Taking on a Fixer Upper: How We Got Started

Are you constantly on Zillow looking at homes and thinking about how you would change them? “If this were my house I’d paint this room white, tear down that wall, paint those oak cabinets…”

When you tour a home with pretty countertops and nice floors instead of falling madly in love do you find yourself thinking…”It’s just not ME”?

If you answered yes to either of those questions, then I GET IT. You’re a creative. If you’re dreaming of a home that feels like you then maybe it’s time to consider a “fixer upper.”

When we started house hunting, we toured our fair share of updated homes. They were smaller, at the top of our price range and not really our style. So when we toured a larger house with a floor to ceiling white kitchen (in a bad way), a seashell sink and a creepy off-center chandelier, we didn’t see outdated and ugly…we saw a blank canvas. Check out some before photos here.

Here’s the deal–everyone starts somewhere.

When we bought this house, we had experience with the basics. My dad taught me my way around a power drill and I have a steady hand with a paintbrush but that was pretty much the extent of it. Since then we’ve updated baseboards, changed light fixtures, built a kitchen island, installed countertops, sinks, faucets and so much more.

Here’s what a can of paint and a new light fixture did to our living room (Sorry for the bad angles)—

You want to know the secret? Google. There’s a Youtube video and tutorial out there for everything. Educate yourself. You are just as capable as we are! You’re already one step closer just from clicking on this post. You’re doing the damn thing! Get yourself a drill and a paintbrush and get started. Good luck!