If you follow my stories on Instagram, you found out on Saturday that we bought a new house. (And if you don’t follow me on Instagram, you can do so by clicking HERE.)
Yep. We did.
It’s a fixer upper that is in need of a TON of TLC. I mean….a ton! Like, you guys are going to think that we have lost our ever-lovin’ minds for getting it, and maybe we have. haha! But Cy and I seriously salivate over homes like this. They definitely do not scare us away.
This little house sits on one of the main streets in our little hometown, and actually looks better from the outside than the inside.
The exterior will not be as hard to fix as the interior.
Although looking at this next picture, you probably think it would be…
Guys…the inside is WAY worse! WAY!
Y’all hold on for these next pictures!
This is the front room, right when you walk in.
We are basically gutting this whole house down to the studs!
The front room leads into the kitchen room. As you can see by the crooked doorway, we have some structural work to do as well.
Once we rip everything down to the studs, Cy is going to go under the house and jack it back up so that the foundation is level.
These cabinets have already been torn out, and I will try to give you a weekly update from here on out.
This is the only bedroom, and it has the least amount of work to do. Although there is as bathroom in this room, and it is NASTY! UGH!
I’m sorry the pictures are so dark. We do not have electricity in this house yet, and it was super rainy the day I took these pictures. It was also the day my car broke down in the rain, and we had to call triple A, and then I fell in a big mud puddle. Yep. Good day. :)
This little room is a laundry room. We were starting to gut it in the pic below.
And guess what, y’all?! We had to buy a raccoon trap! There was a raccoon the size of a dog living in the attic. I kid. you. not.
Oh Lord, help us! haha!!
There is also a trailer on the back of the property that we will be fixing up as well. I’ll explain more about that later.
As bad as it looks and sounds, y’all….I am so excited about this flip, and I hope it leads to many more in the future. I love doing this type of work with Cy, and he loves it too!
That’s it for now! I hope you have a blessed day, today!
Love ya, friends!
xoxo
Traci
Wow, awesome! Can’t wait to see what you guys do to this cute house to bring it back to life. Doing stuff like this is MY DREAM y’all, so I’ll be making sure to watch for all the updates on this little house. Blessings, Michelle
Thank you so much, Michelle!
Can’t wait to watch the progress. I’m sure you’ll make it very cozy and inviting. Good luck!
Thank you so much!
I can’t wait to see the progress…You guys do such wonderful work!
Thank you, Patti!
Be careful with the racoon droppings. I’ve heard breathing that stuff can be pretty nasty. Not saying there may be some other things in the house too! Good luck to you both! I know how much fun it can be.
Yes, we are always wearing masks! Right now, the house stinks BAD!
See Y’all are Tennesssee’s Chip and Joanna! Those HGTV folks ought to pay attention!!!
Thank you for the sweet comment! :)
Can’t wait to see what you do with the place!
Thank you, Donna!
Girlll… I am so excited for you! I love this sort of stuff too! The possibilities are endless! You and Cy have such good taste too so I know the end result will be amazing!! Can’t wait to travel along this journey with you both!
Thank you so much, Karen!
Wow, you and Cy are brave people to tackle this, but I give you credit that this is exciting and you can’t wait to dig in. The house you live in now I know was one you did a lot of work to, so you are up for this challenge I’m sure. Good luck. It will be fun to see what you do with this.
Thank you, Linda!
Wow! You two are Brave, brave, BRAVE! lol I am thinking that Joshua chapter one will be a great go-to for you all for the next several months. ;) Congrats of the purchase, I can’t wait to see how you & Cy transform this dump into a gorgeous home that anyone would jump to get a hold of. :)
Brave, or plain stupid. haha! Thank you for believing in us, Claudine!
Hi Tracy…The Captain and I flip houses too…if you have not done this before…just be prepared that it will most likely cost you more than you planned and will take longer than you planned and the permits alone will drive you a bit crazy. Just sayin’ About 8 years ago, we started flipping moderate (80,000-100,000 dollar houses), moved to the 300,000 -400,000 range and now we are in the million dollar range. We currently have 3 houses in Naples, Florida…started on a fourth down there, ended up tearing it all down and starting from scratch because the location is good. We also have one in Pompano Beach, Florida that is right on the Atlantic ocean. One of the houses in Naples is a about 8000 square feet and a grand staircase plus we put in an elevator.
Sounds great doesn’t it? But it is not always easy …I am not trying to discourage you or we would have stopped a long time ago…we still like the excitement of buying houses and working on them…well, hiring contractors to work on them as we learned the hard way, not to do the work ourselves. Just sayin’ be prepared….
Hugs
Kari @ Me and My Captain
Sounds like you have lots a great experience, Kari! Sounds fun!
Oh my!!! God bless you and Cy. You have a very big job ahead of you. But together you can do it. Can’t wait to see the final product.
