Master Bedroom {paint}

Not only did we just finish the reno process in our new master bedroom, but we also have internet at the house!  It feels good to be connected again 🙂

The before pictures are pretty self-explanatory…our new bedroom was not our style.  But we knew we could fix it!

We started by sanding the wood wall where the fireplace is located.  First with 60 grit sandpaper, using a combo of our new electric sander and foam sanding pads.

{sorry for the dark lighting!}

The electric sander was only able to fit on the larger flat surfaces, so all the other small/detail sanding was done by hand, which is why the sheen wasn’t taken off.  It was scratched-up, which is all that was needed.  The electric sander, however, cut right through the sealant and exposed the natural wood.  Not gonna lie, it was kinda nerve wracking at first.  After the 60 grit sanding was done, we followed it up with 180 grit.

The pictures don’t really show the difference, but the smooth factor on the wood was ah-mazing.  Like a baby’s bottom.  The pictures of the corners below show the difference in the wood: electric v. hand.  And for whatever reason, when it was originally installed, there was no caulk used to fill-in any cracks.  There were highly visible gaps along the ceiling and walls, and also along some molding seams.  Nothing that a little quick hardening caulk couldn’t fix, though!

Then we taped-off the carpet and tile and prepared to prime.

I personally think the first coat of primer always looks horrible.  No matter what you’re priming.  It’s so blotchy and uneven.  We used good ol’ Zinsser Cover Stain primer.

But after the second coat, the coverage was much better.

After priming was done, all that was left was 2 coats of paint.  White on the molding around the perimeter including the fireplace mantle, and Valspar Asiago on the rest.  Then we had to paint the entire rest of the room {including the ceiling }, going with Valspar Oatlands Subtle Taupe.  In my opinion, it is the perfect “greige” {grey + beige}.  Which brings us to the final product:

In case anyone is wondering, I’m super impressed by Valspar paint.  I thought for sure we’d have to do two coats of paint on the formerly green bedroom walls, but it covered so well the first time that a second coat wasn’t necessary (it helps that it’s primer + paint in one}.  We did do two coats on the wood wall, but that was definitely necessary.  It seems like everytime I look on Pinterest for inspiration, the paint colors are from Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams…which is fine, if you can afford it.  But if you’re looking for affordable paint, I definitely recommend Valspar from Lowe’s.  I was impressed.

That sums up the new paint in our master bedroom!  We LOVE it.  It’s such a relaxing space now–exactly what we were going for.  After tons of paint chips, and a couple trial runs with paint testers, we’re very happy with how the colors turned out {although the pictures don’t do them justice}.  Coming up: the walk-in closet makeover, and the final reveal of our master bedroom.

The Master Bedroom {before}

When I was deciding how to start posting pictures of our house on the blog, it was hard to figure-out an organized way to do it.  So instead of having a system, I’m just going to start with the room that is getting a lot of changes made to it right off the bat.  That would be the master bedroom.  Also known as, “The room with too much room”.

Our new master bedroom is 21 x 20.  That is a total of 420 square feet, of just bedroom space.  My first solo apartment in Eugene was 480 TOTAL square feet, and that included a kitchen, bathroom, and pretty big closet.  Here’s what we’re working with:

{Doorway from the hallway}

{Closet to the right}

{View from doorway}

{View from doorway}

{Fireplace, closet, and entrance}

As you can see, the room is currently a nice shade of what I like to call, “90’s mint green”.  It’s not the popular mint green popularized by Pinterest lately, it’s more of a dated pastel green.  That’ll soon be changing.  Along with all the light fixtures.  And then we need to figure-out how to fill-up this space.  I know, I know, #firstworldproblems.

{Fireplace molding facade}

{Fireplace wall, closet, entrance, and bathroom doorway}

{Crazy switches}

Not only is the light fixture above the fireplace on a dimmer, to provide just the right ambiance, but the ceiling fan can be controlled by remote.  That is classy stuff, people.  Practically every light switch in our house has been customized, so much so that we are confused about what some of them actually do and how they work.  And I swear, there is no light that was off-limits to a dimmer switch.  I like a good dimmer in the right space, but it’s kinda ridiculous at our place.

Our very first home project will be to paint the wall of molding where the fireplace is.  Yep.  We’re painting real oak wood.  Both sets of our parents about had a heart attack when we told them.  Some people’s cardinal rule is: Don’t paint wood.  They consider it “ruined” forever after.  Not Andrew and I.  My personal cardinal rule is: white trim all.day.long.  Which is exactly why we’ll be sanding it down, priming, and painting the wall of wood.  Here’s a snapshot of our inspiration:

{via Pinterest}

This project is already underway, and I can’t wait to get it finished!  Our goal is to have the entire master bedroom repainted by the time we move-in, so that at least one room is “project-free” (at least for a little while).  T-minus 17 days till moving day.

