Oh, how things can change overnight...

Are you wondering what the inside of the house looks like?  I'd like to show you!  Now keep mind that when we first looked at the house, we knew that the inside would need some cosmetic updates.  The kitchen was really outdated, the wallpaper just wasn't to my taste, the dirty carpet needed to be removed, and the plastic laminate flooring really needed to go.

All those imperfections could have been tolerated and lived with until each room could gradually be updated.   Gradually being the key word.  However...after the fire it all had to come out.  The interior had to be completely gutted.  There was no "gradual" about it.  

So without further ado, here are the "before and after" pictures that were taken of our house.  I have a million few photos...but I picked out just a couple of each room for you to see.  Here we go...

This is the front staircase, right inside the front door.  There is a half bath at the end of the hallway.

And here is the staircase after the fire...

We had already removed the carpet running up the stairs.  Look at all the ash, burnt wood, and the water splatters on the walls.  What a mess!

Here is the dining room...

Don't you just love all the tall windows!  Before the fire, we had already started to remove the wallpaper in the dining room.  

Here's after the fire...

That's one way to strip the paint off the ceiling, right?!

This a picture of the den/soon-to-be kids TV room before...

And the other side of the room after...

Here is the living room before the fire...

We had already removed the carpeting before the fire.  I love all the light that comes into the living room!

After the living room after the fire...

This was actually the only inside fire damage, can you believe it?!  The roof overhang on the front of the house fell and crashed along the front porch and living room windows.  Luckily, most of the damage was from ALL the water.  Is that lucky?  I guess it is, because if there would have been more fire damage on the inside of the house...we may not have been able to save it.

Here is the kitchen before the fire...

Just a little bit outdated, right?  Some people probably would love a retro-style kitchen like this...and no matter how much I want a white kitchen...this just doesn't do it for me.  We removed all the cabinets and appliances before the kitchen was gutted, so if your interested in them??

Not much damage occurred in the kitchen after the fire, mainly just some peeling paint.  Take a look...

Here is the before picture of the upstairs hall/landing...

The carpet was so gross and we pulled that out right away to!  I guess I should explain that even though we had not closed on the house, the Realtor gave us the lock box code.  This allowed us go in the house to pull out the carpet and have some work done on the plumbing before moving in.  Little did we know what was about to happen.

And here is the after fire photo...

Quite a change, don't you think?  The upstairs was considerably more damaged than the downstairs.  In this hallway, there was a lowered ceiling that completely collapsed during the fire. 

Here is one of the upstairs bedrooms before...

And here is the after...

Just look at the ceiling!  The fire fighters actually did a lot of the ceiling and wall damage while they were trying to contain and control the fire.  Did I tell you that 4 or 5 different county fire departments were called in to help with this fire?

Here are a couple more "after fire" pictures of other bedrooms upstairs.  I did not have before pictures of these two rooms.

And lastly, I would like you to see what a mess was made outside after the fire...

Sorry...that photo was a bit blurry!  This is in front of the house.  Here is the back...

Well...there it is.  Are you in shock?  We sure were when we first went through to assess the damage.

Now...I know some of you may think that this house from the start would have been WAY too much work to take on.  Even my own mom asked me, "Wouldn't you rather buy the newer house down the street?"  Honestly, I am just able to visualize what the house would look like all fixed up and this one was/is so full of amazing potential.  I know not everyone can do that.  My husband and I both think that newer houses, although very nice, just lack the character that we really enjoy.  I love a house with history, and this house sure has it.  Did you know that Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863?  This house was built just 5 years later.  That is just so cool!  

Next time I will share with you what the house looks like inside now.  All the debris is gone.  All the plaster and lathe has been removed.  You can see through the walls from one side of the house to the other.  We did, however, leave all the wood trim in its place.  We were so worried it would be ruined if we tried to pull it all out.  We're not sure if this was a smart thing to do, or not?  I guess we'll find out when we go to hire someone to install the new drywall.  Keep your fingers crossed for us, okay?