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nicole & jared | home reno

@solopinehomes

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🏘 5 doors | circa 1880 + 1850 + 1970
🌲 solo ↟ pine
📍 ct, usa

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started typing out everything we did to restore and rebuild this exterior, but it was way too long.
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so instead, shout out to those of you who have been along for this ride since 2020 - you know e x a c t l y what it took to get here!
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on that note, anyone want to come rebuild our gable vents, and maybe some stairs so we can get in the back door without a ladder?
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1850 colonial farmhouse 🖤 #thisoldhouse #oldhomelove #historicpreservation #colonialhouse #wraparoundporch #ctplacesmatter #newenglandcolonial #woodturned #magnolianetwork #sherwinwilliams #originalwoodwork #frontporch #tongueandgroove #illusivegreen #thefrontdoorproject by @solopinehomes

this corner was a straight up HOLE 🕳 in the back of the house.. finally all fixed up! and it only took us 2 years 🙃

since old homes were traditionally built with 2x4 exterior studs, we had to get creative with where we put the plumbing. we wanted two shower heads, but pipes couldn’t go in the back or right side wall since it would run the risk of freezing in the winter, and we didn’t want to build inward and lose space. so up into the ceiling we went! 🚿

#oldhomelove #thisoldhouse #diyshower #tiledesign by @solopinehomes

from schluter to SHOWER 🚿 now brb, have to spend an eternity getting mortar and grout out from under our finger nails 💅🏼
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#primarybathroom #subwaytile #schlutersystems #tileshower #bathroomdesign #marbletiles #diyrenovation by @solopinehomes

some of our guesses over the years:
jake 🐶
• australian shepherd
• border collie
• brittany spaniel
• emoji
charlie 🐻
• short haired pointer
• doberman
• great dane
• chocolate lab
• small horse
any ideas before the results come back?! @embarkvet
🐾
#adoptdontshop #embark #dogsofinstagram #cprdogsrock by @solopinehomes

there is a tswift song for everything.
every.
thing. by @solopinehomes

we knew nothing. zero experience in construction, zero experience in owning rental property. but, we figured it out!
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it’s bittersweet to be moving out of the 1880 two-family, after 7 years here 🥹 but now we get to finish the other old home we’ve been endlessly working on!
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and live-in reno is one of our favorite pastimes - did i mention we don’t have a shower? this isn’t the first time we’ve had to drive to water (as evidenced by this reel 😂)
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#reicommunity #househacking #biggerpockets #multifamilyinvesting #diybathroom #realestateinvesting #thisoldhouse @biggerpockets by @solopinehomes

it’s the end of an era 🥹 can’t stop smiling!

one more thank you to •father and son painting llc• for absolutely crushing this.

#oldhomelove #exteriorpainting #thisoldhouse #exteriordesign #exteriorpaint #exteriorrestoration #newenglandcolonial #colonialfarmhouse #openporch #wraparoundporch #woodturning #sherwinwilliams by @solopinehomes

progress can feel so painfully slow when you’re in the thick of it. any kind of progress - life progress. take a deep breath and know you’re freaking DOING IT, even if it feels insurmountable.

each of these pictures shows something we rebuilt or restored together. see if you can spot the little progress made each season to get us where we are now.

cheat sheet:
1• when we bought it
2• demoed rotten floor boards and fake columns
3• demoed rotten framing, installed temporary supports
4• concrete footings, demo rotten siding
5• replaced wood siding
6• new porch framing
7• local wood turner replicated the front 5 columns to match the 3 remaining originals
8• replaced doug fir tongue and groove flooring
9• installed more columns and flooring, rotten trim repair
10• finished all the columns, stain sealed the flooring

and this month - exterior paint going up in stories ✨ by @solopinehomes

anyone else spend countless hours searching the interwebz for the best way to do something, only to wind up reading a comments section of grown adults all arguing with each other?

yeahh, us too.

usually between youtube, expert forums, and contractors, we can find the best answer. but figuring out how to waterproof a tile shower has been A HOOT!

1) redgard
2) ardex 8+9
3) hydroban
4) leave the schluter alone, there’s a warranty

veteran plumbers and tile gurus all stand by each of these options. ultimately, we went with ardex 8+9 🤞🏼 but honestly, seems like it’s luck of the draw!

our trick is to look for the follow up; the 2-3-years-down-the-road video after the project has been hanging out for awhile. much harder to come by, but invaluable when you can find em.

tag us in your own version of this reel so we know what else to avoid looking up 😂

#theoffice #michaelscottmemes #tileshower #diyhomeimprovement #doityourselfproject #theofficememes #thisoldhouse #showertile #schluter by @solopinehomes

one more time for the bath + laundry room, because the exterior work this week has been brutal! swipe for the before video, which is what the entire house looked like 🏚
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hi new friends - the last 2 years, jared and i spent the majority of our time bringing this 1850 farmhouse back from collapse. we are finally nearing the finish line, and seeing a move-in date is pretty surreal.
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we’re heavy on DIY builds at the moment; but our other alter ego is actually as small scale local landlords! we’re halfway to FIRE (financial independence retire early) and hopefully when all is said and done, we can share more of that with you too.
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in fact, we have three units to also turn over this month; one of them being our own! it’ll be sad leaving our OG 1880 two-family, but the sweet tenants moving in will love her too. that house kicked off our *definitely-not-passive investing journey 7 years ago, and allowed us to do this old home some historical justice.
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so onward and upward! here’s to hoping the next two years go a little smoother than the last two. like, just in general.. for the whole world actually, that would be great 🫠
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#guestbathroom #checkeredfloor #checkeredtiles #laundryroom #blackvanity #reicommunity #biggerpockets #oldhomelove #thisoldhouse #financialfreedom #realestateinvesting #diyrenovation #financialindependence by @solopinehomes

happy 4th friends 💀 the sweat equity is REAL

drop your favorite vacation spot below, so we can decide where to go after this 2 year saga 😂

#reicommunity #diyrenovation #thisoldhouse #circahome #biggerpockets #oldhomelove #exteriorrenovation by @solopinehomes

and today is that day!

douglas fir tongue and groove boards, original 1850s columns - you so preeetty.

also, big lindsey stirling fans in this house.

#wraparoundporch #thisoldhouse #circahome #valspar #cedarstain #tongueandgroove #frontporch #restorationproject #opendeck #douglasfir #porchcolumns by @solopinehomes