Our Greatest Hits

We have movers coming today to give us estimates so I thought it was a great time to get a little more sentimental about this house with a "Favorite Things" post.  Our style has evolved a lot with this house as has our confidence and I can honestly say there is nothing that we did that I don't love but there are a few things that I will definitely miss and if you stay with us, will likely pop up in future homes.  Of all the multitude of projects we have done, here are my tops:

1.  Outdoor Shower

 This is our most pinned pin with over 2000 pins!  I originally built this for Andy to use after a long day of work but I actually fell in love with the convenience of it after a long, hot run.  Nothin' cools you off faster than a cool shower in the open air. Definitely installing one of these in every home we own (though will have to work on a privacy wall plan for more suburban living).

2.  Dresser Sink Vanity



















Love having such a unique piece, especially in a small bathroom to add so much character.  The great part is, if you plan well it actually is of similar cost to a stock-vanity... and looks a million times better.

3.  Antique Dresser Make-Over with Attached Bookshelf

Crazy in love with how this turned out.  So happy this gets to come with us!

4.  Open Beam Loft Ceiling



















What a transformation in this room!  Using reclaimed wood from the original walls, the loft structural beams were wrapped, creating a rustic and open feel to the room.

5.  No More White Halls

I'm never painting a hallway white again.  Using my new favorite neutral color Shadowed Dapple Grey (Walmart color), I couldn't believe what a huge difference it made compared to white, making the glossy white trim pop.

6. Behr's Puddle




This was one of the first colors I picked for the house and I love it.  It is a pretty neutral color which seems to go with everything.

Dear Landlords,

Stop painting apartment wall white or beige.  Go for Puddle.

7.  Natural Linen by Glidden for a Door Color

Mmmm... love this wheat color against the white trim.  What a great accent to exterior doors.

8.  Stair Make-Over

One of my most "mathy" projects but love the crisp, clean look of this design.

9.  Barn Wood Mirror Make-Over


Anything that is free has to top my list.  Using wood we found in our barn, Andy made a simple frame for an existing cheap mirror.

10.  Old White Farmhouse Exterior Make-Over

99.99% of old farmhouses are white.  We are non conformers and are in love with this two-tone look. Slate siding on the 2nd story was replaced with board and batten with new trim work updating this old structure.

Mic Drop

Bam.  It's done.  We have accepted an offer on our house so now, we are truly done.  We're not ones to toot our own horns, but DAMN!  We did some good work here.  When hearing of our move to Portland, some people said, "Oh no!  All that work you did and now you are leaving!"  For Andy and me, that's not even a thought.  Renovating houses is our hobby and even if we were staying in Decorah, we would probably be looking for our next renovation project.  We love getting into the bones of a house, bringing out the character and making it livable for the modern family.  There will be many things that we did to this house that I will miss (a post on that coming soon!) but everything we learn in each house we do gets brought to the next and so on and so forth.  Conquering the world, one house at a time.

So.....drum roll please.... this is it.

Exterior Before:

Exterior Now:

What we have done:

•   Removed the old siding on 2nd floor and put in board and batten

•   Painted upper board and batten (Raindance by Benjamin Moore color-matched by Sherwin Williams) and lower siding (Rushing River by Benjamin Moore color-matched by Sherwin Williams)

•   Removed chimney on left side of house

•   Ripped out and rearrange garden beds

•   Created a gravel walkway and widened the driveway

•   Removed the garage and prepped area for seeding

•   Painted deck with Behr Deck Over

•   Replaced concrete steps to main entrance with small wood deck

•   Repaired cellar entrance

•   Replaced gutters on portions of the house

Porch Before:

Porch Now:

Things we have done:

•   Built-in storage

•   Painted all walls and trim white

•   Removed coat hooks

•   Painted ceiling blue (Flint Smoke by Behr)

•   Replace light with fan/light

•   Updated door hardware

Kitchen Before:

Kitchen Now:

Things we have done:

•   Removed curtains

•   Painted ceiling white

•   Painted walls (Flint Smoke by Behr)

•   Painted cabinets (Spanish Olive by Glidden)

•   Painted handles black

•   Painted all trim white

•   Removed paint from hinges (previous owners had painted all 30 of them faux wood!)

•   Replaced light (can't see it here but we got a great one!)

