The pictures for this home tour were taken by our builder the day we moved in (April 2014)…before our things had taken over. I wanted to document how our house looked when it was empty and clean (lol) and to be able to look back at the progress once I started decorating.
But first, a little back story…..
He makes beauty from ashes.
Before the dreadful tornado that all but completely totaled our home in May 2013, we had been dreaming of ways we could improve our home, including expanding areas for our growing family. We had drawings of additions and walls we wanted to move. I dreamed about colors and new cabinets. I wanted our home to be open and airy and bright! At that time, it was just a dream. Who knew that dream would turn into a reality…and much sooner than we could ever imagine! Yes, we had to endure A LOT of hardships to get to this point, but I knew we would be taken care of. This is a true testimony of what God can do if you have faith and trust him.
Let the home tour begin!
Because our house was not totaled by insurance, we had to work with the same foot print of the house before. It actually turned out to be quite a blessing as we saved a ton of money not having to pour a completely new foundation with new plumbing and electrical.
The very first thing we did was raise the ceilings. We had 8′ ceilings throughout before and now we have 9′ and 10′ ceilings throughout. If we had changed nothing else, raising the ceilings 1-2′ throughout the house still would have made a huge difference!
This is the formal dining and living area. Our dining room got bumped out to make room for a pantry in our newly designed laundry room. The formal living area used to be our one and only living room.
The kitchen (along with the laundry room) was by far the biggest change we made. Before it was closed off and had little counter space (and no island). Now it’s open and airy and has a huge island that I love!
What was once our back deck is now a family room! A fireplace with a mantle was a must have in our new home. Those windows weren’t supposed to be that large but it is one mistake I do not regret. I love the light in brings into the house. Around that corner by the back door is a bedroom that we added on. It will serve as a guest bedroom.
The hallway leads to our main bathroom and bedrooms. Those light fixtures are my favorite in the whole house. I think mainly because they light up the hallway so much. Before, our hallway had one little light and was very dark.
The layout of the main bath didn’t change much…it was mostly cosmetic changes.
The girls’ bedroom and playroom (not pictured) got a little bump out and the girls got a new walk-in closet. I planned on them sharing a room for quite a while so a bigger closet was necessary. Now all bedrooms have walk-in closets.
The master bedroom, just like the dining room, got bumped out quite a bit. We didn’t really need the extra space (no complaints here) but it helped balance the look of the exterior. Our master closet (not pictured) didn’t change (kinda regretting that decision) but it did get a face lift with a new shelves and a built-in chest of drawers.
The master bath is almost the same as it was before with the size. We did add a walk-in shower and shifted the tub down to where the shower was. Other changes were just cosmetic.
The laundry/mud room was probably one of my favorite changes. Before they were two separate rooms…one served as a home office and the other was the laundry room. We knocked down the wall between them, added a pantry, a mud bench and a bathroom (which we call the mud bath–not pictured).
After the tornado, this staircase was called the ‘stairway to heaven’ due to the fact that the “man cave” at the top (above the garage) was completely destroyed. There were no remaining walls and no roof….you could only see the sky from the bottom of these stairs.
Now it leads to a new and improved man cave (AKA Theater room) and a brand new craft room/office for me (thanks to the addition of a 3rd car garage)!
I am still amazed that even though we had to use the same footprint, the house looks and feels completely different than it did before. I hope you enjoyed the first tour in my Home Tour series!
Sources:
- Photos – Robin McAlister Photography
- Paint/Stain Colors
- Formal Dining & Theater Room – Color match to Glidden’s Seal Grey (dark grey)
- Family Room & Master Bedroom – Color match to Glidden’s Granite Grey (medium grey)
- Other Rooms – Color match to Glidden’s Pebble Grey (light grey)
- White cabinets – White Picket Fence by H.I.S.
- Dark Cabinets & Hardwood Floors – Custom mix
- Granite
- Kitchen (outer cabinets), laundry & master bath – Black Pearl
- Kitchen Island – Alaskan White
- Main Bath – Venetian Gold
- Tile
- Kitchen, laundry, main bath & entry points – Broadmoor Platinum by Daltile
- Master Bath – Broadmoor Platinum by Daltile (shower & tub), Satinglo Ice White hexagon tile by American Olean (floor)
- Mirrors in Main Bath – Hobby Lobby
- Light Fixtures – Lowe’s, Home Depot & Overstock.com
