1970 home renovation Archives | Page 7 of 17

1970 home renovation

We purchased a 1970 brick ranch house in Washington County, Maryland in September of 2022. This wasn’t the home I envisioned us purchasing, but we thought it was a little gem that needed the kind of updating we were eager to do. We have had the privilege of meeting some of the children of the original homeowners, who built this Better Homes & Garden floor plan as their dream home. Follow along as we make updates to the home, big and small, while retaining the original charm and best features of the home.

1970 home renovation

progress on the garage-side garden

Last year, I focused most of my gardening on the backyard, specifically the area surrounding the pool. We were in the process of having the pool restored and I wanted the area to feel tidy at the very least. I didn’t want to be floating in our pool, trying to soak up the slower summer days only to be tormented by the view of garden beds filled with weeds. So, I worked a little bit most days to clean weeds out of the beds, dig out rock, mulch, and plant. I’ll share an update on those areas in another post. This year, I’m still working on the back (specifically the area along the back fence), but I’m focusing more attention on the front and garage side of the house. These are the two sides that are most visible from the street. I wanted to work on them more last year,

April 25, 2024 15 Comments

1970 home renovation

the Sherwin Williams color match to my kitchen cabinets

One of my most frequently asked questions over the past year is, “What color are your kitchen cabinets?” Since I paint everything, I think people assume I selected the color and painted the cabinets myself. This is actually the first time I didn’t paint my own kitchen cabinets! I ordered them in this color – Painted Sage by Waypoint. You can find more information on the cabinets I selected and how we customized them HERE. Since I’m asked so often, I’ve intended to take a scrap piece from the kitchen install over to Sherwin Williams to have it matched and it just kept escaping me. Today, I decided to get some errands done that have been languishing for a while and I stopped in the paint store to find the best match. Now, if you had a sample of Painted Sage by Waypoint, which I’m sure you could get from

April 15, 2024 12 Comments

1970 home renovation

1970 home renovation | the beginnings of the boys’ bathroom reno

Warning, this is not a pretty post, but this is the reality of buying a 50+-year-old home that was mostly in original condition. While none of the rooms in this house were ugly (I think the previous owners had wonderful taste), there comes a time when the fads of the day are dated, and the wear and tear on a home warrant a redo. In the case of the boys’ bathroom, it’s just time. But, as I’ve shared before, the renovation money initially allocated for updating the two bathrooms went towards a roof (you can read about the new roof HERE), which was in worse shape than the home inspection showed. It was a smart choice, but a roof isn’t quite as fun as a new bathroom. I try to appreciate it every time I walk or drive by the house and when we have heavy rain. Fully renovating this

April 11, 2024 13 Comments

1970 home renovation

trellis inspiration

A little over a week ago, I shared some of our spring project plans and I thought I would flesh one of those ideas out a bit more. Specifically, let’s take a look at some trellis inspiration ideas I’m considering for the blank wall of siding on the front of the house. This year will likely involve prepping the beds and planting, but I’m not sure if building a trellis will get on the spring to-do list this year. I know I want some sort of vertical, wall-covering element so I would want to keep that in mind with any prepping and planting we start. Here is how the house looked in the early fall, shortly after we finished painting the front. We painted the shutters, siding, and trim and, prior to that, had a new roof installed. All of that work has boosted the curb appeal of the house,

March 19, 2024 22 Comments

1970 home renovation

spring 2024 projects

After being sick for a few days, it always takes a little while to assess how you’re feeling in the morning. Am I still sick? Have I finally turned the corner? Well, this morning, I assessed after helping Jeff get the boys off to school and I have turned the corner. I felt like myself and had some energy for the first time in a week. I’m still not 100%, but I’m on the way there. So, with the turn of the calendar to March 1 and with some new energy, I found myself thinking about projects we are planning to work on this spring. I shared a list of loosely planned projects to do in 2024 HERE, but this is a bit more specific to what we’ll be working on in the coming weeks. Since the weather will be warming up, we’ll be focusing a lot of our attention

March 1, 2024 14 Comments

1970 home renovation

project plans for 2024

In yesterday’s blog post, we looked back at some of my favorite projects of 2023. Today, let’s look ahead to 2024 and the home projects we have on the list. They might not all get done this year because other priorities might pop up or we might be unable to fit some of the bigger projects in our 2024 renovation budget, but it doesn’t hurt to aim a little high! paint the dining room This one has been on the list for a while and I already have paint for it, so there is no excuse not to get this one done, soon! A part of the delay is I have been waffling on which color I want to use and if I want to attempt another full-room landscape mural. I initially thought I would paint the dining room in Light Blue, the same Farrow & Ball color I used

January 18, 2024 29 Comments

1970 home renovation

2023 favorite projects

While I enjoy looking forward to the coming year in January, I think it’s also important to look back. It can be easy to focus on the to-do list and ways we want to improve, but, even if the previous year has been difficult or hasn’t been everything one hoped, there are always things we’ve learned, things we’ve accomplished, and things to celebrate. Since the main things I write about on this blog are projects I’m working on, I figured I would share my favorite projects from 2023. When I still feel like so many projects need to be done on our home specifically, it’s a good reminder to see how much we’ve accomplished in just over a year since we’ve lived here! And, 2023 was a huge year because we tackled the two biggest projects on our to-do list when we bought the house. As I’ve shared before, we

January 17, 2024 11 Comments

1970 home renovation

antique-style fireplace mantel reveal

Earlier this week, I shared about the antique-style fireplace mantel we built to replace the simple mantel shelf. You can find more details about how we built that mantel in THIS POST. I really liked the foundation of this room, but I envisioned the fireplace with a more traditional mantel. The shelf, to me, felt more modern and the room as a whole felt more traditional. I felt like building out the mantel would give the fireplace more presence and make the room more cohesive. Here is how the fireplace and surrounding built-ins looked when we moved in… …and here is how it looks now with the room painted in Card Room Green and the mantel we built! Of course, it’s a little hidden because it’s all decorated for Christmas. In fact, as soon as the paint on the mantel was dry, I started decorating it! I realized after the

November 30, 2023 49 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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