The house in the Pines: A full renovation. Before & After.
AFTER: From 1960's to modern living. Our final walkthrough with our 3-month old bundle of joy, before putting it back on the market.
I’ve always enjoyed the feel of being in a forest, the sound of the wind breezing through the tall pines, and the fresh forestry aroma. And so there it was, this 1960’s house under the pines of the mountainous range in Arizona. To me, it was love at first sight, and the view from the kitchen window gave me the butterflies feeling in my stomach. Even though our realtor kept chuckling during the walkthrough of the house, her eyes could only see its uglyness, and poor state. My eyes, instead, were envisioning how it would look after getting some work done.
Once the contractors started to gut the house, it turned out to be more of a major reno, rather than a simple fixer-upper. Everything needed to get updated: Roof, electrical, plumbing, the hideous “popcorn” ceiling, flooring…
The house had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It didn’t have a master bedroom with an en suite bathroom. The access to the kitchen was through an odd narrow hallway behind the living room. The laundry room was such a disgusting space. And there was no back deck to enjoy the pines while sipping a drink.
We re-framed the hallway to the bedrooms, to create a primary bedroom with an en suite bathroom. Once we opened the kitchen into the living space, the old hallway to the kitchen half of it became a pantry, and the other half the wash/dryer closet right off the bedrooms.
The old nasty wash room in the back of the house became the perfect spot to turn it into a flex space, with a view to the pines, and a new built back deck to sit and relax.
As for the kitchen, the goal was to have the view become the main focus, and let the light coming in and reflect into the rest of the space. Glossy, white, artisan subway tiles were chosen to have the natural light bounce on its uneven surface. Balancing the tiled walls with white matt cabinets and its matte brass hardware.
Jeff and I, pictured ourselves living in this house, as our transitional home. I dreamt of moving to The Pines. But a Bump got on the road, and we didn’t venture to downsize with a baby on the way. The new owners got to live our dream, to move to The Pines, wake up to the fresh scent of the forest, enjoy a cup of joe while feeling the breezing through the pines, and see the deer grazing near the back deck.
