My husband Bo, our two year old daughter Garrity, and I purchased a 3,000 square foot sprawling 1950's ranch home, which our daughter has endearingly designated: “The Golf House”. We moved into The Golf House in late April 2012. Our new home is perched atop The Historic Iron Springs that used to be a tourist attraction in the 1800's ( I'll save that for another post) and overlooks the Nevada Country Club golf course. The house has been a rental for a few years. Our family felt drawn to the house not only because of the great location and views, but also because of the enormous character and huge potential. Of course we knew the home would require countless hours of love, but we hated driving by and seeing it set empty.
The home was built in August 15, 1950. During our first week in the home we located several ORIGINAL photo albums documenting the ground breaking in 1950, and the entire construction process. We also uncovered the entire set of blueprints from the original contractor! We have sense used the prints in our current remodel!
This historic gem was in need of nearly every type of TLC imaginable. The shake roof had a few leaks which we experienced during the first few nights in our home during a few story nights. My husband stayed the first two nights solo and my first night was a stormy one, we were placing buckets and bowls all over the great room floor and moving furniture out of the way. Once we were satisfied with our prevention methods I walked into the kitchen to find a mini flood! The entire kitchen was covered in about an inch of water...we expected these little surprises and realized right away that we needed to contact the roofer, and remove the buildup of earth around the foundation of the house. Both of which we have taken care of and have not had a single water problem since! However the damage had already taken place. The earth had caused irreparable damage to the house! The house was basically rotting from the outside in, and as a result, we have been working with a contractor and rebuilding the house from the outside in. The siding has been removed and the rot removed, studs replaced, new insulation in place, and we are in the process of installing new windows!
Countless house have been devoted to weed eating and brush cutting, prepping for the enormous landscaping work ahead. The back yard was overgrown as well as the front. Trees had gone untrimmed and bushes had grown to cover the windows. The first few weeks in our golf house, a tree trimming extravaganza took place nearly every spare minute! We cut down several trees and tree limbs that were causing damage to the roof. We also had to take out all of the landscaping around the house due to the need to adjust the grade of the earth surrounding our home. My husband took out the shrubs and plants, we were able to save a few and my parents adopted dozens of ferns from our back yard (all of which are thriving in their flower bed). Once the shrubs and plants were removed, a man was hired to remove the dirt from our foundation. I was amazed at the amount of earth that had built up over time (see pictures below). By adjusting the grade, we have not had water in the kitchen, and the ominous damp smell that filled the house has sense disappeared!
Inside the house was a battle in itself! House were spent scrubbing through years of dirt and grime uncovering more and more potential with each swipe. Luckily the house is totally livable, and we have enjoyed being able to shut off sections of the house while working on others. Our plan is to start on the outside and work our way in...with the exception of our daughter's room. It has been taken down to the studs and re-sheetrocked, mud places and sanded, primed and now we will decide on colors.
The process will not be rapid, but we are certain this is a project meant for our family, and we are excited to see The Golf House evolve into the home of our dreams!
