Bath and Vanity Renovations

Here is our new master vanity light.  It is actually brushed nickel (silver), but the picture makes it look bronze. The light we used to have was a long fluorescent, like the sort that belongs in a garage.  (What were they thinking??)

Mark is super tall, 6-1/2 feet to be exact, and the dropped ceiling above the shower crowded him.  I can't imagine taking a shower with only a few inches to spare above my head!  The ceiling is going UP. The old light fixture reminded me of the schoolhouse type that is on a ceiling fan.  Out it goes!  After the ceiling is raised and green mold resistant wallboard is in, they'll install a flush can light fixture that is specifically for damp places.  This little room contains the toilet and a huge garden tub. (What were they thinking??) Eventually the tub and tile will be removed and a nice shower and more updated tile walls and glass enclosure will go up - but not this week.  See the gawdawful fluorescent lights behind our contractor?  OUT they go! The weak exhaust fan is coming out and a lighted fan is going in.  Along with the can light in the shower, this should provide enough light for this small bathroom.

Contractor is Chuck Porter is younger brother to a friend from high school.

The guest bath renovations include removing the crappy exhaust fan, replacing it with a lighted fan, and they'll be changing out the icky fluorescent ceiling lighting with this pretty vanity light:

You can see pictures of the house before we moved in here.

The rain keeps raining and somehow a huge crop of Wandering Jew weed has made its home in my backyard, totally covering the ground.  The lawn spray service came yesterday and sprayed some sort of KILL that will murder everything green back there, leaving sand.  We plan to plug St. Augustine grass and make some pretty garden areas and also figure out a good spot for the fire pit my sister Patty gave us last week.  It looks like this one.

We LOVE this house...Let's change it!

Mark and I decided to sell our Snap-On dealership and move to Jacksonville.  We are in the process of clearing our Apopka home to put it on the market (probably will be listed this week!) and have already found a home in Jacksonville to buy.  The home we bid on in Jacksonville is being sold on a short sale which really should be called a long sale because it takes 3-4 months to be accepted by the bank as the buyer.

On Saturday I was in Jax and was able to view the house more thoroughly, take photos and three videos.  I meant to say that the wall would increase the VALUE of this house, not the price of it.  Please forgive gulpy southern accent!  I never really noticed how awful it is until I watched this video.

We really LOVE this little house.  It is exactly what we were looking for in size (1328 sq ft) and floor plan and location. (It's a house away from the cul-de-sac.)  It was built in 1987 and there are some upgrades and changes that Mark and I both agree would make this house our home.  Yes, we could live in it as it is.  It is not in disrepair...With the exception of required total home scrub down cleaning, it is move in ready, but we want to make some changes to make it our own.  Isn't it sweet?  You can see it in Trulia too.

 

The photos are: 1) house front, 2) closer shot of front, 3) back of house, 4) foyer and living room, 5) from lr, looking at dining, kitchen on left, guest bed rooms and bath on right, and front door in the middle, 6) kitchen from doorway, 7) kitchen, looking to the right of the doorway which also shows pantry and door to garage.  The people on the back deck are my Realtor, who is talking to my sister Patty.  We all went to school together.  In addition to the rooms you see here, there is a master suite.

There are things we will change to make this house our home.  You can hear my awful southern accent in the videos, noting the things we will change.

• The yard needs a good raking, sand to buildup topsoil and fertilizer for the sparse grass. Foliage should be more suited to north Florida (azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas and in the back yard, fruit trees).  The current owner planted things too tropical, invasive, and just completely haphazard.  What were they thinking??
• The side fences in the back yard are falling apart and we have a tiny dog about the size of a large rat.  She will escape!
• The master bedroom walls are navy blue. No. I prefer a neutral color.
• Replace fall-apart cheap plastic mini blinds with cheap plastic plantation blinds throughout.  ;-)
• Replace fall-apart verticals on sliding glass door in living room.  Add drapes.
• Most walls need patching for multiple nail holes and all walls need fresh paint.
• House has popcorn ceilings throughout. Needs minor repair in dining room. Do we live with that or get it replaced with knock down ceilings?  Doesn't really bother me.
• Bathroom light fixtures - oh that has to happen really soon.  There are florescent bars on the ceilings!
• Master bathroom will have garden tub removed and a tiled shower installed.  The current tile in the tub area is a religious experience (a cross) that I don't want to face each morning.  We hope to match the same tile around that is already in the toilet area.
• The kitchen has antiquated wallpaper, mismatched appliances, and needs new cabinetry down the road.  I would prefer a larger tile with lighter grout.
• Carpeting is in okay condition.  We can live with it, but our plan is to remove all the living area carpeting and replace it with wood.  We plan to put fresh neutral color carpeting in the bedrooms.  Currently our bedroom and living areas are all cream and the guest wing has icky mauve.
• I'm short, and a cement step outside of the side garage door would be nice.
• Mark needs to pressure wash the entire house (it is covered in vinyl siding) and driveway and walkway.
• Mark needs to pressure wash the wooden back deck and replace some boards, then seal it.
• I'd like a smaller light fixture in the dining room with dark metal.  Current one is huge and white.
• An even smaller pendant fixture that compliments the dining room one would be nice in the breakfast nook.  We will need a cafe table set for two in there.  Yank down the ugly valance drapery in kitch.
• The ruffled clear glass lights on the LR ceiling fan need to be changed out for something less 80's.
• One day, renovate kitchen cabinetry and get matching appliances.
• One day, replace fireplace faux stone wall with brick.  We don't have fireplace tools.

I am sure there are a lot more items that will need our attention and we will wear a path to the local hardware store.  We WILL get a home inspection before closing to guard against any structural problems.  I really love this house and am super excited to think that we can do the weekly cleaning in probably less than two hours!