It’s time for your grand tour! Of course, you’ll have to use a bit of imagination… okay, fine, a lot of imagination… to see the grandeur of the place.
The place was the retirement home of an elderly couple we wish we could have known. By all accounts, they were dear people. Neighbors told us they would sit on the front porch and wave to passers-by. Their son told us they both grew up on farms and never lost that “farmboy” mentality. That explains all the farm implements in the shed.
We bought the house as is - furnishings, farm equipment and all. While the couple had the home built in the early 1980s, their furniture, dishes and electronics were from much earlier, so stepping into the house feels like stepping back into another era – adding machines from the 60s, typewriters from the 30s, table settings from the 50s . So yes, everything seems faded and outdated, yet at the same time, still holds the coziness of a happy home.
I can just imagine them sitting on this porch. And soon, it will be our turn to sit here and wave to neighbors:
Coming through the front door, here’s what you see:
Don’t worry. The saggy fans are definitely gonna go. Just imagine splashes of color, fresh paint, new flooring, and new light fixtures. It’s going to be fab.
Here’s a closer view of the dining room. That door to the left leads to the back yard. It might not be a bank of windows with a view of the ocean, but you can see into the open field behind the house. The other door leads into the garage.
And here’s the kitchen. Paint and new hardware are going to make a huge difference. It’s going to a seriously cute kitchen. I’m sure Danny is cringing at the word “cute”. Let’s say instead… “cheerful”.
Here are a couple of shots of my “new” stove. Notice the size of the oven. Danny assures me my big bakestones will fit, but I am skeptical. The huge cooktop will be nice, however.
This is where I was going to put the picture of the living room, but I’m going to save that one for last because it shows my very favorite feature in the whole house. Read on!
This is the main bathroom. It is green. Even the ceiling is green. That must change. I’m thinking all white. Crisp, bright white everywhere.
Here is what will be the kids’ room. Since it’s only a two-bedroom house, Baz and Jane will have to bunk together for a few years. I’m a little stymied about how to make this small space into a great bedroom for a boy and girl with divergent interests. Instead of taking out the paneling and putting in sheetrock, we’re just going to paint the walls to match the rest of the house. From there, I’ll tackle decorating. Maybe just draw a line down the middle…
And our room. The master bedroom. It’s roomy enough. At least until we move all our furniture in here. I really like the big windows looking out into the back field. I’m thinking maybe a roman shade and some beautiful, delicate sheers. And I’m already begging Danny for a really super groovy conversation starter of a ceiling fan.
Here is the master bathroom. Note that there is no bath. No more soaking for this mama. Of course, I could just go down the hall and push aside the rubber duckies, but somehow I imagine that will be an infrequent occurrence. One day. One day, I will have my behemoth bath tub with a stunning chandelier hanging over it. This shower will be one of the major remodels we do in the house. We’ve tossed out ideas for everything from just chipping out tile at the bottom to replace the shower pan to tearing out the whole shebang, ceiling and all, and tiling everything.
Now we continue outdoors. The back porch is a hair humdrum, but a few flowers will perk that right up.
The outbuildings. Oh, the outbuildings. There are SIX of them. A well house, a tractor shed, a garage (not sure what to call it; it’s the big one with two wide doors), a shop, and two storage buildings. I was BEGGING to tear them down until Danny mentioned turning one of them into a schoolhouse for homeschooling. Okay. I’m loving that idea. Now I feel much more friendly toward the poor outbuildings. Who knows? Maybe even they can be spruced up.
Here’s the tractor shed, complete with tractor and a little trailer. We’re hoping it doesn’t take too much to get the tractor back in working order. It might be useful at some point, especially if/when we start trying to raise some livestock or do a little haying.
This is a view of the back field. See those big trees in the left hand corner? That’s about where our Big House dreams are landing. Can you see it?
Here’s the front yard. Nice and big with several pecan trees. Even a pear tree. Yum!
Oh, I almost forgot the garage. Not much to speak of now. It’s a garage, ya know? But with a coat of white paint, maybe even a painted design on the concrete, hey, it could be totally fun in there.
And now for my favorite thing in the whole house. This little wood stove. I love the brickwork and the old-fashioned black iron! It adds such character to the room. For me, it conjures up the notions of hospitality, history and americana. I just love it. I do not love that it’s not centered on the brick platform. How hard would that be to correct? Any bricklayers reading this? I guess it’s not a big deal, but I notice the asymmetry of it every time I look at it. Oh well. The stove itself has so much charm, I think I can forgive the off-center placement. Granted, this is Texas, so the stove might not get used all that often, but I’m sure there will be a cold night or two…
Isn’t it just charming?
Well, what did you think of your tour? And now that you’ve seen it, what do you suggest? We know y’all have some crazy good ideas. What would you do in these rooms? Oh and I am so curious… you know the wood stove grabbed me. So what grabbed you when you were looking at your house? What is your favorite feature in your own home?