PENDING!

We’ve almost bought a house!

{Our new house}

Andrew and I looked at this house the first Saturday in February, put in our offer that day, and accepted the sellers counter-offer the next day.  We’ve been pending ever since, but with only the appraisal left, we’re almost there!  We close on March 25th.  The pictures have been pulled from the online listing.

{Living and dining rooms}

{Kitchen and family rooms}

{Master bedroom}

{Backyard}

We can’t wait to share all the details with  you!  There’s so much we love about our future home, and lots of projects to look forward to.

March 25th can’t come fast enough!  Happy Friday, and cheers to a wonderful weekend!

Old v. New

Since Andrew and I are in full house hunt mode, we’re touring more and more houses.  I don’t know the number of houses we’ve looked at, but it has ranged from vintage charmers {1920’s} to brand new model homes, and everywhere in between.  The reason we have looked at such a wide range of homes has been that the year of a house hasn’t played a role in whether or not we like it.  Sometimes we’re drawn to newer houses, and other times we love older homes.  It’s been a factor that has not helped us narrow our house criteria at all, since we’re all across the board.

At least until recently.

After looking at 3 homes this past Saturday, our minds are definitely made up.  Andrew and I have fallen squarely on the side of “older” homes.

Within the span of 2 hours, we toured one home built in 1992, another from 2004, and lastly from 1978.  The homes clearly reflect the differences of those decades, and each had their pros and cons.

The pros of a new house are pretty obvious: white trim, white doors, chrome hardware, modern appliances {including the things you don’t think about like sinks, toilets, and faucets}, and the “big” stuff is supposed to still in good working order {roof, windows, furnace, AC, plumbing, etc.}.  BUT the three biggest things you take a risk on are durability, character and yard, which just happen to be high priorities for Andrew and I.

Let’s talk about the durability of  a house.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned through house hunting, it is that newer construction does not equate to less problems.  For many, it’s a natural assumption: newer is better.  With homes, that is definitely not the case.  It’s all about the builder.  And builders nowadays can cut corners and use cheap materials, just like any other builder in the past. My last post was about a short sale built in 2002, and it had so much water damage throughout the house that I’m surprised it’s “pending” right now.  If you want to buy new construction, definitely do your research on who is building your dream home.  Because home problems don’t surface right away…they take 5 or 10 years to develop, and once they do, you’re the one dealing with it.  Which is exactly why an older home appeals to Andrew and I.  Older homes may need cosmetic changes, but they’ve stood the test of time.  A home from 1978 with no cracks in the ceiling, or foundation issues, and a newer roof, and appliances that have been taken care of…that’s worth it to us.  Because chances are that if there were any major issues, they already happened {on somebody else’s dime}.

The second biggest con that we found in newer homes was the lack of character.  It’s a pretty general complaint, because every house is different.  I just know that we put a lot of stock in the feel we get while walking through a house, and the character of the house has a ton to do with that.  Don’t settle for a house that doesn’t feel like home.

Lastly, new construction comes with a major downside: lot size.  I don’t know where this phenomenon came from {maybe it’s only in Oregon?}, but the new houses we’ve seen loose a certain amount of appeal once you realize your outdoor space consists of a patio.  And that’s it.  For us, who both grew-up with big grassy yards, it’s hard to comprehend.  Which is why, once again, older homes have the upper hand.  In our house hunting experience, older homes come with bigger yards.  And it isn’t just about the yard–bigger lots mean more privacy, space between your neighbors, and reduces noise concerns.  The advantages of having a large yard is definitely something we’re looking forward to.

After touring 3 homes with over 30 years between them, Andrew and I left feeling like we had finally seen the light.  While newer houses are shiny and flashy, we’re interested more in the bones that older homes offer.  We want a solid foundation, and don’t feel like taking a chance on new{er} construction.  We’re OK with the fact that we’ll have to make cosmetic changes along the way, because that’s the fun part!

In the battle of old v. new, we’re siding with “older is wiser”.  And we feel pretty darn good about it!

The House Hunt is On!

2013: the year we will buy a house.

It’s finally here!  After months of waiting and saving, and years of watching thousands of other people fulfill their home buying dreams on HGTV, it’s our turn!  I couldn’t be more excited!!!  It isn’t obvious at all, right?

