The Modern Split Renovation: Before

Susan and her husband invited us into their living room for their appointment. Boxes filled almost every corner and I remember hearing her apologize profusely. Re-assuring, her I told her we’d seen so much worst, but could tell she was embarrassed. As I was about to find out, Susan’s home did not accurately depict the type of person she was.

She explained how she and her husband devoted all their time into raising their children, so they didn’t invest much into the house over the years. The HVAC was recently replaced: a Trane, because, you know, if you are going to do something, you should do it right. But the basement bathroom leaks, they explained, there’s a water problem in the basement. Their kids needs were simply more important and now it’s time to sell.. Susan pointed out the stain on the carpet in the living room and laughed light heartedly at the memory, recalling every detail of the spilled nail polish. Oh well, it’s just carpet.

I couldn’t help but respect the attitude I’d just witnessed. It was obvious Susan lived her life that way: she focused on what matters – not the perfect house. Truly, it was a convicting moment for me.

There should be more Susan’s in the world.

Long story short, we agreed to a fair number that met their needs and ours, and signed a purchase agreement. In fact, they didn’t even have to worry about rushing out to find a new place, because Uriah ended up being their realtor, so their closing didn’t happen until they knew where they were going.

The Modern Split, before: THE Exterior

Enjoy these pictures of The Modern Split before so you can fully appreciate the after! These images were taken after clean out and before demo.

Let’s Step Inside

Just inside the front door, a wall stood on your left, separating the entry from the living room. Stairs turned slightly on the right leading to the bedrooms and bathrooms on the upper level and straight ahead: the kitchen.

Turning left in the kitchen towards the dining room, a wall of cabinets greeted you.

This is the dining room next to the kitchen

… and the living room with the spilled nail polish 🙂

This view of the living room faces the entry. I can’t wait until you see the “after” from this angle!

The upstairs hallway of the Modern Split

The hall bathroom (later the the vanity and toilet will swap places, but other than that, layout stays the same)

One of the three bedrooms upstairs:

The master bathroom: a single vanity and very narrow.

LET’s head downstairs

Downstairs in the basement at The Modern Split a non-functional bathroom, we knew, would require some re-working.

A second living room / den took up a good amount of lower level square footage. That door on the right leads to a small narrow room, that we later transform into an office.

This second “water closet” also held the washer and dryer, but not in a very functional way. You’ll learn while reading the “In-Progress” post for this house what happens with this space.

This ‘In-progress’ Construction post for The Modern Split is one of my favorites.

or you could always skip “In-Progress” and go right for the Final Reveal!