After yesterday’s first house vs. current house comparison, a reader named Jess left a comment that really made us think: “It’s unfair to compare eight months of work at the current place to four-plus years at the old one. You should compare each house at the same point—what did the old house look like eight months after you moved in?” Fair point. We’ve learned a lot in five years of homeownership and now spend far more time on house projects since this DIY diary became our job. Still, we’re game for a comparison. It’s Friday, and a walk down memory lane is always entertaining—even if it involves a bit of cringing.
About eight months into living in our first house, we were still figuring out basic things—like the right paint finish for trim. I painted all the trim in the house with flat paint, only to learn later it should be semi-gloss. We had to redo it all, and yes, that was torture. The takeaway: homes take time. They’ll look awkward at first, and that’s okay. Below is a snapshot of how our first house looked at roughly the eight-month mark. If you want to see the final first-house photos or compare to the current house’s eight-month progress, check out yesterday’s post.
Front Yard, First House (8 Months In):
When we moved in, the front yard was basically a forest. In about eight months I managed to trim back the trees that completely blocked the house, so neighbors could actually see it from the street. Project Tree Trimming was a solo, surprise-for-John job—just me, a lawn chair, and a branch cutter. He was legitimately surprised to see the front porch again.
Front Porch, First House (8 Months In):
A few weeks after trimming the branches, I altered the slatted wood screen door by cutting a big “window” into it, painted it yellow, and hung a simple twig-and-faux-lemon wreath from a bargain store. The previous owner had left a wooden “Welcome” plaque with a pineapple on it; I kept it up for a long time because I liked the cottage-y vibe it gave.
Living Room, First House (8 Months In):
Yikes. The sofa was a hand-me-down and the coffee table was an Ikea relic from college. Everything felt too small and oddly spaced, with a square of faux-stone linoleum by the door. Living with that room taught us how important zoning is: creating a dining area, a living area, and a console by the entry made the long space feel functional and less sparse.
Kitchen, First House (8 Months In):
We did a surprising amount in the kitchen early on: new appliances (Frigidaire from Lowe’s that we later carried into our remodel), painted cabinets (Brown Bag by Glidden), replaced hardware with budget Ikea pieces, and painted the faux-brick backsplash (Wishes by Glidden). It was still a hot mess, but it was our hot mess—complete with awkward serving spoons hanging from a metal range hood that wasn’t actually over the stove.
Dining Room (Future Bedroom/Nursery), First House (8 Months In):
We squeezed a lot of personality into a small, barely functional dining space. We built the table ourselves using a thrift-store pedestal and a large wood top, primed and spray-painted the old brass chandelier white, and swapped the long, pointy bulbs for round ones. My favorite experiment was painting the area above the chair rail in a tiffany-box blue and drawing subtle leafy branches with chalk, fixed lightly with craft-store spray fixative. It was bold, fun, and totally us.
Our Bedroom, First House (8 Months In):
The bedroom felt sparse and awkward—too-small artwork, a low bed, and even a printer/fax machine on the floor (back then I still faxed for freelance work). The room was an honest lesson in how layouts and scale matter for comfort.
That bathroom phase felt like a bad ninth-grade haircut. I painted the window trim black hoping for a magazine-worthy look, but it needed to be white again. I removed a swag made from a pashmina (yes, I still wear it) and felt instantly better about the space.
Guest Room, First House (8 Months In):
We had painted the guest room but hadn’t yet furnished it. No bed for sleeping guests for a while—soon after eight months we received a full-sized hand-me-down bed and celebrated the return of sleepovers.
Den, First House (8 Months In):
The den was rough: a sheet stapled under a desk, painted wood paneling but unpainted brick, and generally unfinished details that made the room feel off. Within a month or so we painted the brick to match the panels and began moving the space toward something we loved. It still took time to tackle the exposed beams, though.
Laundry Nook, First House (8 Months In):
I was proud of the peel-and-stick vinyl tile I laid over grimy yellow sheet linoleum. Later we removed the bifold doors, added wood flooring through the hall, half bath, den, and kitchen, and swapped out the temporary glass knobs we’d put on the bifolds. The small upgrades made a big difference.
Half Bathroom, First House (8 Months In):
We knew the bulky vanity had to go for a pedestal sink, but we hesitated because it required cutting into drywall to find studs. For the moment we painted the walls tiffany-box blue (flat paint—now we know semi-gloss is better for bathrooms), replaced the avocado-green toilet, and updated the window fabric and hardware before finally removing the shutters to let in natural light.
Sunroom, First House (8 Months In):
We made a lot of progress in the sunroom: a hand-me-down wicker daybed, thrifted mattress, a DIY scrabble table, and stained concrete floors in “tuscan gold.” That stain ended up too orange in sunlight, so later we painted the floor a glossy chocolate color to better match the hardwood floors throughout the house.
Patio, First House (8 Months In):
The patio had been flagged as needing replacement at inspection. A few weeks before our backyard wedding, my mom expressed real concern about guest safety, so we used our house fund to hire a pro to redo the patio over three days. Knowing how hard patio work is, we were glad to outsource it and avoid a half-finished disaster heading into the wedding.
Back Yard, First House (8 Months In):
The yard felt like a dream during the initial walk-through—park-like with deep woods beyond. We kept it that way for the wedding, but eventually grew tired of maintaining pea gravel paths, pruning endless bushes, and using segmented grass for activities. We listed the gravel and bushes on Craigslist (they were dug up and taken by eager locals) and seeded for a flatter, grassy yard. Our dog Burger was very grateful.
So that’s a snapshot of our first house about eight months after moving in. The big lesson: renovating and personalizing a home is a process of trial and error. It’s not fast, but it’s how you learn what you really like and how to do things right. We still use that gradual approach today—only with better paint choices and more confidence. If your house feels like a shadow of what you want, keep experimenting and enjoy the ride—you’ll get there.