Our House
July 3rd, 2013 after moving to Wilmington two and half years before, Wade Nagy and I finally closed on our first Wilmington home.
Wade is a home builder, has been since he graduated App State in 2002. Being that Wade loves to build and I love design you would think we would be the perfect candidates for building our dream home.
Well, that's not so easy.
BUT as you know... when you have to work hard for something, you learn to appreciate it that much more. So we are learning to appreciate the process and look forward to the radical outcome God has in store.
So as part of the process...
we bought ourselves a NEW, but old, 1969 Ranch style Home.
OUR PLAN:
renovate one room at a time while managing to stay sane with 3 kiddos running around.
THE BUYING PROCESS:
I had "shopped" this neighborhood online so much that I was probably driving our realtor crazy. I drove myself crazy. So when this baby re-entered the market from a contract that had fallen through, our realtor made sure that we were the first showing. Besides the horrible smell coming from every wall inside of the house, I knew right away this was the house for us. It had good bones and I could already envision the transformation that would take place.
Plus it's literally 3.85 miles from the beach.
Now that was the big seller.
THE BUYING PROCESS:
I had "shopped" this neighborhood online so much that I was probably driving our realtor crazy. I drove myself crazy. So when this baby re-entered the market from a contract that had fallen through, our realtor made sure that we were the first showing. Besides the horrible smell coming from every wall inside of the house, I knew right away this was the house for us. It had good bones and I could already envision the transformation that would take place.
Plus it's literally 3.85 miles from the beach.
Now that was the big seller.
DISCLAIMER:
Our intent of sharing this journey is to hopefully inspire you in the desire of your own home. Your home is your sanctuary where you spend time with the Lord, your family and the people closest to you. Therefore, I believe that EVERYONE should be in love with their home.
Our intent of sharing this journey is to hopefully inspire you in the desire of your own home. Your home is your sanctuary where you spend time with the Lord, your family and the people closest to you. Therefore, I believe that EVERYONE should be in love with their home.
Please don't compare our life to yours. That is not our wish and it is not how we were created to live.
We want to inspire. That's it.
And besides, behind all of the these pictures, there is mess behind the other wall, there are crumbs waiting to be cleaned up under the chair and there are probably some nagy kids tugging on my leg begging for my attention at the moment.
We want to inspire. That's it.
And besides, behind all of the these pictures, there is mess behind the other wall, there are crumbs waiting to be cleaned up under the chair and there are probably some nagy kids tugging on my leg begging for my attention at the moment.
Life is not defined in photos or blogs. Life is defined in how you live it. Life may look perfect in photos.
But true wholeness comes from within.
But true wholeness comes from within.
And that is what really matters.
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So here is our house.
These pictures were taken the day before move-in day.
And one day, I hope to show you the Before and Afters of all of these rooms.
This was Wade Nagy and the most awesome realtor in Wilmington standing in the stinky garage.
It smelled awful... like something had died in there.
Later we found out that the previous owner had 4 dogs. Large dogs, which means large ____.
You fill in the blank.
Point being... it stunk. Real bad.
Two weeks after moving in we had a friend come and pressure wash the inside of the garage with clorox. That took away most of the smell and paint handled the rest of the stink.
And this is our beautiful daughter and ugly garage.
Since move in date, we have painted the ceiling and walls (including the brick) to get it ready for my car this winter. We went to park my car inside, all to find out that my stylish mini van won't fit. Yup, we bought a garage that I can't park in. Or at least until we tear down that wooden tool table.
Here is the storage room that is off of the garage. This my friends... is awesome. Everything gets thrown in here. One day, we will redo the walls and the shelving, but that is last on the list. Until then, this is our junk closet.
And here we go. Entering our first house after closing. It suits our family that we entered through the garage and not the front door.
We are practical, not fancy. It makes being fancy extra fun.
The Kitchen. Walking in from the garage.
The previous owner did some quickie fixes to this house before putting in on the market. I almost wish that they had left the house in it's original state. The counter tops just aren't my taste and have you ever tired to clean grout on your kitchen counter tops?
Grout should be on floors and backsplashes.. not kitchen counters.
When walking in from the garage, the Breakfast Area is to the left. It looks really small in the picture and that's because it is. However, building some bench style seating, new lighting and fresh paint on the walls
(like THIS) will one day make this a cozy, happy place to have your morning tea.
(like THIS) will one day make this a cozy, happy place to have your morning tea.
Or in our house.. coffee.
The Laundry Room.
Upon moving in, I had to wait almost a week for our new washer and dryer to be delivered. I was ok with the absence of the chore. That was until I had almost 10 loads accumulate in 5 days.
Thankfully my new HE Washer and Dryer was ready for the challenge.
(HERE they are but white and without the drawer)
Our plans are to some how rearrange and redo these cabinets without totally tearing them off of the wall.
The Safari. I mean the Back Yard.
This is the view from the breakfast area. I am thankful for all the windows in this house.
The Kitchen view while standing in the breakfast area.
You see that Dijon Mustard room peeking out at you... We will get to that room in a minute.
Here it is.
The Dining Room turned Homeschool Room/ Office.
Take a peek at this renovation here and see how this room went from repugnant to ravishing.
The Living Room.
This is the largest, brightest room in the whole house. It has a huge picture window that allows such great lighting in the room. This however will probably be turned into a dining room, plus seating area (like THIS) and a wall that will open up to the new living room. But until then, this is where we will gather, watch movies and play Barbie dolls.
This is the picture perfect window. I love that window.
The Foyer.
This is right off of the living room. I hated this flooring when we first moved in, but now after 6 months of living here I have kind of gotten used to it. However, a new light, new doors and new paint will be meeting this area very soon.
The Dining Room/ Den.
For right now this is serving as our place to eat. You cannot tell from the picture, but this space is long and narrow. And very dark. Eventually this will be our living room once the walls are opened up because sitting next to the fire on the sofa is an absolute must. But for right now, it makes a cozy dining room.
Bedroom #1
find this renovation (here).
Nothing like a new baby to come to INDUCE some home renovations. :)
Bedroom #2
Bedroom #3.
This room started out as a guest room, but then we realized that the space needed to be used as a playroom instead. So we are currently turning this into a space for the girls to do their thing.
Bedroom #4.
The rainforest green will be leaving us very soon.
Master Bath.
This is a very small space. But having been the child that grew up in the home where there was only one bathroom and no air condition until I reached high school, I have learned to deal. The only thing I really miss is a good ole' tub. Especially on those tough days of all the babies screaming at once.
Therefore, I am trying to convince Wade Nagy we need a hot tub.
He's not buying. Not yet anyways.
More Backyard Pics...
This backyard is screaming for a fire pit and a hot tub.
I promise they were excited. I do recall them getting eaten by lots of mosquitos that day.
So this might have been when they were complaining to come inside.
We have since then got those biters under control.
And despite the fact that some serious yard work was overdue...
This house had some beautiful flowers.
And this Crape Myrtle... gorgeous.
One of my favorite things about this house.
That Gate.
One day this will be the entry into a lavish garden.
Vegetables and all.
And here we are. HOME.
We brought this rug over on closing date. It was the first thing we had unpacked when moving to Wilmington and we wanted it to be the first thing we unpacked at our new home.
And this happened next.
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We hope you enjoy our journey of making This Whole House our home.
We look forward to hearing from you and your own personal journeys of living life to the fullest.
