We sold our current apartment for almost asking price after only 11 days on the market! I’d like to think it was because of my mad decorating prowess.
When we decided to start renovating an old apartment, I had so many plans for how this project would go. I’d have beautiful Pinterest boards full of ideas for every room. I’d have mood boards. I’d bring cake for the workers and be there every day to document the work as the place took shape. In the unfinished space, Robert and I would have cheese and wine picnics by candlelight as we looked at Christmas lights in the windows across the street.
In reality, I’ve been working 7 days a week, 50+ hours a week for two months. I don’t sleep more than a few hours a night, and I’ve been to the new place like four times since we got the keys on November 15th. My Pinterest boards stalled sometime in September. The builder is starting on the bathroom this week and I still haven’t ordered tiles or picked fixtures.
There’s no time to waste when renovating an old apartment on this scale, so we’d hired a general contractor as soon as the ink was dry on the contract. We started getting our ducks in a row so everything would be ready to go the day after we got the keys. Then the GC dragged his feet on getting us estimates and timelines and two weeks after getting the keys, work still hadn’t started. So we had to start over, but now there’s a Danish restoration specialist and a small army of brilliant Eastern European men working fulltime to get the place ready.
And it’s a good thing because after years of being a neglected rental property, it’s going to take a fulltime army to get this mess in order…
Renovating an Old Apartment: My Office
As I mentioned in a previous post, we’re reopening that doorway and having herringbone parquetry installed in both my office and the livingroom. The estate agent had said that the original doors leading from my office to the living room were in storage. Unfortunately, these aren’t the original doors, so we’re having replica doors made following the pattern of the double doors leading from the entryway into my office.
If you follow me on Facebook, you might’ve seen the photos I posted of this coving last week. It’s covered in 5mm of paint and the restoration specialist trying to figure out the best way to remove the paint without damaging the coving. She’s never seen this type of material before, so it’s slow-go. Once she removes the paint, she’ll make new paint from scratch in the way it would’ve been done when the apartment was built in 1899, and repaint it.
Renovating an Old Apartment: The Living Room
The living room coving is made of plaster, so that’s a bit more straightforward to restore. All of the walls in the apartment are covered with hideous textured wallpaper from the ’80s, which has been painted. That all needs to be stripped and the walls have to be replastered without disturbing the coving, which is very fragile. All of the skirting boards are original to the apartment and they’re covered in almost 120 years worth of peeling paint, so they need to be carefully removed, stripped, painted, and reistalled after the floors have been installed.
Renovating an Old Apartment: Our Bedroom
This room is my problem child. That doorway leads to another bedroom, which was probably intended as a nursery when the apartment was built. It wasn’t properly closed off, so our builder is bricking it up. When we looked at the place, it was covered by a bookcase. We’re not sure what the deal is with the bit of floor that doesn’t match, but we’re having it all replaced with herringbone parquetry. This was a tough call because traditionally herringbone parquetry would’ve only been installed in the public rooms, but I really wanted it in the bedroom, too. So I’m having it.
The wall near the weird bit of floor is actually a stud wall, which was a surprise. Apparently, the bathroom was extended at some point, which is hard to believe… you’ll see why in a minute. There’s something weird about the material they used, so the plaster keeps buckling. We’ll have to cover it in sheetrock, which sucks because I’m going to lose a couple of centimeters of moulding around the windows and it’s going to be difficult to hang a curtain rod. Fortunately, there are plans to build a balcony off the bedroom, so the situation should work itself out in not too long.
Renovating an Old Apartment: The Bathroom
See what I mean? Can you believe this is an “extended” bathroom? If you follow my blog, you might remember that I said we were getting a clawfoot tub shipped over from England. That’s a no-go. Even the tiniest clawfoot tub is too wide for this horrible bathroom! If I’d known that I might not have bought this apartment. On paper, it was going fit, but given the plumbing configuration, it’s just too tight. I’ve threatened to put a tub in the kitchen like they used to do in those old “tub in kitchen” New York City apartments, but the owners’ association is talking about closing off the back stairs. The stairs are next to the bathroom, so hopefully it’ll happen and I can knock a hole in the wall and install the tub of my dreams.
