Today is an exciting day over here.
I know you are waiting for Christmas posts from me but you might have to wait a bit longer.
I recently bought a house and today I’m sharing with you the before photos!
I know! I’ve been waiting to share these with you for what seems like an eternity.
The renovation is going to be fun and the photos will be plenty!
I’ve named my house the Sweet Little Bungalow so let’s take a peek, shall we?
When I bought this house, that song was constantly playing on the radio, Sweet Little Bungalow, and this house is very fitting.
It’s smaller than the house I had previously. Almost exactly half the square footage.
I’ll be heading into new territory with showing you how to decorate and organize a small space.
I still have plenty of room so it’s going to be a lot of fun to decorate.
So as you can see, this is the living room.
Excuse the realtor 😉
I bought this house from a very lovely family. They even left behind tools and a lawn mower in the garage for me. So sweet!
There is an extraordinary strong smell of incense in the house (I’ll show you why towards the end of the post) and I’ve tried nearly everything to get rid of the smell so if you have any tips I’d greatly appreciate them!
Here is the dining room that leads into the kitchen.
The kitchen is a good size and I can’t get over how awesome the windows are. The painted cupboards have seen better days though.
It’s just the perfect spot to watch my kids play outside in the backyard.
Sliding glass doors from the family room lead off into the backyard.
Stairs from the family room lead to the basement.
The other half of the basement is unfinished which is perfect to do my DIY projects.
Back on the main floor, this powder room is off the family room.
Next to the powder room is the small laundry room and now you’ve come complete circle on the main floor of the house.
Upstairs, there are four bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The master bedroom has plenty of space for a dresser and king size bed with night stands on either side of the bed.
And has a walk-in closet.
The master ensuite is much smaller than my previous ensuite (sob) but it will be fine for just me.
The kids’ bathroom is the same size.
The fourth bedroom is going to be my office with a big bright window and vaulted ceiling.
I’d like the kids to do art in this room with me too.
Here is a bedroom for one of my kids.
And finally the source of the incense, this is the second kid’s bedroom.
There was so much incense burning in this room you can see yellow marks all over the walls.
I’m going to wash them down with TSP and see if that helps.
Sooo, now that you’ve had a chance to take a tour, you’re going to be seeing lots of posts coming up with mood boards and the renovation process.
I hope you stick around for the ride! It’s going to be a lot of fun.
Anne at DesignDreams says
November 30, 2015 at 4:48 amOh I can’t wait!!! Now you’re talking, I love blogs about small houses – I need all the help I can get for furniture placement, paint colour ideas and such!!
About the incense, was it an East Indian family who had the house? In that culture putting herbs and spices inside the door frame of the back door wards off evil spirits. If that’s not the case, maybe the scent has been absorbed by any carpeting or drapes? A good steam cleaning/dry cleaning might help!
xo
Jamie says
December 21, 2015 at 9:50 pmThanks for the tips, Anne and yes, I can’t wait to organize and decorate a smaller space!
Hugs, Jamie
Shal says
November 30, 2015 at 5:48 amHey Jamie,
Congrats on your sweet new home!
I can see you are going to have a whole lot of fun transforming room by room 🙂
Enjoy the process!
Jamie says
December 21, 2015 at 9:51 pmThanks Shal, yes it’s going to be a lot of fun!
Hugs, Jamie
Mari says
November 30, 2015 at 6:02 amI have had grant luck with kitty litter for smells. Close off the room and put lots of chap kitty litter in containers. And I have used shellac painted on interiors to eliminate smells in old furniture and cupboards.
Jamie says
December 21, 2015 at 9:51 pmThanks for those tips, Mari 😉
Hugs, Jamie
Sandi says
November 30, 2015 at 7:12 amThe first thing I noticed was the beautiful hardwood flooring. It looks like it is in great condition. The view of the back yard is lovely. I can’t wait to see what you do with the house. I love renovations. I hope that you will be very happy here.
Jamie says
December 21, 2015 at 9:52 pmThanks Sandi, yes it’s going to be fun and I love that backyard too 😉
Hugs, Jamie
April says
November 30, 2015 at 8:55 amCongratulations on the house Jamie! Cannot wait to see more as you transform it into something beautiful.
Jamie says
December 21, 2015 at 9:53 pmThanks April! It’s going to be fun renovating!
Hugs, Jamie
Amber says
November 30, 2015 at 9:00 amCongrats on the new house! I’m sure you’ll transform it into a beautiful space! Looking forward to following along!
Jamie says
December 21, 2015 at 10:39 pmThanks so much, Amber
Hugs, Jamie
Barbara in CT says
November 30, 2015 at 9:45 amMost non-bloggers live in small houses. They are more economical to run and they keep you from accumulating too much stuff.
