When we say our farmhouse renovation was a nightmare, people tend to respond with comments like, “Oh, yes, I remember how challenging our kitchen remodel was.”
People. When we say our renovation was a nightmare, we are not exaggerating. In fact, we are understating it. It was a NIGHTMARE. And totally unexpected. And costly. A contractor projected 6 weeks. The project was so huge that we had to do most of the work after the contractor did his part…and it took TWO YEARS.
When we got the place, we were utterly clueless what lie ahead to renovate this 1890 farmhouse. Granted we essentially got the house for free–it was the acreage we paid for–but it was a much bigger project than expected. Much! The contractor who told us 6 weeks was full of B.S.
It was horrible and all consuming. People would ask me, “Would you do this again for a million dollars?” And I’d say “No way!”
To get a sense of just how bad the farmhouse renovation was, here are three videos that should make your jaw drop. (The quality of the videos sucks, but it was 2012 and we didn’t know any better.)
The first is our first walk through after we took possession. We are making jokes about the state of the farmhouse, but we had no idea how awful it was. The farmhouse was not rundown but falling down. Literally.
The next two videos are quick progress updates that were shared on social media at the time. Watch these and weep. And never complain about your kitchen remodel again.
“Our first time at the farmhouse” — A walkthrough the day we got the keys, so you can compare where we started:
“Here Goes Everything” — 7 minutes that will blow your mind as you see how extensive this was:
“Where’d All the Walls Go?” — A 3-minute clip showing old walls gone and framing going up, a.k.a. progress at last:
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