During the last few months of 2012, Andrew and I were pretty low-key about the house hunt.  We were mostly concentrated on our money goals.  But there was one time when we were diverted from our “January 2013” mantra.  Back in November, we saw a house that completely captured our imagination.  It was big, it was newer, and it was in a good area out in the suburbs.  The icing on the cake was that it was a short sale that had been on the market since APRIL, increasing the chances of getting a rockin’ deal.

We coordinated with our Realtor, and went to go look at it, with stars in our eyes.  Could this be “the one”?!

Whomp whomp.

It was a complete letdown.

The very first thing I noticed when I walked-in was water damage on the ceiling, probably due to a sealing issue with the window above the door.  It was kind of a shock that my first glance revealed such a major issue.  But the further we wandered into the house, the more it was clear this wouldn’t be our first place.  Chipped paint everywhere, dirty damaged carpet, a HOLE in the drywall where the shower head was attached to the wall, and more.  To say the least, it was dingy and grungy through and through.

How had we been so completely fooled?  I blame a few culprits:

• Short term tenants–the house had been lived in by multiple families in the span of just a few months.  What happens when people aren’t invested in the place they’re living in?  It takes a beating.  The care and upkeep just wasn’t there, and as a result, when we saw it it was pretty rough around the edges.
• Shoddy builders–apparently,  other houses on the street were/are having the same water damage problems.  What do they all have in common?  The builder, and the supplies they used.  Doesn’t inspire confidence hearing that!
• Staged pictures–the photos that were online advertising the listing were taken before tenants started rotating in and out of the house, so they didn’t reflect all the damage and work that needed to be done currently.
• Year built–I have to admit, we were seduced by the age of the home.  We thought since it was relatively new (2007) that there would be no problems.  WRONG.  It’s all about the quality, and just because it’s newer, doesn’t mean it’s not cheap.

The biggest warning sign of all is pretty obvious now looking back.  It had been sitting on the market since April, with multiple price reductions.  While there are definitely some gems out there that shouldn’t be ignored just because they’ve been listed for a while, this red flag should’ve been pretty obvious.   Did my parents warnings teach me nothing?  If it’s too good to be true, it usually is.

After our initial shock of being so wrong about a place we thought could’ve been so right, it was even easier to recommit ourselves to waiting until January to official start the hunt.

And so here we are, January is in full swing, and we’re now house hunters!

We’re Still Here!

FYI: this blog has not been abandoned!

However, our blogging material has been sadly lacking (aka nonexistent) over the past couple of months.  As Andrew and I patiently wait begin our house hunt in January, there just hasn’t been much to update you on.  To sum it up: we’ve been saving for our down payment, keeping our eye on houses in our target areas (which have also been sadly lacking), and pretty much just biding our time.  So…nothing blog-worthy here.

But the new year will bring lots of happenings and changes, which I’m very excited to write about.  As we search for our perfect first house, we can’t wait to update Go Our Own Way!  So until next time, I leave you with one of the few houses we’ve looked at over the past couple of months…

{via Instagram}

It was a total bust.  I can’t wait to explain why looking at a house in person can burst every perfect home bubble you’ve created in your head.

Cheers!

What’s Your Style?

Prompted by John and Sherry over at Young House Love, today I took the Stylescope quiz powered by HomeGoods.  This one is fun because it’s completely image based.  So instead of having to describe your style with seemingly random words and phrases, you just pick the pictures that you like best!  It starts here:

{originally from Stylescope}

The images I chose were…

{originally from Stylescope}

Not sure what that would get me, so on to my results!  Which was…

{originally from Stylescope}

Hmm.  The description says, “Urban Funk has undeniable funk and soul”, which I cannot deny, but still.  Not quite sure that’s how I would describe my personal decor style.  Plus, Boho was picked as my back-up style.  While I do have hippy tendencies, it never really comes across in my decorating.  Since I was disillusioned by my evaluated style, I browsed the other options.  The one I found that probably best fits me is:

{originally from Stylescope}

Yes, much better.  Classic is what I try to go for most of the time!  Unless it’s my future closet/dressing room, where I plan to go completely over-the-top girly and sparkly.  Fair warning.

What’s your design style?  Did your personal style match the Stylescope version?

{09.14.12} Pinterest Pursuits

Nothing much happening in the world of house hunting, but here are three awesome pins to get your weekend started!

{via Pinterest, originally from Flickr}

Autumn: Fall is here, and that means only one thing…FOOTBALL SEASON is upon us.  My alma mater is ranked #4 in the country right now, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what this season has in store for us.  The best thing about living in Oregon?  We have all four seasons.  Which means we get the wonderfulness of autumn in all its glory.  Behold, the beauty of both football and fall above at Autzen Stadium.  It really is the most wonderful time of the year.

