UPDATE: We unlisted our Airbnb guest room due to lack of interest. We are using the room for our own personal use.
2020 was the year of transition and challenges for us, and I’m NOT just talking about the pandemic.
My motto for 2020, was “Perfect Vision.” It was my last year working for the federal government in real property contracting. I was so excited! Due to the pandemic, I teleworked from home from March until I retired in December, 2020.
One of our 2020 goals was to relocate out of the Phoenix metro area to a small town, recreational area after I retired. We were going to downsize, but the only house we found that would work for us was a larger, 1986 house that had a lot of (undisclosed) deferred maintenance (AKA: fixer upper). After we moved everything out of our Phoenix metro house and we listed it for sale. It sold BEFORE it hit the market for more than the appraised price.
VISION: Future Guest Room…
We decided to convert the second master (primary) bedroom into a Guest Room to list on Airbnb, and to use when family and friends visit. The process of remodeling this room was an adventure in itself. Truth is, the whole house has had its share of issues: electrical, plumbing, lighting, flooring, insulation, windows, appliances, etc. At the rate we are fixing things, we practically have a new house.
The carpet, windows & blinds needed to be replaced.
The ceiling fan was defective. The blades were loose!
Note there’s no blades on the ceiling fan.
Needed to finish the wood stove area.
Original walk in closet, future breakfast room. Kept the 2nd closet at the other end of the room.
Bathroom was dated. No GFI. The tile was very slippery when wet!
Replacing the old door to the back storage room, our future mud room. The original door wasn’t an exterior door and the steps were dangerous.
Removed this door to our pantry. (There was a 2nd door on the other side.)
Huge, dated, jetted tub, didn’t work well. Used a lot of water!
What we did to create our Rustic Country Market Guest Room:
Converted the exterior storage room into a separate, exterior entrance/mud room.
Converted the extra walk in closet into a breakfast room.
Created an entry between the mud room to the breakfast room.
Removed the closet door that was for the walk in closet, now breakfast room.
Removed dated, nonfunctioning window blinds.
Replaced the carpet with vinyl, plank flooring.
Removed and sheet rocked over a second door to our walk in pantry.
Replaced all the windows.
Total renovation of the bathroom. Removed an old jetted tub.
Painted the walls and trim.
Replaced all the light fixtures.
Corrected electrical issues and added a GFI to the bathroom.
Added a carbon monoxide detector & a fire extinguisher.
Replaced the exterior deck & stairs.
Furnished and decorated the room.
Kept the original bay window seat.Includes a desk to the left.The door to our pantry was originally behind the headboard.Total bathroom remodel.This was the original walk in closet.This was the original outdoor storage room.Our Guest Room “after” pictures decorated by The Relentless Redecorator.
Our Guest Room Today…
Instead of using the room for an Airbnb, we moved my 80+ year old mother into the room for 3 years. The room started to be too much for her to care for, so we moved her into our smaller, back guest room, and relisted the room as an Airbnb. After one year of no activity, we decided to set the room up for our own personal use. I rearranged the room, and we replaced the 36” TV with a larger VIZIO TV and a Roku soundbar. We moved the smaller Roku TV up to the loft for our grandsons to watch when they visit.
Moved the bed under the window.The table in front of the window seat works GREAT for playing games.Put the TV on the wall where the bed used to be.Boys room in the loft.The TV swivels left & right.The boys love having their own TV.
We aren’t just a market, we are Rustic Country Market Living.
I’d like to introduce my other half to Rustic Country Market Living.
I wouldn’t be where I am today without my husband, Jon. We’ve been married for 31 years. He’s supported me and I’ve supported him. Together, we make a GREAT team!
Jon in the middle of our retirement home remodel with our dogs, Chip & Joanna. (Names sound familiar?)
Jon has been a multi-talented contractor most of his life. When he wasn’t working on other people’s homes, he was working on ours. We’ve moved a lot over the years, and each house we’ve made into our home, some more than others.
Jon supported me when I first started blogging back in 1998, and when I registered my first website, https://byjoella.com in 2007. I started Rustic Country Market Living in 2017. I also have a patriotic and a travelog blog. All my sites are connected, so if you find one, you can find them all.
I’ve always been focused on the future, while Jon has been focused on the present. After I retired the end of 2020, our goals were for me to focus on Rustic Country Market Living and Jon was going to continue self employment. Instead, we’ve spent the last 3 years renovating our “retirement” house, making it into “our” home.
So here we are, in the future…
Together, we are now going to focus 100% on Rustic Country Market Living. Jon is a big part of all I do, so he will be helping add content to Rustic Country Market Living. It’s a perfect match, and I’m looking forward to growing Rustic Country Market Living with him.
Watch for Jon’s contributions about gardening, BBQ’ing, our wood fired oven, handyman tips, outdoor living, etc. His signature will be Improving Home Life, The Rustic Home Specialist.
Meanwhile, I’m excited to start selling decor items on Rustic Country Market Living, in addition to sharing organizational ideas that have made my life easier, antiques, decor tips, RV decor, etc.
If we love to do it, we might share it…
We’ve talked of starting to repurpose and sell our own creations. Did I mention I love to create stuff with my Cricut? I will share with you some of my creations, hoping to inspire you.
Thank you for following Rustic Country Market Living.
I’ve seen several versions of a “Recipe For Life” on the internet. In my opinion, some fell short, while others involved values I don’t rate high; so I decided to write my own Recipe For Life.
Serving size:
Never can have too much.
Ingredients:
Dreams 4 cups of Hope ¼ spoon of Faith (a little goes a long way) 1 cup of Friendship 7 quarts of Love 7 gallons of Forgiveness 1 barrel of Laughter 2 large spoons of Thankfulness Smiles
Instructions:
Start with Dreams. Add Hope. Add Faith. Mix in Friendship and Love. Blend with Forgiveness. Shake with Laughter. Bake in Sunshine. Sprinkle Thankfulness on top before serving. Serve frequently with a smile.
Until next time…
Inspiring Home Life,
We aren’t just a market, we are Rustic Country Market Living.
