We don’t even pretend to be perfect around here.  The Warrenwood property isn’t perfect.  Our events aren’t perfect.  I, myself, am not perfect.  I’ve decided to accept that imperfection without settling. I can always strive to do more and be more on my own terms without giving myself a hard time about not being where I think I should be by now. 

It is the same way with the Warrenwood property.  I wish I had millions to pour into perfecting every inch of this place.  I have vision boards in my mind filled with it could look like here.  But, that isn’t my reality.  We are working hard to build a business from the ground up; a  business that supports incremental property improvements as we go.

So today I want to celebrate some major WINS from the last year or so.  Some of the projects we’ve completed may seem small, but everything, literally everything, is harder when you’re dealing with an old house.

UPING OUR INVENTORY

This WIN isn’t a property improvement, but it is the change that has the greatest impact on our clients.  In the past, clients had to rent their ceremony and reception chairs.  They would be delivered on Friday and clients had to put them out themselves and stack them at the end of the night.  This was a huge expense (usually over $1,000) and hassle every single weekend.  So we purchased 400 chairs and include the setup, use, and cleanup of these items for free in every rental package!  We’ve always had fruitwood chiavari chairs for the house, but now we have dark wooden folding chairs for outdoor ceremonies & oak x-back chairs for events held in the barn.  It’s has been a game changer for our clients!

HOUSE WINS

A New Room for the Bridal Suite

Until now our bridal suite has been two rooms with a full restroom.   Now, our bridal suite includes three rooms and a remodeled bathroom.  What used to be an office, with daisy print wallpaper and unfinished floors, is now a beautiful space for wedding parties to get ready on wedding days.  With fresh wallpaper (Thibaut Designs, Indore Damask, Aqua) and newly painted floors, it is perfect!  We’re still playing around with furniture, but we are so happy with the way it turned out.

Updating a Fan-Favorite Room

It was also time to say goodbye to the wallpaper in one of our existing bridal suite rooms.  As a real fan-favorite, the blue and green floral wallpaper was hard to part with, but it was time.  It took us FOREVER to find a replacement. We finally found THE ONE (Asian Trail Brownstone Wallpaper, Pink) just weeks before our wedding season began.

We thought making this decision was going to be the hardest part, but there were some surprises hidden behind the first layer of wallpaper.  I think we decided that there were a total of 5 layers of wallpaper with a layer of paint somewhere in there. It took a team of two guys an entire week to strip all the layers, then another few days for all the plaster repairs.  It was very time consuming, but so worth it!

 

Remodeling a Bathroom

The bathroom remodel was minor in the grand scheme of things, but worth mentioning.  We removed the wallpaper border and gave it a  fresh coat of paint.  We also added new flooring, a new vanity and better lighting.\

Event Space Receives Fresh Wallpaper

Before Warrenwood became a venue, the house sat empty for ten whole years.  For the most part, the house held its ground against the signs of neglect. Over time though water damage crept in.  In the back right corner of the house, wallpaper had started to fall off the walls.  We tried several temporary fixes, but without replacement wallpaper we ended up having to replace the wallpaper (Thibaut Designs, Passaro Damask, Beige) in the entire room.

New Roof for a New Look

After a terrible hail storm, our roof was in serious need of attention.  See what a difference a new roof made!

BARN WINS

Don’t think that we forgot about the barn at Warrenwood. In front of the barn, we added crushed stone over the gravel to make it easier for people to walk.   Here is a photo of what it looked like before it was spread, leveled and stamped down.

Inside the barn, on the side where the buffet is typically served, we added five windows to brighten things up.

FUTURE PROJECTS AT WARRENWOOD

The upkeep of Warrenwood is neverending and my ideas for improvement are neverending.  It can be overwhelming at times, but I’m filled with pride when I look back at how far we’ve come.  When I catch myself comparing Warrenwood to other venues I have to force myself to step back and refocus on loving the journey I’m on.

Feature photo by Kelli Lynn Photography.