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Renovate for You.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Regions Bank, however all opinions and proclaiming my belief of renovating for you are 100% mine.

When Grunt Labor and I realized that the new construction home wasn’t for us, we put it on the market and started house hunting. We were pretty open when it came to houses – we weren’t scared of having to do a little work. We were picky when it came to location though. A good sized yard was a must and a “real” neighborhood would be nice.

We looked at countless houses. No, I’m serious. Countless. Lucky for us our realtor also happens to be a good friend and he was a great sport about showing us just about anything and everything under the sun.

There was the house that sat right across from a would-be neighbor who owned a school bus and parked it right on the street every day as if it were a lawn street ornament.

There was the house that had a dead bird in the shower.

There was the one with a creepy downstairs that I ran out of faster than should have been naturally possible.

After hunting for probably a month with no contenders, we were ready to just sell the new construction, put most of our things in storage and live in an apartment until we found the right place.

And then our realtor called and said, “Have you looked at the house in my neighborhood?” Oh, you mean the neighborhood we consider the perfect neighborhood and dream about every night? Nope, we didn’t let ourselves look there because we knew it was too far out of our league. But our realtor said there was a foreclosure on the market in his neighborhood. And it was in our price range.

We went to see it – with flashlights as there was no electricity or even running water turned on.

And before we even looked at the downstairs level, we knew. We knew that this was our home. Well, I knew. Grunt Labor had to have a bit of coaxing.

There was just a problem or two, well besides not knowing if the water or electricity even worked. It needed some renovations. We knew that even if it took us a year to finish all the work that it was worth it to get into this neighborhood though.

And so we bought the beloved foreclosure. We closed on the house one day after our summer vacation started (both Grunt and I were teachers at the time), moved in enough furniture to get by and renovated 90% of the house that summer.

Renovate for YOU! Lots of great ideas in this article about home renovating and great resources too! Renovated living room - wall was removed. Living Room Design / Living Room Decor / Eclectic Decor

Living Room

We took out a wall between the living room, dining room and kitchen.

Renovate for YOU! Lots of great ideas in this article about home renovating and great resources too! Kitchen Renovation / Kitchen Remodel / Budget Kitchen Makeover / Navy and White Kitchen

First Kitchen Remodel / Current Kitchen Design

We painted the cabinets, got new appliances, eventually built an island and switched out the countertops.

Renovate for YOU! Lots of great ideas in this article about home renovating and great resources too! Bathroom before and after renovation / Budget Bathroom Renovation / Bathroom Remodel

First Bathroom Remodel / Current Bathroom Design

We laid new tile, ripped out the old vanity and installed a new one in the hall bathroom.

We painted every. single. wall. We bought all new trim and doors and painted every. single. one. of. those too.

We installed hardwood flooring throughout the main living area and carpet in the bedrooms.

We renovated our house for us. Yes, we did do it on a budget, but we also didn’t think twice on the things we really wanted for our home. I heard my in-laws say once that everything they had done to their house had been for them – because they liked it or had always wanted it. I thought that was a pretty good take on it, so we kept this in mind as we renovated the Beloved Foreclosure. And now, we’re sticking with it once more as we renovate the 70’s Landing Pad. If you’ve always dreamed of living in your house and making it a home, I suggest you give it a try. A home you love does the heart good. Why yes, I did just come up with that cheesy (but true) line all on my own.

If you’re ready to renovate your house or buy your own beloved foreclosure, Regions Bank has a wealth of information about home buying and renovating on their Facebook page. They even have information about all the “non-pretty” but money related things like should you take out a home equity loan, how to navigate mortgage disclosures, how to be more energy efficient and ways to reduce your property taxes. Regions has resources for both first-time and seasoned home buyers as well and are always looking to provide you with financial solutions that are perfect for you and your budget.

So let’s have you weigh in – How would you renovate and make it yours?

Remodeling Ideas on a Budget | Renovated Ranch House | Kitchen Remodeling Ideas | Home Remodeling Ideas | House Renovation Ideas

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Emily says

    It’s evident how much love you’ve put into your Beloved Foreclosure! My husband and I had a similar mindset when we were building – we wanted to add the features that we’ve always wanted, and that we knew we’d enjoy for years and years to come. And we have no regrets!

    Reply

  5. Kris DeFoer says

    We looked at countless houses too, and I’m pretty sure this was one of them “There was the one with a creepy downstairs that I ran out of faster than should have been naturally possible.”

    We finally bought a Fannie Mae foreclosure, and with a HomePath Renovation loan from, yes, Regions Bank, we did the first bit of remodeling. That was 4 1/2 years ago, and there’s still a lot to do, but we love it! And I love buying it cheap and remodeling (not so sure DH feels the same way).

    That kitchen is FABULOUS!

    Reply

  6. Allie says

    I 100% agree with you! We renovate and decorate with our needs and wants and aesthetic in mind. I couldnt imagine living in a home where it doesnt feel like “us.” We bought a condo and gutted it completely, no wall or floor has gone untouched. We know we will have to sell in a few years to get more space to have a family, but we needed and wanted our condo to fit our wants and needs while we were here. Tons of people ask us about renovations and resale value, but honestly, we arent too concerned with that. We could break even, or even take a loss and it would be worth it to us to have lived in a place that we built for ourselves.

    Reply

  7. Carissa Bonham says

    I love love love your kitchen reno SO much! We are currently updating our 90’s builder bonanza special. I’m doing stuff I love but I also know I don’t plan to live here for too long (I want to sell it before the new stuff we are doing gets too dated) and then buy a house that we can stay in for a long time.

    Reply

  8. Patty says

    That is the key to being happy in your home is making it yours, it doesn’t matter if it is a house you own or a rental you can put your stamp in any place you happen to be living in with temporary wall treatments or paint if allowed window treatments and your furnishings. If you own your home there are so many ways you can learn how to do renovations, on line and Home Depot and Lowe’s offer classes they will cut wood for you and of course you can always hire someone to do the work, and then there is Jenna who can teach so many different things. I can’t think of anything worse than moving into a house or apt. and not doing anything that says this is me, I live here and I love it.

    Reply

  9. Sarah says

    I TOTALLY agree with you. We know we are lifers in our current house, so we are going to make it however it makes US happy – not the future owners that will live there decades down the road!

    Reply

  11. Amy Anderson says

    I love all of the COLOR in your renovations! When Steve and I move into our next place, that’s going to change. He’s more of a neutral guy and I moved into his bachelor pad. I NEED COLOR!

    Reply

  12. Megan says

    Oh my goodness, I can completely relate to this. My husband and I bought a 1950’s fixer upper and moved in last fall (about a month before our son was born – yikes)…and we have been working on renovating for US. I love being able to make all of the design decisions – it’s becoming a home that we love to be in! 🙂

    PS Your home looks great!

    Megan
    http://www.lifeonshadylane.com

    Reply

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