Yes, it’s official, we bought a house. I know… I’m as surprised as you are. (Okay you are probably not surprised, but I am. You know me so well.)
We are actually building a new house, so there aren’t any photos of it yet, but this house is similar to what ours will look like.
We have lived in our city house for 22 years. (We divide our time between the ranch and the city.) For 22 years, the mister has had an hour commute to his office. When we bought our current city house it seemed so huge compared to our first starter home that I actually said to Mr. CH, “This house is so big, that we will be able to live in it until our kids (non-existent at that time) graduate from high school.” (Note: Don’t EVER say that or ANYTHING REMOTELY LIKE THAT to your husband. They keep these little innocent comments locked up for future use against us.)
(I’m showing some of my inspiration photos in this post, since there aren’t any photos of the new house yet.)
A few years ago, when I got the itch to move into a newer home, those words came back to bite me. He reminded me that I had said our house would work for me until our kids graduated from high school, and they were (are) still in school. (He remembers this comment from 22 years ago, and yet when I ask him to take out the trash, that is forgotten as the words are still falling from my mouth.)
Okay so back to the house. Mr. CH said that he wanted to move closer to his office, and I agreed. But with my youngest just starting her junior year in high school, I wanted her to be able to finish out her senior year at the same high school.
Meanwhile as I was looking, it became obviously that prices were soaring in the neighborhoods we liked, and the good houses usually had a contract on them within a week of listing. (Some are sold without even being listed.) Then we also realized that what we wanted was hard to find. We found a neighborhood that we loved that is historic, and close to fabulous restaurants, the theatre district, museums, and lots of other good things, but far enough away that our street won’t be on the parade route or back to a tattoo parlor. And did I mention Mr. CH will only have a 10 minute drive to work?
So it’s done. We bought a house. The house won’t be finished until summer 2013, and then we will be moving in slowly, so my daughter can finish out her senior year at her high school. I would have preferred to wait on the house until we were ready to move, but after praying and researching, this was the decision we made. I’m just taking it one step at a time, trusting that God knows what he is doing.
There’s actually a house on our new lot, but it will be torn down (it was not something we wanted to keep) and then we’re building a new one, similar to the one shown at the beginning of this post. And the good news (at least I am so hoping you find this to be good news) is that you’re coming along with me.
We’ll be shopping for fixtures and appliances together, designing cabinets, and learning about working with a contractor. (I’ve already learned about draws, inspection schedules, foundations, contracts, and much more.)
The whole idea of building our house is a little scary but exciting to me. I feel better knowing you’ll be holding my hand through the entire process. I know you’ll steer me away from those trendy tiles that will be out of style next year, or from the crazy-expensive stove I want. And if things go wrong (no of course they won’t, but hypothetically, if they do) you’ll tell me it’s going to be okay. Right?
I know you are the kind of friend that would tell me if I had toilet paper stuck to my shoe, or if my shirt became unbuttoned accidentally. Yes, that actually happened to me (the shirt thing) and Mr. CH only told me about it immediately AFTER I had a LONG conversation with the pastor at our church. I asked why he didn’t tell me at the time. He said he didn’t want to embarrass me. Are you serious? So you think it’s not embarrassing to have my shirt unbuttoned in front of the pastor? I explained that had he said something at the time the pastor would then realize that the shirt coming unbuttoned was a clothing malfunction, where as now, I will no longer be allowed to teach vacation bible school due to my dress code violation.
I’m making a list of what I want for my new house, spending a crazy amount of time on Pinterest. I started an inspiration board for our new house, and you can find it here and I have a separate one for the kitchen here. I can’t guarantee our house will look like any of these photos, but that’s what’s swirling around in my head.
So what do you want in your dream house?
oh how exciting…I am so excited to see what lies ahead!!! inspiration for me for sure!
Oh Anita!! I am SO excited for you. Building a home is so much fun!! Your inspiration is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!! I am SO happy for you!!
Meegan
meeganmakes.com
I love it! We are in transition, too as our youngest is a senior this year. We’re still not sure what we want to do yet but I’m excited about a change.
This house looks absolutely perfect for you and I know that you will make a beautiful home!
Lol, typical husband. Congratulations on the new house!
Oh my … how exciting, Anita. I love the photos and the “sample” of the house. I think I would fall apart if we ever decided to build our own home (so many details to think about), but I now get to live it out through you. Yippee!! I’m sure you will be terrific in this role.
I’d love to know the area where you are, if you don’t mind, since we’re in the same vicinity of the world. It looks like such a great place to live. I especially like the historic nature. You can message me on FB.
