Our Florida renovation is rolling forward nicely. Want to see the progress? We’re just as eager — especially since we haven’t stepped foot in the house yet. All photos in this post were taken by our contractor over the past two months, so please forgive any that are slightly blurry or taken from different angles than our original before shots. We’re grateful for every image we get. Once we finally move in (still no exact date, but we’re hoping for next week), expect a flood of photos and videos — that’s a promise.
Today we’re sharing major updates from five different areas you saw in the before tour. If you haven’t viewed the before photos or the video tour, check those out first — they make this update much clearer. This house won’t be fully finished when we move in; the initial focus was making it livable — functioning HVAC, working plumbing, repaired floors, etc. Along the way we discovered water damage that required replacing all the downstairs drywall. With walls wide open, we took the opportunity for sensible upgrades, like adding recessed lights in the kitchen and vaulting the kids’ bedroom ceilings.
The Kitchen
A lot has changed since our early-February before photos. We opted for a phase 1 kitchen remodel that keeps the existing layout, appliances, and lower cabinets so the space remains functional while we decide on a longer-term renovation. For this phase we removed the soffit, upper cabinets, and the peninsula — moves that made sense since the HVAC was being reworked, drywall replaced, and the floor repaired. Good thing we removed the peninsula: the flooring didn’t extend under it.
Here’s how we addressed the biggest issues:
- Removed the soffit. With the drywall and HVAC being redone, ducts in the bulkhead were rerouted into the walls.
- Brightened the room. We added six recessed can lights and cleared overgrown brush outside that had been blocking sunlight.
- Goodbye popcorn ceilings. Replacing all the downstairs drywall allowed us to finish with smooth ceilings instead of textured ones.
Removing the upper cabinets revealed a lavender/mauve paint that matched the laminate countertops — a funny throwback to the house’s earlier style. After installing the recessed lights and new drywall, the space already feels much brighter, even in contractor photos and quick FaceTime tours.
The phase 1 kitchen to-do list we’ll handle ourselves includes painting the cabinets, adding shelving, and addressing the countertop situation. Next up: the bedroom.
Our Bedroom
We’re converting part of the wall between the kitchen and the former formal living room into our bedroom. It’s an ideal location because an ensuite can be added nearby and we’ll still sleep on the same floor as the kids. To create a proper bedroom wall, we closed off the 5-foot opening between the rooms, which also gives us space for a bed and two nightstands.
The new configuration also allows a small seating area in front of the kitchen zone. It’s tough to judge scale in empty-room photos, but we have plans and comparisons posted on our social channels to help visualize furniture placement. From inside the bedroom, the former opening is now closed and double doors on the side will lead to the future ensuite. The triangle post with a mirror is gone — long live the cleaner sightlines.
The freshly sanded floors are partway done and already look great. Closing that wall created a standard doorway on the other side that will serve as the bedroom’s main entrance.
The Laundry Area
We needed to relocate the laundry because the original hookups are in what will become our son’s bedroom. We prefer side-by-side machines and discovered a deep closet at the bottom of the stairs that could accommodate them. The closet originally had a strange pass-through to our daughter’s room, so we reframed the back of the closet to block that access and added proper washer/dryer hookups.
The doorway was widened, hookups installed, and insulation added to the back wall to help muffle laundry noise for the adjacent bedroom. The space is now half-drywalled and recently got new doors — a tidy laundry nook with room for upper cabinets or shelves and a counter for folding, similar to our first house’s setup, but hidden behind real doors.
While a laundry closet is less spacious than our current laundry room, it’s an acceptable trade-off for the many perks this smaller, better-located home provides.
The Bathroom
The house originally had a single bathroom that was non-functional at purchase due to major plumbing leaks and a failed septic system. In the two months since closing we connected to sewer, addressed leaks, and began redoing parts of the bathroom. What started as a vanity replacement quickly escalated: the flooring didn’t extend under the vanity, a second leak required removing the tub and surround, and a failing toilet valve flooded the room during installation.
We selected colorful porcelain floor tiles — we love playful tile for kids’ bathrooms — and ordered a 31″ vanity with warm wood accents. The walls are currently green water-resistant drywall, but the final walls will be white. We installed a new drop-in tub and classic white subway tile surrounds to balance the bold floor. Aside from finishing touches like a mirror, towels, and art, this will be one of the few rooms that’s fully redone by the time we move in.
The Kids Bedrooms
This is my favorite update. While planning the renovation we realized the kids’ bedrooms might be good candidates for vaulted ceilings. There’s no second floor above these rooms and the roof slope suggested plenty of height. Cutting inspection holes in the ceilings confirmed the drop ceilings were non-structural and mostly empty attic space, aside from some light ductwork that was relocated into the walls.
After adding insulation along the underside of the roof, we installed wood planking on the new sloped ceilings for texture, then plan to paint the vaults white and add beams. The rooms instantly feel larger, brighter, and more inviting. We’re keeping the finishes light — white vaulted ceilings and natural pine floors — so the small rooms feel airy rather than heavy.
Seeing this idea come to life was incredibly rewarding. We can’t wait for the kids to see their new rooms — and for us to see them in person.
BONUS: The Upper Deck
We’re holding off on showing the full exterior until we can shoot it in person, but here’s a sneak peek of the upper deck off the upstairs family room. Originally we planned to delay exterior work until after the interior, but since some big interior projects are postponed until we move in, the contractor had time to tackle outside repairs.
We replaced the rotting railing with a horizontal style that better suits the house’s lines, swapped the wood decking for Trex in a warm Havanna Gold color, and removed a rickety pergola and an old chimney that caused leaks. While we removed the pergola for safety and decking replacement, we may add a shade feature back later. The siding repairs gave us an opportunity to paint the entire house white — a look we’ve always loved for this property given the surrounding greenery and metal roofing.
We’re hoping to move in within the next week or so. Once we’re there we’ll take lots of updated photos ourselves. The progress so far is remarkable — and we can’t wait to experience it in person.