How We Got Here: Our Home Renovation Before and After Journey, from Fixer-Upper to Forever Home

We wanted a project or two… and ended up with more than twenty. Six years later we’re looking back on why we did it, how we made it happen, what we’ve learned and why we wouldn’t trade our journey for anything else (and no, it ain’t over yet)! This is the story of our House Baby and where it's taking us next.

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After six years in the same studio apartment, my husband and I knew it was time for a transition. Despite each commuting an hour in opposite directions every day to different states and filing our taxes four different ways, we still loved our happy little mid-point in Rhode Island and we weren’t ready to leave. We loved finding different little pockets of the city and watching them flourish over half of a decade. We felt that there was so much more growing we could all do. So, we decided to buy.

It all happened surprisingly organically and very, very quickly. Between a Mechanical Engineer and an Architect we are each other’s worst enablers. We both love projects and we knew we wanted a place where we could add our own touch and pour our own ideas and elbow grease into. We thought a kitchen and bathroom project sounded “fun,” sounded “manageable.” After one day of touring houses we put an offer in that evening. Call it destiny, a gut feel, or sheer impulsion, we found something we were ready to take care of, something we came to jokingly yet lovingly call our “House Baby.”

Our living room, originally a dining space, in the early stages of renovation with existing but damaged wooden paneling, coffered ceilings, and 100 year-old hardwood floors.

The house was vacant for a few years and on the market for several months. Our inspection was brief and our closing was smooth. We blinked and the keys were in our hands. I’ll never forget our collective feeling, as we popped champagne on our porch, stepped inside and took it all in, which I can only describe as eloquently as possible as an “Oh Sh*t Moment.” This investment, this piece of the world that we owned and was truly ours, came into focus - the cracks, crookedness and inoperable everything. We hadn’t really grasped how much work we had ahead of us. We set up two aero beds, a desk and a dresser in our sunroom, tarped up the door opening and hunkered down. As we look back on the home renovation before and after, we can see how far we've come, even if it didn’t feel that way in the beginning.

Our renovated living room with an inviting open design, featuring abundant natural light, contemporary decor, fresh, modern furnishings, and cozy natural textures.

See More Home Renovation Before and After's Here!

Now, finally, we're buttoning up the last of our projects on the exterior and, being project fanatics, have already begun the planning stages for our next big pursuit - building a brand new home from our own designs and lessons learned from our HouseBaby. Here, we're carving out a space to document every step of the process, from conceptual sketches to final finishes, sharing the lessons we’ve learned, the tools we’re using, and the decisions that will shape our forever home. With years of hands-on experience, we’re applying our skill set to every square foot, every material, every utility. We’re excited to share the process, decisions, challenges, triumphs and everything in between as we bring our vision to life. This is the next chapter in our story and we can’t wait to build it!