"You bought a lodge N!" I exclaimed, as I was greeted by an extremely tacky enclosed porch/mudroom/entrance. The entryway is completely covered in wood. I mean, wood on the wall, the floor, everything! It seriously looked like we were transported into a 1970's ski chalet with a mudroom entrance. Frankly, I was shocked there were no dead animal heads mounted on the wall. As I looked down the room of the narrow lodge, I noticed an additional window from one of the bedrooms into the lodge. N informed me that this was an enclosed porch, therefore the windows that originally faced the outside of the house were now conveniently inside.
Looking into the lodge from the front door (this was after construction started - thus the insulation and dust!)
From the end of the lodge looking at the awesome front door on the right
As we moved into the house from the lodge, we walked into an entirely open living room/dining room. High ceilings - check. Large windows - check. Wall nooks painted shit-brown - check. Nasty green shag rug reeking of dog piss - check. While I was plugging my nose, I did take in the potential of the room. The rug completely turned me off, however the high ceilings with rounded crown moulding, and large arched wall combining both the living room and dining room did entice me. It actually had some charm! "Want to see the master bedroom?" N asked me. "Sure!"
He directed me immediately right from the living room into the master bedroom. High Ceilings - check. Finished hardwood floors original to the house - check. Tacky wall paper - check. Teeny-tiny closet - check. Door from master bedroom to kitchen - check. "A door to the kitchen? Not very feng shui, N" I commented. Still, it was a larger room, and if we enclosed off the door to the kitchen, we would actually have a decent sized room to accommodate for the many dressers I would need to purchase in order to create a home for my fabulous wardrobe.
Moving onto the kitchen. High Ceilings - check. Mint chocolate chip ice cream green walls/cabinets with pepto bismol pink ceramic tile back splash - check. Linoleum counter top and floor potentially made with asbestos - check. Sink needing a wrench to turn on water - check. The potential found in this room; if we knocked out the wall dividing the dining room and the kitchen, we would actually have a fairly open house, and we could make an awesome bar! Still, this room scared me the most, as it came with absolutely no appliances except for a refrigerator from 1956: complete with an industrial magnet to keep it closed, and 51 years worth of rust. That's right folks - this is a foreclosure. People take their appliances and sell them off before they foreclose on a house. Therefore, we had nothing in the way of a stove/oven/dishwasher/microwave/toaster. College dorm rooms had more appliances than this house.
The breakfast nook is an extension of the kitchen, and actually has very short ceilings. So short, that our friend Jeremy came over and immediately hit his head on the archway dividing the breakfast nook and the kitchen.
From the kitchen, we entered the only bathroom in the house. Bathtub - check. Toilet - check. Check. Sink - check. Olive green wainscoting with the same green/pink motif from the kitchen - check. This is only one of 2 rooms in the entire house that has lower ceilings in it. While walking though the house, I was starting to understand that the people who lived here before had not updated anything since the 70's (at least!), however this bathroom proved it. The sink was so small, there was no cabinet/counter space, and the bathtub was so enclosed, we could not even stand up straight. And I am 5'4". "What is this, a bathroom for ants? It has to be at least 3 times as big!" I said to N, quoting one of our favorite movies. Potential in this room: well, at least all the plumbing was in place, so we would not have to redo that!
Off of the dining room, we had a smaller 2nd bedroom that we thought would make a great guest room. Windows facing the backyard - check. Pepto bismol pink room - check. More nasty dog piss carpet - check. Creepy teenager sharpie angst notes written on the inside of the closet - check. Potential in this room: the least amount of work to be done in all the rooms. The majority of our house was constructed in plaster and lath. This add on had to have happened past the 1950's, as that is when they started using drywall/plasterboard in most
American homes. This room was a combination of the two, and just really needed a new carpet and a fresh coat of paint - NOT PINK!!!! The best part about this room is that N and I are both not from Colorado, therefore we have a place for family to stay when they come visit us.
Finally, the laundry room and backyard. Our laundry room is off the breakfast nook. Room for a new washer and dryer - check. Hook ups for both a washer and dryer - check. Large industrial sink - check. Puke olive green color on both the painted cement floor, and walls - check. The potential for this room was much easier to see: no rewiring of the outlets, and there was already a dryer vent in place!
Our backyard is HUGE! The best part of the house is the lot it is on. A huge backyard, complete with a brick BBQ built in, and a rusty shack/garage, along with my own clothes line! Definitely in need of Jim Cameron from
Desperate Landscapes but we can make do.
After the full tour of the "Denver Square" house that was now ours, I thought to myself that this was going to be a good thing. Looking over at N, I said "It's got potential. Besides, this does not seem like its a ton of work!" Famous last words.
