Brian and I purchased our first home a little over 2 years ago now. We weren’t looking for something brand new, we wanted a house with potential so we could make it ours. We also didn’t want a house that was a total gut job, we were having a baby in 5 months so we were realistic about what we could achieve.
We purchased a 3 bed 2 bath, one of the bathrooms had been renovated 2 years prior which was a big selling point. 2 of the bedrooms were small, but perfect for kid’s rooms. The master was massive and had a huge walk in closet, this was another huge selling point for me. The yard was a good size and already fenced in, final selling point for us. Honestly, our friend Danny who is a mortgage broker could not have made the buying process any easier for us. He gave us so many options on how to use our money and broke everything down for us to where it made sense. I would highly recommend using him if you are in Long Island.
We decided to focus on the main floor with our renovations before we moved in. Everything upstairs was livable, we painted each room and had the carpets cleaned. On the main floor, we knocked down a wall to give more of an open feel, we replaced the floors and we made some updates in the kitchen. I actually saw potential in the kitchen when we saw the house, I could make it exactly how I wanted without having to do a full new kitchen. Here is a picture of before an after. There were so many cabinets and decent appliances, so I checked with my Dad that we could get the cabinets painted. While we did that, we had the counters removed and replaced them with white quartz. The kitchen also had a massive table that took up so much space which carried into the living room leaving an awkward setup, so we pulled that out and replaced it with white quartz counter top as well.
I have always wanted a white kitchen, but I also like colors like blues and greens so I added a seafoam backsplash.
Once we got rid of the black table top, we were able to reconfigure the living room. Since the table top was where the previous family would eat, creating more space allowed us to add a small dining table behind our couch. We recently added more storage which was the final improvement to the space.
Brian’s man cave was used as a playroom by the previous owners. This room was filled to the brim with toys but we removed the carpet and this is now basically Brian’s toy room/where he will watch Met games. It also has our access to the back yard so Brian always makes sure the room is in tip top condition.
While those were huge improvements to our home when we moved in, we started to feel like our house was overcrowding with McKenzie’s stuff (and Brian’s) so we contemplated moving. We ultimately decided we wanted to stay put, we love our neighborhood and figured we could make our house work better for us if we invest into it. We recently replaced our carpets upstairs, we had central air installed, we had a few closets customized (including the custom piece in the living room I pictured above), we had a linen closet added across from the bathroom, we removed a slab of concrete in the yard and added sod, and my favorite – our new bathroom upstairs.
Above is a picture of the bathroom when we moved in. It’s an awkward space, so you can’t see the sink and storage space to the right when you walk in. It was fine, we replaced the curtain and lived with it for 2 years. We decided this would be a huge upgrade for us so we had it renovated. I have always loved navy, so I knew I needed a navy vanity with gold hardware and then I tied the rest of the bathroom in from there. I wish this space wasn’t so awkward to take photos of, but our contractor did an amazing job and told us exactly what we needed and how we could gain more space in the room. We did a curbless shower which makes the room feel huge. We also did heated floors so we’re able to get rid of the baseboards.
Delta had a champagne bronze color that was exactly what I wanted, so I used their lahara faucets for our double sinks, toilet paper rolls holder, robe hooks, a towel ring, and shower. I searched high and low for the perfect vanity, but I couldn’t find what I wanted. Plus, Brian and I are both tall so we decided we wanted a custom height and had the vanity made. Honestly, the price wasn’t that much more then standard vanity’s out there so I would look into it if you are looking so for some custom features.
The last thing I will share is our closets. We had the entry closet done, our Master, a linen closet, and McKenzie’s playroom closet that will one day be her new bedroom. I think these custom closet force you to stay more organized because it looks so nice when everything has a home. Overall, we’re really satisfied with all of the improvements we made to our home. We now feel like everything is finally done and we can just enjoy it.
The Redheaded Mom 