Andra's Bungalow Revival

04/12/2023

This eyesore has been bothering me since Day 1 but I never actually got around to doing anything about it until today. It was probably one of the cheapest updates I’ve done to date. $8 for one trim board and free paint. What a world of difference though! Power washed, trimmed, caulked, and painted, it’s now been given a new life. I don’t think there’s any concern remaining that there might be a body tucked away inside! 😂😂 I have enough paint remaining that I may paint the foundation block and/or my front porch interior. Now that spring is finally here, the outdoors is calling my name!

11/23/2022

What do you do when there’s only 2 days between guests and you really want a supplemental heat source in the upstairs space? You build an electric fireplace wall! It was definitely a plan-as-you-go build but I think it turned out perfect for the space and was a fast job. So cozy, romantic, and warm now!

04/15/2022

Here’s the office space you’ve been waiting to see! It’s bright and airy, looks nothing like a basement office. SOOOO much work went into this space- drywall, insulation, electrical, paint, lighting, and flooring, the parts that you can’t see that made all the difference. I think our guests will be happy with the space if they have to work while on vacation anyway.

04/08/2022

Here she is! The space that I have spent countless hours in over the last few months, transforming it into a family-friendly game space. There are a few items I still need to do but it is now open for guests to use and enjoy. I forgot to take photos of the office space so I’ll post those next week after my current guests leave. This was a huge learning experience for me and I am very proud of the end product. The half of the basement that I finished took approximately 200 studs, 40 sheets of drywall, 8 pounds of screws, 10 gallons of paint (nearly 5 on the ceiling alone!), 200 feet of electrical wiring, 10 cases of porcelain tile, 32 cases of flooring, and 18 rolls of insulation. No wonder I was tired at the end of every day!

04/05/2022

And a bonus reveal tonight too!! The upstairs has now been updated so we can accommodate more guests for their stays. This huge space now has a beanbag reading corner, a split king bed, and two twins in teepees. I decided to go bold with the painted arch for the bed and can I just say I think it’s the greatest thing ever?!?! It really defined the space that otherwise struggled to stand out and now there’s no need for a headboard. I think my guests are going to LOVE this space!

And yes, I AM for hire if you would like me to make your space look like this too! ❤️

04/05/2022

The basement is finished!! While I still need to get some accent lighting in there so you’ll have a better view of the entire space, I can show you the new bathroom. Due to the location of the plumbing, drain lines, and support post, I had to get creative in designing the layout. The door was not where I originally planned and a regular door wouldn’t work, so I did split barn doors as the perfect solution. The table that I bought was transformed into the vanity and it gives the space some great character. And the shower, I’m in love with this beauty! Although it’s not for tall people, it doesn’t “feel” like a basement bathroom. All in all, it turned out to be a great space and I’m happy to open our home back up to guests again this week. I’ll post pictures of the rest of the space tomorrow after I get some better lighting in there.

03/28/2022

This is the final week of basement finishing! My goal is to have it completed by April 1 (no joke!) and I’m on schedule. It’s been a long time coming but it’s turning out to be an awesome space. Here’s just a sneak peek of the great reveal!

03/15/2022

Today held another project I’ve never done before- stair skirting. I was really nervous about this one, given the price of lumber. However, after a lot of measuring, cutting, remeasuring, more cutting, and fine tuning, the skirting is done. I kept thinking about my junior-high geometry teacher who would have been proud that I still remember what he taught me! The treads and risers were also updated with the same flooring as the rest of the basement. I still have 3 more pieces of trim to put on the edges but it’s a huge improvement from the way they looked this morning!

03/09/2022

You probably thought I gave up on this basement, didn’t you? Nope, just working away, forgetting to take progress pictures and posting updates. I am now just a few weeks from being completely done with this space and I’ll be able to open it up for guests. This is another example of how little the home improvement shows actually show you about what really goes into this work. Slowly but surely, it’s coming along. Here are some pictures from the last month.

01/31/2022

It was a busy day but a very productive one for a change! The tree in the front of the house was 95% dead so it was removed today. The front of the house looks so naked now, it’s going to need some love come springtime. Painted the side door, one new interior door in the basement, and shower tile is going up! The final coat of drywall mud was put on today, it wil be sanded tomorrow and ready for primer (fingers crossed for Wednesday). It finally feels Ike things are coming together and it will soon be a useable space!

01/22/2022

It dawned on me that I haven’t posted progress pics in a while. It’s difficult to capture it but there’s been a LOT of work done. Finally finished framing today, it took 137 studs for the portion of the basement that I’m doing. The exterior walls are framed and insulation is going in. The bathroom drywall is up and the first coat of mud is done. Shower is ready for tile. I added 2 circuits to the panel to supply the bathroom and additional outlets, and upgraded another. Added 10 outlets in total. Tomorrow Tim will help me haul the rest of the Sheetrock into the house so the walls will finally look like walls. It’s slow but it’s still progress!

12/16/2021

So what do you do when the tornado sirens are going off and you need to stay in the basement for shelter? Since I had some time on my hands, I hung some drywall and a door today. I’ve never hung a door before and I’m not saying it wouldn’t have been easier with another set of hands but I managed and it works perfectly! This wall will soon divide the pretty part of the basement from the ugly.

