The Best Christmas Present EVER

Finally, after several months (and multiple offers placed) we found our house! We actually weren't completely sure on the house, because of the amount of work that it needed, but it was priced accordingly and still way under market value and was in the exact neighborhood that we wanted to live in. Plus, despite the work that we would have to put into the house, it had plenty of other upgrades that we love, like 9 ft ceilings and 8 ft doors, full built-in surround sound throughout the entire house, an amazing floor plan, giant laundry room, travertine floors, crown molding in some rooms, beautiful carpet, etc.

Most of the work had to be done in the kitchen. What we found out was that the house was a former model home, but the builder had walked on the property and foreclosed on everything. That's all we know for sure, but we've speculated that since the subcontractors weren't being paid, they decided to come in and take their work back. So everything that could go...went! This means they took the appliances, cabinets, countertops, shutters, etc. The only thing left were the place settings from the table (with the plates still all glued together from the set-up). Then they broke a window to make it look like someone tried to break in - the only problem is that they broke the window out instead of in. So much for smart criminals.

Anyway, fortunately for us, they didn't do as much damage as some of the foreclosed homes we've seen where people take the light fixtures, door hardware, doors themselves, carpet, etc. They managed to leave several curtains up, all of the ceiling fans with the exception of one, and left all of the speakers and cables in place.

Well, here are the pictures of the kitchen from when we first purchased the home:


And this is our original concept design of how we wanted the kitchen to eventually look:





Stay tuned for updates as we progress through the remodel! Merry Christmas to US!