Evolution of a house (and the subsequent shrinkage of a pocketbook)

House when Adrian bought it - no yard, eroded tree roots, gross flower beds:

After we added sod and then had the canopy on the trees raised:

Before:

After we added a new architectural roof, gutters, painted all the trim, raised the canopy on the 2 big oak trees, and completed flower beds:

Before:

After finished flower beds and mulch:

Before with the overgrown flower beds:

After I finished the flower beds and landscaping:

Before I pressure washed the mailbox brick, mortar, and driveway (also before I painted the garage and trim and pressure washed the brick above the garage):

After pressure washing the mailbox brick, mortar, and driveway, and painting the garage door and trim:

Before pressure washing brick, mortar, and concrete (look at the mold and grime in the lower half of the brick):

After pressure washing the brick and mortar:

More after the pressure washing (below the windows, the brick and mortar was green and black):

Great room when we bought the house - gross berber, dark brick, no paint (just primer):

Great room after - new paint, painted brick, hardwood floor (NEXT is window treatments!):

Dining room bay window before:

What we had for a couple years:

After we replaced the linoleum with 18" tile and repainted the kitchen the same color as the rest of the rooms:

 

Adrian's office before:

Andrew and Abigail's nursey after (with new carpeting, new paint, new furniture, and window treatment):

We have also replaced the whole downstairs with the hardwood floor that is in the front room (hallways and our master bedroom, too), put the tile from the kitchen in the bathroom, laundry room, master bathroom and separate commode room, and shower, and put the new carpeting in the nursery in both of the kids' rooms and all the closets in the house.  We also redid the master bathroom, had the walk-in shower gutted and tiled with the same tile as the rest of the house.  We also had the whole house painted the same color and the laundry room and bathrooms a shade darker than that.  We also had a new wooden privacy fence put up in the backyard and had all the cupboards in the kitchen refinished.

Now, if we can ever pay off this house someday so it is officially our house and not the bank's house.