Earlier this week, I shared the BIG news: We are building a new house! Considering how much time we have spent fixing this one up over the last 3 years – I understand that this might come as a bit of a shock to a lot of you. (Don’t worry, my mom still can’t get over it herself.) I’m beyond excited to design and share every last detail of our new home with you over the next year, and I want to make sure i’m answering allllll of your questions along the way. The one that has popped up a LOT over the last few days? Why. Well, I’ll tell you.
My Husband’s Crazy.
I lived in the same home my entire childhood. It was 1800 sq feet, down the street from my elementary school, and didn’t change a whole lot over the years. It was home. My husband, on the other hand – he lived in 16 different houses by his 16th birthday – no joke! He learned to look at houses as investments from an early age, and never got too attached. While I absolutely think there is SOME sort of middle ground between his experience and mine – I gotta give it to him. He sold our last house (pictured) and found our current house at a great price – and our new lot was quite the find as well. He has a knack for this sort of thing. So i decided to trust him when he said he found the perfect new place for our family to live.
I’m crazy, too.
We built our first home – and I got to pick all the things. Then we moved into this home from the early 2000’s and I had to put my mark on it. It’s clear that I want everything a certain way. But we’ve reached a point now that I basically need to gut the kitchen and replace the windows to get us there. It isn’t fiscally responsible to continue down this path, and won’t really add any value to this home. So let’s just say – Kenny didn’t have to twist my arm too hard.
We Need An Open Floorplan
Open floor plan: the ultimate necessity or the ultimate buzz word? When we moved into this house, we were kidless. And I convinced myself it was the latter. I loved the character of our craftsman, and the detailed moulding, and the beautiful french doors. I didn’t care that the living area was separated from the kitchen. And then we had kids. And now i’m terrified of the noises I hear coming from “the cage” (the living room) when I’m cooking or cleaning in the kitchen. We desperately need an open floorplan for our growing family full of mischievous boys.
Danger. Everywhere.
Our backyard is beautiful. I love it and will miss it so much. But let’s be honest – it isn’t kid-friendly. Its terraced and full of tons of rock walls – and I have zero visibility from inside the house. This probably would be fine for older kids – but my wild little Harty can’t be trusted in this yard. Even the front yard has disaster written all over it. Great for sledding – not great for toddlers still getting confident with their footing. Also a pain in the butt to shovel and back out of every winter. We are beyond excited our new lot is flat!
Over the next few months I’ll be sharing all the ins and outs of our custom home building journey – we are still in the beginning phases, finalizing the layout and sources tons of inspiration! More to come.
