th, 5pm PST I closed escrow on my first house. YAY! My story actually doesn't begin here. Once upon a time, while living in New York City, I stumbled upon a network called HGTV/DIY Network. THE END (short story, huh). This is basically the point where it all went downhill. I literally became OBSESSED. My DVR queue was jam packed with House Hunters, House Hunters International, Property Virgin, Income Property, Design Inc., Sarah's House, Bath Crashes, Divine Design, My First Place, Holmes on Homes..........I can go on forever. Just like anybody else, I wanted to become a homeowner. But after watching all these home improvement shows, my wish to own a home mainly came from wanting to play "interior designer" just like Sarah Richardson. I wanted to knock out walls, demo kitchens, gut bathrooms, wallpaper, paint, plant a garden, buy furniture, reupholster a couch, pick out tile, buy slabs of engineered stone, etc, etc.

After a 5 month process of tackling a short sale in East Costa Mesa, CA with an amazing Realtor, Jade Beardsley (southern California's version of Sandra Rinomato), my dream came true!!

Instead of boring my family and friends with stories and stories and stories and stories of house crap, I've decided to put it all in this blog. Many people have asked me for pictures of my house and all the work I plan to do but I'm not sure if they really are curious or if they're just being nice. This way, no one has to listen to me blab on and on about what kind of tile I want in the shower or what color paint I want in the kitchen. You can just click on a link, peruse through the pictures and be done with it. Although, since this is my first time doing anything like this, I will be asking for advice so please feel free to give me feedback, share tips, offer ideas, etc.

*I promised myself I wouldn't put anything too personal on here, only house-related stuff, but I can't resist posting a picture of my baby nephew Kairo just this one time. Well........he may make an appearance a couple more times in the future ;).

So cute!! (born a couple weeks before I closed escrow)

So, back to the house. I have a monster laundry list of things I ~~need~~ want to do and here it is: (there is a monster bullet point list under each category too but I'm not going to discuss it here)