Matt's Got It! :: Remodeling Our House on the Hill

Saturday morning usually involves a little HGTV action going on in our house (who am I kidding? HGTV and DIY are on almost every day here!), so I think that Saturdays on Life and Love on the Hill shall be deemed: Home Remodel Post days. I by no means think that I am the first blogger to think of this, but for now I'll pretend that I have a completely unique idea. ;)

Ever since we moved into our house a little over two years ago, it has been what you call a "work in progress." Matt actually lived in our house for two years before I moved in, so he has been living here since the fall of 2008. The house is owned by Turkey Hill and it was given to Matt as a place to live after he started working on full-time staff at the camp.  He did a lot of painting and freshening up the house, but it was definitely a bachelor pad before I moved in.

Pictures of the house when Matt moved in in 2008

We knew we wanted to change a lot of cosmetic and structural things about the older home, and the list seemed a mile long. The walls were covered with paneling (it had been brown before Matt painted it), the carpeted floors were old, outdated, and always seemed dirty no matter how much vacuuming we did, there were leaky pipes, broken mirrors, and old windows that air readily came through. Please don't misunderstand...the house was safe and was clean for the most part. I felt safe living there, and I was very thankful because what we had was more than some. I was aware that many newlyweds, including ourselves, learn the meaning of the phrase "meager beginnings." We are extremely blessed by our home here at camp and take all that it is as from the Lord. However, we wanted to update, change, clean up, and mostly make it our own. 

After Matt did some painting. This is mostly how it looked when I moved in in December 2010.

Thus began our journey into remodeling our home, and we have been on that same journey ever since. 

My hubby is a handy-man of sorts and can build pretty much anything I show him. After we were married I was shocked at what he knew how to do and what he could do. I mean, I knew that while we were dating that he was able to build and create, but I didn't know exactly how far his skill set stretched until we moved in to our house after our wedding.

Leaky pipe? Don't call a plumber, Matt's got it. 

Put in a new ceiling fan? Don't call an electrician, Matt's got it. 

Build a Pottery Barn worthy farmhouse bed? Don't order one for $1,200, Matt's got it. 

Seriously. 

As if I didn't love him enough already! And yes, he is all mine. ;) 

A note to all the single ladies ("put your hands up!"), pray for a man who loves Jesus, a man who will be a loving leader, and who loves you so much that he will do all the tasks that you ask him to like my hubby does. You deserve it. 

Because of this, most of the remodeling can be attributed to my husband Matt. I love the paint colors and design part of the remodeling--he does the hard work. The other men who work here at camp have also been vital in helping us with the house, as many things like drywalling and flooring require more than one person. For those of you reading this that have helped...thank you times a million! 

So far we have completely renovated the three bedrooms, two bathrooms, the living room, and are in the process of completing an addition to the back and side of our house. Our garage is becoming a mudroom/laundry room, and an additional room that will be a playroom and eventually a guest room. The addition involved a new garage on the back of the house, and a large dining room with beautiful windows that overlook our backyard. Our original dining space could only fit a small round table and four chairs as you can see from the pictures above. Now I will have room for a whole new table to seat all our family and friends. Love. Love. Love! 

The new dining room has proven to be quite the job, and that pretty much requires a post all its own. Basically...we have had some water issues and have had to rip up our *brand new* laminate wood floor THREE TIMES in the last month. Oy. 

One of my favorite things about remodeling our house has been seeing how the Lord has provided the funds for us to complete the different stages of the remodel. He is truly so good to us, and without the money He has given, we wouldn't be able to do half of what we have done. Praise Him. 

Each Saturday I hope to be back with pictures and description of the rooms we have remodeled thus far. I am so proud of our work, and even though it is a "work in progress," it is ours and we are loving each and every step of the journey.

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