See Our Old Townhouse, Decorated by the New Owners!

In the fall I was outside on the deck, making my evergreen wreath, when Hubby called me from work:

Hubs: "Hey, how are you?"
Me: "Bleeding and covered in sap."
Hubs: "Oh my god, why?"
Me: "I'm making a wreath."
Hubs: "Oh. Well, do you have a minute to go to your computer?"
Me: "Is this another Movember video about why mustaches aren't creepy? Because I want to finish this wreath before it gets dark and the zombies come out. Can I look at whatever this is later?"
Hubs: "Yeah, sure, I'll send you the link. The townhouse is for sale."
Me: "Wait, what? Our townhouse?"
Hubs (smugly): "Yep."
Me: "Alright, I'll head to my desk right now."
Hubs: "Thought you might"

It is the weirdest thing to see your former home lived in and decorated by someone else!  I have been waiting for this moment for two years, hoping the new owners would sell and that we'd get a chance to peek inside and see what they changed/what they kept.

Of course, I immediately wanted to share with you, because so many of you were with me back when we were decorating the townhouse and you were there for the emotional (and disappointing) experience of selling it to buy our dream home.  But then I wondered if sharing photos would constitute some kind of invasion of privacy?  I waited months, mulling it over.  Finally I figured that because the listing photos could be accessed publicly - it's not like I'm snagging them from a private Facebook page or something - that it's okay.  It's been staged and photographed for sale, and therefore public viewing, so I'm sure any embarrassing and extremely personal items have been removed.   

To show a fair comparison, I've included photos I took of the townhouse, as a reminder of how we lived in it, and then I've shared a direct comparison of the real estate photos.  Listing photos don't tend to be very flattering, so I thought that it's only fair to compare them.  You can see the full townhouse tour by clicking here and to see the two sets of real estate photos taken when we sold the townhouse, check out this post!

Welcome back to the townhouse!  Here's what the hallway and front entrance looked like when we lived there:

It looked a lot plainer for the real estate listing photos.  The new owners (bottom photo) added shelves where we had an occasional table (and later, a bar cart). 

Top Photo: When it Was Ours // Bottom Photo: Now

Here's our old powder room, which we painted right before listing.

Although I accidentally chose way too bold a hue, the new owners didn't paint! 

Top Photo: When it Was Ours // Bottom Photo: Now

I loved our living room because it had a wood burning fireplace and so much light!

The new owners didn't paint the brick fireplace in the living room!  I would have been so disappointed if they had, because I'd wanted to do it but kept it natural for re-sale.  I am so jealous that they replaced the old, rickety sliding patio doors - something we wanted to do, but we'd already spent so much money updating this place.  The new white doors really brighten the space and make it look so much more modern.

Top Photo: When it Was Ours // Bottom Photo: Now

Here's a different angle of the living room, this time their photo is the top one:

Top Photo: Now // Bottom Photo:When it Was Ours

Not much changed in the dining room, either.  Here's a reminder of what it looked like when we lived there:

It's kind of hilarious how similar our old dining room chairs were to theirs!  The new owners kept the light fixture we chose, as well as the layered sheer curtains.

Top Photo: When it Was Ours // Bottom Photo: Now

I am so thrilled to finally have turquoise kitchen cabinets, but I do miss things about the old kitchen, like our DIY houndstooth tile backsplash and brand spanking new fridge.  Ugh, our appliances in the lakehouse are all so old and rickety (please don't tell them I said that - my appliances always fail after I've spoken ill of them).

I thought the new owners might paint the kitchen cabinets, another project I wanted to tackle but didn't because I was warned it would alienate some potential buyers (plus Hubby loved the wood).  The new owners didn't paint, but they did replace the fabulous cantilevered light fixture we found for above the sink, where there was an off center junction box.  It took ages to find that and it made the off centered box look intentional.  I am so curious as to why they swapped it out...

Top Photo: When it Was Ours // Bottom Photo: Now

Top Photo: When it Was Ours // Bottom Photo: Now

Top Photo: When it Was Ours // Bottom Photo: Now

When we lived there, the townhouse master bedroom was used as our guest space because it had a handy powder room that gave guests some privacy. 

We staged the room as a master for sale, which is how the new owners use it.  They invested in new blinds (unsurprisingly, because our DIY window coverings, here and here, were a budget-friendly quick fix).

Top Photo: When it Was Ours // Bottom Photo: Now

If I were them, I would have placed the tall boy dresser beside the long dresser on the same wall, but I'm weird.  (Our bed was a king size, that's why it seems so much tighter with our furniture in there.)

Top Photo: When it Was Ours // Bottom Photo: Now

Our bedroom, which was technically a guest bedroom, saw the biggest change of all!  We kept it airy like the rest of the house, with white walls and sheers.  We chose this as our room largely because I loved the treed view and giant window.

I think it's the only room they painted and they swapped out our black curtain rod and sheers for a white rod and purple drapes, which is so perfect for a kid's room.

Top Photo: When it Was Ours // Bottom Photo: Now

They used the smallest bedroom as a guest room/office combo, but we had used the space for two desks.

The new owners had asked for some art that I hadn't wanted to leave behind so it was removed from the contract.  In the end, I ended up leaving them the painting in the office as a peace offering.  It's strange to see it in the exact same spot in the office!  They moved the bedroom sheers in here and got rid of my silk drapes.  I wish I'd known they'd chuck them, because that was a lot of silk and I really wanted to take the panels with me.

