Blog-iversary: 200 posts!

Post 100 came and sneaked (snuck?) past unnoticed but this time I caught another big anniversary number:

200 posts!

In two more months it will be exactly one year since we first laid eyes on our Ugly Darling Duckling. And what a year it has been! From first tour to closing date, we spent a rocking and rolling 3 months trying to buy this house all the while our fabulous realtor Teresa held our hands. She was also by our side for the 3 months prior to discovering our house, sending listings, touring houses and coaching us through our very first offer (the one that we walked away from.; read about it here).

With the help of our fantastic contractor team from Glory Homes Inc. and their subcontractors we brought the Ugly Duckling up to speed and code, and finally moved in in May. So far we have (with their help when it comes to the big ticket items and in no particular order)

1. 
   
   updated/repaired plumbing in entire house


2. 
   
   updated/repaired electricity in entire house


3. replaced hvac system


4. repair damaged trim/molding where necessary in entire house


5. made a few roof repairs as needed


6. turned downstairs full bath into half bath


7. installed new fixtures in the half bath


8. hung a new mirror in the half bath


9. takeen space from downstairs bath and add to mudroom for laundry space


10. put vinyl plank flooring down in our mudroom/laundry room


11. demoed kitchen


12. salvaged hardwood floors underneath linoleum


13. installed kitchen cabinets


14. installed appliances


15. installed cabinet hardware


16. sealed butcher block counter tops


17. went tankless (with our water heater)


18. opened the wall to staircase to create a single-family home


19. built and installed a new newel post


20. installed existing handrail using new vintage-style brackets


21. opened the wall between entry hall and living room


22. revealed pocket doors hidden in the walls


23. refinished all downstairs wood floors


24. re-open fireplace and inserted a gel fireplace


25. painted fireplace brick


26. painted the livingroom, the dinigroom, the kitchen, the laundry room, the half bath


27. updated the light fixtures in livingroom, upstairs bathroom, kitchen, diningroom, dressing room, guest bedroom, Little Man's cave and the Master Bedroom


28. spruced up an old brass chandelier


29. hung cabinets in the laundry room


30. refinished the stairs


31. removed linoleum on the landing and upstairs hallway and installed new floors


32. got a proper door for closet to heat pump


33. painted the hallway


34. installed batten and board in the Master bedroom


35. re-caulked tub in upstairs bathroom


36. installed a vintage sink


37. refinished the vintage sink


38. turned upstairs kitchen into Master bath and walk-in closet by building a wall and creating two rooms out of the existing upstairs kitchen


39. laid new subflooring in the upstairs bath and dressing room


40. painted and stenciled the floor in the dressing room


41. updatee plumbing for future Master bath


42. built, installed and painted two shelving units for the dressing room


43. laid tile in Master bath


44. refinished a vintage dresser to use as vanity in the master bathroom


45. built a cabinet for the library


46. built and installed wall-mount shelves in the library


47. refinished the built-in butler's pantry and decorated with stencils


48. removed the old ugly awnings on the kitchen window and the hallway window


49. removed the rusty old handrail from the front steps


50. created a simple patio


51. set up an above-ground pool


52. started the planting in the backyard


53. spruced up the back porch aka The Stoop


54. corrected the fence line


55. installed a new door to our shed


56. created a new planter bed in the front yard


57. began planting a butterfly garden


58. changed the outdoor lighting


59. removed a couple of unwanted and unnecessary satellite dishes from the side of our house


60. removed old broken storm doors


61. moved the vintage mailbox to the actual entry door


62. installed vintage door bell push button


63. installed new window hardware on some windows


64. restrung some window weights


65. changed the front door hardware


66. painted our front door


67. replaced the back door hardware


68. installed a new porch light


69. created and hung window treatments in in Master bedroom, library, livingroom, dining room and guest bedroom


70. upcycled a vintage sewing desk


71. reupholstered a storage bench


72. sewed pillow covers


73. created a gallery wall in the hallway


74. chopped a tree

Through all of that I managed to write 200 blogposts and take way more than 200 pictures. Our little old house has gone through a major transformation, even though it's still not done, and we're beyond happy to see with our own eyes what we envisioned during our first visit. No, it's not a major historical landmark. Not even a whimsical ornate historic home. It's a modest quaint example of vernazular building styles with bungalow influences of the beginning of the past century, but we love it to bits and pieces. It's a house with character and personality. It's our Ugly Duckling!

So here is to the next 97 years and the next 200 blogspots. We are far having reached the end of the to-do-list yet! Hope you're going to stick around :o)