Tuesday, December 30, 2014

New Home Adventure

 
Hey there!
    This post is definitely past its expiration, but better late than never!
A few months ago Ryan and I purchased our first home together. in the highest hopes that we would have an established residence for the new baby. The whole process was a major headache and on several occasions it felt that the whole deal would fall apart and we would have wasted all of our time and financial resources to end up still living in our tiny townhome.
   Fast forward through 2 months of bickering with the seller and her realtor (an amateur at best) and negotiating price, closing costs, and necessary repairs (new roof anyone??) we FINALLY signed the paperwork and were handed the keys to our new home. OUR HOME!
   I present to you a photo tour of our bare bones house.

We have an awesome front yard with tons of shade from huge old oak trees. Little did we realize the benefit of shade came with a daily waterfall of bird crap over our vehicles parked in the driveway. Small price to pay.
There is a large 2 car garage and tons of space in the driveway. The house has a cute little courtyard entrance, and we plan to plant some greenery to make it more inviting.
The kitchen is not as big as we would have liked but there is definitely room for improvement. Not only do we plan to update it but we might tear down the adjacent laundry room to expand the kitchen.

Although having a laundry room is awesome, it isn't the greatest space for its purpose and would be much better served as an extension of the kitchen.
 
    The house has 4 decent sized bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I can not tell you enough how convenient having 4 bedrooms is. Between a nursery for the new baby, 2 teenage step daughters visiting every other weekend, brother-in-law visiting almost as often, family visiting from far off states, and a roommate currently residing with us, we have plenty of room to accommodate them all.
The master bedroom  has an on suite bathroom, and 2 reach in closets. There is not a ton of closet space but we have installed some closet organizers which allow us to use the space more efficiently.
The master bathroom needs some major updating. The photo looks a lot better than in person. It is a large enough area though that a total overhaul could produce an amazing master bath. *SIGH* lots of plans.
 
The other 3 bedrooms are all very similar, there is a window in each one, and a reach in closet. The largest is designated roommates for now. The room next to the master bedroom is the future baby nursery. The last room plays company to all other house guests, as well as kitty playroom.
  
Sneak peek at the guest bathroom. GREAT size. TERRIBLE features. Pink tub anyone? Again, another part of the house that is completely functional but could greatly benefit from some TLC and a complete overhaul.

Behold! Our living and dining areas. The living Space works perfectly for us and has a nice open feel. The large fireplace is in good shape but could use a facelift. Can you picture how kickass the kitchen could be if we knocked out that laundry room(little window on the left)??
Please notice the 2 sets of huge (yes they are larger than normal size) sliding doors to the left of the fireplace. We are going to knock out the right set and add a built in bar area to house a beer keg and wine fridge. The other set will be replaced with a nice pair of French doors. This space has SO MUCH POTENTIAL. 
We were graced with a good sized back yard and a large patio. We love to grill and spend time outside and these were major pluses for us.

   We have A LOT of work ahead of us, but the price was right, and we got a great deal on this property. The layout is ideal and there is enough space that with a few adjustments and upgrades this home will suit our needs and live up to our expectations. It may take us years to accomplish all of our plans but I cannot wait for the day that we turn this starter home into our dream home.
 
Stay tuned for updated pics with finished rooms once I get around to setting everything up.
 
I also have several posts on the way including my baby shower, maternity fashion, nursery tour, and birth of our baby girl.
 
Let me know if you have any ideas for posts you'd like to see. Comments are always welcome.
 
Thanks for stopping by,
Until next time,
Trish