Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The House Where We Used to Live

This is the house we lived in before we bought the house where we live now.  When we bought it, the place was a bland, new-construction, 4-bedroom house with an unfinished basement.  It looked a WHOLE lot different by the time we moved out.



My daughter called the other day to tell me that the house is for sale again.  I jumped at the chance to look up the listing online, to see what it looks like now.  I guess the new owners must have been pleased with what we did to the place, because I only see two minor changes in the whole house.  The written details in the listing read like a project list for the things that we did while this was our house.
 
"Fall in love with this impressive Colonial settled in the desirable gated community of The Fairways. A grand two-story foyer with gleaming hardwood floors and an abundance of natural light sets the tone for this stunning home. The sunken formal living room features gorgeous crown molding and neutral color palette. An elegant dining room offers a large bay window with built-in seating, chair railing, hardwood floors and crown molding.

Two-story foyer, still painted the same yellow that we painted it.
 

Yellow living room, with the hardwood floor that we installed.
 

Hardwood floor in the dining room ... yeah, we did that.  They didn't show the archway that we opened up between the living and dining rooms.
 

I built the window seat, and I see that my beaded shades are still on the chandelier.


"The eat-in kitchen sits adjacent to dining room. It has granite counter tops, stainless appliance and large center island highlighted by beautiful pendant lighting. Sliding glass doors open from the breakfast area to the screened patio overlooking the yard.

Granite counters?  We did that.
 

I installed the tile backsplash and beadboard and paneled framing on the island.
 

The current owners put up the pendant lights, but I was the one that got rid of the white vinyl and tiled the floor.
 

Screened porch?  I designed it.  (I really miss having a screened porch.)


"A foot step away is a nice family room with warming fireplace flanked by built-in book shelves.

Tile that we installed in the kitchen and mudroom (door on the left), hardwood in the family room.
 

Those built-in bookshelves are a LOT more complicated than they look.  The back wall is at three different levels, so the shelves step out into the room.
 

I see that the green striped wallpaper is still in the office.


"Vaulted ceilings are boasted in the master suite. Owners will love the abundance of natural light as well as a lux bath with his/her vanity and large soaking tub.

This is the house that taught me that it is possible to have a master bedroom that's TOO big.
 

The fireplace mantel and mirrored overmantel are mismatched pieces that I painted and combined to make a faux fireplace.
 

You can see how huge this bedroom is .... that's a king-sized bed and it barely makes a dent in the space.
 

The useless soaking tub.
 

We used to joke that this bathroom is so big that we could have parties in there.


"Each of the additional bedrooms features plenty of space and comfort.

This was our middle daughter's room.  It was pale green.
 

This was our youngest daughter's room, still yellow like we left it.
 

Hall bathroom.
 

Nothing in here has changed, except for the addition of monkey themed accessories.


"A finished lower level with recreation and family room provides all the extra space you'll need.

I see that the projection TV still there, with the wall unit that I built to hold it.
 

This side of the basement held our pool table.  The current owners have small children, and it looks like it made a great play space for them.
 

More ceramic tile that I put down.


"Out back plenty of running room waits in the spacious backyard with beautiful wooded backdrop."

I went to battle with the HOA over this fence ... and I won!
 

Lots of running room!
 

The Husband and I built the garden shed.
 

I used to spend SO much time out on that screened porch! 
 
 
I hope you enjoyed your little tour of our previous home.  For me, it feels a little weird peeking into the past like this.  (If you know someone who needs a large house and wants to live in a very convenient part of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, click HERE to see the listing.)
 
 

10 comments:

  1. I totally agree with you about having a master bedroom that is too large. Our current home has a very manageable sized bedroom. It's one of the many reasons I liked this house. We also have a large soaking tub with jets. My husband has used it a couple of times. He enjoys it when he's all achey from working outdoors or when he feels a cold coming on and wants to nip it in the bud by soaking in hot bubbly water. Love our screened in porch... another reason I liked this house. I can understand why you miss yours. xox

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love our screened porch, it's something I wish everyone could have.. truly a place to relax, especially with a soft breeze.

    Lovely place you had there - nice touches all around.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a beautiful home, but I'm sure any home you live in would be. And... if you want a screened porch, with your abilities, you can build one!

    ReplyDelete
  4. A trip down memory lane. Bittersweet, I am sure.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow, that must'ave been weird for you, Connie. lol But what a lovely home! So big! The current owners must have really loved what you did with the decor. :) But I'll bet that you are glad that you live in that charming home you have now. :)

    xoxo laurie

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ah, Connie. That was so much fun . . . better than HGTV with your previous knowledge of the house. My favorite comment today is a house teaching you some rooms can be too large. Living roses over useless soaking tubs any day . . . yes we had one too . . . Enjoy your weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Connie, I can see where it would feel a little weird. But what a feeling of accomplishment you must have when you look back at all that you got done! Thanks for sharing with us, I enjoyed the tour.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love the house and all your updates. I would have had a hard time leaving it -- unless I was going to your house now!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think the current owners have paid you a very high compliment in keeping so much of what you have done to the house. It's funny that you did this post as our previous home is up for sale now and we had to do a peek as well. Some of the rooms are still the same...paint, wallpaper, flooring but they did make some major improvements that made the place look much nicer. It was nice to go back and relive the "do you remember...?" ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. WoW Connie--it was truly a beaUtiful home -but-
    I guess I'm sO iN LuV with your current home~they just don't compare!
    Catherine

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by and reading what I share. Comments are welcome and very much appreciated. Spam and trolls are not!

Related Posts with Thumbnails