Our New Home

We had looked at a couple of neat places, but with our desire to keep everything well within budget, we're trying to stay conscious of price. We were focusing on quirky places, often with fixer-upper potential and the ability to add on to the home. Wendy's main desires were for a good play yard and a healthy master bath. Mine involve garage storage space, a working kitchen area, and quality entertaining potential. Fireplaces preferred... bedrooms of reasonable size... yards that need some TLC... and a deck that's good for grilling are all in the mix. We'd been looking for a four bedroom so that we have a room for the computers. We had also been looking for around 2000 to 2200 square feet.

The pickings were looking a bit slim, with our preferences involving significant repair and refurbishing input, till we happened across a little three bedroom place. Paul Schuppener, our friend and real estate agent, shared the message that an exact floor plan of an acquaintance had come on the market. We stopped in on a lark, and were delighted by the vibe of the place and overwhelmed by the nifty layout. The fixtures needed updating, but the bones were good, and the yard was HUGE. Located a block from an area whose homes we had patently discounted, we were surprised by the place... instantly recognizing that it could be a real investment if we put some good money into it. The kitchen and living spaces were the best, and if we wanted to add on to the place, there was plenty of land to add on to the house.

A call to the agent let us know that the place had been looked at, and with the price well within our budget, we knew we needed to get an offer in quick. We signed the paperwork that night on the offer and set a potential closing 14 days. It got accepted the next morning.

We were both really excited about it, and didn't feel it's lacking anything in space that isn't made up in style. There's even four 8x3 beds in the back that are perfect for growing herbs and veggies. Should we choose to re-fence the yard to include all the property, we would have an expansive backyard entertainment area. Duncan even giggled most of the time we spent walking around the house.

One of my favorite parts is the way the kitchen is windowed to the backyard. There's even the remains of a window bar outside the kitchen window, where it looks like you used to be able lift the kitchen windows open and have summer service out of the kitchen. With some money spent on new fixtures and new countertops, the kitchen will truly shine as a premium feature to the house. With a wide view of the backyard, it seems like a perfect spot to watch the kids run in circles while I'm making dinner. Wendy even has her big bathtub, although we'll have to look into whether we can add some jets to it.

The view out the kitchen... see the gardening beds?

Another view of the front

Our front door

Courtyard to the left of the door... sliding doors to the master bedroom

Archways open up the spaces in the house.

Master bath in knotty pine! Hee!

Huge shower/tub in the master bath...

Our huge dining/living room with slightly gaudy wood-burning stove.. heh.

We couldn't be happier with our new home... it's going to be a great place to raise our children.