Renovating an Old Apartment: The Kitchen
I deeply regret my decision to save the kitchen renovation until after we move in. I refuse to eat anything that’s been stored in that fridge or cooked in that oven. The kitchen reeks of grease and curry in a way that gallons of bleach can’t help and we found a box of rotting strawberries behind the washing machine.
Yeah, the washing machine is in the kitchen and that’s the only place it can be. Welcome to Europe. We’ve budgeted either for the only model that is sized to fit within a standard kitchen cupboard, or to have custom cabinetry made. This kitchen is actually huge by Danish city centre standards, but the usable space for storage, work surfaces, and appliances isn’t very good. We also need to fit a dining table in here. It’s totally stressing me out. If you have a great idea for how to configure this kitchen, I’d love to hear about it in the comments :)
Pssst… those windows are 6 feet tall!!! And the ceiling has been lowered. It’s also been lowered in the hallway, so we’re removing the false ceilings and having the electrical work plastered into the original concrete ceilings. It’s gonna be a b*$ch to heat, but so gorgeous!
OMG, the windowsills!
There’s peeling paint everywhere in this place! And its removal is charged by the hour. I’m freaking out a little bit!
So…
I’m counting the days until it doesn’t take me the better part of an hour to walk downtown and back, until I have a dedicated home office, until I don’t have a–hole kids living upstairs who play the drums and wake me up at like 7:00am seven days a week, and until there’s no old lady downstairs with an antique grandfather clock under our bedroom that chimes every f—ing hour, on the f—ing hour, every f—ing day!
That said and despite how much I loathe living here, Robert bought this place a little under four years ago and he’s realized a nearly 25% return on his investment. This makes my frugal, debt-averse heart happy! Even after paying the estate agent commission, etc., the profit will finance most, if not all, of the renovation work on the new place.
We have to be out of here by February 1, so it won’t be long now :)
Colleen says
Sage,
Your kitchen makes me think of those small home shows on HGTV. Drawers in the toe-kick areas, cupboards that go all the way up to the ceiling (though with 12′ ceilings you’d need a ladder to get to the higher cabinets). There are some interesting things you can do. But I highly recommend a kitchen designer to help you figure it out.
Colleen
Sage says
Robert and I were just talking about a kitchen ladder… I’d love to have one of those old fashioned library ladders on rails, but it won’t work because of the windows.
It’s a great idea to get a kitchen designer onboard, but the Danish trend is toward Scandinavian Modern, which is why I haven’t been able to hire a designer for the rest of the place. It’s really not my aesthetic and they don’t understand my desire to keep as many of the original features as possible. Spotlights and taking down walls are like the holy grail of renovations over here and the complete opposite of what I want. Maybe I should see if I can stream some HGTV shows from over here. I really think Pinterest might be my best bet.
Martha Keenan says
It’s going to be beautiful. Maybe a bench seat with a built in or sliding table in that little nook by the washing machine? Not great for entertaining but will save on space.
Sage says
Thanks, Martha :) That’s what the previous owners had there. I thought it was a cozy use of the space, then I got the idea to put the stove in that little alcove, but I’m not sure I like the idea of a table in the middle of the kitchen. There are so many decisions to make…
Deb Stoller says
I don’t know you but am fascinated with this. Do you cook much? I do and feel like putting the stove in the nook means it’s a long way from the rest of the kitchen. I like the idea of a table in there, especially as it looks like there is already bench seating. Granted, it may be tight and only able to seat a few people.
Sage says
Hi Deb! I cook from scratch pretty much every day :)
I’ve already pulled out the bench seating, it was poorly done and not really my style.
In these European city centre apartments, it usually comes down with how to get the most out of the space vs. what’s most convenient. My main struggle with this room is that those five 6′ windows take up a lot of valuable wall space that could be better used for storage. I definitely want a dual fuel range, so I have to sacrifice one cupboard for a gas cylinder, and I’m already sacrificing another for the washing machine.
