The Connecticut Colonial – Reno Story UPDATES

So much has happened! But still so much to do!

It’s been 8 days since we closed on our beautiful colonial in Connecticut and things have been quite hectic! In the last 8 days we have:

  • Removed all the carpet from the upstairs and the family room
  • Pulled up the engineered hardwood in the sun-room
  • Removed wallpaper from every nook and cranny of the dining room
  • Pulled down the wallpaper border in the office
  • Had hardwoods installed in all the areas we pulled up flooring
  • Had the existing hardwoods refinished to match all new hardwoods
  • Painted all 4 bedrooms upstairs
  • Painted the formal living room & the formal dining room!

Sheesh. I’m tired just THINKING about all the work that we’ve done to the house.  But we’re not even close to being finished!

What we hope to accomplish this week:

  • Paint the office & hallway downstairs
  • Paint the upstairs hallway
  • Paint the foyer, kitchen, and breakfast area
  • Take down the backsplash in the kitchen
  • Prep the kitchen cabinets for paint (sand and de-greaser)
  • Prep the office built ins for paint
  • Tape down plastic on the floors and walls to prepare for the paint sprayer in kitchen and office

And the moving company is coming on WEDNESDAY!! Yikes. Trying not to stress… I know it will get finished. Just hoping it’s done on MY schedule. HAHA!

Here are some pictures of the progress so far:

 

And I know you REALLY want to see my design picks!

Tile & Countertop from Floor & Decor, Paint samples are Behr from Home Depot

My favorite part of every project is choosing the new finishes! It’s when I get to truly envision what I want the space to look like. It takes a lot of thought (and shopping) and browsing sites like Pinterest and Houzz before I decide on what I want to implement. One of my favorite stores to shop at is Floor & Decor, they have an amazing selection of tile, marble, granite, hardwood, and countertops! If they have a store near you, I totally recommend checking them out, their prices can’t be beat! (Seriously… and they aren’t paying me to say that!)

I have also found it’s cheapest to buy many home improvement supplies online. For example, I buy all of our lighting through stores like Amazon and Houzz. I also purchased all the new hardware for the cabinets and door handles online. The bottom line is… shop around, find the best price before you fall in love with a design choice!

Here are some of my lighting choices:

Foyer Light:

I bought this gorgeous semi-flush mount light for the entry foyer because the ceilings aren’t vaulted, they are just standard 8 foot ceilings, and I knew that I couldn’t go with something with a chain that hung too low. My brothers are all over 6 feet tall and I didn’t want people hitting their heads! BUT, at the same time I wanted to bring some elegance into the entryway, it’s the first room you see when you walk into the house and I want it to make a statement! I found this great light over on Amazon.

Kitchen Island:

I also picked these beautiful (and economical) pendant lights for over the kitchen island over on Amazon! They are 2 for $60!! Pretty excited to see how they look when they get hung up! Honestly, I was between these and some pendant lights with chrome shades…. but those were more of a farmhouse look. I like to blend styles, but using too much of one style can make your house style feel completely different than what you were going for, and I’m not going for farmhouse, I’m shooting for transitional, so those we’re out.

Office Light:Crystal Chandelier, White

For the office, I knew I wanted something romantic that would evoke a relaxing feeling and pair well with the transitional vibe I’m going for. I will have sheer curtains and a lovely built in window bench in that room, so I thought going with a little crystal couldn’t hurt. Haha!

 

Dining Light:Effimero 5-Light Chandelier, Brushed Nickel

Originally, I was looking for a linear light that would hang symmetrically with the dining table. I knew I wanted a modern look to balance the traditional light I’m doing in the breakfast area, but I couldn’t find a linear light that wasn’t $700 or $800. So I opted for this beauty and only paid $190 for it over on Houzz!! I can’t believe I got such a steal! I can’t wait to see it up in the dining room!

Round Contemporary 12-Light LED Chrome Finish Clear Crystal ChandelierMaster Bedroom Light:

I may have cheated a little bit on this one… this is the same master bed light I put in the Plano house. But, I loved it so much I had to buy it again! And luckily, this time it was on sale!! YAY! So I actually saved $150 over what I paid last year.

 

Breakfast Room Light:Safavieh Sharon 5 Light Chrome 21-Inch Dia Adjustable Chandelier
The light I’m putting in the breakfast room is evocative of the traditional style of the house, with a modern twist (the chrome color). Also, super affordable, I found it for $100 on Houzz.

Hallway Lights:Savoy House Penrose 3-Light Semi-Flush Mount, Polished Nickel

In the hallway upstairs I am again going with a light I loved from the Plano house. (Why fix something that’s not broken, right?) I think what I love the most about this light is the glass surrounding the bulbs, and that it’s a flushmount. It is SO hard to find a pretty flush mount light! They all look like they belong in my grandparent’s house.

Garrett 4 Light Flush Mount, Polished NickelIn the hallway downstairs, I wanted to do something a little different, but still tie into the open glass and bulbs of the upstairs light. So I found a similar light that was square! I’m not sure which one I love more!! AHH!

Looking Ahead!

Looking at all of our lighting selections in one place has me really excited to get this renovation finished! I was looking at the calendar today and we have about 2 more weeks of solid work left before this house starts feeling like a home again! We have family coming in about 2 weeks so it’s really crunch time! HAHA.

I’m definitely looking forward to being in a house that we intend to stay in for a while. I was talking to Brandon about this the other night, but we have moved 3 times in the last 4 1/2 years. And that is WAY too many moves. Ready to focus on staying in one place, and just buying rental properties when we need another project!

I hope this post gives you some great ideas on where to shop for great prices! Let me know your thoughts on how you think the reno is coming along!!

~Happy Renovating~


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2 thoughts on “The Connecticut Colonial – Reno Story UPDATES

  1. Christine this is wonderful news! Congratulations on your new house! Home renovations are so much work but are so fun and bring such a great reward! I love your site and am looking forward to seeing your posts over on keepitsimplediy.com. I’ll be sending over information really soon!

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