Our NC farmhouse after two years of renovations

8:12 AM

Okay, if we were millionaires, this renovation would have taken two months and I'd have done some things differently (all my furniture from chairish for starters), but we're not and this whole renovation cost us only $10,000 total, which is what we had budgeted so go us.

The number one way we saved $$ was in flooring. We put in real hardwood, natural oak throughout our 2,200 square foot house for only $3,000. I love real hardwood. It sounds funny but I can always tell an engineered or veneer floor from the real stuff because of how it sounds under my bare feet. I don't mind that it scratches or has imperfections, because that's life and it's wonderful. Anyway, to keep costs down we ordered utility oak, or the boards that contractors have tossed aside because of imperfections. It took forever to lay it all, and might have killed our knees (they're replaceable, right?), but boy was it inexpensive and thick and beautiful.

Dining room: scraped ceilings, new flooring, new paint, new lighting

Dining table: homemade (Ana White plans)

Buffalo picture: painted by my SIL

Chairs: Craigslist find

Sputnik chandelier (my favorite thing ever): thrifted for $30!

Powder room: scraped ceilings, new paint, painted vanity with new hardware, concrete overlay vanity top, beadboard to cover up six layers of wallpaper (not kidding), new tile

Kid's bath: scraped ceilings, new paint, painted vanity and new hardware, concrete overlay vanity top and new sinks, DIY framed mirrors, new beam lighting, new tile, refinished tub and shower

Playroom: scraped ceilings, new paint, new flooring, new lighting (there were no lights in this room), knocked out wall that opens up to the family room

Family room: scraped ceilings, new paint, new lighting, painted fireplace and built-ins, new flooring

Master bedroom: scraped ceilings, new flooring, new paint, new lighting

bed: DIY by us! We found our inspiration on a European furniture site, so we didn't use plans

throw: Target, but I added tassels

nightstands: ikea cheapos that I painted and added hardware

magnolia wreath: made from our millions of magnolia tree starts outside

Master bath: scraped ceilings, knocked out closet to make room for the tub, new paint, new tile, new tub, new toilet, DIY concrete vanity slab that Shane poured in our barn, DIY vanity shelf, new sink

tub: Craigslist find! still in the box! hardware included!