I still cannot believe we’re moving. It won’t be until mid January, so I have some time to paint and refinish some floors and maybe tackle one or two more projects (at least get them started). I thought I’d share the “before” pics of the house and some of my thoughts before kicking off the redesign. Above is the front entrance. I love the double doors – I’ve always wanted to have a two wreath situation on the front door at holiday time. I have to believe that there was a center window at some point in the middle set of windows above – so may look into putting one back in (it’s just the landing for the staircase outside the master).
One of the more exciting things about this house is the post and beam barn/ garage! At some point I want to paint the exterior of the house white with grey-beige shutters and front door, and would either paint this building white or the greige shutter color.
There is a great open space above (unfinished) that has lots of possibilities…
The side porch leading to the mudroom from the garage – will just change the light fixtures for now.
The front has a half circle driveway, which I love – and the Boston Marathon goes right by the front of the house so this area would be amazing for a marathon party!
The entrance – the paper is going.
New lantern and paint for now here. Am going to leave the runner also for now because it’s fairly new and with the long staircases a new one will need to be saved up for.
Looking into the formal living room… the ceilings on this floor are 10 feet!
Oh, this room. I’m going to paint it for now and redo the fireplace surround with a white marble.
The dining room. I have big plans for wallpaper here! I also have ZERO dining room furniture!
The butler’s pantry leading to the kitchen. Another wallpaper spot, some cool tile and maybe replacing the glass with antique mirror?
So the big selling point on this house was that it had the charm of a historic home, but most of the hard works were done during a renovation in 2005. So the family room was added on, as well as a basement playroom and this kitchen was done (also the systems!)
Seeing as this is not the kitchen of my dreams, but the cabinets are all nice and inset and we maxed out our budget on buying this house itself – and therefore have a small reno budget for now – we’ll just be doing a facelift in here as we save to do a dream kitchen in a couple years… painting cabinets, replacing counters, backsplash and lights.
The family room is large and SOOOOOOO bright and looks out onto the back yard.
But it has this awkward half wall fireplace situation that I need to remedy. Stay tuned.
The mudroom doesn’t have enough storage, but rather ample light. We’ll redo this when we do the kitchen in a few years, so for now I’m going to cut those curved benches straight and put lots of baskets underneath! I might redo the floors sooner if I get too antsy.
The powder room is adorable and I’ll just add paper , new mirror and lights in here.
The landing outside the master – that mirror is where I want to add back in a window. Obvi, the lace curtains are coming down :)
The master is smaller than our current, and is the only “sort of” bummer. This wall barely fits a king bed with small nightstands, so we have a plan to make this the guest suite later on.
A dressing area looking into the closet and to the right is the bathroom.
Another fine for now space – we may turn the tub into a walk in shower like we have now…
The current guest room/future master. There is a small jack and jill bath leading into the office and we plan to take ALL of these rooms and make the master suite over here. For now Emma will sleep in here until she’s older.
The office, too small to be a bedroom, but great for a future master bathroom. We’ll probably take out this built in and use it as an office for now though!
Ummm, a second floor laundry room!!!! So excited for this… will be leaving this alone for now until we re-work during the master suite renovation.
The third floor has two bedrooms and a big full bath. This will be the “kids floor”- there are a bunch of window seats and cute nooks, but the ceilings are low – but the rooms are good sizes! And there are two landings that are big enough for some seating/ desks….
The kids bath…. an easy revamp!
The basement has big windows and is walk out, which is SO nice. And has a half bath and huge storage closet. This will be the playroom.
Off the family room is a nice sized deck.
That leads down to a wide patio…. fire pit coming, for sure!
So happy the kiddos will have a big yard to play in!
Up on the side yard we’ll be getting Henry his own swingset! He’s beyond excited (as am I).
So that’s the tour for now! I am excited to see what a change just paint makes in this space, and some new light fixtures. I think it’ll be amazing. And it’ll be fun to document all our design changes as they happen!
Which town is this new house? Lot looks huge!
What a beautiful home! Congrats- I can’t wait to see what you do with it.
Can’t wait until the move! Congrats!
Love it! Black marble was quarried in Middlebury, Vermont and somewhere in Russia -considered very rare and desirable if old…take it out carefully…
I live in the area and have seen this house on the market and thought it was such a beautiful opportunity. So excited to see what you do with it – it has amazing potential and is clearly in good hands!
Congratulations! Very happy for you!!
[…] Living for the before pictures of Erin’s new house. […]
Such a beautiful house and lot. Congratuations!
Congrats on your new home! I’m so eager to see your updates.
About what do you think it will cost to paint your kitchen cabinets?
Yikes, I went away on holiday for a week and came back to such big news!!