Congratulations and happy house building!
Congratulations!! Love your “idea” pictures. Fun ahead with picking out all the specific things you want for your new home!! From your description, it sounds like Highland Park or the “M” street areas of Dallas where it’s very common to buy a house for the lot, tear down the old house and rebuild. Good luck!!!
Congratulations! How exciting for you. A new journey. I’m sure whatever you choose for your new home will be just gorgeous!
This will be such an exciting journey. LOVE your inspiration photos! And I’m heading over to Pinterest right now! enjoy each moment of this! xoxo
I am happy for you ! Congratulations !You will have many jobs ! I am sure that it will be your dream house !
Olympia
Congratulations….I cracked up about the garbage…so true!! Enjoy the journey!
Congratulazioni per la tua nuova casa!!!! Baci JERRY
Congratulations, Anita! A new chapter in your life! I love building homes… how lucky that you get to make all those wonderful and fresh home choices!!!
The style you chose is really stunning. The porch and portico is so welcoming. I am looking forward to see what you will do to give it your personality!
Happy new home!
Congratulations Anita I am just hearing about this now 😉
Your home is going to be beautiful! What inspiration.No I don’t think you are crazy for building your home.It may be stressful at times but the results will be worth it!
xx
Anne
So thrilled for you Anita. Everything IS going to work out perfectly. You are doing just what I would do…pinning images of my ideas/ wish list/ must have’s!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
I am so excited for you…and for us, since we get to follow along! This will be so much fun and I’m loving your inspiration photos.
~Lynn
How exciting Anita!! These images are stunning! Looking forward to following you along on your new journey! CONGRATS!
I’m sorry Anita, but I can’t stop laughing about the unbuttoned shirt with the Pastor. Too funny. Something that would happen to me. Anyway, I’m thrilled for you. Building my own home is a dream I have, so I’m glad I can live vicariously through you!
Leslie (aka Gwen Moss)
This is going to be fun!! Can’t wait to tag along.
Yay! I’m so happy for you, Anita! Can’t wait to go along with you. We’ve all had those oppsie moments! 🙂
Be a sweetie,
shelia 🙂
Oh, Anita, I’m so happy for you! How exciting-to build a new home and get to decorate it, too! Going to follow you on Pintrest, too, to get vicarious thrills. :o)
After several years of thinking about it, here’s what I would want in a new home: our children and grandchldren nearby enough to have supper with us at the drop of a hat, WAY less maintenance for hubby, sunnier gardens, lower taxes! God knows these desires of my heart. He also knows the best home for us as we age together.
blessings, k
How wonderful, Anita! I’m glad you’re going to share your journey with us. Congratulations!
HOORAY! Congrats on your new home, bet you’re itching to get at it!
Lovely inspiration photos. Can’t wait to see all your posts on decorating your new home.
xox
how exciting anita! i love your inspiration photo and all your “pinned” pictures…i can’t wait to travel this journey with you and see your dream come true.
That House Beautiful image is one of my all time favorites. Tore it out in the magazine before there was Pinterest. 😉 Excited for you and your house dreams!
Well, if your house looks like the one in the photo, it’s going to be wonderful. Congratulations on the purchase of the lot and knowing the direction you will now be taking. I’ll enjoy watching the choices you make along the way!
Congratulations! So exciting, and scary, and exciting! Looking forward to hearing all about this adventure you’re about to head out on. You have such amazing taste I’m running over to pinterest right now to follow your boards.
Congrats! (the formal)
And WOOT! (the informal), lol
Are you kidding, of course I, we all, will be riding along ~ enjoying, suggesting, comforting in passing moments of distress/tension (tho hopefully there will be little need for that)!
Truly exciting for you, a joy for your DH, having a 10 min commute, and what fun for all of us to be invited along….
WOOT indeed! 🙂
Storage space! Congratulations!
Brenda
Congrats! What an exciting time for you. I’m sure your house will be gorgeous from looking at all your inspiration photos.
Congratulations! I’m looking forward to following along.
How exciting! My two biggest needs in a house are going to be closet space and a big bathtub. The bathtub is more important than the closet space. :]
Congratulations! How very exciting! I’m glad we get to come along for the ride. Should be fun. 🙂
I can’t wait ’til we start picking out things for your new house ~ I’m so happy and excited for you, Anita! I just know it will be beautiful!!
Anita congrats!!! Super excited for you and can’t wait to go on this adventure “with” you! Your home is going to be amazing.
Anita, I thrilled for both you and Mr. CH! I think I’m as excited as you are because I can see so many gorgeous photos coming! The inspiration photos would be my dream too! Congratulations! I know all about the trash thing! LOL!
