Before & After

We bought Our Little Beehive in December 2009 after looking at, bidding on, and being waaaaay out bid on many houses. Most houses in our area were on the market for only a day or two, usually not even long enough to make it to a Saturday open house. It was like the height of the real estate market, except it was the bottom everywhere else.

I never actually saw any of the houses we bid on before submitting our offers; there simply wasn't enough time. We relied on S's parents and digital photos. I originally spotted Our Little Beehive on RedFin, but S didn't want to view it because it sits on a corner lot and technically doesn't have a "back" yard. Thankfully for us, it was for sale by owner, and for some reason that meant it sat on the market for nearly seven days; just long enough for us to give it a second look online. When S found the listing a second time he immediately called our agent Larry Laroche (who was infinitely patient with our year-long search and always willing to preview homes for us; we highly recommend Larry to anyone buying or selling in NoVA) and went to view the house with his mom. I was in Maine and again, relying on digital images.

After a little back and forth negotiation we were under contract on Our Little Beehive. The first time I saw the house was during our home inspection. Everyone held their breath as I gave the Hive two thumbs up.

We closed on the house on December 1, 2009 and moved in on December 15. We've done a lot of work since then.

Exterior - November 2009

Exterior - May 2010

December 2010

Christmas 2010
 
  New sun room windows, landscape work, X's removed from porch, new porch light, new lawn, new black shutters.
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Shed &Dilapidated Fences - November 2009

New Shed - July 2010

 
and

  New Fence (enclosing the side-back yard) - June 2010

 

and

Old shed & fences removed, new fences, new shed, new grass, jack-hammered driveway and replaced with lawn.
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Living Room - November 2009

 
Living Room - July 2010

and

and 

Paint, new furniture, new fireplace screen, drapes sewn by F, roman shades on doors.
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Dining Room - November 2009

Dining Room - November 2010

 and

 and

and

Lower and upper wall paint, ceiling paint, new light fixture, and another new light fixture(!), drapes sewn by F.
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Kitchen - November 2009

Kitchen - February 2010

Paint, recessed lighting, pendant light above sink, hanging pot rack, faux wood blinds, roman shades on door.
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Pantry - November 2009 

Pantry - February 2010

Paint.
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Sun Room - November 2009 

Sun Room (Office) - July 2010

and

Insulation, windows, paint, ceiling tiles removed, faux wood blinds, heater, major work!  __________________________________________________

Upstairs Hallway - November 2009

Upstairs Hallway - May 2010

and

Paint, new light, faux wood blinds, more paint.
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Guest Room - November 2009

Guest Room - July 2010

Paint, more paint, closet organizing system, faux wood blinds.
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Master Bedroom - November 2009

Master Bedroom - January 2011

 and

 and

Paint, ceiling fan removed, pendant light, closet organizing systems, faux wood blinds, valances sewn by F.

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Little Room - November 2009

Little Room (Feeney's Room) - January 2011

and 

and

  Ceiling fan removed, paint, faux wood blinds, accent paint, ceiling pendant, first an office, then sitting room, then Feeney's room.
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Bathroom - November 2009

to this...

Bathroom - January 2011

  Paint, new vanity, new light 6x's, faux wood blinds, new caulk, F|S hooks.

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 Basement - November 2009 

 Basement - December 2009

Basement January 2011 - Work in progress!

  Old shelves demolished, paint walls, paint floor, paint sink, new electrical, storage, new exterior door. Bathroom, bedroom and more storage to come!

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 Basement Den - January 2011

 Sewing nook for F, office for S - replacement window to come as soon as it warms up!
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Most photos on our blog are from our own files or our home's real estate listing. We try very hard to keep track of the sources for our inspiration files. If you see a photo that is not properly credited, please contact us and we will make the correction immediately.