The Ravenna House: One Year Later

THE RAVENNA HOUSE Guys, we've officially owned the Ravenna House for one year.  One whole year!  Hard to believe, I know, but it's true.  The house has come a long way in that time, especially considering we had two 9-5 jobs and a 4-month-old when we closed.  This house is almost like a second baby to us - an Irish-twin sibling to Wilder - one who slept a little more but took just about as much nourishment, work, and protection as Wilder did in his first year.  Well almost...

To commemorate this momentous anniversary, I thought it'd be fun to look back at all the work we've done.  So let's go back, way back, to the beginning of this journey.  If you've been following our renovations, you've seen these pictures before, but it's always fun to see just how far we've come.

Let's start with the kitchen.  This room has seen a huge transformation, and I hope you'll agree with me when I say it's for the better:

The living room:

And oh Lordy, here's the pink bathroom (did you forget just how pink this room used to be?!):   Wilder's nursery:And the basement:

How quickly you forget those long nights and the constant dust in-between your toes.  The pure physical exhaustion fades and these memories take on an erily-romantic tone.  Like it was the time of our lives, hammering away at walls until ours arms were too tired to do anymore and waking up at 5am on a Sunday to paint ceilings.  Okay, okay, you've got me...so it was pretty fun.

You may have noticed I didn't show you the exterior of the house. That's because I have a post about that - and what may or may not have gotten done there - planned for Friday.  So for today, let's just bask in the glory of what's been done.

And what's better to bask in after a year of renovations, than signed off permits?!  That's right, we passed our electrical, plumbing, and final building inspections last month...and on the first try!  According to the city of Seattle, this house is signed off and officially renovated.  And it feels great!  Seriously, it's incredible piece of mind to know that the work's done and it's been done right.  Okay, so there's still a tiny bit more to do (such as that giant backyard renovation we've been snailing our way through), but you've got to take the wins when they come.

All those long nights and dusty-days were so worth it!  Thanks for letting us call you ours, Ravenna House!

xoxo

-Cathy

p.s. This home has popped up on Pinterest a lot lately and I had to share.  If you haven't seen it yet, this California home by Amber Interiors is really stunning - I especially love the fireplace!

p.p.s. This house is beyond stunning, even if it is new (okay, I can't actually tell is it new...is it old...but that's a good thing in my book)!

p.p.p.s. Very timely renovation lessons from another old-house-renovator and blog buddy of mine.  If I made my own list (and I'm sure I will some day, because how great are lists) these would all be on it!