Fixer-Upper Life...

“Just needs a little TLC.” First thought, “Oh, that’s why it’s listed at that price.” Fixer-Uppers are described using phrases like: AS-IS, HANDYMAN SPECIAL, DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH, ONE-OF-A-KIND, FIRST TIME ON THE MARKET. That last one makes me laugh. Oh, yay, so it’s most likely never been updated. As scary as these neglected homes can be, these catch phrases have led to some of the best purchases for us; and that’s why we keep finding ourselves willing to do…just one more.

This is a quick story about our FIXER-UPPER journey and what led us to our most fun fixer yet, our cabin in the woods I lovingly refer to as “The Nest.”

When we were newly married, we rented for one year and then made the decision to purchase our first place, a sweet little condo above the Carquinez Straits with the most relaxing waterview. It was all original, tired charm still in tact; but it worked and it was our own. I loved our quiet time there, but it was very short lived. One afternoon my husband came home from work with an eagerness I hadn’t seen in him before. His electric energy was palpable as he paced the room explaining that if we rented out the condo and purchased another place, preferably a fixer, then we could flip it and make a bigger move after that. I politely listened and then I cried. We’d been in the condo a little less than a year; and while I was interested in his plan for our future, I was not too thrilled with saying goodbye to this perfect little place so soon.

We drove around that very night and found a larger place with a massive waterview that also had room to grow our future family. Our offer was accepted and once those keys were in hand, we began demolition that same night, not wasting a moment. We quickly found out we worked well together. I completely get that remodels are definitely not for everyone, but we were hooked. After having our first child here, a son, we decided to move back to my husband’s hometown. I unfortunately don’t have many pics of that first remodel, but I remember thinking “Note to self: Take more pics.”

We found a townhome, did a simple remodel, had another child, a little girl, and then moved on to do our first total fixer.

This home was located in the same town, but was a little larger and had more of a yard for the kids. We put an offer on this place sight unseen; and let me tell you, when we walked the property the next day to see what we’d committed to, I panicked! The black mold covering the windowsills, the overwhelming stench of pet urine, the stains on every carpet, the dull, dirty walls. Can you smell it? I’m so sorry! I did, however, get a little better at taking pictures this time. Check them out below.

Oh! And when it was time to move on and prep the home for sale in early 2020, I painted the two-story exterior myself…on scaffolding. It was very scary! I do NOT recommend!

BEFORE

What??! I needed a project! I’ve always loved doing things for myself and will try just about everything at least once.

AFTER

In between kid drop offs, pick ups and life, this paint job took me about two weeks to complete. I’d say painting a two-story house on two-story scaffolding is like going skydiving. Once is enough. It’s thrilling but dangerous!

Next Adventure! In early 2020, right before the world shut down, we put our home on the market. Weird timing, I know; but we had already planned to anyways so decided to go ahead and move forward with our sale. Our renter moved out of the condo at the same time so we thought, “Why don’t we just move in there for a couple of months while we search for our new home. Then we won’t have to rush.” Full blown pandemic status and TWO years later we still hadn’t settled on a place, so we decided to sell the condo and put all of our energy into a cabin we purchased back in early 2017 - that’s next up.

Guess what??? That cabin we purchased, It was all original, tired and in need of a facelift. The great thing about this purchase was that it was in amazing structural condition and in a perfect location! It had been sitting on the market for quite a long time. My husband had repeatedly asked if I’d be willing to check it out, but the pictures were NOT CUTE, so I just wasn’t interested. The ups and downs of having offer after offer fall through, however, gently nudged me in the direction of that dowdy little cabin, so I reluctantly decided to take a look.

I did the walkthrough without Mike, so I was prepped to ask all the questions I think he’d ask. I’d done this so many times, so noticing all the upgrade potential on my own was no big deal. When I asked my realtor about a hatch in the ceiling at the edge of the living room, he said it was just storage space which was typically used for Christmas decorations, etc. I asked if I could see the space and he said, “Go for it.” I carefully climbed the wobbly ladder to check it out. Once I steadied myself, I carefully pushed up on the dilapidated hinged door and propped it open so that I could properly see the “storage space.” In a voice loud enough for my realtor, parents, and kids to hear I gasped and said, “This space is incredible! It’s huge up here! Mike and I could totally build this out!” His response, “No one’s ever going to build out that space.” My quick retort, “You don’t know me and Mike.” I quietly smiled to myself, my head still halfway between the dated second floor and the dusty, cobweb-ridden third floor, dead bat and all. I could see the potential this place had and felt so blessed no one else had wanted it. I couldn’t wait to tell Mike!

He was very excited I liked it and told me he didn’t need to see it in person, that he trusted my opinion, and I should go ahead and put in our offer ASAP. I told the realtor we were done looking and followed him back to the office to go over details. Three days later, after a few minor negotiations, it was ours. We lived with the 1980s/90s/I-don’t-even-know-what era for a few months before we finally got antsy and began knocking out the past to make room for a newer, fresher, more sophisticated space. To date, this has definitely been the best purchase and most fun makeover we’ve ever done. Who knew back in 2017 that in 2020 we would be spending most of the next year here doing distance learning with the kids. Best… purchase… ever!

Fast-forward to 2022, we have plans to redo the entire cabin. It may take a few years, but here’s just a few pics of what we’ve tackled so far, including some “in the meantime, the in between time” pics.

Let’s Build a Loft - First Discussions

Follow me on Instagram @joskippermandesign to CHECK OUT the journey under Cabin Remodel Part 1 and Cabin Remodel Part 2.