Metamorphosis of Casa de Thompson

I have taken a long two-month break from blogging because we are recently filled with the overflowing excitement of owning a house. Mike and I have been constantly pouring endless hours of love into transforming an almost 30-year old house into our home.

Ever since we got the keys two months ago, I’ve felt like a sculptor where my home is my masterpiece, bringing imagination to life with my hands. Every color, shape, and detail is an expression of our taste and feelings.

Each time I walk into a room, I stare into the walls thinking “I did this!” with satisfaction. We absolutely take pride participating in our home’s metamorphosis. The house reflects our being because we spend at least more than half of every day in it. Where else would we find comfort besides our home, sweet home, right?

Instead of paying for a gym membership, we choose to increase the value of our home through sweat. However, there are certain tasks which are either overly challenging or time sensitive and we end up paying someone to do it, such as crawling under the house to fix the HVAC vent and drain.

It is absolutely enjoyable to envision anything we can imagine (within reason) and then making it a reality. It’s quite fulfilling to see something broken and then fix it.

I know many of you abroad are eager to get a virtual house tour but for now I can share with you the “Before & In Progress” pictures and the list of our big plans for our nest in this entry.

Front Entrance

• Prime and paint the door
• Change the outdated door handles to oil-rubbed bronze finish.
• Add a door knocker.
• Add a sign that says “Please remove your shoes”
• Replace the outdoor lanterns.

Living Room

• Remove popcorn ceiling and fix the water damage.
• Prep the ceiling, and paint it.
• Replace the hideous ceiling fan and nipple light fixtures with semi flush mount and recessed lighting.
• Remove the conduit on the fireplace. 
• Repair gashes and holes in the walls.
• Prep the walls and paint them.
• Prime and paint the chair rail.
• Prime and paint the wood paneling (which makes the bottom wall).
• Paint the window trim.
• Replace the old blinds with curtains.
• Replace the black outlets with white to match the colors of the bottom walls.
• Shop for some decent priced furniture to fill in the blanks at the living room.
• Whitewash the fireplace.
• Replace carpet with hardwood floors.
• Add a crown molding in between the wall and ceiling.
• Add an area rug to be fitted under the furniture.
• Shop for an oval white-framed mirror to be placed on the shelf at fireplace.
• Make a gallery wall of family pictures and wedding pictures.
• Shop for a good piece of oil painting to be placed above the 3-seater couch.

“Say goodbye to popcorn ceiling and stale yellowish walls. “

Dining Room Turned Into Office

• Prep and paint the walls.
• Prime and paint the chair rail.
• Prime and paint the bottom walls.
• Shop around for a long desk and drawers that seats two with plenty of desk space.
• Organize and sort through the stationery, craft supplies, mailing supplies, and office stuff into the drawers and storage bins.
• Make a clothespin gallery for postcards and art.
• Hang up frames and art around the office.
• Replace the old blinds with bamboo blinds and sheer curtains.
• Refinish the old chandelier (spraying it with Rustoleum’s oil-rubbed bronze finish).
• Add pre-hung doors to the two open doorways for more privacy.
• Remove the carpet and replace it with hardwood floors.
• Make built-in wall shelves/ storage cabinet  at the corner for books and more storage.
• Shop for a loveseat which makes a good reading corner right next to the bookcase.
• Add an area rug at the center of the room.

Kitchen & Dining Area

• Prep and paint the walls.
• Repair gashes and holes in the walls.
• Prep and paint the dark backsplash.
• Paint the closet door with magnetic primer.
• Paint the closet door with chalkboard paint.
• Paint the window trims and doorway trims.
• Get window treatment.
• Replace the ceiling fan and ‘nipple light’ fixtures.
• Hang decor.
• Replace the fluorescent lamp (at the sink area) with pendant lamps.
• Prime and paint the kitchen cabinets in summer 2015/2016.
• Replace one of the cabinet doors to a frosted glass type (to be able to see some plates and bowls)
• Add lights under the cabinets.
• Add a tile backsplash.

Half Bathroom (Downstairs)

• Replace blinds with bamboo blinds.
• Prep and paint the walls to ocean green.
• Decorate the bathroom.

Florida Room (Leads to the Deck)

• Tint the windows
• Replace the current blinds with bamboo blinds.
• Prime and paint the wood paneling.
• Shop for a screen door to make a changing corner before or after a swim.

Florida Room 2 (Attached to Living Room)

• Paint the french doors.
• Replace the current blinds with sheer curtains.
• Remove the bump between the playroom and living room.
• Replace the carpet with hardwood floors.
• Prime and paint the wood paneling.
• Tint the windows.
• Add an area rug at the center of the room.

Master Bedroom 

• Prep and paint the walls.
• Paint the trims.
• Get window treatment.
• Replace the fan with a semi flush mount fixture.
• Furnish the room with a new bed and a dresser.
• Mount the TV to the wall.
• Make a Quiet Time nook.
• Hang some decor and pics.
• Remodel the closet organization.

Annakate’s Bedroom

• Prep and paint the upper walls.
• Prep and paint the ceiling light pink.
• Prep, prime, and paint the bottom walls to white.
• Paint the window trims.
• Paint the closet door coral.
• Replace the ceiling fan with a light fixture.
• Get window treatment.
• Add an area rug by the bed.
• Get a round-edged dresser.
• Hang some decor up on the walls.

Guest Bedroom/ Future Nursery

• Prep and paint the walls.
• Paint the trims.
• Get window treatment.
• Replace the fan with a semi flush mount fixture.
• Hang some decor on the walls.

We have a long list of plans for this house and I know it will definitely take months and years to transform it into our ideal home. Hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day and there will be many days of Progress-Isn’t-Always-Pretty.