Million Dollar Makeover – Let’s Hope Not!!! 3-29-12

Our little bench overlooking the creek.

Upgrading an 80 year old house is somewhat akin to the challenges of a makeover reality show on an 80 year old beauty queen – once you get started you realize it’s going to take a whole lot of makeup! 

But, where does one begin?  Without being too heavy handed, how do we enhance the natural beauty that still shines beneath her aged exterior?  What colors will make her sparkle and shine?  Fortunately, I stumbled upon the fact the Lowe’s makes sample paints in any color your little heart desires.  For the measly sum of $3, you can purchase little sample bottles and go berserk trying to decide on the perfect hue.

What color do I choose?????

And so we began the transformation.  We filled the blemishes with spackle, scraped away the old finish and painted on a new face.  And abracadabra, her aging beauty sparkled with a youthful glow.  I do believe the old gal has probably never looked so good. 

But who are we kidding.  Beneath the outside façade of rejuvenated youth, there still lurks an 80 year old body.  Spurred on by the success of our exterior transformation, we began the makeover of the interior.  I mean, how hard could it be?  Cinch in this part, pad that part, lift here, tuck there and voila! Our makeover is ready for the Big Reveal!

Not!!!
 

Our little bird bath friends

We can't seem to even finish the kitchen!  Will we ever get out of the kitchen?  How many times can we change our minds on the colors?  Do we refurbish the old cabinets or replace them with new?  Scrape the baseboards or paint over them?  Move the stove or leave it in its original place against the wall?  Use oil base or water base primer?  Use the old hardware or find something shiny? Keep the old sink or update the look?

The kitchen

Fortunately some of these mind boggling issues were resolved a few nights ago.  Our original idea for the little house was to minimally fix her up as a full-time monthly rental.  But whilst sipping margaritas with our neighbors (sisters Ramona and Patrice, and brother-in-law Mario) Mario came up with what I can only describe as a stroke of genius.  I don’t know how often he has these epiphanies, but this one was a doozy.  After a cool sip of his beverage, he looked up and proclaimed, “You know what you guys should do, you should rent it out as a vacation rental.  Then you could use it whenever you wanted to!”  Having grown quite fond of our little house and green acre we thought it was a marvelous idea.  And, not wanting to move from our home in Ventura, we could use Ojai as our own little home-away-from-home whenever we wanted, and still have the added benefit of extra travel income.  Maybe even a house swap with someone in a far off land?  Hmmmm…..



The Lilacs are blooming!

Now before all you naysayers start naysaying, here’s the basic plan.  We will advertise it in magazines that cater to people looking for a getaway for themselves and their horses.  It’s an acre of land, sleeps four, pet friendly with a fenced yard, two horse corrals, plenty of room for an RV, trailer or boat, has a creek that runs year round, and is located in one of the nicest parts of the world – Ojai.  Plus, as an added bonus, it comes complete with some of the nicest neighbors you would ever hope to find!

Waiting for tenants

So, with a vacation rental in mind, many of our decisions have clarified.  Yes, we are getting a new kitchen sink and we are updating the cabinets.  We were going to make do with the current kitchen floor but will now be replacing it.  You can see where this is heading (i.e. $$$).  Most of our efforts (and money) will be spent on the kitchen and living room.  She will be our very own country bungalow, filled with the beauty of nature that surrounds her:  soft earth tones of browns, greens and buttery yellow with a splash of blue, embroidered birds on pillows, natural fabric bedspreads, and flowers on windowsills.  You get the idea...

And when the final makeover is complete, we will have the Big Reveal and celebrate.

But first, we must finish the dang kitchen!!!



Cymbidiums in the patio.