Sharing a before + after tour of our entire home after renovating our old house from the ’70’s to create the farmhouse of our dreams.
It’s been five years since we moved into this old house from the 70’s. It had great bones and was so well taken care of (the previous owners had called it home for more than 25 years), but we knew from the very first time we’d laid eyes on it, that there were some changes we’d need to make in order for it to really function well for our family. Obviously, there were some aesthetic updates that we wanted to make happen throughout the house, but there were also some pretty major structural changes that we’d hoped to do as well – namely removing the main structural wall diving the front living room from the kitchen and dining spaces in behind it. We knew opening up this main living space would completely change the way we lived in our home and boy were we right!
Oh, it was a looooong journey. Every single minute of it. But, it was so, so worth it in the end. With each space we finished, we felt ourselves falling more and more in love with this old house. And slowly, through the five years we’ve called this house home, we’ve managed to turn this old house from the 70’s into the farmhouse of our dreams.
It’s easy to forget in the day-to-day of living here how far we’ve come. How different each space really is. How much we’ve truly transformed this home, one DIY project at a time. But looking back, I’m just in awe of what this house used to be and how incredibly different things look today. And so, I wanted to take a walk down memory lane and share with you the journey of how we transformed this dated house from the 70’s into our very own DIY farmhouse.
EXTERIOR
Before
This old house from the 70’s was showing every bit of it’s 50 years. Though it was all in decent shape and well cared for, it just looked tired.
After
New windows, DIY cedar shutters and a stamped concrete porch did wonders to refresh the look of outdated exterior.
decor
DIY projects
TOUR OUR PORCH HERE
Entryway + Living Room
The view as you walk into our home looks nothing like it did five years ago when we moved in. Obviously the design elements have been updated (hello beautiful hardwood floors!), but the actual layout is completely different. We moved walls and closets, tore out and rebuilt the sunken living room floor, and removed a structural wall that divided it all. After a pretty extensive renovation of our entire main floor, I’d say this hardly feels like the same house we bought five short years ago.
Before + After
DECOR
DIY PROJECTS
TOUR OUR LIVING ROOM HERE
KITCHEN + DINING
Our kitchen probably saw the biggest transformation of any room in our home. Not only did we change out the design elements, cabinets and layout, but best of all we opened it up to our front living room, making it a perfect place to gather with family + friends.
BEFORE + AFTER
DECOR
DIY PROJECTS
TOUR OUR KITCHEN + DINING SPACE HERE
LAUNDRY + MUDROOM
When we first moved into this house, this back entrance was such a dark and cramped little space, but after moving that wall back with our family room renovation, not only did we open the space up a bit, but we were able to make it so our garage now entered into our mudroom space rather than our back family room (which was super awkward!). Even better, I’d always wanted a main floor laundry space located in a mudroom, and that’s just what we did! Moving our washer and dryer up from the basement was one of the best things we ever did to this house!!!
BEFORE + AFTER
DECOR
DIY PROJECTS
SEE MORE OF OUR LAUNDRY + MUDROOM HERE
POWDER ROOM
You’d think that after taking on our main floor bathroom renovation, this tiny little powder room would feel like a breeze, but this one came with a few extra challenges we hadn’t planned for – floors we had to level out, lighting we had to move not once, but twice (that was all me) and installing a whole new door (one that wouldn’t bump into our back door). This one was a ton of work, but so worth it in the end. I absolutely love how this powder room came together.
BEFORE + AFTER
Decor
diy Projects
TOUR OUR POWDER ROOM HERE
FAMILY ROOM
Among the first rooms in our home that we took on, this family room saw a pretty major transformation (see the original space here). Not only did we move a wall to make it smaller (letting our garage enter into our new mudroom space rather than the family room), add shiplap to the walls and new trim work around the doors, but we did it all in just six weeks! This cozy space became our haven as we took on the rest of our main floor – we had many picnics around that coffee table and evenings curled up on the sofa while the rest of our main floor was total chaos. And, it’s still our favourite place to curl up for a cozy night in.
BEFORE + AFTER
Decor
DIY Projects
TOUR OUR FAMILY ROOM HERE
UPSTAIRS HALLWAY
This was one of those transformations that I had no idea would have the visual impact it did. Who knew that new paint, trim work and lighting could completely change the feel of our home. I still remember walking up the stairs and just stopping at the top to really appreciate how different it felt for weeks after we finished this renovation.
BEFORE + AFTER
Decor
DIY Projects
SEE MORE OF OUR HALLWAY HERE
MASTER BEDROOM
Our master bedroom was one of the first spaces we took on in this house. Having just moved into this new (to us) house and knowing we had a long renovation journey ahead of us, it was really important to us to create a soft place to land after a long day. It didn’t take much to transform this space – new paint + trim, new lighting, a shiplap ceiling (such a great way to cover that popcorn) and a bit of decor turned this bland space into the most lovely + cozy space.
BEFORE + AFTER
decor
DIY projects
TOUR OUR BEDROOM HERE
MASTER CLOSET
Oh, our original master closet was bad – SO bad. I could reach just one of the the three rods and only a few of the bottom shelves, which obviously made it really difficult to find a place for my clothes, let alone keep things organized. And of course best of all, it was wide open to our bedroom, leaving that entire disaster for all to see. Turns out, making this closet work for us was a relatively inexpensive project to take on – with some beautiful vintage doors and a custom DIY closet organizing system, this space was completely transformed.
BEFORE + AFTER
decor
DIY Projects
SEE OUR MASTER CLOSET MAKEOVER HERE
MAIN BATH
Aside from our main floor, this bathroom saw one of the most dramatic transformations – I still can’t believe the before + afters of this one! Shiplap walls, new floors, new shower, DIY double vanity, beautiful stand alone tub … I don’t think any surface in here was left untouched and I’m still head-over-heels in love with the results!
BEFORE + AFTER
Decor
diy projects
SEE OUR BATHROOM MAKEOVER HERE
GUEST ROOM
Our original guest room was quite bland + boring, not at all welcoming for people to stay in. As we unpacked all the things after moving in, this space quickly became a catch all for all the things we hadn’t yet found a home for. It took a few years, but eventually we managed to create a warm + welcoming space for our guests to stay in.
BEFORE + AFTER
decor
diy projects
SEE OUR GUEST ROOM HERE
CARSON’S ROOM
This was actually the very first space that we took on in this house. Not only was it really important to us to give our kiddo a space that would make this new house feel like home, but it was also the first room I really had any sort of vision for. I knew I wanted to create a rustic cabin retreat with warm wood tones, lots of cozy elements and some fun cabin themed decor. Having just moved in a couple of months before, this room was a total blank slate, but I really think we pulled together a really fun space!
BEFORE + AFTER
decor
diy projects
SEE MORE OF CARSON’S BEDROOM HERE
PLAYROOM
What used to be an unused bedroom space (and a catch all for all those things that had no home), became a super fun little space where Carson could spread out with all of his toys. I love that he can pull everything out and really use this space while keeping the mess contained, but even better there’s a place for everything to get tucked away when it’s time to clean up.
BEFORE + AFTER
decor
diy projects
TOUR CARSON’S PLAYROOM HERE
If you found yourself wondering about any of the design details such as flooring, lighting or wall colours, pop on over here for more information about each space.
Wishing you SUCH a lovely day!
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love what you did it looks grate
Thank you so much!
I love how you put this home tour together. I enjoyed going through all the DIYs. Your home looks amazing! You guys did an awesome job! Now you can relax and enjoy it. 🙂
Thank you so much Michelle! We sure have come a long, long way!