It has been a year since I shared a before and after tour of our farmhouse fixer upper. It’s amazing to look back and see all the progress we have made in only 3 years since we moved in. If you are new to Lehman Lane our home sits on the site of an old turkey farm now located in the suburbs. Being a city/surburb’s girl with a country heart, I wish those turkeys were still here!
Welcome to our Farmhouse Fixer Upper!!!!
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Our home was probably built sometime in the 1800’s and was originally the tenants farmer’s cottage that has had many funky additions over the years. Our hope in turning this farmhouse into our home was to bring back more of it’s farmhouse character that had been stripped away over the years. We are not near done and it seems that our “list” gets bigger and bigger every day but I hope you will see all the progress we have made so far :).
The Front – Curb Appeal
We changed quite a bit to the curb appeal of our home since we moved in. This year we changed out the landscaping to make the front door more of a focal point. We also added a lattice fence, a sign and new lighting and rockers to make the front more welcoming.
The Foyer
We started off with painting the trim white and the walls SW Kestral white. We also fixed the bi-fold doors that were broken. You can see an early tour of this room here.
Our organized DIY shoe closet cubby has made such a difference in keeping our foyer closet organized. One year later and we can still find our shoes :).
The biggest change we made in this room was creating a built in entryway table to help store the keys and mail we had without taking up any floor space.
The Living Room
When we moved in this room had a sage green accent wall and trim. The room just felt very dark and sleepy.
Painting the room made such a difference! You can read that post here. Our old couch just didn’t work well so I found a great one on Craigslist, (which is one of my fav places to shop for our home). To see my tips for how I score some amazing deals on Craigslist, check here. We also spray painted the recessed lights to eliminate the runway effect you see above.
The Dining Room
We painted over the wallpaper in our the dining room just before the first Thanksgiving in our farmhouse. Since our family hosts most of the holiday celebrations and I love to set a pretty table scape it was important to make this room pretty too.
Believe it or not that is the same farmhouse table in both pictures. Jason did an awesome job in transforming it into the dining table of my dreams. You can read about how he did that for FREE here. While some people don’t use their dining rooms anymore we use ours everyday and it is one of my favorite rooms in our home. Below is a picture of the table I set for last year’s Thanksgiving dinner.
The Kitchen
We have plans for a big kitchen remodel in a few years but it’s amazing how just a few little changes can make a big difference!
Since moving in we have added new appliances, changed out the kitchen faucet, added a new kitchen pantry and added built in bookcases and a built in desk.
The Laundry Room
The laundry room was one of the first rooms we changed and it was a complete gut. You can read more about that here.
The Powder Room
We did a mini makeover of this powder room for less than $250. Paint, a new countertop, sink, faucet and hardware made a big difference! To read more of what we did to the powder room check that out here.
The Family Room
More paint on the walls, trim, fireplace and recessed lights made a big difference. Finding the right coffee table on Craigslist also helped finish off the room.
The Master Bedroom
Our master bedroom was a huge project. We added 2 new closets, new wide pine floors and of course painted and took down the wall paper border. You can see the full reveal here.
Tucker’s Room
Tuck’s room is our former master closet. We completely transformed his room by adding a window, building a window seat bookcases and bunk beds and adding new floors. You can see his full reveal here.
Ryan’s Room
Ryan’s room was a huge project too. We completely gutted his room, building him a built in bed, bookcases and secretary turned dresser, built him a new doorway and door and added a bead board ceiling and new wide pine floors and painted. To see his whole reveal, check that out here.
The hallway outside the kids room also changed a lot too! For some strange reason not 1 bedroom had a door originally which I think is very weird :). We have been adding a lot of new doorways and doors, like this pallet one above, to our farmhouse.
Bennett’s Navy Bedroom
Bennett’s room got a lot of changes too :). New floors, bead board ceiling, lighting, paint, a new dresser, built in desk and another doorway change.
I love the transom we added above his door. It gives so much character to his room and the hallway!
Audrey’s Room
Audrey’s room is still a work in progress. The first thing we did was add a door to her room. We have given her new paint and upcycled a 4 poster bed and 2 farmhouse dressers for her. We still plan to change out her old carpet and she has been asking for some built in bookcases like her brothers. If you haven’t figured it out yet with all the bookcases we keep adding, we are a family of readers :).
Exterior Back
The first thing we did when we moved in was fence in our whole yard. From a privacy fence in the front, a lattice fence off our patio and a post and rail fence in the back.
Our property is completely fenced in mostly to contain our crazy labradoodle, Moose.
We also have been taking down a lot of overgrown trees and shrubs and adding new landscaping everywhere. We definitely miss the privacy we first had but we know it will come in time as the shrubs and trees will fill in and the kids and Moose love having a big yard to play in. We also love sitting at the stone patio fire pit we added.
What’s Next!!!
Inside – The Boys Bathroom – We plan on completely gutting their bathroom this fall. I am ashamed to admit it still looks like this…. We definitely have our work cut out for us in here!
Outside – Our plan is to add a small orchard and veggie garden next year now that our yard is much more open. I can’t wait!!! We are also finishing a walkway along the back of our farmhouse and are restoring the old brick patio that was covered by a deck. The hot tub will also be moved to the side of the patio so we can add a big table and pergola back here. Below is our current progress…Yikes!
If you want to see more pictures of our farmhouse fixed up be sure to check out our summer tour.
Don’t forget to Pin our Farmhouse Fixer Upper!!!
You may also want to check out our last 2 fixer uppers!
Tara, you and your husband did a fabulous job in your fixer upper! Plus I love seeing all the Longaberger baskets and pottery items used very beautifully in your home. (I was a 23 year consultant for Longaberger and still love these products). Thanks for sharing this beautiful home with all of us!
Thank you so much for your sweet comments about our farmhouse fixer upper farmhouse Connie!!! I sold Longaberger baskets for many years when my boys were little which is why I am lucky to have so many :). They really do have the best baskets. Thanks so much for stopping by and take care, Tara