Photos of home improvement (Before and after!)

[Modernceo]

Photos of home improvement/remodeling in progress

Im very proud of my home, and proud of some of the remodeling/home improvement Ive had done over the last year and half. I wanted to share some photos of the before and after work with you all.

Ive lived in this home for almost 4 years now, in the southwest side, but have been taking my time to fix little things, and have slowly built up my willingness to do larger projects.

Over the last two years, Ive replaced the garage door(s), installed gutters, replaced fans, carpets, tile, new fence, installed double paned windows in 1/2 of the house. Also Ive redone some sheetrock , doing some interior painting, had a attic door installed in my garage, AC unit installed in the garage, and today, workers are installing double paned windows in the second half of the house.

LIVING ROOM work/repainting

Interior of home. The previous home owners painted the wood paneling white, and the paint soaked in, creating a tan colored wood paneling.

Interior after pulling off painted paneling, new fan, new lighting, home theater speakers mounted, and wires ran behind the walls, and being painted. Its messy because workers were replacing the windows when this photo was taken..

NEW double paned windows

As of today, 4-18-07, im having the second half of the windows in my house replaced with double paned windows. These windows really help to let a lot more light in (compared to the old single paned, tinted windows) and they help deflect a lot of heat ! Also, the windows that Im having replaced were original windows from the 70's, and didnt open and close very well either.

Before

After

Before

After

GARAGE work

I had the entire garage repainted, and in order to take advantage of the huge space above the garage, I had a attic door installed, and wiring ran for lighting. I then used plywood to floor the entire garage, AND put in insulation myself. That was quite a task.

After being painted:

I only floored about 1/3rd of the Attic, would have taken too long, and cost too much to floor the rest of the attic. Maybe someday in the future Ill do it.

NEW FENCE

Here are some before photos of the fence. As you can see, the window for the bedroom wasnt protected, and was a potential entry area for criminals. Also the fence was barely 6 feet tall, (The area seperating my neighbor and myself section of fence was 5 foot tall!) it wasnt very secure, nor did it give much privacy.

Here are the after photos of the fence. I had the fencing guys close in the window for the bedroom for more security, and made the fence 7 foot tall. Because my cheap bastard neighbor was letting his 5 foot fence fall apart, and wasnt willing to help pay for a part of the new fence, I built my fence over his.

NEW side planter

Im a big fan of home grown vegetables. In 2006, I grew a lot of vegetables in pots, with limited success, I decided to lay out a bed, and plant my plants IN ground.

Heres a before:

After:

And its current state, 3 months later, with grapes, onions, TONS of tomatos, lettuce, mustard, broccoli, cucumber, jalapenos.

All of the plants are overgrowing themselves, and Im having to try and prune them back some so they dont suffocate themselves. I know there should have been more room between each plant, its my fault for planting them so close to each other.

Now.. The next largest project Ive got to do, is refinish/or replace the hardwood flooring in the living room/kitchen. Its seen better days and is scratched pretty badly from a indoor dog from one of the previous home owners.

Edited April 19, 2007 by Modernceo

[stolitx]

Looks good. You have much to be proud of.

[TAK]

good look. feel free to come do the area above my garage. (actually, i think it's already has a bunch of flooring, i just need to put my crap up there... or get rid of it.)

the style of your house and the neighbor's house looks like my house / neighborhood. i don't know what that early 80s style is called...

[Modernceo]

Thank you both for your warm comments!

Tak- What side of town/neighborhood do you live in ? The style of home that I live in is very unique. Its like a 70's contemporary style home (built in 73) and in my opinion still looks cool to this day.

[Dan the Man]

i don't know what that early 80s style is called...

I don't know if it has a specific name assigned to it yet. Many of the books that I have from that era call it "Contemporary", but after 20 years, I don't know if the term 'contemporary' is still appropriate. Some people lump it into "Post-Modernism", as many of its defining features were popularized by the famous Post-Modernist, Charles Moore, in his 'Sea Ranch' condominium project in Northern California. The use of shed roofs and natural materials are an attempt to blend the buildings into the landscape.

The Energy Crisis of the 1970s also played a large role in developing this style. Many buildings from this period feature large windows to let in lots of natural light and solar heat (for Northern climates). Openings are often recessed and angled for optimum solar orientation. Often times, these buildings also feature wood-burning fireplaces as an alternative heat source. Floors are often tiled as a means to absorb heat during the day and radiate it back into the building at night. These buildings set the precedent for the current "Sustainable" or "Green" movement in architecture.

[Modernceo]

I don't know if it has a specific name assigned to it yet. Many of the books that I have from that era call it "Contemporary", but after 20 years, I don't know if the term 'contemporary' is still appropriate. Some people lump it into "Post-Modernism", as many of its defining features were popularized by the famous Post-Modernist, Charles Moore, in his 'Sea Ranch' condominium project in Northern California. The use of shed roofs and natural materials are an attempt to blend the buildings into the landscape.

The Energy Crisis of the 1970s also played a large role in developing this style. Many buildings from this period feature large windows to let in lots of natural light and solar heat (for Northern climates). Openings are often recessed and angled for optimum solar orientation. Often times, these buildings also feature wood-burning fireplaces as an alternative heat source. Floors are often tiled as a means to absorb heat during the day and radiate it back into the building at night. These buildings set the precedent for the current "Sustainable" or "Green" movement in architecture.

Wow. Very interesting.

Thank you so much for your input.

I had never heard about Charles Moore before, but did some searching and found some of his work. Very similar in style to my home.

Thanks again !

[TAK]

Thank you both for your warm comments!

Tak- What side of town/neighborhood do you live in ? The style of home that I live in is very unique. Its like a 70's contemporary style home (built in 73) and in my opinion still looks cool to this day.

I live in the Inwood Forest area... (near north / northwest)

[Vertigo58]

You did really well. I just get concerned about having any plants/vines next to the wall. Insects are the problem but being that its brick you may end up ok. I have wood siding so I would never do it. Termites!

Edited April 24, 2007 by Vertigo58

[mumbles]

House looks similar to some that were built around here. Originally had wood roofs, so no overhang for soffit vents. How do you ventilate the attic?