The Rodeo Renovation

We are officially finished with the Rodeo Renovation and I am excited to share the before and after pictures!  Several people have asked me how I got into renovating houses, so before we get to the pictures, here is a little back story...

I was raised by a single mom for many years, my dad was locked up much of my young life. For several years we lived in a tiny little trailer. At one point things got real tough and I remember my mom talking frequently about the repo man. If you ever lived in a trailer house, there are two things that really freak you out. Storms and the Repo man. It especially freaked me out about the Repo man on account of our home was of the mobile persuasion. I mean, what if that meant I woke up and look out the window and we are flying down the interstate, or worse yet, we woke up in Gilmer? ;) So at that young age I realized I wanted a house without wheels and also one that no one could ever take away from me.

As soon as I graduated from college and got my first teaching job, I wrote a contract on my first house. Paid all of 35 grand for it, but it was perfect and it was mine. But I still was paying payments to the bank. So I worked real hard to fix that little gem up, and sold it 2 years later for a profit.
We bought a little bigger house, in a little better neighborhood, and made sure to get one that needed renovating.

Over the course of 10 years we moved every couple years and my 5th house I paid cash for at the age of 31. Finally. All mine. No one could take it from me.

We decided when we had Tripp and then adopted Linc that I would try to stay home until they started school. A teacher really doesn't make enough to pay for 2 in day care and have anything to speak of left over. So occasionally we renovate houses to make a little money to supplement me staying at home.

My husband says breathing new life into something forgotten is my calling. He says I can bring the best out in  anything, whether it is an old piece of furniture... an outdated home... And every once in awhile, God trusts me with a little person and I get to be a part of their transformation too....

Well, that's my story in a nut shell and so here are the before and after photos of our last renovation, the Rodeo House!

I fell in love with this diamond in the rough as soon as I saw it!  It was a 3 bedroom 1 and a half bath with 2 living areas.  As most houses from this period, the floor plan was pretty closed off.  I knew immediately I wanted to open up the floor plan and turn one of the living areas into a master with an on suite.

This was the main living area. That carpet was hiding the original hardwoods. Lucky us.

This was the kitchen and dining.  I wanted to open the living room up to the dining and kitchen to accommodate entertaining and family life. How about those yellow cabinets?  That will wake ya up...

This was the secondary living room that we will turn into a master bedroom.

This was the laundry and half bath attached to the secondary living.  The utility room will be relocated to make room for a spacious master bath and a large walk in closet.

This was the only full bath that will get an entire new facelift.

And now for the after photos along with the breakdown of what we did...

Here is the living area, it got new light fixtures, recessed lighting, new paint and hardware and the carpet was removed and the hardwoods were restored.

Here is the living room from a different perspective.  You can really see how the living area is opened up.  We also had this center built in custom made to be a functional piece for décor or to serve as a buffet when entertaining.

Here I am standing in the dining area and you can see it is open to the living, kitchen and even a study area. You can also see where we relocated the laundry room where you see the double black doors.

I found these groovy black retro doors at a salvage place and I frosted the glass and the hubby built a track system using galvanized plumbing fittings and pipe as well as casters on the bottom to make functional barn doors.  I decided to go with barn doors leading into the laundry as to not take up square footage with a door swinging into living spaces.

Here is a another view of the living spaces, the dining and kitchen both got tile, the cabinets got an overhaul and new butcher block countertops were installed. A custom built island, new cabinet hardware, stainless steel appliances, as well as a new sink, new faucet and light fixtures.

Here is another view of the gorgeous kitchen!

Here are the 2 bedrooms at one end of the house. Both have refinished hardwoods, new paint, lighting and hardware and are of identical size.

Here is the adorable hall bath with new bead board, new vanity, faucet and countertop, new tile, hardware, lighting and paint!

Here is that secondary living area recreated into a master bedroom with refinished hardwoods, new light fixtures, paint and hardware.

And here is the master bath with an oversized tub/shower combo with a rainfall shower head, new vanity, countertop, faucet, cabinets, paint, hardware and lighting.