Congratulations, Anita!!!!
I am so happy for you!!!!
I will be following you on Pinterest!!
I am changing my blog from CondensedLoveHome to Restory.ca
Claudine
Yay, Anita!!! I’m so excited for you – and I really look forward to going along for the ride! You’ll be an excellent job site manager. I LOVE LOVE LOVE all the inspiration photos you have posted and I know it will be a lovely home.
-Revi
Congrats, friend. And I love that stove, too:)
That is such great news. Congratulations!!!
You’re going to LOVE this journey! I loved the building process. And I’m itching to do it again. I could pin every one of these inspiration photos. I think I will!
Happy Building!!!
How exciting! We are possibly about to begin building as well. Right now we are struggling over floor plans. I do hope you share all the details— especially floor plans. Can’t wait to see. It will be beautiful. sarah
Building a house is very exciting. We had ours built two years ago. Its hard to believe it will be two years in February.
I can’t wait to see how your house is decorated, the inspiration photos look amazing!
Oh how exciting Anita!!! Building a home is a wonderful experience. We have built 2 over the last 21 years.
The journey will be a wonderful one..
Cheers, Gee
Congrats Anita that is one beautiful looking house and when it is done in the summer you will make it into a beautiful home……well done! Diane
WooHoo! {doing the happy dance} This is going to be such fun. I have the itch to move but DH would probably hog tie me and hide me in the closet if I told him. Soooo, I will enjoy following along with you!
Anita, What fun you will have designing your new home! Congrats and I am be excited to follow along as build and decorate.
Congratulations on your new house!! When I knew we were going to build a new house, I started collecting pictures from magazines (at that time, Pinterest wasn’t around yet)similar to what you are doing now. I didn’t have a blog either 😉 It helped alot when trying to get the builder to “see” what I was wanting in a house and it made the building go a whole lot easier. It was alot of work and alot of fun.
Our home is more like a country farmhouse as they are hard to find in our neck of the woods. If I were to do it again, I think I’d like to go a little more shabby farmhouse. It’s in my blood 😉
I am excited for you. I know you have so much to think about. I know you you have so many choices to make. I know because my husband and I built our home 16 years ago and I could not be happier with our home. It is such a special home because we are the ones who laid the tile, put in the doors, painted every speck of molding. Enjoy because this is your home from start to finish.
CONGRATS! Can’t wait to see pictures as the building progresses!
Congratulations! love how it is new but will look vintage!
Can not wait to see how you make it your own.
Congrats!!! I will be anxious to follow along….
Congratulations! How exciting to be building a home. I’ve always wanted to do that. I know it’s scary but I’m sure the pleasure will outweight the other. It’ll be exciting to follow along and watch your new home progress.
Judy
Yup, I’m coming along with you, but I won’t be much good on decision making – I think you already do fine without me. And I probably would tell you about your shirt being unbuttoned, but laugh and not tell about the toilet paper on your shoe.
I do know a thing or two about contractors, so maybe I can be of use in that department.
Bliss
Anita,
Congratulations, dear friend!!!
I’m so excited to be sharing this new adventure and experience with you! I’m thankful that you’re allowing your daughter to finish High School where she is currently enrolled! Those friendships will last throughout her adulthood!!! Our “dream home” is a thing of the past…the trade ~off we made when moving to this side of the Prairie! But, alas, being closer to our son is such an ongoing blessing!!! Real life, real JOY!!! My areas of attention would be kitchen and all the Masters (B&B)!!! The exterior of your new homes photo is gorgeous…so I’m giddy with adventure! Take deep breaths and be ready for compromise!!!
Fondly,
Pat
How exciting! We’d like to build a house if we could find a suitable lot in our current neighborhood. As we age, we need different things in a home. Stairs are what we have in this house, but as life goes by we won’t want them. 😉
So happy for you Anita! Now a house is a really BIG project. Can’t wait to see how you make it yours!
Linda
Judging by your inspiration pics for your new house, I’m pretty sure it’s going to look wonderful! I can already tell that the whole “rustic country” motif you’re going for is going to be very charming. I wish you all the luck with your new house, and I’d love to see pics of the progress!
Oh boy! This is going to be a fun adventure and I’m happy to go with you! I’ll even tell you if the back of your skirt gets caught in the waistband of your panty hose BEFORE the pastor sees it! LOL! I’ll check out your pinterest board. I have a couple of idea boards too. It’s fun to see a picture of what you imagine, even if it isn’t exactly what you’ll end up with! Hugs, Leena