Great intentions. We all have them, right? When I first launched my website and Facebook page at the beginning of August, I had great intentions of posting pictures daily with project updates and had high hopes of writing a couple of blog posts each week so that folks could follow along with my renovations. Those ‘great intentions’ were in addition to the everyday tasks of starting a new business and the actual work of the projects themselves. As it turns out, that’s easier to plan than carry out….or at least it is for me. Truth be told, I barely remember to take pictures much less post them (I’m terrible with social media) and honestly, I just sometimes run out of steam. With two projects coming to completion at exactly the same time along with trying to finish well at my previous job by working part-time for the last couple of months, I just seem to run out of time.
So why in the world do I even bring this up??? Here’s why. Sharing these renovations with so many of you who are nothing but encouraging is a real privilege and I don’t take that lightly. I want to keep you informed and enjoy having you along for the ride. I mean the more the merrier, right? So here’s the deal….I’m gonna try to do better. I’m hoping to write at least one blog post each week detailing the behind-the-scenes of projects – past and present – along with some tips I’ve learned about historic renovations, DIY projects, and design. I’m also going to try really, really hard to post more pictures (but no real promises here). If you’re interested, I’d love for you to follow along on my Facebook page and/or Instagram. And to catch you up on what I’ve been doing over the last month, here’s a quick update….
THE CECIL HOUSE
The front porch is up and it looks fantastic!!! I’ll give you all of the details soon including the excellent craftsmanship that went into different aspects of the rebuild but for now I want to share some exciting news. I HAVE A CONTRACT ON THE HOUSE!!! The day my offer was accepted on this house, I had a family message me wanting to know if I knew what was going on and why it was off the market. Talk about staying on top of things. While I tried to be super secretive it only took a couple more messages for me to let them know I got the house. Long story short, they began looking at the house immediately and our conversations grew more and more serious along they way. They have a large family of six and love this house and from the very beginning, I wanted nothing more than to have a big family enjoying this great home. So, two weeks ago we made it official and they put a contract on the house. We still have a few details to work out but that’s the reason I haven’t started the interior renovations for those of you who have asked. We have worked together on the exterior color scheme to make sure that they love it since they’ll be the ones living there, and we all hope that I’ll be involved with the interior renovations when the time comes. For now, my team is wrapping up the exterior renovations and once it’s officially sold I’ll keep you up-to-date on progress of the interior renovations.
COLONIAL REVIVAL
We’re almost done! What started off as a relatively simple project renovating the kitchen, laundry room, half bath, and master bath quickly turned into a little more complex project when we found some structural items during demo that needed to be addressed. That almost always happens, so consider this your warning. This extended our timeline but I’m happy to say that we should wrap this project up in the next couple of weeks. So, stay tuned for all of the before and after pictures of this beautiful home!
AND I'LL LEAVE YOU WITH THIS...
As much as I can beat myself up for not meeting some goals I set for myself, I sometimes need to be reminded of why I’m doing this to begin with. Yes, I love renovating old houses. And yes, I love the design process of taking something that many see as worn down and worthless and uncovering it’s true potential and beauty. But I’m also in this for the people that I get to work with and for. I fully believe that this business is a door that God has opened for me and I want to serve Him well in the process. I believe that by helping individuals and families make a house into a great home then gives them the opportunity to invest in their communities, making those communities better and stronger. So with that in mind, I took a minute to list a few items that have made this whole adventure worth the while for me so far:
Seeing a client’s face light up with excitement when she sees her newly painted house for the first time.
Having neighbors stop by just to say ‘Thank You’ for investing in their neighborhood.
Receiving a hug from a potential buyer after stopping simply to talk through the process because let’s face it, buying and selling houses can be stressful.
The type of teamwork that goes into finishing up a project and how each role is equally important as the next.
Hearing encouraging words from family and friends who tell me I totally can do this.
So that’s all for now. I’ll be in touch soon!