So, Where Have I Been?
One room challenge week… oh I don’t know, eleven?
I know, I know, it was supposed to be done in eight weeks with a big exciting reveal at the end. Trust me, that’s what I was hoping for too. But, alas, between the website and the secret project, I just couldn’t keep up.
So what exactly was keeping me from staying on track exactly? Well, I can’t tell you everything yet, but I can tell you this: My house project is going to be featured on TV.
This came totally out of the blue, and felt like a great opportunity to showcase not only my house, but Wheeling as a whole. And since showing what Wheeling has to offer and inspiring people to take on their own old home projects, I signed on.
And that meant throwing my construction schedule out the window, and committing to finishing three rooms. I chose the living room, the dining room, and the main bath. And let me tell you, it is KILLING me not to be able to show you those yet. But we are so close. Very soon, I’ll be able to post all the updates and behind the scenes content I created during the projects, and show you three truly stunning “afters”. After what has felt like a never ending project, I’m excited to share with everyone how close this house really is to being move-in ready.
So bear with me. The coming weeks are going to be seriously exciting, and the best is yet to come!
Ahhhh I cannot wait!!!!
That’s so awesome to hear, but I gotta say, what was special about this project is that you have been showing the *during*. The internet is flooded with the before/after reveals of rebranding, restyling, and restoring anything and everything. And even though these are always fun, the special thing about the mc clain house is the unique opportunity to see the during, the work, the slow and steady steps of progress that humanize it and show all of us the hard work instead of a fun but quick montage and movie magic. That slow steady progress, filled with legit hard work and names of processes that go into each restoration, were priceless and honestly it is very sad if they’re gone now, just to be replaced by yet another tv show. You and your channel are so special, don’t do it!!!
Hi Alex,
Thanks for your feedback. Rest assured, I spent plenty of time evaluating the pros and cons of my participation in this show. Ultimately, my goal is to promote the historic resources of Wheeling, and show as many people as I can what is possible with seemingly impossible old buildings. That means give and take, and to be honest, some of the process content in those three rooms had to be sacrificed for my participation in this larger project. That said, I will be including as much as I can about those rooms on the blog, and I still have ten other rooms to restore in the house. I feel confident that this platform and any other projects I participate in will not in any way turn out cookie cutter.
I know the afters are deffo amazing and ofc I cannot wait to see them, but.. it is just so special to see it getting done, you know? To see what processes went into restoring each room..following slow progress..keeping it real. that’s also exactly what shows people that old houses are truly not beyond saving, eliminating the scary unknown and replacing it with “oh, it’s just that a room like that needs an a,b, c, d, e and that’s how you do it!
We have been renting an old house ourselves as you know, and I have been doing small projects around it for two years now, so I also know the immense feeling of pride when a whole day of work means that there is a smooth bit of wall now, instead of a big deep cavern made by water damage.
I’m here to say – that’s a legit, good, educational, interesting content! Even if it’s a fail ( ie me trying to remove a hundred year old paint from a carved ornate wooden window frame🤦🏽♀️).
From me, i will say – personally, i am sold on Wheeling! Because of you being your authentic self, and wonderful people around you. Way before any tv shows💛
Ps- hope to see you with your own program on Nat Geo someday!!! 🙂
Looking forward to it, incredibly excited that you’ll be able to display all your hard work on TV!
Is this the Christmas tree room?👏🥳
It’s actually the bedroom, but it’s directly above that room so the footprint is nearly identical!
Wow! That is awesome news! How exciting! I can’t wait to watch!!!
I can’t wait to see it!
Hello! I saw your house on the show this evening and I am still up at 5:24 am researching more on your blog. We have a Victorian circa 1983 outside of Louisville, Kentucky. My husband and I are restoring it. I am about to tackle repointing the brick. I’ve never done this before and will be subscribing to Patreon in hopes of finding your video. I would be very interested in talking with you about some other unique projects at our house. Thank you for your work! You are inspiring!
Hi Betsy, I just watched the episode about you and your wonderful home. My home in San Francisco was built in 1907 and it was in very bad condition when we bought it in 1989. Over the years I have done quite a bit of work to get the house in good shape and make it comfortable.
One of the small projects I am working on now is selecting wallpaper for an accent wall in my bedroom. I fell in love with the wallpaper you chose for your main bath. I love the colors and the pattern. Could you please tell me the name of the manufacturer and the pattern? I am looking for different colors but the samples you and your mother put up on the wall shows that the manufacturer has a broader range.