1970 home renovation Archives | Page 9 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

a simple home upgrade

In the middle of larger projects that have to be spaced out over a few days, weeks, or months, I like to sprinkle in ones that take a few minutes. It helps me make progress and check something off the to-do list when I’m creaking from bigger projects or I’m working on other things. And, I have to say, it’s amazing how impactful some of those little projects can be. One of the home upgrades that is relatively inexpensive and pretty much anyone can do is to change out the hardware on cabinets and closet doors. It’s especially impactful if you’re upgrading from hardware that is “builder grade” or dated. I’ve wanted to change out the hardware on the cabinet in the family room from the time we moved in (can you believe that’s been over a year), but I was going to wait until I painted the room and

October 12, 2023 20 Comments

1970 home renovation

1970 home renovation | painting the shutters & front door

Over the past week, I set aside a couple of days to continue chipping away on painting the exterior of the house. You can see the first two posts about painting the exterior of the house HERE and HERE. My goal is to get the front, driveway side, and back of the house primed and painted before the cold weather sets in. The fourth side of the house is covered in a thick hedge, so we need to get that trimmed and cleaned up before we work on painting that side. With two gables, two walls of siding, and the porch, the front was going to be the biggest challenge and that is almost done! Late last week, I took the day to prep, prime, and paint the front door and the shutters along the front of the house. I’ve been stalling on painting the front door for months because

October 4, 2023 32 Comments

1970 home renovation

the 1810 mantel

A few weeks ago, when I was out and about to pick up the recliner for the living room, I decided to stop in one of my favorite local antique shops. In case you missed the recliner, I found it on Facebook Marketplace and slipcovered it with the help of my mom. Here’s what it looks like now, but you can read about how we made the slipcover HERE. Anyway, my primary objective was to find antique and vintage frames for my original artwork, but right away, I spotted an antique mantel leaning up against the front of the store. Just by eye-balling it, I thought it might be a good fit for our living room fireplace. Before I get into the details of the mantel, let me remind you what the fireplace looks like… I really love the brick and the fact that it’s a wood-burning fireplace. We’ve never

October 2, 2023 22 Comments

1970 home renovation

1970 home renovation | painting the exterior | part two

Before the rain came over the weekend, Jeff, my mom, and I worked last Thursday and Friday to make a sizeable dent in painting the exterior trim and siding on our house. The weather truly was perfect for it and, while we were all tired and sore by the end of Friday, we got a tremendous amount done. We started on Thursday with the trim. I had already primed the porch and trim I could reach along the front of the house and over the garage (as I shared in THIS POST) and it took almost all day for me to just get a coat of primer on. With the help of Jeff and my mom, I was hoping we’d get all of the trim primed and painted along the front of the house and on the porch, but it was a tall order. I didn’t know how many coats

September 27, 2023 33 Comments

1970 home renovation

1970 home renovation | painting the exterior

I’ve had the exterior paint sitting in the garage since the beginning of the summer, but I just didn’t want to paint in the heat. I imagined I would spend a day painting and then jump into the pool as a treat, but waiting to paint on cooler early fall days sounded more appealing to me. I think there was a bit of procrastination happening as well, but I know myself and I will wilt in the heat and won’t be as productive. This week, the weather report was perfect for painting. Not too hot, not too cold, and no rain in the forecast. So, I purposed to do it. I put it on the mental calendar and let everyone know that is what I’d be working on for a few days this week. Yesterday, I got started. First of all, no, I’m not painting the brick. I’m usually on

September 20, 2023 15 Comments

1970 home renovation

custom-built shelf by the side door

One of the downsides to taking down the walls in the kitchen is that we lost the “mud room” area. It was small, but it at least provided a landing area for shoes and such that was hidden from view. But, I felt like the light and space we would gain was a good trade, so the walls came down. I thought initially I would add a piece of furniture along the wall by the side door as a place to tuck shoes, drop keys, and hang bags, but it would block the traffic path much more than I thought. So, I decided to shift gears and build a shelf to define a bit of a “landing area.” Of course, it’s still in the kitchen and in full view, so it’s not a place to hang everything people bring in the door. The boys will still keep their backpacks in

September 18, 2023 39 Comments

1970 home renovation

kitchen eating area light fixture & lamps plus giveaway

We’re paying a little visit back to the kitchen again in this post! We are still working on little finishing touches and I am sure we always will be. I don’t ever call a room done, but done for now. There should always be some wiggle room for more change. Today, I am sharing about the new light in the kitchen eating area. As a full disclosure, this light fixture was a part of a partnership with Lamp’s Plus. I’ve worked with them before on lights for the exterior of the house as well as for the hallway, and they had a great fixture for the kitchen eating area. There are giveaway details at the bottom of the post, so don’t miss that! Initially, I wasn’t planning on putting a new light over the eating area. We opted for recessed lights to give an all-over wash. I left open the option

September 13, 2023 226 Comments

1970 home renovation

doors to the dining room & dining room updates

One of the details I loved about this 1970s house when we first looked at it was the doors leading to the dining room. It’s one of those architectural details you don’t usually find in newer homes. But. a house built in 1970 is bridging the formality of homes in the first half of the 20th century (with front and back entrances, rooms for guests and entertaining, and ones strictly for practicality, etc.) and the modern, open floorplans that became popular through the 1970s and 80s. I love that this home leaned a bit more into old-fashioned choices along with upgrades that were modern for the time. The doors are just slab doors, but I painted them Card Room Green and added (instead of cabinet knobs) and they look so sweet. I still need to paint the dining room walls (they are just primed at this point) and give the

September 11, 2023 33 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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