Beechwood Revival Episode 2: Demo Day and the Antique Chest We Found in the Attic

Sometimes tearing something down is the most hopeful thing you can do.  Especially when you are dealing with a 100 year old home renovation demo. 

If you caught Episode 1, you know the story of how this house found us. You know about the commute, the MLS listing that disappeared, the phone call my mom made, and the moment Daron and I sat down at that bank table and made it ours. If you missed it, go back and watch it first because what you are about to see makes a whole lot more sense when you know how hard we fought to get here.

 

This week? We demoed. All of it.

100 Year Old Home Renovation Demo Day Is No Joke

I want to be real with you for a second, because I think people see demo day on TV and it looks like the most fun you could ever have. And honestly? Parts of it are. There is something deeply satisfying about pulling out old materials and watching a space open up right before your eyes.

But there is also something else that happens when you start tearing into a house that has been someone’s home for almost a hundred years. Something quieter. Something that catches you a little off guard.

It’s bittersweet. And this time, we knew a little about whose story we were holding.

We Met Her Through the Neighbors

Before a single wall came down, our neighbors started showing up. One by one, just coming by to introduce themselves. And every single one of them wanted to talk about her.

She was the original owner. She lived here her whole life, just her mostly, no kids, and from what everyone said she was just the sweetest. The neighbors loved her. You could tell when they talked about her that she was the kind of person who just made you feel good to be around. Kind. Genuine. The real deal.

She lived here until she passed. And then someone who never even lived here bought the property to renovate but didn’t finish the project.

Walking through those rooms now feels different than it did at first. I didn’t know her story yet when we first walked through. But knowing it now, every wall we opened, every floor we pulled up, it all just hits different. This was somebody’s whole life. And now it’s ours to take care of. I don’t take that lightly.

She Loved Wallpaper and Honestly, Same

Y’all. The wallpaper in this house.

Every room had wallpaper and honestly I was here for it. As someone who loves wallpaper myself I just respected it so much. Her color palette was very pastel, lots of pink and green, soft and pretty. Very much a vibe for its time. And the closets? She really committed in the closets. That made me laugh every time.

One thing we noticed pretty fast was that the kitchen had already been partially gutted. The person who bought it after she passed had started demo in there and just stopped. So we never really got to see what her kitchen originally looked like. That part bummed me out a little if I’m being honest. I believe the kitchen and pantry tells so much of the homeowner’s original story.

Why We Took It All the Way Down to the Studs

Okay so I know some of you are going to have feelings about this part and that’s fair.

We didn’t just demo selectively. We took this 100 year old home renovation demo all the way down to the studs. Here’s why.

This is not a lipstick and paint situation. We are moving walls, opening up the whole floor plan, and adding on to the existing structure. One of the biggest decisions we made was moving the staircase completely. The original layout just wasn’t going to work for what we had in mind, and the only place the new staircase could go was right where the original fireplace was.

So the fireplace had to go.

That was honestly a hard decision. I stood in that room and just thought about her for a minute. She probably had a chair right there. Probably started a lot of cold mornings next to that thing. But we are not tearing out her story, we are just adding onto it. And there is a brand new fireplace coming in the new living area. You’ll see it eventually and I really think you’re going to love it.

We also just needed to know what we were actually working with before we could build anything. We needed to see the bones.

And the bones are good y’all. Really good. This house was built solid and it has held up for almost a hundred years. She is ready for whatever comes next.

She picked a good one.

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The Antique Chest in the Attic

Okay. Can we talk about this for a second?

In the middle of all the demo chaos we made our way up to the attic. And sitting up there, tucked away like it had been waiting for someone to find it, was an old antique chest.

Just sitting there. Quietly.

We stopped everything. We looked at each other. And I could not help but wonder, was it hers?

We cannot stop talking about it. Which brings me to my question for you this week:

If you found an antique chest in the attic of a home where someone lived their whole life, would you keep it or let it go?

Drop your vote in the comments. We would love to have your feedback and thoughts on this one.

Watch Episode 2 below and see the full 100 year old home renovation demo and the chest for yourself.

▶️ [EMBED YOUTUBE SHORT — BEECHWOOD REVIVAL EPISODE 2]

Come back next Sunday for Episode 3. We are getting into the really exciting stuff and I promise you are not going to want to miss it.

XO,