Our Renovation

My husband is a carpenter and I have a background in real estate project management so naturally we thought “perfect combo to tackle a renovation and this will be SO easy!”  HA.

Years of our ideas sketched on napkins during dinner were put to the test when we bought an outdated condo in a hub-burb section of Boston. We lived in a construction zone for a good part of a year and despite some major meltdown moments (think oil tank leak scare, a rat, and a bat) we – and our marriage- survived.

Our main objective was to unleash our industrious side so finishes mostly came from revived curb-side finds and salvaged entities, such as the sewing machine base that we converted into our half-bath sink seen here. Custom features like the built-in bar made from nine species of wood, make our home unique and personalized (and show off the man’s carpentry skills).

2 years later our sketches have been brought to life and although projects continue to pop up here and there, we are finally able to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

I can’t say it was easy, but we learned a lot and are very pleased with the outcome. We may even (gulp) do it again!

See our renovation picture album here and check out a few before and after’s below:

BEFORE – this was originally the master bedroom, but we converted into the living room

                          

AFTER – We opened up both sides of the wall and built a custom bar that passes through to the kitchen.

KITCHEN BEFORE (80’s bleh):      

                          

Progress (I know it may not look that way)

                                                                                   

KITCHEN AFTER:

There were some space challenges so we enlisted the help of the Boston Building Resources kitchen department. We worked with a great designer who understood our custom needs.

Our sustainable Candlelight Cabinets were manufactured in Upstate New York and our remodeled kitchen is featured on the Boston Building Resource site! Click here to see.

The slate floor and industrial style sink came from the reuse side of BBR.