Beyond excited to see this evolution – having watched from the one before the one before your current home! I feel like I’ve grown up and older with your homes :)
Having lived in the UK for a long time, I do laugh at the ‘small’ rooms – that office would be a master bedroom!
Congratulations! Can’t wait for the new book!
A beautiful spacious home! Look forward to your personal style changes. Thanks for sharing.
Welcome to Wellesley! It is a beautiful house in a beautiful spot! You will love the nearby park and if you choose a public school, your kids will be at my favorite elementary school. My kids are in highschool & college but my most favorite memories of living here were all from our days at Schofield :-)
The space! And the character. And the charm. Nothing there that cant be lived with for a while. Well maybe that wallpaper….
Looks beautiful! Can’t wait for the transformation!
I just love hearing you say refer to your kiddos! I’m so happy for you and with all the struggles you’ve been so vulnerable and open about… that you know have Emma, too!
Wow, wow, wow! What a place! Congrats and can’t wait to see the changes.
I love it just the way it is ! You are so fortunate to live in such a wonderful house.
The Fall has come and the green will turn to gorgeous orange very soon! I really look forward to see how the house will turn out under your care.
https://www.idolworth.com/
Oh man! This is going to be extremely fun to follow……can’t wait to see what you come up with. The home is lovely in it’s own right but so much potential to make it even better!
Erin, you are going to have so much fun with your new home. I know it will be work, but work that you love. It really is beautiful with great bones.
I forgot to add to my last comment…you will LOVE your 2nd floor laundry room. We built our forever home 29 years ago and one of the first things I told our architect when we were in the planning stage, was that I had to have a second floor laundry room, just around the corner from the master bedroom. He laughed and said if I wanted it closer, he could put it in our master walk in closet. I guess that was architect humor. I have never regretted having it upstairs…so convenient!
Well! Hearing that the Boston Marathon runs right by your new house, actually got me thinking I should start training again! Lol! I would go all fan-girl and give up my marathon dreams by just veering off the route and crashing your party! I promise I won’t do that, my knees wouldn’t be able to take it.
Congratulations! It will be so exciting to follow along. I am sure you will be sad to say goodbye to your current house, but you are moving at a good stage in your children’s lives. They will remember the new house as the one they grew up in and it will be picture perfect once you get your hands on it!
Looks amaaaaaaaaazing! ❤️ And so much that Buddy can do at Christmas! 🎅🏼Can’t wait to see the renovations….onward…..
What a wonderful house! Great bones and with a few cosmetic updates it will be beautiful. I actually like the fireplace/half wall – it’s unexpected and kind of whimsical!
Congratulations! The house and yard are beautiful. I hope you have many happy years here.
We are ALMOST into our new home. Downsizing from 4 bed rooms and huge house to a reasonable house. Unfortunately new house is really BLAH. Fortunately it is in really good shape. So, I will be following with much interest on your “redo”. I have been pouring over your book. Also, new house has a long narrow living room that is similar to the one you show on your blog. I might send you photos for suggestions.
Cannot wait to see what you do to this house as time goes on!!! I adore this space!!! Congratulations!!
Can’t wait to see what you do! We have an older home we are slowly redoing so it will be fun to follow along.
Beautiful home! Just fix the shower situation in your bathrooms and everything is just great!
This house is the dream! So excited to follow along as you work on it. We’re in London and are moving before Christmas from a Victorian terraced house to an Edwardian semi and my brain is swimming with ideas. I wish I could access American sources though!
Wow – so exciting for you all, congrats! M.A. Falvey Painting would love a chance to quote your painting needs! Kitchen cabinetry painting is hot right now and totally transformative – makes for great before and after’s!
So beautiful & so mucb potential… congrats & can’t wait to see your visions come to life !!
Oh my gosh! First, it’s wonderful and the potential is INSANE! And….it’s going to be so wonderful living vicariously through you as you fix up / remodel. It’s WONDERFUL!
I’m not awake. I didn’t mea to say wonderful THREE TIMES! :) :)
Fantastic! I love how you can see right from the before to the after in your mind. It will be fun to see all of the changes. What a wonderful time for you and your young family! Enjoy the process!
This IS an Erin ‘n Andrew house/home!! Exciting!! franki
Congratulations Erin – your new house is beautiful and reminds me of the historic houses on Main Street in Hingham. I can’t wait to read about your thought process as you transform rooms and see pictures.
Look at the half wall fireplace wall in “The Welcoming House.” Also, I’ll take that entry light off your hands when you are ready to change it out!
So excited to see what all you come up with and follow along!
Keep the front hall wallpaper and paint the trim a fun color instead! It’s unique and fits the home. Gorgeous place – heirloom home, for sure.
This house is gorgeous – great bones and SO much light! Can’t wait to see all the improvements you have coming, congrats!