And here is the pretty perfect outside on a corner lot.  We just put in some large boxwoods that were given to us by some sweet friends but I don't have an updated picture yet.  We also will be putting in a few azaleas when it dries out!

Isn't this lot gorgeous? You can see the oversized carport that is tall enough to accommodate the largest of lifted trucks or even an RV! And just a couple of blocks from the lake.

We have put countless hours and lots of hard work into making this place a beauty that any family would be proud of!  I know someone will quickly fall in love with the original charm, just as I did and appreciate all the gorgeous updates that we did as well!

Hope you enjoyed reading about our Rodeo Renovation adventure as much as we enjoyed doing it!

Later, y'all!

Broadway Elementary, Another Reason for Change

Last week I shared with you the conditions found at Gladewater Middle School.  This week I want to bring to light the condition and needs of Broadway Elementary.

This campus houses our 2nd and 3rd grade students.  I can undoubtedly say this campus, has some of the sweetest, most talented teachers I have ever met, just as I have found at the other campuses. Not only does the buildings and maintenance do an amazing job of patching and covering issues in these 80+ year old buildings, but our teachers go above and beyond to make their classrooms bright, cheery and inviting.  Whether it's hanging a picture here to cover peeling paint, move a cabinet here to hide a foundation crack from floor to ceiling, or making homemade curtains to cover a termite damaged window.  Here at Broadway Elementary, I found not only some of the same physical conditions of the building, but I also found a school that is near inaccessible to a child with special needs.  I tour this campus as a parent concerned for their healthy child's well being and education, but also as the parent of a child with special needs.

Since I had a child that went here just a few short years ago, I know unlike GMS, this campus does not have an elevator, so I showed up with a wheelchair so I could better understand the accessibility challenges.  We parked out front and went up the only area we could find on the curb out front we could get a wheelchair up.

 

We headed down this long walkway trying to get access to the school.

At the end of the walkway we were met with more stairs. Remember, this campus was built in the 30's, way before the thought of mainstreaming children with special needs.

We headed around the side of the building.  Maybe we will have more luck around there.

Ahh, there we go. Finally a wheelchair ramp.

It looked a little steep to me, so my husband volunteered, agreed to try to wheel himself up the ramp.

Right before this picture, he started to topple over and grabbed the railing as to save himself from falling backwards.  He quickly found out due to the grade of the incline, he had to lean drastically forward to keep from turning over backwards.

He hit this hump in the ramp and I couldn't even push him over it.

Since he couldn't get over the hump, he decided to pick the chair up and move it over the uneven area. Of course, this wouldn't be a possibility with a child with special needs.

By this time he is starting to sweat, but the end is in sight. Just a few more feet.

Is it just me or does that door look too narrow for a wheelchair?

We finally got up to the back of the school, only to find out our standard size wheelchair would not fit through the door.  They did tell us there was another wheelchair accessible point at the opposite end of the school, but by this point we were hot, tired and were afraid we would run out of daylight hours at this rate.

So this is where we parked our wheelchair and went on in the building.

We started our tour in the basement.  Although this is the cleanest basement I have ever seen, there was standing water.  The staff said there is always standing water.

There is open window area in the basement to control the growth of mold and mildew.  Even though there are metal grates above this area, critters still manage to find their way in.  I was informed that a dead possum was found down here and the skull resides in one of the classrooms upstairs. Way to turn lemons into lemonade, Broadway teachers.

Well, that looks sketchy.  The deterioration here in the basement most likely stems from foundation issues common in a building nearly a century old.

Here you can see water leaks, as well as mold from the damp conditions in the basement.

Here you can see crumbling of the support of the structure.

We ascended from the bowels of Broadway to find much of the same conditions found at GMS. Here we find all three of the most prevalent issues. Mold, mildew and cracks.

In this photo you will not only notice peeling paint but also you can see that there are several different types of tile.  The staff shared that tiles are constantly falling off the walls.  This can be contributed most likely to two causes.  The foundation issues and moisture in the walls.  As the building moves, cracks form in the walls.  The pressure from this would force tiles to pop out of place.  The moisture is caused by constant leaks and standing water.