I’m glad I decided to wait to do the kitchen, but I can’t say I’m any clearer on what to do with it than I was the first time we looked at the place. No matter which way around I put the stove and the table, it’s a tradeoff in one way or another.
Beth says
There are loads of ideas on Houzz.co.uk. There are other Houzzes in other countries, but the UK site highlights a lot of kitchens that have kept original features.
Sage says
Thanks, Beth. I’ll check it out :)
Natural Health Ideas says
I can tell it’s going to look gorgeous when finished. It will be worth the struggle.
Sage says
Thanks :)
Kristy says
I can’t wait to see all of the transformations that take place in your apartment. I’m sure by the end of the process you’ll really be ready for it to be over! Such a long process. A 25% return on your place is awesome! And how great to be able to invest that back into your new place to make it your own.
Sage says
I’m already ready for it to be over ;-) I’m just beyond grateful that we can afford to hire people to do the work and that we’re not having to DIY it in addition to our day jobs. I still can’t believe we profited 25% in such a short space of time. I sold my place at a loss in 2014 in order to move in with Robert, so it was nice to have that loss offset a bit by this sale.
censie says
What a great space. I love that you can redesign and start over. I cannot wait to see the ending presentation. SOunds like you have a lot of great ideas.
Sage says
At first I thought it would be difficult to buck the local trend toward Scandi Modern, but the contractors are really enjoying working on a restoration project. They’re so used to tearing out original features that this project is a nice change for them. They’re taking a lot of pride in their work and that makes me very happy.
Krystal says
I was also going to suggest bench seating for the dining table, but you covered that already. I love how cozy cute it feels, and I have to admit I Would love to live in Europe even with its quirky homes! The washing machine in the kitchen is certainly interesting, but the floors in the living room look awesome!
Sage says
You probably wouldn’t love the cost of living in Europe, especially Denmark. After 25% VAT, it’s obscene!
We’re actually tearing out the living room floors and replacing them with herringbone parquetry. They might have photographed well, but they’re an awful veneer.
lynzy says
I can only imagine how amazing the renovations are going to turn out! It looks like this place has a lot of potential. I love seeing renovations like this, so I’m excited to follow this project!
Sage says
It’s got tons of potential! If it comes out even 3/4 of the way I’m hoping, it’ll be one of the nicest apartments in the city.
rika says
Your apartment looks pretty big! I am planning to renovate my house but still working on my budget and time. Hopefully next year.
Sage says
It’s huge by European city centre standards. After over a year of searching, this was one of only four apartments that had enough rooms and enough square meters. The fact that is still had original features and needed a full renovation was a huge bonus. We got it for a steal!
patricemfoster says
Your apartment looks lovely. I want to do renovations myself but need to be trained. Courses its hard to find someone who is willing to do it. It would be so easy on the budget.
Sage says
Thanks, Patrice :) I did a DIY kitchen renovation once and swore never again! I actually learned a lot by watching YouTube videos. You can definitely save a lot of money doing the work yourself, but we’re not talented in that way and we just don’t have the time.
Tianna says
sounds like you are excited for the new place! renovating seems stressful, but worth it. hope you guys get all the features you want!
Sage says
Thanks, Tianna :) I’m definitely excited to finally be moving to a place that we chose together and that has enough space for us. And being in the middle of the city is going to be a definite plus. Apartments like this are not easy to come by in this city and it’s a sellers’ market, I’d just about given up hope when this one went up for sale!
Lutheranliar says
Goodness me. Looks like you have a big job on your hands. But I bet it’ll end up looking great. In the meantime, you can just look out of one of those many windows!
Sage says
Our workmen do ; -) Fortunately, we don’t have to move in until most of the work is finished. Between that and not actually having to do any of the work ourselves, we’re getting off pretty easy!
Valerie CottageMakingMommy says
I am so excited for you. I can’t wait to see what you do with it. There is nothing quite as fun as moving into a new place and making it your own.
