Game, Set, & Match!

What set did we leave off in for the Wimbleton CT house? Ah yes, we had only gotten started!! The day after closing, demo began ~ ripping out the old to bring in the new. I was able to re-work a large awkward space on one side of the house, remove a closet, expand an opening & transform it into a playroom / small family room off of the kitchen. I added a smaller island for homework or family games and "poached" the remaining space and remodeled it into a bedroom, walk-in closet & a full bathroom. I had the dark stained kitchen cabinets sanded, prime & painted a bright white, added updated light fixtures & new stainless steel appliances. I decided to leave the black galaxygranite counter tops for contrast to the now light,bright kitchen.

In the dining room I added wood to the clunky brick columns and painted the walls a light pearl gray. A new fireplace surround & mantle to "match" the paneling transformed the similarly clunky brick fireplace. All the dark wood was painted in Benjamin Moore's Simply White and new light fixtures and fans completed the transformation.

The remaining spaces ~ 2 bedrooms and a Jack & Jill bath ~ were brought back to life with lots of paint, new carpet, lighting & fans. The master bedroom, bath & office were transformed by "volleying" fresh paint and new light fixtures around!

In hindsight, chipping out a tennis court & putting down sod would most likely have taken a smaller "slice" of the budget ~ but as my father likes to say "There you go"! The pool had to be drained, what few tiles were left removed, & cracks repaired. New tile, surface re-plastering & an over-haul of the pool equipment rendered the pool an "Ad In'! The end result looked amazing & in this climate a great selling feature. (At this point I'll "serve" myself some advice - note to self... don't buy a house with an old pool!) Next came some landscaping, fence staining & some new outside light fixtures & the house was ready.

All-in-all the renovation went pretty well with very few "foot faults' and thanks to everyone's hard work the house was complete and back on the market in 90 days.

So now I can say.... Game, Set & Match!!! Time to find another house to transform.