When you look through the photos in this post, you’ll quickly see that Meghan and her husband achieved an impressive transformation. What makes their story even better is the personal account she sent explaining how they turned a dated, awkward space into something that stops you in your tracks. If you decide not to scroll straight to the pictures and read as you go, this background makes the reveal even more satisfying.
“Like many people, my husband and I bought a house that needed a lot of work. In our case, previous owners hadn’t left much worth keeping, so we decided to gut the kitchen, family room, dining room, and bathroom down to the studs and subfloor when our first child was just 12 weeks old. We both worked full time and did nearly every part of the renovation ourselves — my husband isn’t cheap, he’s ambitious. There were many late nights and long weekends, and our son learned to sleep through the sound of a nail gun. With the refrigerator temporarily in the garage, we even had to go outside in the middle of the night for 2 AM feedings. You’d think we’d learn our lesson, but we’ve since renovated most of the rest of the house while raising two more children. Three boys in under three years while renovating DIY-style — do not try this at home. Below are some before shots, orange paneling and all:
Notice the back and left side walls. Now you see them…
…now you don’t.
We also converted several doors into windows and turned a window into a door — because why do anything the easy way? At one point we had to shut off the heat for a week to move baseboards, and we did this during freezing weather. Our poor son slept bundled up with mittens, but he didn’t seem to mind.
Most of the cabinetry, windows, and the sliding door came from Home Depot; the lighting is from Restoration Hardware — one of two splurges (the other being a Ming Green marble backsplash). The toy boxes under the console are repurposed Ikea end tables, and the rest of the accessories are from HomeGoods and Ikea. Thanks for letting me share!” — Meghan
Reading that makes anyone feel exhausted — renovating is tough even with one toddler, so doing it with a twelve-week-old takes another level of determination. Well done, Meghan and team. Can you believe that all these photos are of the same house? It’s an incredible change. Let’s play a quick favorite-part game: Sherry loves the substantial crown molding, while I’m all in on those pendant lights.