Top Photo: When it Was Ours // Bottom Photo: Now

In the bathroom, not much changed but you know that I approve of their aqua towels ;)

Top Photo: When it Was Ours // Bottom Photo: Now

The basement, master powder room, and exterior didn't change much.

It's kind of neat to see our former townhome - our first house! - decorated and lived in by someone else.  We had some amazing years there and I think that because this was the first home we purchased, it will always have a special place in our hearts.  It looks like the new owners enjoyed their time there as well (at least I hope!) and I hope they've had a successful sale and moved on to their dream home!

How to Paint Baseboard Heaters

I don't know why I put off painting our baseboard heaters.  It was on my to-do list for four years but didn't get done until just days before we listed the townhouse for sale.  Why did we live with the drab griege metal for so long? Why did none of you stage an intervention?  In the end it was a really simple project, although it was as tedious a job as I imagined:

1. Turn off the heat
2. Pin up any curtains with giant safety pins to keep them out of the way
3. Tape off the wall and floor with painter's tape
4. Lightly sand the metal with fine grit sandpaper
5. Wipe down the heaters with a damp cloth to remove any dust, let dry
6. Apply a thin coat of Tremclad Metal Primer (I used white), using a small paintbrush.
7. Let the primer dry overnight
8. Applied two thin coats of Tremclad Metal Paint (I used semi-gloss white).

Our baseboard heater covers were incredibly difficult to remove and some parts were fixed so I opted to paint them in place with a brush instead of using spray paint.  I had to be careful about painting the parts we flip open when they are in use and this took some extra time and fussing.  With heaters that are easily removed, a metal spray paint could make light work of this job.

I tried a different method for the half bathroom heater: metal primer followed by the same latex paint we used for the walls and that seemed to work just as well, although the semi-gloss paint proved easier to clean and dust.

I painted the heaters in the office, guest bedroom, master bedroom, master ensuite, hallway, dining room, and living room.  My before & after photos are sloppy, and in some cases non-existent, because I was hurrying to get the house ready for sale in only a few days.  Hopefully you can get the idea from these glimpses.  It will be fun, like a spot-the-difference game.  Or maybe more like Where's Waldo.  Ready?

Remember when I showed you photographs of the framed enamel art?  You could see the beige heaters behind the teak and tweed chair.

Now they blend right in, mostly hiding behind the sheers but the piece that always peeked out is no longer an eyesore!

When I showed off my newly minted table, the baseboard heaters ruined the shot.

But now . . .

I even photographed the velvet chair in the same spot, because I didn't think twice about the heaters.

The guest bedroom photos were always ruined by a long row of beige, to the right.

Happily, when I photographed the bedroom swap, the heaters were already white.

The photos from the listing show just how long the baseboard heaters are.  They were terribly noticeable when they were beige.

The office (with no sheers to hide them), showed off the heaters rather clearly.

But in the real estate listing photos, you can barely see them!

My post about the townhouse being sold has many more real estate photos that plainly show off the freshly painted baseboard heaters.  I'm so happy I finally painted them - I only wish I had done it years ago!

Note: we do not have electric baseboard heaters.  Our heating system was converted to radiant heat from electric heat.  Our baseboard heaters are never hot to the touch.  We have only one remaining electric baseboard heater, in the main bathroom.  It was painted before we moved in and we've experienced no problems so far - even though, unlike the others, it does get very hot to the touch.  I'm pretty sure electric baseboard heaters can be painted, but I really can't speak from much experience.

Anyone care to weigh in?

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Adding Curb Appeal Even With Strict Condo Rules + Small Budget

Now that I can finally show you the outside of the townhouse, I wanted to share some photos of the teeny, tiny little spruce we gave it to boost the curb appeal.  As you know, with condo rules we couldn't change much: the door colour, exterior colour, mailbox design and colour, trim colour, lighting choice, door style - they are all part of a master design scheme.  Don't feel sorry for us though, because that also meant that exterior care and maintenance were up to the condo.  Every spring they cleaned our gutters, inspected the brickwork, made necessary repairs, etc. - we even got a "free" roof.  Although it was unnerving the first time I heard a stranger stomping around on the roof, and spotted a ladder propped against our bedroom window, this perk far outweighed our lack of creative input. 

This is what the townhouse looked like when we first toured the property in 2009:

Looks like someone hated gardening more than me!

The next spring, I made the left side "flower bed" (if I can call that dirt-heap a flower bed) deeper and planted a small yew bush, which I refuse to prune.  Lily of the Valley flowers (my favorite!) were both mailed to me by my mother-in-law and pilfered from my grandparents' garden and transplanted to the right.  We also swapped out the dated brass door hardware for a pretty brushed silver handle and lock (obscured by the condo-issued brown storm door).

 The house certainly looked more loved after our efforts, but I guarantee Martha Stewart would feel embarrassed for us.  Sadly, by the time we went to sell years later our little spruce had faded.  The orange mulch had turned blah and the salt had wreaked havoc on our lawn.  The colourful mat, which was originally teal, turquoise and orange (look at me coordinating) had become disgusting.  Even the mailbox was looking worse for wear.

We didn't do much to get the exterior ready for sale but we did plant some grass seed, splurge on fresh mulch, buy a crisp new mat, and add a colourful potted plant.  Oh yes, we also restored the mailbox with a quick blast of black spray paint.  I still refused to prune my yew.

During our original sprucing, I made a wreath with my Mummu, a devoted crafter.  I added teal-grey eucalyptus (the same colour as our exterior), plus gold and coppery glittery bits to complement the orange door.  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!
 

These small changes made the exterior of the townhouse more welcoming and helped boost our curb appeal, without spending a lot of money - or breaking condo rules!

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