Q: I just read an old post of yours where you compared your last house to your current one – and it looks like you preferred the old one in some ways because you had done more renovation, etc. I think it would be awesome if you did a do-over of that post now that it has been so long and you’ve done so much to improve your new house! – Thanks for all the inspiration, Sarah
A: You’re right — it felt like the perfect time to revisit this comparison of our first house and our current one. The original idea came from a reader (also named Sarah) who suggested a side-by-side look at rooms past and present. We had fun with that then, and now, more than a year later, we’re doing it again. It’s not exactly a fair fight: we spent four and a half years renovating the first house and we’ve been in the current house for only 20 months. But after years of figuring out what we love and learning by trial and error, we’re more confident in our choices now, so some decisions came together faster. We pulled many of the current-house images from our House Tour page, which is why some are labeled “progress.” Ready? Let’s go.
The Front Yard, First House:
The Front Yard, Current House:
Winner: The first house. Our current yard has improved a lot from the overgrown lot we inherited, but the first house’s yard benefited from years of work. We expect the current yard will keep getting better as we tackle more projects.
The Front Porch, First House:
The Front Porch, Current House:
Winner: Tie. We loved the red door at the first house and we adore the yellow at the current one. The first house had charming porch details like tan-and-cream stripes and hanging ferns, while the current porch still has plans in the works — so for now it feels fair to call this a tie.
The Living Room, First House:
The Living Room, Current House:
Winner: Current house. The living room here feels like a real hangout space. In the first house we rarely used the formal living room, preferring a den for TV and relaxing. The current living room is comfortable and central, where we actually spend time together.
The Kitchen, First House:
The Kitchen, Current House:
Winner: Current house. The first kitchen felt smaller and more closed off. The new kitchen is open, central, and truly the heart of the home — multiple openings connect it to the rest of the house, making it a place where cooking, working, and hanging out happen at once.
The Hallway, First House:
The Hallway, Current House:
Winner: Current house. The wider, light-filled hallway and a family gallery of frames make this space feel bright and purposeful.
The Spare Bedroom, First House:
The Spare Bedroom, Current House:
Winner: The first house. The tidy spare room at the first house, with a daybed and desk, felt calm and organized. Our current spare room is fuller with projects and storage, so the earlier version still wins for serenity.
The Nursery (Formerly The Third Bedroom), First House:
The Nursery, Current House:
Winner: Current house (narrow). The original nursery was so sentimental — we took Clara home to that room — but the current nursery has a larger closet that now serves as a reading nook, giving it a slight edge. We’re planning more updates like crown molding and refinishing floors to make it even better.
Our Bedroom, First House:
Our Bedroom, Current House:
Winner: Current house. We’ll always love the built-ins we created in the first house, but the new bedroom is the coziest we’ve had. Painting it a moody color, rearranging, and having a walk-in closet plus an attached bathroom all improved comfort and function.
The Main Bathroom (located in the hall), First House:
Our Bathroom (attached to our bedroom this time), Current House:
Winner: The first house. The full gut-renovation of the first house’s bathroom gave us a room we were proud of. The current bathroom has seen smaller updates and is more functional because it’s attached, but it doesn’t have the same punch of a finished renovation yet.
The Office/Guest Bedroom/Playroom, First House:
The Office & Guest Bedroom (now separate rooms), Current House:
Winner: Current house. The first house’s office was a fantastic multipurpose space but it was small and cramped when everyone was using it. Having a dedicated office and a separate cheerful guest room with its own bath is much more functional for our current life.
The Den, First House:
Winner: The first house. The den from our first house remains one of our favorite rooms — cozy and comforting. The current house doesn’t have a true den, and while our living room serves as the main casual room, we still miss that intimate den space.
Dining Room, Current House:
Winner: Current house. We love the curtains and the deep teal on the built-ins. The first house never had a dedicated dining room — just a dining nook — so this dedicated space is a big upgrade.
The Laundry Area, First House:
Laundry Area, Current House:
Winner: Current house. The new laundry space feels happier and less clutter-prone. Even without a folding surface, it functions better for our routines and doesn’t become a catch-all like the old counter did.
The Hall Bathroom, First House:
Hall Bathroom, Current House:
Winner: The first house. The striped wallpaper, glass chandelier, pedestal sink, and pocket door gave the first hall bath a lot of charm. The new hall bath wins in function because it has a tub for Clara’s baths, but until we update the current one, the first still feels sweeter.
The Sunroom, First House:
The Sunroom, Current House:
Winner: First house. The sunroom there had a special warmth and charm. The current sunroom has potential, and we have many projects planned that could close the gap.
The Patio, First House:
The Patio, Current House:
Winner: Current house. The current patio is more spacious, shaded, and cozy. We also built it ourselves, which makes it feel even better. The first house’s patio was hired-out work for our wedding, so this DIY result is extra satisfying.
The Deck, Current House:
Winner: Current house. We didn’t have a deck in the first house. John built this one with his own hands and we’ve started furnishing it; it’s a favorite new outdoor space and we’ll continue refining it.
The Basement, First House:
The Basement, Current House:
Winner: The first house. We spent more time finishing the basement in our first house, so it’s more pulled together. The current basement is still a work in progress and resembles a pile of future projects more than a finished space.
The Backyard, First House:
The Backyard, Current House:
Winner: The first house. We miss the flat grassy area surrounded by woods at the first house. Our current backyard has great potential, and we hope to carve out a grassy play spot for Clara and Burger after some landscaping work.
Final tally: the current house edges ahead by a narrow margin — roughly 10 to 8. Last year the score was slightly different before we added the deck, so this can shift as projects are completed. Overall, our style has evolved toward more color, contrast, and bolder choices, but we’ll always have a soft spot for the tone-on-tone approach of our first home. If you’re curious about what’s left on our to-do list, we shared an updated project rundown a few months ago. Have you ever compared photos of a previous home to a current one? It’s funny how a new house is a chance to reinvent while still carrying pieces of your original style forward.
Psst — check out the source lists for items and paint colors used in our first house and our current house on our room-by-room source pages.