It is beautiful and I love your vision for the home. Here’s an idea for a series of posts…the real skinny on the cost of the “quick fixes.” I don’t know about labor costs where you live, but here in urban Deep South I just spent $1200 on repainting the trim, ceiling, and plantation shutters in my master (including a large set of built-ins surrounding a fireplace). Another $1200 to have wallpaper hung on the walls. And then there was $1400 to the electrician who worked hard for a 12 hour day to hang a new chandelier and hard-wire two new bedside sconces in that same bedroom. When I tallied the costs of what I’ve spent on labor alone in that room, it’s, well, a lot. Almost as much as I spent on new furniture pieces! Would love it if you would ever consider sharing, for example, the costs of the “simple fix” of repainting your kitchen cabinets, buying and installing new countertops, and removing old backsplash tile and installing a new backsplash. This would be super helpful for your readers.
Oh, and if you go to the 2598 Habersham Rd. listing in Atlanta on Zillow, there’s a carriage house finished space that seems similar to your unfinished upstairs garage/barn space. It’s the 3 or 4 pictures following the exterior garage shot, if you go to that listing. Looks like the sellers simply painted everything white (floors, ceiling, walls) and furnished it simply and tastefully, and, ta da, a nice rental or guest space.
Congratulations! ‘So excited for you! I’ve been following since your apartment. What a spectacular canvas. ‘Can’t wait to see how you make it your own.
This home is beautiful, you’re style is different from the previous owners, but I can see why you fell for it!!
As a side note, you could replace the family room half wall with a clear glass rail/wall, no distraction from the view but safety remains.
I LOVE THIS HOME!!!!!! Just my style!!! I can’t wait to see all of your touches!!!!
What a beautiful home! Congratulations and good luck with all of your renovations. I look forward to watching your transformations.
Love everything about it! Can’t wait to see how you update it.
Ohhh Erin, I love the house! So classic and vintage but so updated too. Three stories!!!!Wow. The yard is really large, so great for the kids. Is this a forever home?
I can’t wait to follow along! The house is gorgeous.
Mazel tov! Looks like a very nice house and with your exquisite taste and beautiful family, this will transform into an exceptional loving home in no time!
Congratulations!!!
Beautiful house!! So very excited for you and I can’t wait to see the transformation!!!
Beautiful and you will make it more so! Easy fixes and just a great place to raise your adorable kiddos.
Our laundry is on the second floor, adjacent to the bathrooms where all the dirty laundry comes off and the bedrooms where all clean laundry returns to. No trudging up and down stairs with piles and stacks of clothes! I wouldn’t have it any other way. Best wishes on your new adventure!
Congratulations, Erin! It is a beautiful home. Can’t wait to see the changes you make. Wishing you and your family many years of health, happiness and laughter there.
Amazing bones! You will make it gorgeous and I’m thrilled to be along for the ride.
Regarding the main bedroom we have a large 1901 home with a modest main bedroom and found a California King bed to be the perfect compromise. Still roomy but worked in our narrow space.
Fabulous house- beautiful bones & proportions in every room. Paint will do wonders- can’t wait to see it. I always think it’s good to live in a house before renovating it because many times you are surprised by what you want to change when the time comes to renovate.
Congratulations!!! You’re gonna love all that space. Can’t wait to see what you do with the kitchen. I inherited a very similar one.
You are going to have so much fun doing this house and at the *end* it will be perfection! Can you share what swing set you will be getting? I’m shopping around for one for my boys (4 & 1.5 currently) but all the ones I like are in the $15K range which is not happening! Thanks!
My kids are teens now but we got our swing set from Creative Playthings when they were 1.5 and 3 and it withstood moves to three other houses before we finally admitted that they’d outgrown it. We passed it along to our neighbor’s granddaughter (so a 4th move). Was definitely a worthwhile investment.
When your kids tire of the playset, you can post it for sale on NextDoor or FB Marketplace, and you’ll have people lining up to disassemble it and remove it from your yard. Was so glad to discover that was the case! (FYI my kids were totally over the playset by the end of elementary school if not sooner.)
I know- I want a Cedarworks one but that is NOT in the budget. Creative Playthings has some, and if you research there are some great sources from Amish Country!
Depends upon the size you want–Cedarworks is never the most cost effective, won’t try and make that argument it’s definitely a “luxury option”, but we got one with two swings, a blue side, trapeze, and playhouse with red flag and bucket and it was closer to $5k (not $15k!) after installation (cheaper if you assemble yourself, of course) and the minor customization modification we did to double the width of the playhouse. It’s still on the smaller side, but our 4 yo daughter loves it and looking at it makes me happy. Play around on their website, some of the smaller sets are not AS crazy as their castle like ones, but still 4X in cost to your average playset. Justified because we hope our daughter isn’t the only child of ours to use it, but we’ll see!
