2015: The Snowball Year

Before + AfterDIYEichler RestorationRenovation

Dec 31

As we embark on yet another New Year, I thought it would be a good time to take a look back and reflect on 2015. It was a year of constant renovation and projects -- one seriously tiring, but satisfying year! While we live in California (where there is a severe drought and NO snow)... it was still quite the snowball year for us! We completed the Kitchen Renovation a year ago, right before the 2014 holiday season (and hosting my family for Christmas Eve Dinner). The kitchen itself was complete, but we had not yet started on the dining room, sliding doors, or family room. (or Exterior for that matter.) The more we stood in the new kitchen space, the more we hated the small living area and dining room.

That's what started the "renovation snowball effect" which I know many of you DIYers and homeowners know all too well! After the kitchen, began the transformation of the Living Room area, Dining Room, then Exterior.

Building out the new media wall and installing large windows was a game changer!

Not even sure anymore the order of operations, but we moved on to replacing a bunch of sliding doors and restoring the living room, then somehow got into the exterior of the house too.

LEAST favorite parts of 2015? Ripping down all that siding! Front. Atrium. Back. Ugh.

Highlights of 2015? -- Most definitely our family trip to Palm Springs, which was a much welcomed break from DIY projects and served as inspiration for design and creativity, and of course fun family time together.

Here is the first "Desert Eichler" in Palm Springs:

2015 has also been a very special year connecting with friends (old and new!) who share our same passion and love for midcentury homes, design and DIY projects, whether in person or online. It is still amazing to us how technology and social media have shaped how we can connect with people, all around the world.

Over the summer, we enjoyed a "weekend getaway" up to Sacramento to visit our friends Andy + Karen from fogmodern, attending a fun Rivercats game and a stay at their lovely Eichler home to catch up on their latest DIY projects.

Go Rivercats! (and Giants!)

Fogmodern's wonderfully organized and pretty-to-look-at home office. I wish.

In the fall, a wonderful Meet-up hosted by our South Bay Eichler friends Karolina + David from dearhouseiloveyou brought a bunch of us Eichler folks together from all parts of the Bay to enjoy great food, company, and house talk. We're well overdue now for another!