After many months of prayer and searching, the Hathorns finally found a place to call home in Alabama. It was not the move-in-ready, cute-little-cottage that was on the list; however, the deal was too good to pass up and the location was absolutely perfect.
The ideal location and gorgeous views will make all of the work ahead of us totally worth it. A big fixer upper? Yes. Do the Hathorns accept the challenge? Yes! Now, it is time to get this reno party started *wink*
This photo was taken the day of the open house. Stan’s job was to inspect, measure, and figure out if the project was doable. My job was to document with photos, take notes, and figure out how to turn the ugly into pretty. Abby’s job was to be silly, assist, and use her Holmes on Homes skills to point out possible disaster.
After months of house hunting and countless hours of looking on the internet, we decided our ideal, move-in-ready house did not exist. We would either have to build (which really wasn’t an option) or buy a house in need of some love (which is really code for lots of renovation).
So off we went to an open house that would change everything.
This is the before picture of the kitchen. Good news is new stainless appliances; bad news is pink Formica countertops and a section of floating cabinets that block the view!
Before and During Peek of the kitchen
We accepted the challenge of restoring this home to its former glory. There was no doubt it was once the jewel of the neighborhood. The bones of it are strong, the views undeniable, and the potential ever so glorious.
This is a little before peek of the master bedroom. The room goes beyond the French doors. Once again something is blocking a gorgeous view!
Abby having a bit of fun with the destruction of the master bath. Don’t worry. Stan was near and supervising carefully.
Lots and lots of leaves had to be raked and bagged. Seriously, lots. Around 100 contractor-sized bags. Honestly, we lost count! **p.s. that number does not even include the leaves Stan blew to the curb.**
So far over eight tons of dated and ugly have been hauled away. We all agreed the old, dirty carpet was the least favorite item to remove. Gross + Yuck!
First project on the very first night–removing all the mullions.
Hello, gorgeous new floors! More details in future posts.
All baths were stripped back to bare bones. Four full baths + a powder room.
Stan, Abby, and I did all of the demo work ourselves, and we are planning on doing most of the renovations ourselves. I do believe we accepted the challenge *wink* I also believe we are going to need lots of coffee!!
The backyard captured our hearts. It will need new landscaping and a deck, but we are up to the challenge.
Sneaky peek at the kitchen and the island Stan is building
The before photo of our new home.
It has been 78 days since we accepted this challenge. There are many more days–more like months to go before the mission will be completed. We have accomplished many projects since day one, and I will be sharing some of them with all of you in future posts.
I want to say a big thanks to Joyce Tippen of Re/Max Marketplace, Trussville for being such a caring and patient agent! We also enjoyed meeting Bonnie Hicks (Re-Max) at the open house. Those ladies do an awesome job. If you are in the Trussville/Birmingham area or looking to relocate to this area, check out Re/Max Marketplace at www.trussvillemarketplace.com and give Joyce or Bonnie a call!
Sweet Sorghum Living 
Everything is looking great! I can’t imagine the hard work and emotion going into this project, but in the end you will have the house of your dreams! Can’t wait to see more as progress continues. Best of luck!!!
The Pink Porch (Dawn), Thanks so much 🙂 I love your precious shop…so inspiring! I also enjoy your Facebook posts 🙂
Looks like the two blondes had lots of hard work and fun helping stan out with the renovation. Lol! I can’t wait to see the finished product. Ya’ll have such great taste! The cabinets in the kitchen look amazing! I really want to see an up close shot of them. The flooring you chose looks great as well.
Thanks so much, Amy! Love your blog and wonderful art 🙂 When we finish this monster project, there will be a party and you are on the invite list!
Wow! You Hathorns are brave and ambitious! Love what has transpired so far and I know I will be in awe of the final product too!
Thanks, Beadsoul (Lisa)! I haven’t decided if we are brave and ambitious or crazy…only time will tell haha 🙂