Taking On a “Project House” ~ Check Out This Myers Park Whole House Renovation in Progress.

Guest Post by Cassidy Montgomery of @home.on.the.web.

Taking on a Project House.
Step One: Finding Your Vision

I can remember walking into our house for the first time, 7 months pregnant and
thinking “this house is a mess but we could knock this out before the baby.” That turned
out to not be entirely true, but we did manage to make some good progress before she
arrived (the day after we moved in no less).

On the outside our house was quaint, white brick with shutters and copper bay
windows, on a wonderful street in Myers Park. But the inside was gloomy, outdated and covered with linoleum ~ a lot of linoleum. The kitchen layout was ridiculously wonky, basically scaring away every prospective buyer before us, and everything was so red and gold.

Together my husband and I looked past this and saw a true vision for the house. When house hunting, vision is so important. If you can’t find vision for a house, it’s probably not the one for you. If you don’t trust yourself, bring in an architect, interior designer or savvy friend to walk the house with you.

Step Two: The Interim

We moved in quickly and worked within a budget to slap some lipstick on the interior of
the house. Due to the soon-to-arrive baby, I was limited on time for mulling over paint colors for each room, so I decided to paint the entire interior of the house white (Sherwin Williams Alabaster, my go-to). By doing this I could live in the rooms for a while and decide what color would work best for the spaces.

We switched out the brassy old light fixtures and ripped off the blinds hanging in all the windows. I would rather have the whole neighborhood be able to see in than live in a house with dusty blinds. We replaced the wall to wall carpet in a room and had a runner put down the stairs. The one thing we couldn’t tackle and in hindsight, I would recommend as a priority (if necessary) was to refinish the wood floors. Doing this before you move in will save so much hassle.

During the past five years we have lived in the house, we’ve lived under constant
renovation. As crazy as that may sound, it’s also exciting. I should admit that I have a
background in interior design, working for a local Architecture Interior Design firm and currently running my interiors-oriented Instagram account @home.on.the.web. My husband is a Residential Home Builder, so it probably doesn’t come as surprise that we enjoy the whole process.

Step Three: Room by Room

Since we have three young children and live in the house throughout our projects, we take them on one at a time. There is so much more to be done, it’s not a daunting feeling as much as it is exhilarating. By living in spaces that need be renovated, we feel out what we truly want and need out of the room. Don’t be afraid to take on a project house, if the vision is there you can turn it into your masterpiece. Here’s our work in progress:

The Living Room

After eventually refinishing the floors Jacobean, the walls were painted Sherwin Williams
Hinting Blue and the trim Languid Blue (less 25%).

The Dining Room

The ceiling was painted with Fine Paints of Europe (a lacquer finish, that takes many coats) to match the background of the wallpaper we added. This paint finishing process is very labor intensive and can cost 3-5 times what a typical paint project would be (of similar scope and size)

The Center Room

This room is an extension of the foyer and opens into the Kitchen Family Room. We doubled the size of the cased opening, eliminated the linoleum floors and painted the entire room Sherwin Williams Relentless Olive.

The Sun Room

Originally a screened porch, it was transformed into a sun drenched breakfast/sun room.
To convert an exterior room like a porch into an insulated, conditioned room you can expect to pay $20k+.

The Kitchen

The Kitchen and Family Room were open to each other, the kitchen being a long galley T shape. It was awkward and dark, and it had to go. We took it down to the studs. Cabinets were custom built and painted Benjamin Moore Van Courtland Blue (less 25%). Countertops, sink and backsplash are Bianca Olinda marble with a leathered finish. A kitchen renovation with similar finishes and appliances can potentially run north of 150k.

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

The Laundry Room

The floors were replaced with slate tile. Custom cabinets built and painted in Sherwin Williams Malted Milk (as well as trim and ceiling). Wallpaper hung and blinds out! A Laundry Room flip similar to this will run around 20k.

Step Four: What’s Next

Up next is our Primary Bathroom and the Butlers Pantry/Bar hopefully both by the end of the year.

Follow me and our Project House on instagram at @home.on.the.web and stay tuned for updates.