A little house tour

So, it's not officially our house yet, but I thought I'd post some of the rooms I get to play with. Yes, the house is small. But our budget was even smaller, and the selection was tinier still. So we are going to make the best of what's out there and plan on spending a lot of time outside in the yard this summer!


Here is my living room, with my happy little helper. William was great about holding the measuring tape for me while we were there for the inspection, so I could get a head start on furniture arrangements. There is a large, stone hearth in the corner past where William is standing that houses a wood burning stove for an alternate heat source. And when I say large, I mean 5 feet by 5 feet! That's 25 sq ft of my living room!



Pink bedroom #1. This will be Oren and Nathan's room. The walls are going to get a coat of paint in some boyish color, and the closet doors are likely going to come off. I'm thinking a curtain instead. Not sure yet though.



Pink room #2! Very pink, with dark green carpet- the same carpet is in the master bedroom but those photos turned out quite dark. This one is William and Daniel's since theirs will need to house more toys, and it's a tad bigger than the other room. Both rooms have ceiling fans, which will be a lifesaver in the summer with no AC. I'm thinking a pale green on this wall because of the green carpet. Very soothing. Again, not 100% sure yet.



My kitchen! Is it pretty or what?! So much more space than I have right now, with room for a bigger fridge when finances allow. The light fixture isn't quite my style, but works and provides enough light for now. Considering the square footage of the house, the kitchen is very large. But since I spend the majority of my day in the kitchen, it makes sense to make it an enjoyable room. It's also one of the most expensive to renovate, which makes me glad that the cabinets, counters, and floors have already been updated.



And this is just because it was cute, if you'll ignore the pile of laundry in the background. Daniel was exhausted tonight and passed out on the couch beside me. Our cat, Shadow, generally avoids sitting near the boys. But with Daniel safely asleep and unaware that his favorite toy has climbed up on the couch, Shadow snuggled up close and fell asleep too.

Shadow, by the way, was very aptly named. He gets stepped on. A lot. Poor kitty....

Feeling little butterflies

I had posted that we were officially house hunters last. Having a tight timeline, we moved quickly and spent several hours online compiling a list of homes that met our requirements of space and function.

The funny thing?

None of the houses I picked to see would have worked for the way our family lives. At all. Amazing what a difference seeing the layout and size of rooms in person can do.

Our wise agent, however, had pulled a house that was more than our budget from the lender and smaller than I thought I needed. This was the only house out of the ones that we looked at before we moved last year and the numerous ones online, or the other 4 we saw in person, that felt like home! The kitchen space is perfect for me and includes space for all of my cake decorating pans and paraphanelia, the dining room fits our table. There is an actual laundry room and not closet in the hallway with bifold doors that like to try to break when children run down the hall!

The huge storage shed out back makes up for the smaller closets. The wood burning stove with stone surround gives me a mantel for decorations.

And the best part?

It's on an acre of land. A whole acre! A yard for the kids with a playhouse in the mental works for next summer. A produce garden tucked away in a corner. The covered patio is going to be perfect for sitting and watching the boys play without mommy frying in the sun. Or grilling and enjoying dinner outside on the table I can make. Plus ample room for Mark to practice his landscaping design classes to make a truly welcoming front garden space.

Updated enough that I don't have to do major work inside, but just enough cosmetic stuff needs done to keep me happy. Like painting the pink room a nice shade of green/blue/yellow/gray (Still not sure!). Or ripping out the carpet in the master bath. And the hideously modern light fixture in the kitchen that will make way for a more traditional style but not stuffy pendant/chandalier thing. Maybe even updating the towel racks in the bathroom!

With some juggling and special permission from the lender, we were able to meet his counter offer, and got him to agree to our closing terms and leave the fridge. The seller really struggled with the idea of making a little less and having to help with closing costs, but realized that he wasn't going to get a better offer in this market. And may have likely gone several months before getting another offer at all.

So if all goes well and there's nothing major on the inspection on Monday... we should be closing on the 9th of December! And Mark gets to tell all his friends that he bought his wife a house for her 30th birthday. :-)