When we first started preparing to buy our first home, our budget was very modest and we were in somewhat of a hurry. We had started looking the winter before we got married in hopes of being homeowners before our summer wedding. We gave notice on our rental and crossed our fingers. One weekend, we planned to see a bunch of houses around town and each one was a disappointment. We knew we wanted a “project house”, one that we could change and fit to our family, but we also knew we didn’t want to deal with an obscenely tilted home with rotted woodwork or a cat smell so strong it burns your nose. While we were leaving one such disappointment, I asked our realtor about a house for sale across the street. My then fiance, now husband , Mike, didn’t even want to go in. ”No way. It’s too small.” But we looked anyway. It was small, but it was also in good shape. It had potential. And just 3 days before our wedding, we became homeowners to a house we thought we’d hate.
I love this house. So much. Right now, it’s covered in house wrap waiting for new siding and the garage is filled with scraps of building materials. Inside, we’re in various stages of remodeling disaster. And it’s tiny. Unreasonably so to some. But this is our first home. This is where we came and stayed after our wedding. This is where we found out we were pregnant, where Megan lost her first tooth, where Matthew practices his cello and builds his Lego villages. When we brought Allison home from the hospital, I carried her throughout the house (a short tour), telling about all the work Daddy had done on each room. This is my family’s Home. We have put so much into making this house ours and I will be so sad to leave it someday. I want to do a series of posts on our journey with this little house, the progress of all of our remodeling and redecorating. An inside peek. Be gentle with your critique of her – for I love her so. ♥
Tomorrow I’ll share the progress we’re making on this room!
♥, Ashley
Andi Dorbert - Someday I hope I have a house to love!