Mabey Manor

As you probably know, we bought a house in December that we’re so excited about. It’s a fixer-upper, and if you know us, you probably understand why we’re excited. I love that you can take something worn down and make it new and beautiful again. I love that you can make a space your own with vision and work.

But as I started working on a house tour for you, I started to feel trepidation about showing it in its very rough shape. I started editing photos, and I saw the house in its outdated “glory” with all of our visions and plans stripped away. In some ways, I guess I feel more vulnerable showing you how far we have to go and fighting the little voice in my head that says, “what if you can never adquately show all the things you’ve done or how far it’s come? What if the after photos don’t look any better than the before photos.

I’m not an interior designer, and I have a lot to learn. I have small children, and my house will never look like a catalog or magazine setting. I know this, and I’m okay with it. But for some reason admitting and showing you my house right now feels scary. I don’t know why I feel this way, since I share a lot of things with you, my readers, on a regular basis. Right now there isn’t one wall or floor that I’m excited to show you. But I am going to because I am hoping that you’ll take this journey with me. That you’ll be able to see what potential we see. That by admitting and exposing my vulnerabilities, you’ll be patient and understanding with me.

So with that said, here’s a little history and basic stats on the house.

The house was built in 1910, and I’m not sure what the style of the house is but I love it. The upstairs has gables, which I think are so fabulous, I love the pillars on the front, and the fact that it’s fairly spacious. It’s a 2200 sq. ft house with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. It has lots of storage, and it also has a lot of quirks. But there’s something about old houses that I just adore. Character, individuality, and quirks. I like looking at the existing and picking out existing features that I’d like to keep and highlight.

We knew from the first time we looked at it that we wanted to fix it up. Even with the strange layout and the plywood “patches” in random places, we knew it would be something we wanted to tackle. We could see so much potential in it, so we went for it.

The house had been abandoned and empty for two years (according to the neighbors) before we bought it, and it showed. In the photo you can see the “abandoned” papers and stickers on the door and windows. In the first few days we were here, we were without a fridge and range/oven, had to fix the shower to get hot water, hook up and fix the kitchen faucet/garbage disposal, and have the carpets cleaned because it was so dirty I didn’t want the girls in those rooms. It also has the old house smell, which I’d love to get rid of. We’ve also updated the electrical panel, done lots of small repairs, and made it a little more comfortable while we get to work. Chad even started on the craft room for me, but I’ll show that as we move through the house.

It’s a corner lot, with lots of room for playing and running in the back. We’ll have to add a fence, but I’m really excited for a garden and plenty of space for the girls. A 2-car garage is also a huge benefit here in Idaho–I haven’t had to scrape windows yet, and it’s been pretty cold!

We bought it knowing that we’ll probably be here for a couple of years, so we’re fixing it to sell. It’s a new adventure for us, and we’re ready. We have lots to do, and if we could get over all the colds and sickness we’ve been experiencing, we’d make some real progress! 🙂

For the next few weeks, I’ll show you a room or two at a time and talk about the features and what we need to change to make it more appealing. I’ll probably only do one Mabey Manor post per week so as not to overwhelm you with wood panelling…(you’ve been warned). First up, the entry and living room.

So with that, welcome to Mabey Manor and I hope you’ll come along for the transformational journey and LOTS of DIY projects. Along the way, I’m sure I’ll ask for input, so please offer suggestions! I’ll also be showing lots of behind the scenes on Instagram (I’m @mabeyshemadeit) so feel free to follow along!