This ’80s Fixer-Upper Became a Modern-Meets-Rustic Riverfront Dream Home

It all commenced with a walk. Courtney Equall was strolling down her preferred neighborhood street when she noticed a thing that, at the time, seemed far too great to be true–a for sale indication.

“I promptly called Nate and permit him know that the only fixer-higher in the region was on the market. We had our property up for sale in a several times,” Courtney says. But this was not just any fixer-higher: The house sat on riverfront residence in the vicinity of Bend, Oregon, and though the Equalls lived close by, it was their aspiration to reside instantly on the water. “Everything else on the river was out of our value vary, so we took on the obstacle of an ’80s intestine job,” Courtney states.

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After they secured their dream location, it was time to renovate. “Everything was initial, down to the stained carpet and textured wallpaper peeling off the partitions,” states spouse and handyman Nate. Initially on their list was ripping out the carpet and changing it with purely natural hickory hardwood. Then it was on to the hub of the house—the kitchen. Piece by piece, they started building the rundown space into a house healthy for their spouse and children of 5.

The exterior wasn’t considerably to look at when the Equalls moved in. Fresh paint, new windows, and normal wood trim received it back in line with its Pacific Northwest roots.

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On transfer-in day, the family members ripped up the worn carpet and began putting in new tongue-and-groove hardwood. Now purely natural hickory flows through the full most important degree.

An IKEA console observed its way on to the entryway wall. “I meant to obtain legs for it, but Nate was in a position to put in cleats to the sides and major and attach it into the studs in its place,” Courtney suggests.

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Courtney, who was beforehand a instructor and is now a Diy blogger at Girl and Gray, and Nate, who operates in the financial promoting industry, failed to have any exclusive capabilities to get the challenging task done. But resolve, teamwork, a couple of helpful family members, and loads of Google queries aided them energy by way of.

The residing area windows and trim were being just one of the handful of parts in the house that remained untouched (and the only home windows that are even now authentic to the residence). “They are actually the star of the room—we wished the home to experience gentle and bright, and these definitely aid achieve that,” Courtney claims.

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Formerly property to an old pellet stove, this small house bought a black-and-white refresh with a wooden-burning fire, painted brick, and new tile.

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The kitchen area island is a custom made piece from Etsy, but the Equalls would like they would have crafted it them selves. “Now that we know we can do just about everything, it would have been awesome to establish a even bigger island on our personal considering the fact that the kitchen area is the main hangout place,” Nate says.

To cover the variety hood, Nate developed a cedar body out of 2x4s, then nailed cedar 1x2s about it for a streamlined finish. Nate also produced the floating shelves that flank the assortment out of cedar. Ahead of the tiling was concluded, he anchored shelf mounts to the studs, then tiled all around them. The mounts slide into holes he drilled in the again of the cabinets. A entertaining mix of gentle fixtures carries the contemporary-rustic vibe throughout the space.

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The primary stairs mimicked the relaxation of the house—’80s oak and stained carpet. To update, Courtney requested a package from L.J. Smith Stair Devices that bundled the railing, treads, and risers, and since they ship in one piece, the new stairs were ready in a week.

A gallery wall with mismatched frames but a related coloration palette breaks up the all-white walls of the key dwelling spot.

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New windows, flooring, lights, and paint entire the cozy lofted space that became the key bedroom. Courtney and Nate are self-taught in all their Diy endeavors, and they’re company believers that if you want to do a little something, you unquestionably can. “YouTube, Instagram, and Google are all good resources and give tutorials to information you through in essence everything,” Courtney says.

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The hall bath was a whole gut career. The drywall, window, vanity, bathroom, and flooring ended up all replaced. The window in the corridor bath was the initial a single Nate had at any time thoroughly mounted by himself.

“We lived in our dwelling as we finished jobs, and are in the midst of various,” Courtney says. She advises doing a person at a time alternatively of getting a bunch of fifty percent-finished construction zones.

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A compact laundry area had the excellent amount of money of area for some impactful projects. A wood topper sits on the washer and dryer to make a drop zone. Pine cabinets slash to sizing were mounted on black steel brackets to keep supplies and decor. Peel-and-stick polka-dot wallpaper from Goal makes a graphic backdrop in the laundry space which is located at the close of a hallway on the main stage.

For the Equalls, the access to the Deschutes River sealed the deal on the property. The home’s location and its remarkable yard have been the main offering details for the relatives. Pea gravel topped with a firepit package f
rom Lowe’s can make the outside area a popular family hangout.

“With our two homes just before this, we generally preset up with cosmetic touches—paint, tile, flooring—so this renovation taught us a ton,” Courtney suggests. “Now, there is certainly practically nothing we cannot do.” They indicate it. Future up for renovations is a key bed room addition to preserve up with their most important aim: Making a house their family members can develop into for many years to appear.