This Old House: June 2014

So, I fell in love with an old house built in 1937. I was skeptical of even going to look at the house because the fire engine red color turned me off; but I could not pass up the location, backyard and not ever having to pay HOA fees. I purchased my house in April 2014 and I had no idea what I was getting into with a complete remodel of an older home. At times I've wanted to cry, scream and even check myself into a psych ward for making the decision to buy a "fixer-upper". The house is currently only a two bedroom and one bath. Sounds small, but it's not. I've gone to the city and reviewed all the permits for the house and no one actually knows the true size of the house because it started off in 1937 as 500sqft and previous owners have added rooms over the years. The city of San Diego does not allow a house to be more than 55% of the lot size so I can only add on a studio/bath in the back... and a pretty nice rooftop deck. So, when it's finished the house will be 3bedroom and 2bath.

This house will go through 4 phases with the first phase nearing completion... the inside remodel. This house started off with old carpet, old paint, old tile and old kitchen and bath appliances. The only items that I decided to keep in the house were the original french doors and the hinges that keep them attached to the wall.

The house went through a complete demo and I even knocked down a wall to open up the kitchen. It was amazing to find out that this house was once yellow, lavender and blue. It was also amazing to find out that none of the plumbing or electrical were up to code. All of the electrical and plumbing in the house was rewired/plumbing fixed with exception to the laundry room out back. Yes, I said laundry room out back. That building is a blessing and a curse. Blessing because the building is grandfathered/permitted because it was built so long ago. It also allows me to add the extra bathroom.

I decided to take out the old flooring with exception to the original hardwood in the living/dining room and replace with new hardwood and tile in the bathroom. I just put new hardwood on top of the old hardwood. I added a new kitchen to include white wood cabinets, granite countertops and new stainless appliances. The bathroom was also completely remodeled with moving part of a wall back to allow for more space. The bathroom is pretty small :-/ I was able to order a 20inch deep soaker tub for the bathroom that I absolutely love! I changed all the light fixtures in the house. The kitchen and office had fluorescent lights which were replaced with can lights. The dining room chandelier was replaced with two pendent lights. Living room and bedroom lights were replaced with white ceiling fans with lights. My overall vision of this house is to make it a cottage house. I was able to find door knobs from the 1930s and I decided to make my own vintage/reclaimed wood furniture (which still needs some work) :-)

I will keep this blog updated through my adventures of home ownership, but in all honesty I'm expecting this house to be complete in 2016.

Pictures are Before *Purchased As-Is*, Demolition and Remodel

Don't let the bars freak you out, I live in a great neighborhood and purchased the worst house on the block. Unfortunetly the previous owners decided on bars vs. ADT. Needless to say, the neighbors are not bothered by the construction noise :-)

I still need to hang the wood blinds and replace the front sliding doors with new french doors... and reframe the front of the house (phase 2).

The Ugly Little Red House that I purchased