Eeeee! That’s my excited dolphin noise—apparently a hit with the kids. I’m thrilled to take you on a tour of our new Florida house as it looked the first day we saw it in February. Ironically, that was also the last day we viewed it in person because our spring break trip was canceled and we’ve been watching the renovation happen from afar. A lot has changed since those photos were taken: globally with the pandemic, and locally with repairs that made the house livable after several weeks of work by our contractor and his distanced crew.
When we first bought the house it had issues—holes in the floor, no working AC, and a bathtub being used as a place to store a sink. But over the last six weeks many of those problems were fixed. Fun fact: this house sat on the market for over eight and a half months in a charming neighborhood just a few blocks from the beach. It scared buyers off because of the condition, but we’re so grateful it waited for us. The outdoor spaces and the mature trees sold us immediately.
We wish we could be there in person for every step of the renovation, but we can manage a few more weeks remotely. By early May the house should be livable enough for us to move in, timed perfectly with the Pod we shipped from Richmond. This marks a major milestone for us: owning one smaller house and moving into it. Downsizing is tough, but packing everything into one Pod felt like a giant Tetris game—and we actually did it in four days. It already feels worth it.
We’ll share details about the renovation on an upcoming podcast and in future progress posts. This house is a long-term project with many plans, so expect ongoing updates. For now, here’s the before tour.
Walking in the front door, the first thing you noticed was a hole in the floor from water damage. That theme showed up in several areas when we toured it.
The main living area on the first floor will become the kitchen and dining zone with a cozy seating nook. Ignore the soffits and mauve counters for now—the centered sink window brings in great light. This large room will accommodate a dining table and a casual seating area for games, puzzles, or reading while someone cooks.
That door on the left hides a closet with the water heater and HVAC, plus a little storage for a broom or vacuum. From the kitchen window, looking toward the front door, we fell in love with the original wall paneling and the abundance of glass doors that open onto the wooded lot—twelve in total throughout the house, despite it having only six rooms.
It was a rainy day when we first toured, but the house felt bright and welcoming thanks to the many windows framing magnolias and oaks. We realized a formal living room off the kitchen would make a perfect primary bedroom, especially because there’s another large living area upstairs—so we don’t need two downstairs living rooms.
That room has six extra glass doors—so if we close up one wide opening and remove an odd triangular post, the bed can face the doors and we’ll wake up to trees every morning. Imagine bamboo shades and breezy white curtains softening the light.
Outside those doors is a lovely tree-filled view. We plan to create a private patio there to enjoy mornings and evenings surrounded by greenery.
Inside the bedroom, there’s a fireplace wall we can’t wait to style. It will probably become an electric or gas insert, depending on what makes sense once we’re living there. The room also includes two more glass doors that open to a small side deck—making eight doors in this space. That porch is the perfect spot to add an attached bathroom and closet later; initially we’ll share the hall bathroom.
From the kitchen you can better see the layout and the remaining flooring damage. A deep closet off the dining area leads into the only fully closed bedroom the house originally had—a quirky secret-passage closet that actually solves a layout problem we’ll detail in a future floor plan post.
After contractors started demo, we found more extensive water damage than expected. The first-floor drywall had to come down and be replaced, and removing it revealed a hidden leak in the bathroom—better to find it now than after moving in.
The house originally had one functioning bathroom that was unusable when we bought it—the entire property had the water turned off. The vanity had been removed and the sink was shoved into the tub. Charming, right?
There’s a bedroom that will become our daughter’s room; since these photos were taken the ceiling there has been vaulted and planked, which transforms the space. Another former laundry room will become our son’s bedroom, and we’ve discovered delightful historical details—drawings on the wall by a local artist who once lived here. We documented them before removing damaged drywall so we can preserve and frame them.
Upstairs is a huge, light-filled flex space that will serve as our main living and working area. It opens onto a large deck that feels like an extra outdoor room among the trees. This space will host TV nights, work sessions, art projects for the kids, and downtime for the whole family.
All the floors are old pine, which we plan to sand and clear-seal. Some sections have already been prepped and they look beautiful—goodbye to holes in the floor, hello to restored original wood.
Outside there’s a covered side porch and an outdoor shower that will eventually lead to a pool. The outdoor areas are surrounded by mature trees and require minimal lawn care—no more mower for us, and we’re delighted about that.
One last fun coincidence: after meeting the contractor and signing the offer, I found a book in a lunch spot whose illustrator was the same local artist who once lived here. That felt like a good omen. We signed quickly, flew home, and soon learned our offer was accepted. It’s been a whirlwind, and we’re so excited for this next chapter and to share the renovation journey with you.