This gallery contains 10 photos.
Due to popular demand, finally I’m posting some photos from my house renovation project. I love before and after photos (the in between hustling part, not so much. :P).
Living Room Makeover Part I
Gallery
Category Archives: Home Design
Horror or Love Story
Reply
Today, my partners and I acquired the most “interesting” property of my five year house rehab career. This house is in a good neighborhood and has a solid structure. It definitely deserves a second chance.
Drum-roll, please…
Presenting to you: Project Monroe
living room
dining room
kitchen
kitchen
bathroom
staircase
So, what do you think? A horror story or a love story? Pretty puky at this point, huh? 🙂
I am very passionate about infusing new life into old houses.
Making Fairfield beautiful, one house at a time. Wish us luck! 🙂
Here’s my last project: http://www.ououborneo.com/2009/restoration-project/
Fenced up for son of a horse
Kai was a star in a drama episode of Run-away Dog.
missing dog messages on Facebook
Oh yeah, Kai rocked and rolled. As a reward for playing hide and seek, he deserves something special from his owners.
Really? It's not even Christmas yet...
What’s the present? Oh, you curious little son of a horse.
Drum roll, please …
Prince Kai will be getting a “kingdom” of his own … all FENCED up!!!
Yup, DUMBO can run all he wants… in the FENCED YARD. ***** MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA ******
The budget for the fence is $2000 (materials + labor). Cough blood! Oh well, fenced yard increases the value of a property, so the cost is justified. 😛
building permit: $25
side yard (before)
back yard (before)
Drill, baby, drill.
setting poles
half way
Two days later …
back yard (after)
side yard (after)
What a BEAUTY!
We chose non-privacy fence because we still want to say hi to our neighbors.
I am really thrilled about my new fence. 🙂 That’s a good reason to keep this property for another year or two. 🙂
I never knew that fence actually frames a property and makes the yard look bigger. Yeppi!
So, what do you think, Kai? A birthday party? 🙂
p/s: Kai will be turning 5 years old (35 human years) next week, but will remain a little puppy in my heart.
Sold!
Since I had so much fun at last week’s antique auction, I went for a different kind of auction today – a house auction.
The weather was miserable; cold, rainy, windy… but my heart was pumping!
An auction is not a joke; it’s a contract. The winner is required to put 20% down the day of auction and pay the balance within a month. The house will be sold in as-is condition.
I wasn’t afraid (okay, I was feeling nervous silently). I was prepared. I’ve done my homework.
Before the auction, I hired an inspector to inspect the house and checked out the neighborhood. I observed the bidding process and studied buyers’ bidding behavior at previous auctions.
I have a budget in mind. Well, I was bidding on behalf of a company, so I was given a specific budget to work with.
There were quite a few people showed up (some investors, some private buyers, some curious people) at the auction. It was hard to tell who was serious and who wasn’t. I walked around the house and didn’t ‘overhear’ any useful information. 🙁
You should never let other people know about your budget, especially the auctioneer. Auctioneer works for the seller. He wants the bid to go as high as possible because he will receive a commission based on the sale price. You lose if you show your number first.
The bidding began. My heart was racing at high speed, but I couldn’t show. I had to be patient.
I paced myself on my bidding and became aggressive when I needed.
Long story short, I won the bid, on budget. Sold!!!! Oh man, I had such an adrenalin rush.
So proud of myself and I gave myself a big pat on my back. :kehappy:
Despite of the ‘better stay home’ weather, some friends showed up to give me some support. Thank You, Thank You!!!
Another day, another crazy OuOu story. Now, off to the next project.
Remember, Thoughts Become Things.
Good night.
Restoration Project
Last month had been a busy, stressful month for me.
Karan and I decided to put our 304 South Court house on the market before the summer ended. That was when all the madness started. We rushed to complete all the unfinished projects in the house, fixed up our new house (a house that he had purchased early this year), packed and moved.
Will I miss 304 South Court? Sure, it is such a blissful and delightful home, so many memories. But we felt like it was time to move on.
It’s our passion to restore older houses with lots of characters, especially if they have a solid foundation. It’s not easy to look past all the junk and restoration work required in order to make these houses beautiful. But somehow for me, it’s actually a joy to discover those diamonds in the rough. They speak to me. I know they are waiting for some tender love and care.
We are hands-on and very involved in every design and construction decision, so each project is a back-breaking process. It requires a lot vision and patience.
Now we know that our job is done at this South Court property. The next perfect owner would come and create his memories here.
I’ve posted photos and details of 304, S.Court at http://SouthCourtHouse.blogspot.com. If you think this house is perfect for someone you know, please pass this url along.
Here are some behind the scene photos. Enjoy.
Exterior – East (Before)
Exterior – East (After)
Old bushes were pulled out. New plants were hand-picked and planted by us.
Exterior – East (Before)
Exterior – East (After)
Fireplace (before)
Fireplace (after)
Old cracked subway tiles were removed and replaced by natural stones. Mantel was painted.
Kitchen (before)
Kitchen (after)
New: porcelain tile floor, countertop, tile backsplash, paint, light fixture, faucet, stove, fridge, range hood
Kitchen (before)
Kitchen (after)
New: porcelain tile floor, countertop, tile backsplash, paint, light fixture, faucet, stove, fridge, range hood
Balcony (before)
Balcony (after)
Balcony was a complete redo with treated lumber. Our contractor did a great job.
Bedroom/spa room (before)
Bedroom/spa room (before)
Layers of linoleum need to be hand-scraped.
Bedroom/spa room (after)
Yellow pine floor was professionally finished by Ian Temple Floors.
Bedroom/spa room (before)
Bedroom/spa room (before)
Bedroom/spa room (after)
Sunroom (before)
Sunroom (before)
There’s gorgeous yellow pine floor under the nasty old carpet! The floor needs to be hand-scraped before it could be sanded.
Sunroom (after)
Removed trailer style metal windows and installed new energy efficient windows. Insulated walls and ceiling. Added recessed light fixtures.
Sunroom (before)
Sunroom (after)
