Prime Time

I was so excited when the day came for The Huz and I to prime our house. Less than one percent of the homes in the 'hood are painted and I knew that once our neighbors saw us spraying the house they would freak. The day was sunny and mid-80s. Perfect for priming. Or so I thought! Stephanie and Hunter (our favorite DIY neighbors) had plans of their own. They totally stole our thunder by grading their yard on the same day at the same time! Everyone - dog walkers, skateboarders, bikers, strolling moms, even the mailman - was transfixed on that yellow sonic booming Catepillar, oblivious to the the all-white transformation occuring across the street. My heart sunk as I realized that my little paint brush just couldn't compete with their booming excavator.

Aside - I have to say, even we stared at the excavator. They unearthed many treasures that day. The best included a beach chair and an 8x10 rug! The former owner was a scientist who performed strange experiments in and around the house. Steph & H. had to remove six layers of sheet rock from the walls and fill in peepholes that were found in every room.

Excuse me, but may I borrow your machete?

It took FOREVER to remove all the ivy camouflaging the house and surrounding beds. It was growing through the brick mortar and windows, climbing into the attic and strangling our trees. The Huz used a machete to get a lot of it off and then I had the oh-so-fun task of wire brushing the ENTIRE house last summer in a heat drought to remove the lingering tendrils. Unless you live in an English country manor with a grounds staff to monitor this green beast, don't ever plant ivy. Ever!

Ranch Redeux - Exterior Before Photos

The Inspiration House

Many Charlotteans will recognize this house; it's on the corner of Morehead and Kings, beside the Farmer's Market. The Huz and I spent many Sunday afternoons scouring the city for a painted brink house that we could emulate. Our inspiration house needed to have a light color palette that incorporated brown because our house was so dark we wanted to brighten the exterior and we needed something to compliment the brown soffits and fascia that we weren't going to replace. It also had to have some cottage elements (board & batten shutters, old style windows and a great front door), hence this house. Were we able to recreate our Myers Park muse in Starmount? You'll just have to wait and see!

The O'Donoghue House

We used to walk our dog by this house everyday. It was owned by Mr. Richard O'Donoghue and his family, which included SEVEN kids, who lived here for about 40 years. During our walks, The Huz and I often discussed what we would do to this house if we ever got our hands on it. Remove the ivy, paint the brick, replace the windows, redo the landscaping - look at all that potential! And that was just the outside. The neighbors used to call the house The Jungle House because of all the overgrown ivy and trees. Mr. O was old and lived alone and just not able to perform the upkeep his property needed. Well guess what? Two years ago, we got our hands on it! I sent out an email to our friends and family with above picture attached notifying them of our new house and the responses were hilarious. It was such an ugly house that no one knew what to say. Comments included: "Um...congrats, I think?" and "Well at least the crepe myrtles are nice," and my favorite, "Good luck. You're gonna need it and a lot of money!" Everyone thought we were crazy, but we knew we'd have the last laugh.

My First Blog

When The Huz and I bought our second home, he suggested that I keep an online journal of our renovation progress for our far away friends and family. I thought this was a great idea, but given my technology deficiencies (inability to use the microwave, call waiting or the text feature on my cell phone), I didn’t know how to become one with the blogosphere, and so I am a tad bit late jumping on the bandwagon (two years, to be exact).

The first thing I want to share with the world is my ranch remodel. I'm such a proud do-it-yourselfer ~ I just want to show off a little (don't we all?). I love my neighborhood & want to show it off too. Lastly, I want to share reno/curb appeal ideas for all you first-time homeowners, flippers and remodelers out there who need some inspiration!

Enjoy!


Peach