Note: This post grew out of an updated Before & After page that readers had trouble finding at the top of the blog, so we’ve preserved it here as a single chronological post. We’ll continue updating our Before & After page over time, while this entry remains a snapshot of our progress. Looking back, it would have been fun to capture photos at six months and at the one-year mark too.
We moved into this 1,400-square-foot house in Northwest Florida in May 2020 after a fast, intense, long-distance three-month renovation. If you want the backstory on why we chose a smaller, simpler lifestyle for our family, read more here and see the concise synopsis of how we ended up in this exact spot here. Now, onto the before-and-after photos and details.
NOTE: We built a Shop Our House page to help you find paint colors, furniture, and accessories featured in the house.
The Exterior
We retained the cedar siding, black metal windows, exterior doors, and metal roofing, but refreshed the decks, railings, and front steps and repainted much of the exterior white. For more photos and details of the exterior renovation, check out this post.
We also added tropical landscaping that has evolved over time—more photos and an updated post coming soon.
Here’s the side of the house as it looked when we bought it in February 2020:
After painting and installing horizontal railings on the second-floor deck, the exterior felt much safer and more cohesive. We removed steep steps to the upper deck and simplified guard rails to improve sightlines and access—small changes that made a big difference.
There’s more we’ve done out here—fences, ferns, and a firepit—so let’s head inside for the next part of the tour and return outside later.
The Kitchen
The kitchen required both major updates and smaller, budget-friendly changes. This was our starting point:
We repaired the pine floors, removed an intrusive soffit, added more lighting, and replaced the popcorn ceiling with new drywall. For full renovation progress see this post and this update.
Over time we made inexpensive improvements—new lighting, DIY shelving, and painted cabinets—and later acquired secondhand appliances and reconfigured the layout. We added an Ikea pantry built-in around a relocated fridge to gain significant storage (post about that coming soon).
Moving the fridge revealed a previously blocked window and created a full pantry wall—an efficient use of space that brightened the room. We also closed a wide doorway to create a cozy sitting area beside the kitchen, which functions as a casual hangout when someone is cooking or when friends stop by.
This kitchen is deceptively roomy: it holds an eat-in table and a casual seating nook. Having two separate common areas in a small home—downstairs and the larger family room upstairs—helps the family feel spacious and allows different activities to happen without disturbing each other.
The Stairs
The staircase to the upstairs family room originally had vertical planking and benefited from lots of natural light, but the treads didn’t match the downstairs floors and had finish problems. We resolved the issue by painting the treads and installing a durable textured sisal runner that improves traction for our dog Burger and ties the staircase into the rest of the house.
The runner is an indoor/outdoor rug, so it stands up to heavy use. (Photo is from before we added the pantry; an updated shot is forthcoming.)
The Family Room
Upstairs is a large multipurpose family room that serves as a TV room, home office, and kids’ craft area. It’s the biggest room in the house and flexible enough to accommodate multiple activities. This is what it looked like when we bought the house (note the mildew along the ceiling):
After refinishing the floors and painting, the room now shows off the original paneling and large windows—furniture helps to communicate scale and makes the space feel inviting. We’ve shared additional updates in this post and this update, and we’ll publish newer photos soon.
Adding furniture made the room’s scale clear—what once looked narrow now reads as a spacious, multiuse area with plenty of room for storage and activity.
The Upper Deck
A large upper deck off the living room functions as an important outdoor living area. We replaced rotted decking, railings, and an unstable pergola, removed a leaking chimney that obstructed the layout, and painted extensively. The result is a comfortable outdoor dining and lounging space with string lights and added seating—one of our favorite hangouts. Read more about the project here.
Removing that central chimney and opening the deck transformed it into a roomy, cozy outdoor room perfect for gatherings and family nights. It makes the house feel much larger by extending living space into the trees.