12/15/2021

It’s slow, but still making a lot of progress! Bathroom framed, shower pan down and backer board up and sealed, drywall up and first coat of mud, laundry area framed, and a new window installed. The shower is ready to tile, bathroom will be ready for paint in a couple of days, and the rest of the space is also coming along. Quite a difference for 2 week’s worth of work so far!

12/02/2021

Guess who’s back with more projects?!?! 🙋🏼‍♀️

It’s time to finish the basement of this bungalow! There used to be a bathroom down here which was torn out before we bought the house. I am putting the bathroom back together, including a shower, vanity, and toilet. But first, WALLS!! I started the framing this week and although it’s going slower than I hoped, it’s coming together. I hope to have the back wall of the bathroom framed tomorrow so I can start the mud bed for the shower pan. The exterior walls will be framed and insulated, and I will be putting together a cute little laundry area for guests. I’ve never done this before so it’s all a learning process. I have spent countless hours learning building code requirements for everything I will be doing down here, and permit is in hand! Stay tuned to watch the progress over the next several weeks!

09/28/2021

I haven’t updated any photos lately and realized the house has slowly morphed into a cozy little place for our guests. The plants are loving their new space and I have continued to add more finishing touches to make it as home-like as possible for people who have chosen this as their landing spot while in Omaha. I love spending time here and enjoying the fruits of my labor!

07/18/2021

Always more surprises. This flower bed was on the schedule for an update- I planned to add a small retaining wall, some hostas, and decorative mulch. As I was digging the trench for the retaining wall timbers, the shovel hit something hard. Found this massive water meter cover set in concrete. The design plans have now changed as I’ll have to work around this obstacle. The cover is pretty cool looking though, it’s got the antique look and will eventually add to the curb appeal. Still more surprises!

05/23/2021

It's official- we've gone LIVE with our short term rental! Please head on over, take a peek at our listing and give a little love ❤️ to draw more attention for potential guests! There's been a lot of planning, hard work, and love poured into this home and I hope it will soon be filled with people who enjoy the space as much as we do!

https://airbnb.com/h/bellabungalow

Entire home/apt in Omaha, United States. Newly updated with classic charm in central location close to NeMed & VA hospitals, Midtown, Aksarben, UNO, and downtown. You'll have the entire ho...

05/05/2021

Now that the upstairs is done, the basement needs some major attention. It’s bad. I mean *really baaaaddd*!! Although there is no egress window, there is a “bedroom” down here which I am focusing my attention on for the moment. Walls had been punched/kicked in, hundreds of knife marks from what I can only assume was throwing practice, dozens of phone numbers written or carved onto walls, and a hundred or more tiny indentations from someone’s BB shooting practice. The floor had previously been urinated on by cats and/or dogs, especially one area which had carpet padding remnants stuck to the concrete. I made the mistake of trying to hose off the concrete- what I didn’t know is that water reactivates uric acid crystals from animal urine in the concrete and let’s off a horrid odor. So today I scraped the floor, thoroughly vacuumed it, then applied an enzymatic cleaner to break down the uric acid. After it dries, I will then seal the concrete to make sure the odor is gone for good. I also started drywall repair (oh yay! 🙄) on the walls and ceiling. I don’t think it will take a lot of work to really make a huge difference down here. 🤞🏼 Lots of scrubbing, paint, new light fixtures, and it will be useable space.

05/03/2021

Thank you to everyone who came out for my open house today, it was wonderful to see all of you! Thank you for all of your support and encouraging words over the last 4 months as I’ve undertaken this project, it really means the world to me to have such a supportive group following along. There’s still work to do but the majority of it is behind me and it’s been a great journey. Time for a new phase of the project- hosting guests!

04/29/2021

Today was a happy and sad day all rolled into one. I had set a goal of April 1 to have everything done and I missed my mark by 27 days. Except for final furnishings and decor, THIS HOUSE IS NOW DONE! All interior work is complete but there are still a few outdoor projects to work on. My rugs are on back order and I’m still looking for the right furniture for upstairs. As the rooms fill in, I’ll post more photos. We bought this house on December 30 and just 4 months later, I have renovated every square inch of it. I did the work by myself but with the moral support and appliance-moving assist from Tim. I have had the time of my life and it has brought a great sense of satisfaction that I was able to bring my mind eye’s vision to life.

Over the next few days, I’ll post before/during/after photos to show how far this house has come. Next step is getting my listing completed and start renting this space out for visitors. Please let me know if you have out of town friends/family visiting, I would love to host them!

And an open house this weekend, I hope to see some of your smiling faces here!

04/23/2021

For those of you who are local and have been following along with this little adventure, I’m hoping to be ready for an open house next week! If you’re interested in stopping by to check it out, just message me and I’ll send you the address. I haven’t set a firm date/time yet but I’m trying for Friday, I’ll let you know as we get closer. I can’t believe it but *it’s almost finished*!!