 

{via Pinterest, originally from eighteen25}

Subway art: not only are these free printables chic and colorful, but there’s one for nearly every occasion throughout the year.  There’s at least six that could be used in just the next four months!  With all the upcoming holidays, this is an easy and cheap way to decorate any house.

{via Pinterest, originally from Sarah M. Dorsey Designs}

Power tools: since Andrew and I are in the process of preparing ourselves to be homeowners relatively soon, I found this blog post extremely helpful.  Sarah outlines the basic power tools every DIYer must have in their tool kit, and why.  Since we’ll soon be needing stuff of this nature, I like knowing what to look for now.

Everyone have a great weekend, and Go Ducks!

Cheers!

Time Is Ticking Away

Sorry for the 2-week long absence!  I was {un}lucky enough to catch my second summer cold, in the span of one month!  While I was mostly content to lay in bed for two days and watch Doctor Who {which I had heard so many great things about, I couldn’t put it off any longer}, it also was a bummer since the days of summer are coming to a close.

It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost over!  July and August went by in a flash, and I feel like we only accomplished a slice of all the adventures we wanted to have this summer.  But Andrew and I have so much to look forward to in the coming months: football, our Bahama cruise, DISNEYWORLD, our one-year wedding anniversary, autumn, both of our birthdays, and {of course} the holidays are approaching quickly!

The feeling that time is going by quickly is kind of a blessing, when I actually think about it.  Since we’ve decided to not actively house hunt until January, I’m excited for that time to arrive.  While the following four months are my absolute favorites of the year, it will be fantastic to reach January and officially start our house search.

On another note…last night I did some yard work out in front of our current house.  Who else hates doing yard work on their rental?  It just seems counter intuitive to fix the yard of someone else’s house.  However, I also want my current residence to look nice and put together, which ultimately means that I have to do yard work.  It’s a catch-22.

Does anyone else bite the bullet and do yard work at their rental?  How do you feel about summer ending and fall beginning?  Anything you’re looking forward to in 2013?

Ask For Help

If I’ve learned anything from our foray into home buying so far, it’s that asking questions is essential.  Buying a house is COMPLICATED.  And as a first-time buyer, you’re not supposed to know everything.  That’s why you have people along the way to help you.  But the sooner your start asking your questions, the better prepared you’ll be for what lies ahead.

Last night, Andrew and I met with a lender, who was recommended by our future realtor.  And we talked.  We talked and talked and talked.  Then we crunched a few numbers, and then talked some more.  I emphasize the talking because we didn’t officially do anything.  We met with a lender last night because…

1. We wanted to know where we stand financially
2. Get a sense of how much house we’ll be able to afford
3. Walk away with a timeline

We’ve been pretty good about being able to figure-out a lot of stuff just based on research, but let me tell you, talking face-to-face with someone who does this for a living is extremely comforting.  Getting questions answered from the source = very helpful!  After meeting for about 45 minutes, we felt very good about moving forward.  This is where we stand:

1. {Financially} We are on track to save the 5% down we’ll need to qualify for a conventional mortgage.  While we considered the advantages of only needing 3.5% down for an FHA loan, we decided that that wasn’t the right way to go for us.  While FHA does have some perks, there are also disadvantages and fees that we don’t like.  If this paragraph means nothing to you, then start doing your research!
2. {Price}  Thankfully, Andrew and I have been looking in the correct price range!  The lender we met with confirmed that we’d be comfortable in the range we’re looking, which means we’ve been doing our research correctly!  A+ for us.
3. {Timeline}  If everything goes according to plan, we’ll continue to save toward our down payment between now and December.  During that time, we’ll also shop around for the best interest rate, and get pre-approved.  Come January we’ll  commence with the official house hunting.  Ideally we wouldn’t move out of our rental until April or May of 2013, but that’s obviously not necessarily in our control.  The thing that could throw a wrench in our tidy plan is if the PERFECT house comes on the market between now and the end of the year.  Andrew and I aren’t afraid to pounce before December, but for a variety of reasons, hopefully that doesn’t happen!

That about sums up our house hunt in it’s current state.  If anyone out there is considering buying a home anytime soon, I would highly recommend meeting with a loan officer for an informational meeting.  Find someone who isn’t going to pressure you into anything right away, and just ask questions about where you are and where you want to be.  Asking for help is the first step to being well informed!

How are other house hunts coming along out there?  Progress reports from anyone?