Jamie says
December 21, 2015 at 10:02 pmYes, I cannot wait to purge and live more organized in a small space, Barbara.
Hugs, Jamie
Nancy says
November 30, 2015 at 9:49 amCongratulations on your new home. Did you try open bowls of vinegar to get rid of the incense odor?
If washing the walls does not help, painting may be the solution.
Smiles
Jamie says
December 21, 2015 at 10:02 pmThanks for the tip, Nancy!
Hugs, Jamie
Kim says
November 30, 2015 at 11:46 amCan’t wait to see you put your stamp on the new place! Super cute!
To get rid of smells, especially anything that is going to permeate wood, like cigarette smoke, you need to clean your surfaces with TSP and water. (Available at Home Depot and places like that). Painting your walls won’t get rid of the smell unless you have tsp in the paint or use a primer like Kilz first. Also, change out filters in your air conditioners if you have a heat pump in that as well. You can wash anything like curtains with the TSP. Also using an activated charcoal in bowls around the house with absorb odors as well.
Jamie says
December 21, 2015 at 10:05 pmThanks for the tips, Kim. Yes, I was thinking washing walls with TSP and using something like Kilz or Zinsser. Let the fun begin! lol
Hugs,
Jamie
Jenna says
December 1, 2015 at 8:04 amJamie!!! It is truly sweet and has SO much potential!! I’m so happy for you! Can’t wait to see you put your magic on it!
Jamie says
December 21, 2015 at 10:06 pmThanks Jenna! I’m excited.
Hugs, Jamie
Mary Hall says
December 1, 2015 at 5:50 pmLove the new place Jamie. It looks really sweet. Cozy. And now you will have your own office with a huge window. Love it. And the kitchen is a good size, with a table in there. Perfect.
Jamie says
December 21, 2015 at 10:06 pmThanks Mary! I can’t wait.
Hugs, Jamie
Kristen P says
December 4, 2015 at 3:03 amCongrats on your new sweet home! I will be going into year 2 in January in my own small home with my sweet girl. Yr 1 has been all about fixing the non fun stuff (air, heat, old trees cut down, and cleaning it up). One room was a ghastly orange faux painted. 3 coats of priming! So hopefully I will focus on more fun this year! Lots of used furniture to be re-done. Have fun and can’t wait to see your process.
Jamie says
December 21, 2015 at 10:08 pmCongratulations, Kristen! Yes, it’s all about the non-fun stuff right now. Redoing furniture will be so much fun though.
Hugs, Jamie
Lauren says
December 5, 2015 at 7:55 pmI am so flippin excited for you, Jamie! I can’t wait to see what you do with this place. No idea how to handle the incense smell though. TSP would be my only suggestion too.
Jamie says
December 21, 2015 at 10:08 pmThanks so much, Lauren!
Hugs, Jamie
Shauna says
December 6, 2015 at 6:40 amLooks like it has loads of potential. I know you’ll make it so beautiful!
Jamie says
December 21, 2015 at 10:09 pmThanks so much, Shauna! Merry Christmas
Hugs, Jamie
Gaylin says
December 24, 2015 at 8:14 amHi Jamie! What fun we all will have while you reno your sweet little bungalow!
As for the incenses odor,you will need to repaint as much as possible with odor blocking paint,along with steam cleaning rugs and floors. The room with the temple you need to even do closet and don’t forget ceilings!
Jamie says
December 29, 2015 at 6:50 pmThanks Gaylin! I’m excited. Yes, everything will be getting repainted and redone!
Hugs, Jamie
Krista says
December 30, 2015 at 9:17 amHow did I miss this?!?! How fun!! I CAN’T WAIT!! to see the progress. Love it!
Jamie says
December 30, 2015 at 10:10 amThanks Krista! It’s going to be fun!
Hugs, Jamie
Emily says
December 31, 2015 at 12:19 pmCongratulations on your new home, Jamie! I can’t wait to see how you put your signature French stamp on it!
Jamie says
December 31, 2015 at 5:38 pmThanks so much, Emily!
Hugs, Jamie
April Hoff says
January 19, 2016 at 3:25 amJamie! I was so busy in November/December, that I must have missed this post! I love these before pics of your place, and I know it won’t be long before you transform some of these spaces. It’s such a great space to begin with! Love the sweet little bungalow! 😉
Jamie says
January 19, 2016 at 11:19 pmAwww, thanks so much, April!!
Big hugs, Jamie
Laura says
November 4, 2016 at 10:14 amI would first remove EVERYTHING in the house that was left behind from the previous owners and open the windows. All carpets cleaned, or replaced, and floors washed using a solution of Dawn Dish soap/white vinegar and water…..wipe down every possible surface with straight white vinegar….windows, woodwork, appliances, handrails, bathrooms etc. Vinegar is a very good odor neutrilizer.