From the Top!

Please follow me on a walkthrough of this vision of possibilities.  And please...see the vision as well as what we got to work with.

First we'll take a stroll around the house.  Notice (what you can't see in the pictures) that just a stroll around the premises gets you excersise by hills, stairs, and a picturesque marsh in the middle of the backyard.  Take in the lovely lack of pool where the deck cuts off, and the young willow taking it's place. 

Do take in the lovely view of the corner lot. 

Notice the wide expanse of closed in deck, a perfect place for the kids to play.  (Well, if it weren't for the rain-filled, who-knows-if-it-functions hot-tub in the corner behind me.  Not to mention some screws that need to get back 'below deck'.)

Gracing another section of the backyard is a gorgeous willow tree.  It may need to be trimmed up a little. 

Well, we're done taking shots at the grounds.  Let's head inside, and start from the top!  This room has been slated to be the girls' room.  What you fail to see are the piles of dead june bugs and the wasp nest in that south-facing window on the right. 

Carson's room...may need a paint job.  And the candle stains surrounding the light fixture need some attention.  (At least, I think they're candle burns.) 

The bathroom...I have nothing to complain about.  Oh, except the tub fixtures - they're rusted in one position.  But that's merely a cosmetic problem. 

I can't forget this little gem.  That carpet is screaming attention!  Luckily, this is just a small closet tha serves as a hidden hallway to the tiny attic door.  I have yet to cross that little brown threshold, since I have tight-spaces issues.  But I'm sure we'll find tons of treasure in the form of creepy-crawlies and musty smells. 

After all that, we're going down the stairs.  I ADORE this entryway!  Put this lovely, quaint door with the little welcome space and it's a little dream come true!  There are coathooks all along the right side of the picture.  And to the left, there's a window that will be darling with a little table under it!

This galley kitchen is pretty great, actually.  We're getting a second-hand fridge/freezer, and we need a stove/oven, but there's already a dishwasher and two microwaves!  Not to mention a charismatic burn right in the center of the longest counter. 

Here's one view of the front room.  Don't mind the huge entertainment center; it's almost on craigslist.  (Not because I don't like it, because I do, but because it doesn't 'fit' our natural and easy-going furniture - it's too stuck-up for our humble stuff.  Besides, it'll pull a buck.)  I really like the shades.  It's hard to tell, but they're a unique shade in that when both cords are short, there's a lace screen, then when you pull one side, the lace screen rises, revealing a more solid shade, and when you pull the other side, the whole shade goes up.  It's cooler in person than description.  Promise.

This room was originally the master bedroom.  Unfortunately, since there's no bathroom on the main level, this is NOT the bedroom for us.  Instead, it will make a great playroom for the kids.  Underneath that lovely wallpaper is...another layer of hideous paper, which is hiding...you guessed it - another layer of ugly paper.  Between that and the panelling, this room will be a joy.

This is the other view of the living room - which also shows how the playroom and the kitchen and the stairs all join up.  I'm still not sure what to think of that window in the wall. 

On to the basement, which I'm sure you're all still here for, since this is running so long and exciting!  The basement is mostly finished, even the room with the sump pump.  This little room is significant only because it will become my walk-in closet, since it leads to the little powder room behind it. 

The little powder room.  Except in order to make that vanity worth anything...it needs a mirror.  Not even a perfect mirror.  Just something to reflect in. 

Cute fireplace, huh?  Too bad it's not funtional.  And we may even just board it over and pretend it doesn't exist.  Still not sure about the long term plan on that one.  One thing we want to do is put a door between the window and the fireplace wall, since it'd lead right into the garage.  Right now, the garage, though 'connected', is accessed by exiting through a glass sliding door, then entering through an exterior garage door.  Seems round-about, to me.  This will be part of the master suite, a sitting area.  The piano will be down here, and the bed will be on that risen part on the right.

The sliding glass door, with a small view of the hot tub, and too much of a view of the one rotting section of the ceiling.  That roof is at the top of the to-do list. 

Behind this little half-wall will be the master bedset.  I think it's even long enough to put my cedar chest at the end of the bed, which I've always wanted to do.  My vision is...perfectly clear to me, but I'm not sure I can make you visualize it. 

Then there's the more picturesque side of the basement.  The more industrial.  The one I'll avoid like the plague.  Ah...wait.  That's where the laundry room is.  Well, at least my bedroom is right next door if I need a break! 

One last view of the kitchen - these cupboards surprised me.  I LOVE that in severeal of them, the top shelf slides out like a drawer.  So cool! 

Speaking of those sliding cupboard shelves, I was very pleased to find this in the bottom of one - the assurance that I won't have to buy dishwashing detergent for at least a year! 

One last thing about the front door...did I mention that it has this adorable knocker?!  Yes, the door is horribly warped and will have to be replaced fairly soon.  But I want to keep this fixture.  Sigh. 

A closer look at the ceiling that needs to be fixed. 

The kids love their new house.  The wagon was a steal, hiding underneath the dying willow.  I think we'll keep it around, since it's already a hit. 

Wait...oh, yeah...that's the end of the tour.

But there's more that I learned.  The neighbors behind us (corner lot, remember?) are an older couple.  Marvin helpfully showed me where our property boundries lie.  He also asked pointedly what we plan on doing with the willow (who's deformed, dying face happens to face his house).  He offered 6 chainsaws and a bonfire.  He has a friendly dog that my kids can't leave alone.  The neighbors to the other side we already know, since we begged bathroom there one of our other trips to the house.  Nice people, all around us!