Our approach to renovating a house from afar has shifted a lot since February when we first began house hunting. For a while we thought we wouldn’t be undertaking major projects at all, but plans changed multiple times. Many of you have asked for a clear update on what’s happening now, what remains, and how long the renovation might take. Today we’ll walk through how our plans evolved, why packing our belongings became more intense than we expected, and provide an update on our move date. We’ll also talk about what makes a kitchen feel “adult.”
You can also find this episode on your favorite podcast app, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, and Spotify.
What’s New
- This photo shows our office now that most of our belongings are packed and loaded into the POD heading to Florida. What remains are some items we sold to the new owners, like the floating desk and desk chair. Our computers and as many plants as Sherry can fit in the car will travel with us on moving day.
- We’ll share a full video walkthrough of the house so you can see what stayed and what’s packed in the POD, plus a final video tour we filmed right before the early March showings.
- If you missed our episode about deciding what furniture to bring and what to leave, listen to “How Exactly Do You Downsize Your Stuff?” (Episode #169). We asked four key questions that made decisions much easier, and it felt great to fit our keepers into a single POD.
- Here’s what our POD looked like as we packed the last items — quite the puzzle to fit everything efficiently.
- Because we’d read stories about items shifting in transit and doors getting stuck, we created a cardboard barrier at the back of the POD to keep things from sliding against the door.
- We were probably more cautious about packing than necessary — some people said they just tossed things in and were fine — but we tried to follow the PODS packing recommendations to be safe.
- For anyone moving soon, here are the supplies we found most helpful:
- Forearm Forklift straps to help lift heavy furniture — we moved everything ourselves with these.
- Ratchet straps to secure boxes and furniture inside the POD.
- Moving blankets to protect furniture surfaces during the journey; we used two 12-packs.
- Moving boxes (small and medium were most useful; large boxes worked for lampshades).
- Furniture stretch wrap to hold blankets in place, tighten bubble wrap, and convert open baskets into secured containers.
- And if you want inspiration for our Florida house, check out our collection of beach-house photos for ideas and color direction.
What’s In An “Adult” Kitchen?
- We discussed a Kitchn article listing five features that stagers say define an “adult” kitchen. We don’t believe having these features is mandatory, but it was interesting to compare notes with professionals about what often reads as mature or refined in a kitchen layout and styling.
- We used a large Ikea cutting/charcuterie board in two of the duplex kitchens; it’s a great big size for about $20 and works well for serving or prep.
Our 4 Phases Of Changing Renovation Expectations
- If you missed last week’s before photos and video tour of the Florida house, be sure to look through them to understand why the property didn’t match our initial “low-reno” hope — there were missing floorboards and a bathroom in rough shape.
- We also shared a series of Instagram stories that many readers found useful for grasping room sizes and our intended plans; photos without furniture can be hard to visualize.
- We moved between a few different strategies for managing this renovation from a distance. Ultimately, we landed on a plan that gives us a comfortable, livable space at move-in, while keeping a long list of projects to finish once we’re on site. The first priority will be a phase-one refresh of the mauve-countered kitchen.
We’re Digging
- My son and I are enjoying The 50 States book, reading one spread per night — we’ve made it as far as Hawaii. There’s also a matching activity book that complements the main volume.
If you’re trying to find something we mentioned in a past episode, here’s a master list of everything we’ve recommended from previous shows. You can also browse all the books we’ve suggested on our Book Club page.
*This post includes affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when purchases are made through certain links.