Sunday, August 6, 2017

Building a House and Moving In


 The day finally arrived and we moved into our house!  It's been exactly a month now and we are so happy to be here.  I took these snapshots a few days before we moved in and although they have been sitting on my computer since, I've been enjoying getting unpacked and settled into our new home and the days have just flown by.  I wasn't exactly sure how it would feel moving into a brand new house, but the truth is it almost immediately felt like home and wonderfully us.     



 In comparison to some other experiences I've heard about, our house building experience was relatively painless and went quickly.  We liked our contractor and felt good about the quality.  It was quite amazing, seeing the progress of a house starting from just some blocks to a structure that became a home.  The decisions did feel overwhelming at times.  Some were easy, some were not.  The most worrisome by far was the brick.  The least fun (surprisingly) for me was picking out lighting.  The most fun (not surprisingly), picking out everything for the kitchen. 


Oh, we are so happy to be back in the country and so are the girls.  We love living far enough away from the road that the girls can run around without us worrying.  I love taking walks in the evening and letting Huck run free.  I love the trees and the quiet and the fact the girls can walk to my parents house now (with walkie talkies of course).  I love the hay bales that just surrounded our house as the hay was cut.  Not to mention being within walking distance of the flower garden.  It still feels like a dream living here. 

I get asked if everything came out perfect with our house and the answer is of course, no!  There are mistakes I made along the way, but the truth is, all the big decisions - those things that would be hard to live with if you didn't like, turned out just right.  And once we actually moved in, all those little things just faded away and all we feel is thankful. 


 One of our favorite things about the inside of the house is the open layout.  This certainly wouldn't be a layout for everyone, but we love it.  I did/do find it a bit challenging, trying to take three separate spaces (kitchen, dining and living) and have them feel cohesive.  But I so enjoy being in the kitchen, but still feeling a part of whatever is going on in the living room or dining room.  This large space also floods with light during all times of the day and you know how I feel about light! 


 I'm also a lot more motivated to keep the kitchen clean now, too, since it's so visible - ha! 


We also get asked quite a bit if we stayed in budget.  I'm sad to say, no, we definitely went over our budget!  There were a few things we splurged on, but there were also plenty of things we had to make compromises on.  We ended up finishing our bonus room along the way, a decision we do not regret whatsoever.  (However, it will be a while before we can furnish it - smile.)  I think there was a time that having a custom house could be cost saving, but in our personal experience, and in this area, this was not the case.  Of course, there are so many decisions that could affect this.  After having gone through this experience, I can see why there isn't a contractor out there that can or will easily quote a price per square foot. 


In the beginning, we really had to weigh out those things that were most important to us and other areas that weren't as high on the list, so we knew where we could save and compromise. 

 After years of house projects (actually, our entire married life!), I have to admit that it was so nice moving into a finished home, especially with young children.  Justus loves tinkering around in his garage and I love tinkering around in the kitchen and house.  It will be a while before we get our house completely furnished and decorated, but I enjoy taking my time and finding what works best.  


To the left of the staircase, you can see the bonus room, that we literally finished up days before moving in!  We did save quite a bit in this room by doing the painting, trim and flooring ourselves.  We are SO thankful to have this room finished though! 


 The girls love their bedrooms.  I wasn't sure how they would do after spending seven months  sharing a bedroom, but they each slept in their own beds the first night in our house!  It has been so much fun getting their rooms decorated!  I can't wait to share them!
 
 

 I just had to paint a chalkboard wall in the bonus room.  ;-) 


 A finished house we may have, but we don't have one speck of landscaping done - ha!  But we are having concrete formed tomorrow and poured this week for some of the driveway, patio off the back porch (above) and sidewalks.  So we'll get there eventually and enjoy it as it comes!  

I'll be back soon with some room tours and hopefully better pictures!  And feel free to ask any house building questions if I missed anything.  ;-) 


24 comments:

  1. I love your new home! I've heard you may as well figure double what you think you'll spend on building a new home and I wonder if you agree :) We are working on a bathroom remodel so I have a question about that. Where did you get your vanities and are they real wood? I've been having a time of it trying to decide what to get. Thank you for the tour!