•   Replaced fridge

•   Replaced stove

•   Painted all trim and windows white

•   Painted doors (Natural Linen by Glidden)

•   Installed a dishwasher

•   Replaced sink and faucet

•   Removed carpeting and painted stairs

Dining Room Before:

Dining Room Now:

Things we have done:

•   Painted ceiling white

•   Painted walls blue (Flint Smoke by Behr)

•   Took down blinds

•   Painted trim and windows white

•   Replaced exterior screen door

     Updated door hardware

•   Painted door (Natural Linen by Glidden)

Living Room Before:

Living Room Now:

Things we have done:

•   Painted ceiling white

•   Painted walls blue (Flint Smoke by Behr)

•   Took down curtains

•   Replaced ceiling fan (the new one is a flat black)

•   Tore up carpeting and refinished hardwood floors

•   Painted trim and windows white

•   Replaced beige outlets with white

Kids' Playroom Before:

 Kids' Playroom Now:

Things we have done:

•   Painted ceiling white

•   Painted walls taupe-ish color (Puddle by Behr)

•   Took down curtains

•   Replaced light

•   Tore out carpet and replaced with hardwood

•   Painted trim and windows white

    Updated door hardware

•   Removed door from living room to playroom

•   Replaced beige outlets with white

Master Bedroom Before:

 Master Bedroom Now:

Things we have done:

•   Repainted walls  (Blue Grey Slate by Glidden)

•   Painted ceiling white

•   Tore out carpet and installed hardwood floors

•   Replaced beige outlets with white

•   Painted trim, doors, windows white

•   Updated door hardware

•   Built a new closet organizer and removed bifold doors

1st Floor Bathroom Before:

 1st Floor Bathroom Now:

Things we have done:

•   Painted walls purple/grey color (Milestone by Behr)

•   New ceiling light

•   New shower curtain

•   Removed some of the handicap bars

•   Painted all trim and doors white

•   Painted vanity (Puddle by Behr)

•   Built a wood farm around existing mirror

•   Replaced hardware on vanity and doors

•   Replaced beige outlets with white

•   Built shelves into the closet (originally just a clothing bar)

•   Replaced vanity countertop

Laundry Room Before:

Laundry Room Now:

Things we have done:

•   Painted walls and ceiling white

•   Replaced washer

•   Tore out ceiling drywall to replace upstairs bathroom plumbing 

•   Moved and painted coat hooks from porch

•   Replaced dryer

•   Painted trim/doors/windows white

Upstairs Office/Craft Nooks and Hall Before:

 Upstairs Office/Craft Nooks and Hall Now:

Things we have done:

•   Painted walls and ceiling white and green (Spring Cactus by Glidden)

•   Made the stair wall a half wall

•   Tore out closet for office nook

•   Widened doorway to craft area

•   Tore-up linoleum and painted wood floors

•   Painted trim and doors white

•   Replaced all lighting

•   Replaced beige outlets with white

•   Replaced breaker box

2nd Floor Bathroom Before:

 2nd Floor Bathroom Now:

Things we have done:

•   Complete renovation from framing out including new electrical, insulation, plumbing, flooring, window, tub, vanity, lighting, paint.

2^nd Bedroom Before:

 2^nd Bedroom Now:

Things we have done:

•   Painted ceiling (Arctic Ocean by Behr)

•   Painted walls (Ancient Pewter by Behr)

•   Moved ceiling fan from living room and painted hardware silver and put on new globes

•   Tore out carpet and laid square tiles (classroom tiles)

•   Painted all off-white trim/doors/windows white

•   Built a closet organizer, painted closet floors and walls

3rd Bedroom Before:

3rd Bedroom Now: 

Things we have done:

•   Complete renovation including new electrical, insulation, drywall, flooring, new vaulted ceiling, in wall electric heater, window, door, lighting and fan.

Outbuilding and Property Improvements:

The outdoor shower- our most Pinned post!  Thinking we may start an outdoor shower business in Portland...

Forgive the terrible picture but it's super windy today and I wasn't in the mood to mess around!

•  Built an outdoor shower
• General clean-up of all outbuildings
• Created a fully functional workshop with lighting and electrical
• Made a children's playhouse with loft
• Built 4 raised garden beds
• Built 3 compost bins
• Built a chicken coop
• Removed extra fencing and old cattle bins
• Built sandbox

Looking over the pictures, part of me is still surprised Andy got me to buy this house.  Must have been those pregnancy hormones but I don't regret a single day of living here.  Three years of frustration, stress and mess of constant renovation has also brought us the joy and pride of doing work yourself and making a home.

We've seen Esther grow in this house and brought in two more babies.  It's going to be hard to leave but the memories are always there and we are always together.  On to the next project.