The Homestead

Four years ago today, the wife and I woke up as homeowners for the first time ever.

Our new home was in pretty rough shape but we thought the spaces were right and we were willing to put some sweat equity into it. 

This is what the back deck looked like when we made the offer . . .

Once our offer was accepted and we were "in escrow" the wife wanted to go out and buy something for the house - "What do you think is the first thing we should get?" She asked.

"Tiki torches", was my reply. "No matter how bad a place looks, when you light Tiki torches at night, the whole place looks better . . .". We have the same Costco tiki torches still . . .

Just last month, we had some friends over to celebrate the wife's B-day. Our friend Deron is really into his new camera and he took some great shots of the evening so this seemed like a perfect opportunity to post some before and after photos of the ol' homestead

Here is a shot of the yard - looking south (before)

(After)

Back Yard looking North (before):

(After)

Da Shed (before)

(After)

Looking from the family room through the dining room into the living room (before):

(After):
1947 built-ins in the hallway to the bedrooms (before):

(After):
Living room (before):
(After: This is the wall where we hang artwork done by the children in our lives)

The wife hates the sight of this thermostat in the living room so she made a frame for it - if you can't hide it, accent it!