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    1. Thank you! LOL... we were pretty horrified when we first started getting bids in the beginning! A local cabinet maker built our vanities and they are real wood. The cabinets were something that turned out to be reasonably priced, so I definitely think it would be worth getting a quote for your bathroom! I do think that if there is any way to get solid wood vanities, it's worth it. :-) That's exciting to have a bathroom remodeled... I bet you can't wait to have it finished!

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  2. Your new home looks lovely and I can imagine the memories you'll make there! We physically built our log home 24 years ago and all these years later, it remains our castle. What it felt like at move in vs. what it feels like today isn't much different, but it is SO great to know we've all aged together and still like each other. Yep, there are things you find you wished you'd done differently, but the longer you live there, the more you'll appreciate those things - almost like quirks in the people we love! Enjoy and I cannot wait to see how you put your decorating stamp on your beautiful home!

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    1. I love the story of your log home! Thank you for sharing!

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  3. Congratulations! It certainly is so beautiful and a home that you will create wonderful memories that you will treasure forever. We have built many homes and with each one, there is always that, "I should have done this!" ... Looking forward to you making this house a home!

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    1. Thank you, Shirley! I'm glad we aren't alone... I think I would actually be surprised if somebody said everything turned out perfect in their home building experience. ;-) I never imagined we would have to make so many decisions, all the way down to choosing what lights turn on for each switch! :-) I hope everything goes well with the sale of your home!

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  4. Your home looks beautiful! I too, will be looking forward to see your cozy decor. Awww, how sweet and fun for the girls to walk up a bit to see their Grandparents:).
    Enjoy your new home:), Kathleen in Az

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    1. Thank you, Kathleen! It seems like I've been slow decorating and unpacking, but when I posted these photos yesterday, I was actually encouraged by how different it looks now. :-) It has been so fun getting all my favorite things out again after having been packed up. :-) Have a great week!

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  5. Wow, it all looks so pretty! I love your finishes. We did an addition 8 years ago, and had problems with our contractor, but it's the best decision we ever made.( and, of course, we went over budget!) Happy New Home!

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    1. Thank you! I'm sorry you had problems with your contractor, but glad it worked out in the end! It's nice to know we aren't the only ones that went over budget. ;-)

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  6. I am so happy for you! What a beautiful home to raise your girls in. I'm anxious to see how you decorate it! I know it will be lovely.~Hillary

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    1. Thank you so much, Hillary. I've been taking the decorating slowly but it has been SO much fun. :-)

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  7. wishing you all every happiness in your lovely new home.
    Thank you for sharing the journey with us

    fiona

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    1. Thank you, Fiona! I'm still surprised to have readers... thank you for taking the time to visit! :-)

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  8. So happy to hear you and your family have moved into your new home. You did a great job picking out all the fixtures and finishes, it all came together so beautifully. It sounds like a wonderful setting for your entire family!

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    1. Thank you so much, Lynn! We feel so thankful to have this as our home. :-)

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  9. Your new home is beautiful, what a rewarding experience! Thank you for sharing, I'm looking forward to seeing your decor. I remember your red couch in your other home, I'm wondering if you ever got tired of it? I'm looking at couches now and red is tempting but I don't want to make a long term mistake.

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    1. Thank you! We had the red couch for 13 years and we sold it to the sweet family that bought our previous home. I did love that couch, but the honest truth is, yes, I did get tired of it (especially in the past five years or so). So much so that for now I stored all the red decor away - ha! ;-) We just bought a new sofa and I selected a fabric that was very neutral and then plan to bring in color with decor and pillows. :-) Long term, I felt like that was a better choice than going with a color or pattern. However, I will say that just recently I received a Pottery Barn catalog in the mail and it had a red sofa and some other red pieces, and it all looked so lovely. :-)

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  10. Andrea your home is so beautiful!! I bet you are so relieved and excited to have moved in. I love your choices and I can't wait to see all the rooms furnished and decorated :)

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  11. Love your new home...what color is your island?

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    1. Thank you! The color is Cityscape by Sherwin Williams. My snapshots really don't do it justice... it's a gray that appears a bit blueish in the light. It's so pretty!

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  12. Your home is lovely. Wishing you good health and happiness in your new home.....God bless you all!

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  13. Sometimes it is very hard to find good content on this topic. But your blog is my way to desired information, Thanks for posting something worth reading. Great work.

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  14. Love your new home and I can't wait to see how you decorate it also. I get a lot of ideas from you. Good luck and God Bless

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