Here you can see walls that have been damaged by water, mold that has been treated and returns.  You can also see the variation of tiles as they are replaced constantly.

More cracks and peeling paint.

This dragon is attempting to hide a large crack.

Here is the possum skull and tooth found in the basement.  Way to find a teachable moment, ladies.

This particular room is not in use because of safety concerns.  When we walked in we quickly could see the floor was sagging drastically in the center of the room.  I too would be concerned the weight of a class would cause the room to buckle more and eventually collapse.

Here we find a tape dispenser holding a door closed.  The settling makes it impossible to close the door.

More pressure cracks and peeling paint.

Storage is virtually no existent.  Here we find a homemade storage system in the hallway hidden by a shower curtain to house classroom supplies.

More peeling paint. Keep in mind, the campus was painted fresh before school started.

We left the building and went out to the gym where we found some more asbestos caulking.

The gym has glass windows.  When balls hit this windows they shatter and are not tempered glass.  As they break they are replaced with plexi glass.

We found foundation cracks in the gym, too.

More foundation cracks in the gym.  The gym also does not have air conditioning, which makes for miserable conditions for children to play.  During the hot months the gym is not used for fear that a child will overheat.

This does not look like something I would want to drink from.

More storage issue solutions.  The gym locker room is housing props for school plays.

Back in the school we found more mold and peeling paint.

More peeling paint and mold.

Cracks and paint peeling from the moisture.

These units are the only heat found in the hallways.  They do not have central ac and heat in the common areas.

Yet more peeling paint.  This is found all over the campus.

This too is a common site.  The roof is constantly leaking.  These particular ceiling tiles have been replaced 4 times already this year.

More evidence of constantly replacing wall tiles.

When my daughter was here a few years ago, where the freezers are was where parents sat to have lunch with their children.  When the freezer went out and was deemed obsolete and not repairable, there was no way to remove it out or move one in.  This was the only solution.

This area outside is where parents have to eat with their child now.

It's very obvious in this picture this support is buckling.

This is some type of temporary wall that was constructed to hide damage. It must have been serious to lose valuable classroom space with this eye sore.

More leaking tiles that are needing their 5th replacement.

More water damage.

Here we see the entrance that is used for safety.  Imagine the challenge of checking in the office to see your child or grandchild perform if you had a disability.

Here in the auditorium we see the very narrow access to the stage.  I am certain it is not wide enough for a wheelchair. of course I can't check because I couldn't get the wheelchair in the door. 

Backstage we find extensive water damage.

Even trash cans to catch the water.

More foundation issues and water damage.

They leave the light on because they have found over the years it slows the growth of mold.

The campus has wiring and network issues just as GMS does.

More mold.

More water damage.

This is how good our maintenance crew is.  This wall has been constantly patched and skimmed over to hide the water damage over the years.  You have to look closely to see it.  This wall has been patched countless times over the years.

More cracks and leaks being caught in a bucket.

More severely damaged walls that have been patched, painted and attempted to be covered by classroom decor.

More peeling paint.

This has been rigged up in the alcove of a classroom to provide a semblance of privacy for changing students with special needs.

Because of needing extra space and even one or two classrooms uninhabitable, portable buildings are used.  This particular one is where OT and PT are done.  Can you imagine trying to get a wheelchair up that ramp?

Here you see termite damage peeking out.

After touring the 2nd campus to be replaced by the proposed school bond, I now more than ever think changes are needed and am more than willing to vote yes for our students.  I'm not even waiting until May 10th.  I will be at Gladewater City Hall at 8am on Monday morning for early voting. I have showed you where we are now, where I believe improvements and change are an absolute must.  My next blog will show you where we will be should this bond pass.  I will travel to the new Kilgore campuses that were built by the very same engineers that could build our schools.  I can't wait to see what possibilities await our students and staff should the voters decide to invest in the future of Gladewater.