04/20/2021

You know how there are extra parts leftover after you’ve put something together and you wonder to yourself if you forgot something or if they just included spares? This is the pile of leftover pieces after reassembling this house. It seems excessive but I’ve never done an entire house at once so maybe this is normal. I dunno but I’m sure it’s fine. 😉

04/19/2021

Just when I think this house is done revealing surprises, another one pops up in the sunshine! I knew there were a couple of stepping stones in the back yard but I didn’t know there was an entire walkway from the patio to the steps! The stones were buried under nearly 2” of grass and dirt but it was no challenge for the power washer. I’ll have to finish it another day, it was such a wet, muddy mess that I couldn’t get everything cleared today. I also power washed the back retaining wall and patio, it’s getting ready for guests. The front sidewalk also got trimmed and cleared of weeds and encroaching grass (no photos), and the old storm door was removed and ready for its replacement. I think I can finish the yard cleanup with one more nice day, then I’ll bring out the patio furniture. It was wonderful to be out in the sunshine today!

04/18/2021

Just one quick photo today. Who has been to IKEA and assembled items when you returned home? The analytical portion of my brain loves building these things! I’m not a fan of all the boxes and wrapping though but how else could you possibly get tables, chairs, linens, curtains, dishes, and so much more into my little car? It can only be done with “some assembly required” goods. I can’t show you what was assembled today but trust me, *we’re getting close!!*

04/15/2021

More yard cleanup today and I expect it to take at least 2, maybe 3, more days to complete. The grapevine on the fence is finally trimmed back to a manageable level and once it greens up I’ll be able to see what else is dead and can be removed. The parking pad had weeds and compacted dirt growing on top of the expansion joints which needed to be dug out. The trees at the edge of the concrete were also in desperate need of a trim so I removed all of the lower branches, now we’re not at risk of poking an eye out as we walk around. In total, I filled 10 lawn bags today and have a big pile of tree limbs to take to the landfill.

Some people may wonder why in the world I would spend a day cleaning a parking pad in the alley. Even though it’s not visible from the street, it will still provide parking space for my guests and could very well be their first impression upon their arrival. It also shows pride of owndership which I’m sure the neighbors appreciate. Even though we won’t be living here, I think it’s important for the neighbors to know that I intend to care for the property. This was another project that cost nothing except for the lawn bags and hours of my time. Well worth it in the end.

04/14/2021

Working on getting some yard cleanup done now that plants are coming up and I can see what’s what. This flower bed on the east side has a lot of day lilies that were all clumped together and encroaching on the walkway. I dug them up, dispersed them throughout the flowerbed and clustered the iris together instead of randomly scattered in the lilies. The walkway is finally walkable without tripping or ducking under limbs. Hopefully tomorrow will be another decent day so I can get more done in the back yard.

I also scraped the porch windows, inside and out, to remove the paint overspray that has been on them for who-knows-how-long. After a good cleaning, they now let in the wonderful spring light! The porch will soon be transformed into a welcoming, relaxing corner.

04/13/2021

Sometimes the home improvements that make the biggest impact are the ones that don’t cost anything but a few minutes of your time yet make a huge difference in curb appeal. That was the case today when I took on power washing the retaining wall. It was looking dingy and aged but 45 minutes later, it looks new and fresh again. I also modified and moved the house numbers to street level, there are new numbers coming next week that will go on the house for an updated look.

I finished the final coat of poly on the floor today and tomorrow (weather permitting) will be an outdoor cleanup day again. There’s lots of trimming and clearing to do to make the patio inviting and relaxing.

04/12/2021

The last major project of this house (before renting it out) is nearly complete! The third and final coat of poly will be going on the floors tomorrow. After all of the sanding and staining, I was in a panic when the color wasn’t looking the way I hoped. Thanks to a wonderful friend for walking me off the ledge and keeping me from making a drastic mistake, I stuck it out and went back to find the dry stain looking much better this morning (thanks Melissa!). I’m happy with the results so far and I’m sure the last coat of poly will give it the crowning touch. After this, there’s a ton of touch up work to be done around the house, yard cleanup to complete, and a few odds and ends, but it will soon be ready for furniture to be moved in and welcoming guests!

Getting to this point is rather bittersweet, I’m looking forward to having guests, but I’m *really* going to miss having a project like this to work on.

04/07/2021

Chimney flashing repair day. I don’t intend to EVER be back up on this roof again, it’s much steeper than this photo makes it appear. Thanks to Tim for holding the ladder for me and making sure I didn’t die in the process. What you can’t see from this angle is my right foot braced against the chimney so I wouldn’t slide down. Happy to have this done though so there should not be a recurrence of the leak down my faux brick. Tomorrow will be another day securely working at ground level.

04/06/2021

I am exhausted. I’m not certain what happened today, did I control the drum floor sander or did it control me? What you see is 8 hours worth of sanding. The bedroom that had the worst floor is ready for stain/poly after a good vacuuming, the rest of the house still needs at least 2 more passes with the sander, and part of the living room hasn’t been touched at all yet. I started with 36 grit paper, moved up to 60, and then 80 to take it down to raw wood. Two 13-gallon garbage bags of sawdust and I’m only about halfway done. While it’s a TON of work, it’s going to be well worth it in the end. Back at it again tomorrow.