Thank you, Sheila!
love DIY home renovations. so I’m guessing this is a house that you are just fixing up and flipping and NOT moving into right?????
Yes, Sharon! Definitely NOT moving into this one! :)
WHOA LORDY! I will pray for the successful completion of this project and send up a double prayer to keep those who are doing the work to be safe as well. Also a little extra prayer for no major dollar draining surprises as you move forward. Good luck!
haha! Prayers are welcome!!!
Traci and Cy,
This little house is going to be stunning when it is complete!
I was so glad to see a “hazmat” suit in one of the pictures; you two are so talented!
Best Regards,
Denise
P.S. Looking forward to hearing about the children, and the cat, as well!
How exciting! Y’all make me think of Chip and Joanna Gaines. I look forward to following you on this journey, and learning what led to this decision. God bless!
What a great compliment! Thank you!
Three words…”oh lawd child!”
You made me laugh out loud! :)
i love homes like this…always have. i always like to dream about how i would fix them up. i could see this as an adorable english cottage. can’t wait to see your take on it and follow along as you fix it up.
Oooh…English cottage! You are a dreamer like me! xoxo
Just the right people for the job!!!
Thank you, Nancy!
This is exciting!! Before you know it you will have your own TV show! 😊
Can’t wait to watch the progress.
Blessings!
#fingerscrossed #hinthint
Been there…..Done that. Happy days ahead ….ENJOY.
Thank you, Margaret!
Traci,
This project is a huge one, but it will be stunning when you and Cy are finished!
It seems as though you will sell it rather than rent it out?
Good thing a hazmat suit is being worn! So, I would bet that the raccoon wasn’t happy that he was
Being evicted, did you have to relocate the guy or do you have to take more drastic action?
In a small house like this do you raise the ceilings to make it seem larger?
Anyway, best wishes on this great adventure and love to the you, Cy, the children and the cat!
Denise
Hi Denise! We are going to relocate the coon! haha! And luckily, the ceilings in this house are already 10 feet high, so that will definitely help with making it feel more spacious. yay! Thanks for your encouragement!! xoxo
I can see it already! So fun and it will be totally transformed with your touch!
Thank you so much!
I have no doubt it will look like a million bucks when it’s done. COngrats!!!
Thank you, Lucy!
Wow, can’t wait to see the renovation. Was surprised at how big the kitchen looks compared to the size of the house. Best wishes and Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Nancy
Hi Nancy! Yes the kitchen is actually pretty big. We may try to steal a little square footage from it to make room for an extra bedroom. We will see. :)
Have fun! Looks like a house I’d buy ;-D.
Yep. Definitely, Brit! You could soooooo work your magic on it! Miss you, friend!
I would LOVE to do something like this, but while I’m pretty handy my hubby isn’t and isn’t a fan of such goings-on – LOL. I will say he’s warming up to it though. I’m really excited for you all and can’t wait to see all the work. Mercy, do you all ever rest? You’re still working on your guest house and now you’re on to this…whew! you make me tired, but I love this stuff as much as you so I get it. Good Luck, and watch out for those “coons”.
Thank you, Sharon! Cy and I do have trouble resting. haha! But it doesn’t feel like work when you love what you do, ya know? We look forward to sharing this adventure with everyone here on the blog!
Oh, goodness! I would be concerned about mold.
Yes, we are definitely using masks and tyvek suits while gutting this house. We will make sure that the house is checked for molds and anything else that may be lurking in there! ha!
Love it! Looks like a dream come true to me! I would love to flip a house like this. <3 Have fun!
Thank you, Leslie!
What fun! I will enjoy following along with you on your journey.
Thank you, Debra!
How exciting!! I can’t wait to see what you guys do with this little house.
Thank you, Cassie!
Hi Traci, I’ve been flipping homes for several years now … bought my first true investment “flip” right after Haven 2015. It’s been awesome, exhausting, rewarding, and more. Praying this one works out great for you!
Thank you, Susan! I know you have a lot of knowledge you could share in this area! xoxo
Traci, I am really happy to hear about your new adventure! Have you ever thought about having your own show on HGTV? I had a dream in my sleep about talking to you a few months ago. In the dream, I met you for the first time at a coffee shop. While we were chatting, I told you that you were going to be on TV. I woke up after that and wondered if I should let you know about the dream. I forgot about having that dream until I read your post today. I sensed the Lord prompting me to share it with you now. Christ is using your family in such a mighty way and I believe HE has so much more in store for your lives. May the Lord bless your journey and guide you as you two renovate this house. I know you and Cy will transform this old house into something absolutely beautiful. Have a wonderful day in Christ!
Tracy, how exciting! I have been following your blog for a few years.
Maja from Australia.
Thank you, Maja! Happy new year to you!