Our New Home

Ok, I have something to admit.

I've been hiding something from you.

Well, most of you. Some of my nearest and dearest know and have been sharing my excitement.

And no, it's NOT a baby. (Once you get married, every upset stomach and every big announcement means you're pregnant, apparently...)

Nonetheless, besides marrying the love of my life, this is the most exciting thing that has EVER happened to me! And I have been bursting at the seams with excitement and couldn't wait to share what's been going on in our lives for the last few months.

And now I can!

My husband's father (Lee) and step-mother (Melonie) flip houses, generally in the winter when his pressure washing business slows down because of the cold and icky weather. I had told Lee that when they were looking to buy their most recent house to flip that I wanted to help with the process. I wanted to learn more about home repair/renovation/design. He definitely welcomed the help! They found a foreclosure in the area and they saw a lot of potential so they snatched it up and got to work.

Adam and I had seen the house online (in all of its foreclosed glory) and could see that the 1970's house had good bones. We were excited for them because it seemed that they came across a steal of a deal! The Saturday after Thanksgiving we stopped by to see the house for ourselves. And despite the damage from pets (and an angry, possibly mentally unstable previous owner), rotting back porch, hideous wallpaper, vanity IN the master bedroom, holes in the wall, disgusting showers, and the blood red formal living room...

we sort of loved it.

We really liked the layout, the big backyard, the HUMONGOUS master bedroom, and the classic look of the exterior. Lee and Melonie also told us that the people in the neighborhood were so friendly and that they all felt very safe letting their kids play in the area. Most of the people in the neighborhood had been living there for a long time.

Our plan all along has been to mostly look at foreclosures for our next home so we could get a great price and fix it up and make it our own. Visiting this house made us realize that if we were going that route, we may need to consider buying our next house BEFORE selling our current house, because most foreclosures need a lot of work before you can even move in. I contacted a realtor and asked if she could meet with us to get the ball rolling. You can read about all that and what happened afterwards here.

So while we worked on getting our house ready for listing, our realtor began to look for places for us. What we kept finding was that if it was in our price range it was either 1. in need of major renovations that would put us WAY over budget or 2. they were like 100 square feet bigger than our house now. I'm sorry, but I am not moving for 100 square feet. The other thing we kept noticing?

We kept comparing it to the flip house.

I would lay in bed almost every night thinking about how to arrange the furniture in the house and how amazing it would be to paint the front door red. And the entertaining we could do on the big back porch!

We talked and prayed and thought it over... over and over again. And we kept coming to the same conclusion. So a little over two weeks after we stepped inside the house for the first time, Adam told his dad that we had made a decision: we OFFICIALLY wanted the house! It was something we had discussed here and there with Lee and Melonie because they knew it was in our price range and because they were willing to let us make design decisions along the way if we wanted to buy it. But now it was for real.

And then the real fun began!

The house had been essentially gutted, and they had repaired damaged ceilings, walls, and subfloors. But that left us with... nothing really. Which meant every. single. thing. that went into the house would be something WE picked! I mean, who gets do that?? Flooring, paint colors, vanities, light fixtures, kitchen cabinets and appliances, and more! For weeks I carried around a bag filled with tile and hardwood samples,  a paint sample book, and random notes about ideas and plans. We spent some quality time at Lowe's, Home Depot, and Southeastern Salvage. I spent practically every lunch break searching the internet for lighting fixtures and backsplash ideas. While we were super busy with our own house, any spare time we had was spent at the new house tearing down wallpaper, painting, laying tile, etc. etc. I'm pretty sure I have a blob of paint on every article of clothing I own. But oh my goodness was it fun! We both feel so blessed that we were given this opportunity. The very thought that all major home improvement projects will be DONE in our next home is so exciting! From here on out, anything we do will most likely by minor for quick updates (new paint colors, changing out light fixtures, etc.). It just makes my heart happy.

So... basically we helped design a house and I haven't told you guys until now. And I am thrilled that it's not a secret anymore! I'm sure you can understand why we didn't tell everyone. When you have a house on the market, you don't want the whole world knowing you're in a hurry to sell. Bad news for the seller's wallet :)

I'm so proud of the work we've done (and when I say WE I mean everyone who has done anything at the house. My in-laws and the people they choose to work with are AMAZING and I am so so so grateful for everything) and I have been looking forward to sharing pictures with everyone. I can't wait for you to see the befores and afters, because it will blow your mind, and hopefully inspire someone to tackle their own major home improvement project(s). I want to do separate posts on different rooms/projects, so for now I will just share the front exterior shot of our new, made-with-love, this is where we'll start our family one day HOME.

Squeel!!!!!

The first picture was taken from Adam's truck in December, soon after renovations began. You'll notice the dumpster in the driveway that collected monumental amounts of awfulness. The second picture was taken just a couple of weeks ago. It would have been more dramatic had I waited and taken a new picture more recently with the final touches (new kick plate for door, updated light, new landscaping), but if you know me you know patience is not my forte...

BEFORE

AFTER

I am in love with this house!!!!

Finally, here's a shot from a bit further back which shows some of the two-car garage. Please know that the large bush on the right side has been significantly reduced in size and will eventually be replaced. I know that makes you feel better!

Frugal Friday
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