Our New Home Reno Series: We Bought a House!
I have exciting news! My husband and I have relocated to a coastal city in South Orange County, CA called San Clemente. We ABSOLUTELY love it here.
I grew up in San Diego county which is the neighboring county and I had always hoped after the kids were up and out, our next home would be on the coast. The clean ocean air is so relaxing and reminds me of my childhood. Of course, we’ll miss our old neighborhood and friends but hope to stay in touch.
And so, it is time for a new chapter.
Here in our new community, we take long walks, I swim in our community pool (outside) and we’ve found a favorite spot from which to watch the sunsets.
I’m in heaven. But-- there is much to do.
Which brings me to the point of this post. =0)
For the next year or two, I’ll be sharing the renovations we have planned for our new home with you.
Our new house is clean and has a neutral palette but needs updating in the worst way. We’re In a gated community which was built about 20 years ago. Some of the features in our home are the original fixtures and finishes (not to mention appliances) that the original homeowner chose when the community was built.
So, first up? The floors!
Here’s what our home looked like the day we visited with our Realtor. Almost every room was covered in a 12’ x 12’ porcelain tile. And while porcelain is inexpensive and practical, this home felt more formal to me. Therefore, I wanted to warm it up, starting with a wood floor. Not too dark or polished because we are at the beach after all. But just a touch of elegance.
We needed to remove the tile floors and install the new wood floors before we moved in. Here’s a before shot of the tile floors. The furniture you see belonged to the Realtor and was gone before we saw the house the first time.
There’s a one-room loft up and to the right of the kitchen, (something I’ve always wanted for my home). But the carpeting on the stairs had to go and we planned to clad the steps with the same wood.
I looked at many floor samples and my husband and I settled on a 6” wide French Oak plank which is stained in a medium-dark walnut color and finished with a satin polyurethane.
Here is the sketch I gave to my floor installer to show not only which rooms would receive the new wood flooring but the direction in which to lay the planks.
And before I show you an after photo with the new flooring, you’ll appreciate what a mess this was to do! Good thing we did it before moving in!
It was like a bomb had gone off! Yikes!
And now? The new flooring. I love the rich color and the hint of sheen. Bella likes it too.
This floor will make a nice “backdrop” for the decorating I’m planning. (Believe me, it’s all in my head. =0) Don’t miss out on the next step in my home renovation series!
Like I shared in the beginning of this post, there is soooooo much to do. Next time, I’ll tell you about the 45 holes in the walls. Because….that was fun!
Have you visited the DIY Outlet lately? You’ll find lots of helpful guides and courses to help you with your journey into the world of DIY interior design.