For the master, could you put a king bed in front of the window?
I can’t wait to watch the transformation!
Truly cannot wait to follow along on this transformation!!!! Congrats!
You have such the discerning eye for this project and have some exciting times ahead. Enjoy and best wishes.
This is AMAZING Erin. I see another book. Before …. during …. after. You’re a gifted spirit. All the best !!!
So excited for your new adventure… and will love all your excellent design ideas!!!
We have our kids in their own third floor bedrooms (with a bathroom between) and they love it – ages 4 and 6! It’s been fun for them to have their own space!
Your home is beautiful! I’m excited to follow along again!! Congratulations!
I’m sure your head is spinning with all the possibilities! Such a lovely home, and what a great yard. Looking forward to following along as you make it yours over the years.
I’m sure your new home will be the prettiest home in the entire state! I cannot wait to see the changes you make.
This is the most beautiful house!
I can’t wait to watch the transformations.
What a gracious home! I always judge a house by where the Christmas tree would go and you have many great options! Can’t wait to see where you take it.
Andrew wants a tree in each floor- two on the main floor LOL!!!
Buddy the Elf could do so much with Christmas decoration at this house! This will be so much fun watching you taking a beautiful house and making it your beautiful home.
Congratulations! It’s already beautiful, and you will make it even more so! A thought about swing sets… even though they aren’t the prettiest, it is nice to be able to see them from the deck/patio. When our kids were little, we could see them play while sitting on the deck. Our neighbors cannot see their children playing on their swing set from their deck, so whenever they have company, they have to set up chairs around the swing set for the adults. Just something to consider – hard to change once it’s installed. Best of luck and I’m looking forward to watching you work your magic!
Wow! This is such a beautiful house and you will make it even better. Looks like a great place for your kids to grow up!
Wow! How exciting! I currently live in a period home (1912) with my family. All the systems have been updated but we are redoing everything else ourselves. TON OF WORK; but so very rewarding. I look forward to watching you transform it into your home. Congratulations.
This was built in 1865!!!
Wow-AMAZING!
I have been really curious to see the inside of your new home! It is very spacious and has so much character. Can’t wait to follow you on your remodeling journey! One word of caution: Make sure to check the washing machine hose to see if it needs replacing. Many years ago I lived in a condo on a second story and my hose broke while I was at work. Did 30K worth of damage…mostly to the unit below me.
I am so excited to follow along as you make this already amazing house that much better. It’s so beautiful and I think paint alone will make it really gorgeous. This is my dream home style, but nothing like it where I am in Northern Virginia. Thank you for this early tour and so excited for you and your family! And your readers like me :)
I can’t wait to see what you do with this place. It is beautiful, Erin. Your family will make many great memories in this space.
Ahh, it’s so pretty!! Question, since you have a finished 3rd floor in your new house. Do you think that it adds a ton of value?? Just bought a house across from the water and want to add a 3rd floor playroom and guest bedroom. Have seen conflicting thoughts about finishing off an attic or in my case fully gutting and adding in dormers.
Fellow Boston metro-west resident and I can tell you that I wouldn’t have bought my house if it didn’t have the 3rd floor additional bedrooms and bathroom (1928 home, three bedrooms/2 baths on the second floor, 2 bedroom and one bath on the 3rd floor Top floor use as au pair bedroom and office). Our situation was unique at the time, both my husband and I worked PT from home even prior to COVID, and we have a live-in au pair meant for childcare, meant that having bedrooms spread across two floors was really great for us. I think it’s very attractive to buyers to have bonus space as COVID may change people’s in home requirements for the foreseeable future, even after a vaccine, if in office schedules become more flexible over the long term. Just one anecdotal experience, but if the housing market in your area holds value over time, investing in additional finished square footage is never a bad idea, unless your attic is your ONLY storage in the whole house. Ours has a 2nd floor attic over what was originally an attached garage. Our third floor is under the roof, but was always finished living space (presume it was for live in house help, originally). Long winded way o saying if it were you I’d go for finishing that attic and invest in spray foam insulation when you do if you get winters ;)
Ahh, thank you!! I’m in Narragansett RI. I think that with the 3rd floor we can get pretty great views of the ocean. Definitely going to try for it. Think we have the space for two bedrooms and a big playroom and bath. Not sure if my budget does. But oh well, it’s a forever home :)
It’s a lovely home and property. As a displaced east coast person living in the midwest I’m homesick for wonderful old houses like this. It will be even better as you make changes to suit your life and style sensibilities.
Looks like such a beautiful house and soon-to-be-home! I am just curious – in your decision-making/planning, are you almost 100% committed/planning the renovations even at the time of purchase? I know others who like to sit in a house for a year or so before making big plans.