Let the Renovations Begin!

Or we could call this the renovation I didn’t see coming….here’s how it all began.

I’m sitting at a swim meet and my husband calls from out of town , “That house in Hobcaw on the market, can you go see it now?” These houses tend to go quickly, so the answer was YES! I made an excuse to leave (not sure I even told my girls), and headed to the house for a quick tour.

My husband walked through the house when he got back to Charleston the next day. Our first thought, “Love this neighborhood, but boy does this house need a lot of work.” And we were we right….

So this is a good snapshot of the overall aesthetic of the house. Think 1966 wood paneling, turquoise and pink themed bathrooms, laundry closet in the kitchen, telephone tables in the walls, you get the picture.

Not sure how it happened, but we decided to take on the challenge.

First we met with a designer who renovates houses herself, and she helped us visualize what could be done to the closed up space. We decided a wall needed to go which would require a beam installation, the kitchen and powder room needed to be taken down to the studs, and floors needed a major overhaul at the minimum. This would be Phase 1 of the house overhaul.

My husband and I have been co-general contracting and working with subs (on top of our real jobs) to help speed up the process and save some money along the way. Not sure this would work for everyone, by the way. We have not been afraid to dig in…Rainy day ruined our outdoor plans so we did the demo ourselves. (He did the demo, I carried to the curb). Certain subs being slow, Billy would research and do some of the work to keep the process moving forward while I looked for a replacement.

We have learned a lot through the process, here are some tips that stand out for anyone renovating an old home.

theCollarfind’s Renovation Tips

*Be ready to make a decision on a dime. Which means do your research ahead of time.

*Weekly house meetings are important– We meet every Sunday and set an agenda for the week ahead, communications needed with subs, decisions that need to be made, items purchased, budget breakdown. In addition, we split up the tasks so we are not duplicating efforts.

*Expect the unexpected with an older home. Like wires not grounded or updated in 50 years. Inspections don’t go into the walls, so there is no way of knowing until you own the house.

*Shop around. I’m amazed the different pricing options on lighting, etc on the same items if you do your research. I will be sharing some of our finds once the house is complete, and posting links so you can save too!

*Be prepared for curveballs. You know like a hurricane that stops everything for a week because there in no power in the neighborhood.

*Be flexible and creative. We worked with the flooring team to create a solution after the initial stain left me in tears. Many texts and sleepless nights of researching later, and we are thrilled ( my new bff flooring guy and I) with the final result.

For more renovations updates and to see videos: Check out the Renovations highlight tab on my instgram page.

So we see a finish line (ish) in the next month, and I can’t wait to share the finished product, befores and afters, and all of the rest of the fun once we move in.

Until we begin phase 2…..