We moved into our home after almost a year of working on things (it takes LOTS of time when you are doing the remodeling yourself, when you are in school AND working). We were fortunate and blessed to live with mom and dad Hofman during the last 9 months of the remodel :) (Lets be honest though -- if it weren't for Gracie, we would not have been able to live there -- good thing she's cute or else, I'm wondering where we would have set up camp during the remodel!) They were good to us and we are grateful for the time we spent there, however, we are also SUPER happy to be in our own place! We took pictures when we first bought the house. It was a forclosure/triplex....the basement was the WORST! It had been very neglected by previous owners. There had been a flood in the basement and we pretty much had to rip up all carpet and other flooring, rip down walls, frame in new walls, sheetrock, mud, tape, paint, etc. etc. etc.! It was a big project, but we are SO happy with the results! There are still a few minor things that need to be done (as you'll notice in the pictures) but those things are coming along here and there! We are just happy to be in our basement until our little family outgrows it and then we'll move upstairs (where we currently have renters). For now, being in the basement and renting out the upstairs two apartments pays the entire mortgage which is AWESOME! Justin thinks we'll be down here with 3 kids....HA! My bet is as soon as we get pregnant with a third (or ready to deliver a third baby) we'll be making the move upstairs! It's a functional but VERY COZY basement apartment!
Master Bedroom BEFORE
Master Bedroom AFTER
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| We still have minor things to finish, like window treatments over the window above the bed (that used to be a functioning window until an a room was added upstairs, turning the window opening into a crawl space under the room). Egress window will be a little down the road. |
Master Bedroom BEFORE
Master Bedroom AFTER
Master Bedroom (closet door) BEFORE
Master Bedroom (closet view) AFTER
Master Bedroom Closet (shared with Gracie's room) AFTER
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The closet has a pocket door that goes into Gracie's room -- so once we rent the basement out,
the two bedrooms have a walk in closet to share. |
Master Bedroom AFTER
Master Bedroom AFTER
Bathroom BEFORE
Bathroom AFTER
Bathroom AFTER
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| the mirror leaning against the wall (which still needs to be hung) is where the window once was. Because there was no decent ventilation in the bathroom before, we nixed spending money on a new window and instead installed a fan where the bathroom window used to be. |
Gracie's room BEFORE
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| This is the view from the front door. The closet behind it (and the closet behind THAT closet) are now where Gracie's bedroom are. Before, this used to be a weird arrangement/NOT functional use of space with closets. The door on the right of this picture leads to the master bedroom. It is no longer there. We tore it out and filed in the wall right there. In looking at the "After" pictures, it's kind of hard to imagine how it used to be, but you get the idea. |
Gracie's room AFTER
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I am in the process of painting her little toddler bed as we speak!
For now, she gets the mattress on the floor....she's a trooper! |
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As mentioned -- there are still things that need to be done such as painting the door! ahh.....joy :)
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Entry Way BEFORE
Entry Way AFTER
Entry Way/Gracie's Bedroom Door AFTER
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Another view of what USED to be a conglomeration of odd closets -- now, that is the door leading
into Gracie's room. |
Kitchen BEFORE
Kitchen AFTER
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I would say the kitchen is the most different (and probably my favorite...but I'm partial
to my Tiffany blue-ish cabinets!!)
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View into kitchen and laundry room BEFORE
View looking into kitchen/laundry room AFTER
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| The door on the right is a little pantry. The door on the left leads into the laundry room (on the previos picture, the laundry room is on the right hand side with with gray paneling) |
Living Room BEFORE
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basement living room....again, we'll be moving some walls to maximize space. The nasty carpet
has been ripped out...the post will be moved to the other side of the wall |
View into Kitchen/Living Room AFTER
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| The beam from the previous picture was moved behind the wall where the TV sits. |
Living Room AFTER
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| The doors on the previous picture lead to the furnace and water heater room. We were able to use the space better behind that wall and create a decent storage closet back there. |
Living Room BEFORE
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| basement living room -- the closet in the back will be taken out -- we'll be opening that up and putting an egress window in the living room to bring in more light...painting and laying a new floor covering |
Living Room AFTER 
Living Room BEFORE 
Living Room AFTER
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| In the previous picture, the closet was knocked out and an egress window was cut. The wall on the right was also moved to the left a little to allow the framing of a little bit bigger room for Gracie as well as the walk in closet behind the bedrooms. |
Living Room BEFORE
Living Room AFTER