Sage says
Thanks, Valerie :) The bills are starting to come in and it’s stressful but it’ll be awesome when it’s finally finished! There will be more pictures soon.
Alicia says
I am so excited for you! I cannot wait to see it one day in all its glory . I really think you will appreciate waiting to do the kitchen, you will know what you desire because you have used it. I am mid-process of scaling down and building to a super tiny home (240 sq ft with a loft for storage). The shell of the house is complete (un-insulated walls, bare sub-floor, primitive heat) and due to surprise events I moved in prior to completion. I am happy that I did now. I have re-figured most of the interior layout to take advantage of the light, flow and I have come up with a couple awesome storage plans just by sitting here and looking around.
Sage says
Thanks, Alicia :) I’m feeling frustrated at the moment because I wanted to blog the process, but our painting contractor dropped the ball and I’ve been stripping paint for 7-9 hours a day, 7 days a week, since December 20th with only a break on Christmas Day and New Years Day. So I’m behind on everything and I feel like I’m making major design decisions by the seat of my pants!
What a wonderful opportunity you have to live in your space before making major layout decisions. Our new place is mad chaos and I feel like I can’t see what’s what. I’m in awe of your ability to live in such a tiny space, I hope it turns out to be the space of your dreams :)
P.S. Today, one of the carpenters put his foot through the ceramic cooktop that was supposed to stay until we did the kitchen.
J Johnson says
My husband spent most of his adult life as a test pilot in the Navy. So we have remodeled and restored so many homes that I have lost count. Of course, budget always makes a difference, but here is what I would do. You are right. The best place for the stove is in the little alcove. I would have small cabinets to go on either side of the stove. Usually the kind that will be perfect for large cookie sheets, pizze pans, etc. I would find a local blacksmith an have him make a beautiful zinc hood. the least expensive thing to do is buy a regular vent, then make the zinc hood to just envelope the inexpensive functioning vent. My first choice would be historic Danish tiles. If those are too expensive then I would do encaustic tiles all the way to the ceiling. 3rd choice would be iridescent tiles all the way up. Last choice would be marble subway tiles.
It appears there would be room for a small butcher block in front of the stove. something 18×18. That way you would have a space to chop before transferring to a pan. I would buy a counter depth fridge. The tallest one available and put it on the wall between the windows where your washing machine currently is. I would also enclose the fridge with painted mdf and then add cabinets up above with glass doors and lights within. I would center the sink on the windows and put the dishwasher to the right of the sink. I would put the combo washer/dryer where you currently have the stove. You would need to bump out the counter top a little bit and I would have a custom door made to cover the washing machine.
On the wall that currently holds the stove I would run the same tiles all the way to the ceiling and have open shelving. This will provide a good place for dishes, glasses, etc.On the wall to the left of the doorway I would add shallow floor to ceiling shelving with frosted glass antique doors. I would probably make the shelves 12 inches deep. This will give you a large pantry as well as a place to store other items.
There is a small wall space between a doorway (looks like it enter a small hallway) and the nook) I would have a small table built like a “Z” that would hang in that space. You could then pull it down, pull up 2 chairs and have a place for you and your husband to sit in the kitchen, drink coffee and eat a casual meal.. When finished you just fold the table up to the wall and pin it.
I would continue the herringbone wood floors in the kitchen. And buy a beautiful oriental rug for the center of the room. I would have marble countertops installed and I love painted cabinets.
It is nice to have a large dining room. But most people these days work from home and need dedicated office space. My solution has been to buy a beautiful antique table that I use as a desk. Ballard Design has some lovely folding chairs that are very affordable. And I have had lots of book shelves for all my books. When I have a fancy dinner with lots of guests I just hide my office chair and papers in the closet. I pull out the folding chairs, add flowers and candles and now I have a fantastic dining room.
Sage says
Wow! Thank you so much for your wonderful suggestions. I’m pretty sure some of these will make it into our final design, particularly the layout/storage suggestions. I underestimated the challenges associated with restoring/remodeling a place in a style that’s so different from local tastes. Our builders think I’m mad!