Our Bedroom
This light-filled room became our bedroom after we closed up a large doorway that connected it to the kitchen. At purchase, this house had only one room with a closable door, so creating a private, comfortable bedroom was essential.
We refinished the floors, repainted, and added curtains, furniture, and a rug to make the room cozy. We also added substantial storage, closed off two excessive exterior doors on one wall, and installed a closet—an upgrade that changed how the room functions.
We’ve considered adding an attached bathroom in an underused corner of the room, but sharing a bathroom has worked well so far, so we’re not in a rush. For details on storage and our plans see this post.
We also updated the fireplace and mantel to make the bedroom extra cozy—details are in this post and this tutorial.
A common question is whether we considered using the large upstairs family room as our bedroom. We did, but ultimately decided against it because:
- we prefer sleeping on the same floor as the kids;
- the upstairs room is huge and we didn’t want to claim that entire space for our bedroom;
- guests accessing the large deck would have to pass through the bedroom;
- adding plumbing upstairs would be significantly more expensive than the downstairs option;
- and having two separate common areas helps a small home feel larger and more functional for multiple activities and guests.
The Bathroom
Our single bathroom was nonfunctional when we bought the house: the vanity and sink were removed, there were hidden leaks in the walls, and the toilet couldn’t flush due to missing sewer connections. Before we moved in, we replaced nearly everything (except the window) to make the room fully usable. The new tile, fixtures, and a working toilet are the highlights—see more in this post.
The Laundry Closet
A double-sided closet near the front door was converted into a compact, hardworking laundry closet—similar to the nook we had in our first house. We installed new appliances, built deep plywood shelves, and added many hooks to make it efficient and tidy.
Our Daughter’s Bedroom
Vaulting the ceiling in our daughter’s bedroom made a dramatic difference—this simple change opened the room, increased light, and improved the feel without structural roof work. We added insulation and planked the ceiling to follow the roof slope, then painted and furnished the space. We also hand-painted a colorful mural on the newly vaulted wall for a playful focal point.
Our Son’s Room
We vaulted and planked the ceiling in our son’s room too, adding beams for character and depth. We built a wraparound DIY headboard and bookshelf to make the bed area function like a daybed and added built-in storage and a desk to maximize every inch. These changes made the room cozy and especially fun for the kids.
The Outdoor Shower
The outdoor shower area was grimy at first, but after pressure washing, resealing the cedar with teak oil, and adding lighting, plants, and new fixtures, it became a family favorite—often preferred to the indoor shower. We continued to add lush plants and features to make it feel like a tropical retreat.
The covered side porch that leads to the shower has been transformed: we replaced rotten flooring, rebuilt the railing with horizontal slats, removed mildew-damaged screening, and added a ceiling fan to deter mosquitoes. We also built a hanging daybed for lounging—see updates here and a how-to for the daybed here.
We updated another covered porch on the opposite side of the house with paint and a hanging swing, turning a formerly unused space into a favorite spot for the kids and for relaxing. Read about that update here.
We created a private courtyard by adding a fence and converting a previously exposed patch into a cozy firepit area for s’mores and evening drinks. That zone and several other outdoor improvements have made previously unused parts of the yard central to our daily life.
One of our longest projects was adding a pool in a previously weedy corner of the yard. After a year from permitting to completion we added a pool, retaining wall with fountains, a deck area for lounging, and substantial landscaping. The fountains create a soothing soundtrack—it’s become a peaceful part of our home.
That sums up our progress roughly a year and a few months into living here. We look forward to sharing updated photos and new projects as the house continues to evolve. For more information, tutorials, and sourcing:
- If you’re curious about paint colors or where an item came from, visit our Shop Our House page.
- To read about downsizing and how it’s worked for our family, see this post.
- For holiday decorating photos in this house, check out our holiday roundup.
- See before-and-afters from our previous homes and projects on these pages: our last house, the beach house, and the duplex renovation.
P.S. For a complete, chronological record of this house makeover, see the Florida house category.