A Place to Call Home

Since we started teaching abroad, Tony and I have spent summers mooching off friends and relatives. That’s been fun (most of the time), but we found ourselves yearning for a place to call “home.” We wanted friends and family to visit US. When my parents moved to Michigan and promised they wouldn’t move again any time soon, we decided to buy a summer home there.

Here’s Tony at Lake Orion last summer, feeling indecisive. It only took a little persuading to convince him that this place was IT!
for sale

Last summer, the house looked like this. We hired the best decorator I know – my mom! – who worked with our tenant, Don, a house painter/handyman, to give the house a much-needed facelift inside and out.
before exterior

Here’s Don this week, excited to show us the finished product.
Donnie

Tony and I felt like the recipients of “Ultimate Makeover – Home Edition.” We couldn’t believe this 70-something-year-old house could look so fresh and modern. They replaced the carpet with maple laminate flooring, stripped the wallpaper and painted, ripped out the bathroom vanity and replaced it, walled off a door between the two sides of the duplex, and made multiple plumbing and electrical upgrades. Here are some highlights:

before living room

after living

view from living room

before kitchen

after kitchen

kitchen and living room

before dining

after dining

lake view

dining area nook

before bathroom

after bathroom

before guest

after guest

before master

before master closet

after master

after master closet

After we finish paying for all this work, we’ll get my mom started on the basement! Maybe some day we’ll even be able to afford a canoe. In the meantime, we enjoy hanging out on the porch and watching the swans, ducks and herons that visit our patch of lakefront, and we’re looking forward to sharing our porch with visitors.

As much as we love exploring the world, there’s no place like home!

10 thoughts on “A Place to Call Home”

  1. H-wow! Pretty nice! Totally impressed! Can’t wait to see it in person!!!! One more week! YAY!

  2. You’re right – it’s as if Nate Berkus himself came and did up your place! Your mom’s not only talented, but has great taste! And so wise of you to buy a piece of lakefront, and in this economy even wiser! Fingers crossed that I get to see it in person this summer! Any news on the 20th?

  3. It looks amazing! I can’t believe the before and after pictures – Betty Ann has really outdone herself this time. It looks like it was worth every penny.

  4. This is fantastic!!! I want a lake house too!!!!!!! It must be great to have your own fantastic place – ON the lake! Have a happy happy holiday xx

  5. You will never regret this, great view, great make-over, looks great Sharon and Tony.
    Congratulations and hello from amazing southern portugal…maybe our next home!!!
    xxx KSHM

  6. OMG, it really is like total home makeover! it looks gorgeous. my favorite are the red cabinets. 🙂

  7. It looks great! Save up for the canoe, that would be so fun to paddle around the beautiful lake. Have a great summer!

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