Doesn’t look like much, huh? I know, its small (less than 1500 square feet) and it looks like it needs a lot of work, and four years later it still needs a lot of work. But its oh so much better than when we first purchased on August 1, 2006.
The history of our home:
- Originally built in 1936, it was the first home on our street
- The first floor was the primary living space
- Built with two bedrooms, one bath
- An unfinished attic
- A 7′ x 7′ kitchen
- A small dining room
- A quarter basement
- White oak hardwood floors throughout the first floor
- No driveway
- A small fireplace in the living room
When we purchased it, the house had been used as by the second owners’ son while attending the University of Maryland and three of his buddies. Their upgrades included:
- Added two bedrooms and a full bath to the unfinished attic
- Linoleum floor and particle board vanities in both bathrooms
- Sheets of plastic wall tile in the upstairs bathroom
- Central A/C
- New windows
- Steel beams in the basement to remedy a clay foundation that had shifted over the last 70 or 80 years of its life.
- Entry level washer and dryer in basement
- Clay, gravel and grass driveway
- Chain link fence in the backyard
- Unfinished lapboard knotty pine paneling on all walls in the attic
- The attic also had issues with mold. They followed this simple attic mold removal guide then had it inspected by a professional to ensure we did not have any further mold issues in the house.
On move in day, our kitchen featured:
- Green metal farm house style sink with matching base cabinet
- 18 inch wide stove
- 5 foot tall refrigerator/freezer
- 7th layer of linoleum flooring
This will give you an idea of where we started.
