Wednesday, November 18, 2015

The House Hunt

Today's my anniversary. 

Yes, another one. 

What? I can have more than one!!


Exactly one year ago today I walked in the front door, for the very first time, of what was to become my new house ....and I fell in love. 

Interestingly enough, I was ready to make an offer on another house. A completely different type of house. 

This house was no longer on the market. 

But during a site visit with a potential client, we started chatting about little things - what do you do for work, where do you live, etc....and I mentioned my house hunt and that I was ready to put an offer on a house. 

She told me I really had to see this one before I put in that offer. 

Yeah, sure. I've seen so many bombs....whatever. Ok, give me their contact info. 

And I reached out to make an appointment to view the house. 

That was no longer on the market. 

The rest was history. 

Kismet. 


Was this the style of house I was looking for? I'd say no....I set out looking for a small cottage yet when I walked into this Chalet style home I knew it was perfect for me. 

It checked off so many of the boxes on my Must Have list. 

1. Must be on a quiet road and not directly on the road but rather set back, safe for the dogs. Check!


I'd say this is a pretty quiet road, wouldn't you? My road is one of  the prettiest in the area....I loved this road long before I found a home here! Lucky me!

2. Must have a decent size deck for entertaining - check!


My deck wraps around and I actually have the fire pit area, a dining table with 4 chairs, a garden swing, and another smaller dining table all in separate areas on the deck. Works for me!

3. Must have a fireplace or wood stove to keep energy costs down. Check!


Granted, it did not look like this when I bought the house - there was an ancient wood burning insert that I had to take out and replace. It was most definitely not up to code and anything but energy efficient! But the stone hearth was there and I fell immediately in love with that. 

4. Must have room for a vegetable garden yet not be too much land for me to take care of. Check!


The fenced veggie garden was already in place, it just needed some TLC. And the house sits on 1.5 acres, but some of it is wooded so it's not overbearing for me to take care of. I use a push mower (cordless rechargeable one from Worx tools) and take care of the lawn myself for the most part. Once per month I have someone come in and cut the grass and weed-wack. I hate to weed-wack!! I just hate the way everything comes flying back at me, bouncing off every part of my head and body!! No, thank you! 

5. Must have a minimum of 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. A master suite with Jacuzzi tub and walk in closet would be a huge bonus!


Well, it didn't have a master suite. But it did have 4 bedrooms and 2 full baths. 3 bedrooms/1 bath upstairs and 1 bedroom/1 bath downstairs. Perfect for sharing a home with my adult daughter! I combined 2 bedrooms upstairs to create my master suite so the home now has 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths. Perfect. 

6. Must have decent bathrooms and kitchen - check!


I really didn't want to get into ripping out kitchens and bathrooms. I wanted to be able to move in right away and any improvements would be done while I was living in the house. 

I love my kitchen. It's nothing fancy but it suits me to a T. It's got a great work flow and it's open to the dining room. What more could I ask?

7. Must have room for me to host Christmas dinner for 15+ people. 


This house nearly lost me on that one. I fretted about the fact that the dining room won't be large enough to seat all my family for Christmas dinner. 

And then I just said, "Get Over Yourself, Lady!"

It's one day a year. 

And the rest of the year the dining room is absolutely perfect for us. 

8. Must have a nice view. Check!


The house sits on a hill and has views of the mountain ranges on 3 sides. That works for me!

9. Must have a garage and ample storage for garden tools, etc. Check!


I have a two car garage plus a garden shed...and of course my wonderful garden cottage. Nuf said. 

10. Must have a basement or a slab. NO CRAWL SPACE. They just totally creep me out. There's not one chance in H**L I'll ever go into a crawl space. Ever. For anything. Ever. All the pipes could burst at one time and I still won't go in there. So that was an absolute deal breaker for me. 


Nothing creepy about this lower level living space!! My daughter's room is behind the white door at the bottom of the stairs - en suite, with private bath and private entrance. Perfect situation for two adult women living together! There's also laundry, partial kitchen, and my other daughter's living space down here....as well as a tiny office and utility room. 

11. Must have nice neighbors. 


I think we're good. 

Welcome to my dream house. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



You can view the photos from my initial house tour on my Before & After post. 












30 comments:

  1. Happy Anniversary! Will you be celebrating tonight with a nice dinner and cocktails?

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  2. Fabulous! Looks like you got everything on your wish list. Happy Anniversary!

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    1. Thanks, Kim! I have a lot of celebrations this year, don't I? I guess I have a lot to be grateful for!

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  3. You're a wise woman to hold out for your own home, specific to your needs. It's a beauty for sure! The view is phenomenal. You are one lucky lady!
    Brenda

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  4. Replies
    1. Ohhhh thank you, Valerie - I do, too!!! I'm so very happy here!!

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  5. Yes, you truly do have a dream house!

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    Replies
    1. It might not be everybody's dream house....but it works for me!!

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  6. Your home sings of joy, comfort, kindness and love! The warmth of it jumps off the pages and of course the view is heaven sent! Happy Anniversary to you both!
    xo
    p.s.
    The clover pom-pom maker can be found at most craft store and online!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Jemma - you always say the sweetest things!!!

      Ok now I'm off to search for the clover pom-pom maker online!

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  7. Happy Anniversary! Great story...beautiful home...awesome views...unbelievable neighbor!
    ~Lori

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    1. Awww Lori - thanks a million for your super kind words - and for stopping in for a visit today! And you are so right - my neigh-bor is the absolute bomb!!

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  8. This post made me so happy bc i could sense how happy you genuinely are in your home. Love it! Thats how i feel about my home
    XO Ellen from Ask Away
    www.askawayblog.com

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    1. Isn't that just the best feeling, Ellen!! We are so very lucky to live in homes that we adore.
      xo

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  9. Gosh, I'd say you found the perfect place! Have I told you that one of my best friends lives in Fairport, NY? I've been there a bunch of times and we always travel around the area. People who've never been to Upstate New York could never guess how incredibly beautiful it is.

    I love seeing your views and your decorating is wonderful. :)

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    1. Hi Stacey - no, I didn't know that! I had to look up where Fairport is - apparently it's near Rochester, which is quite a far distance from where I am. I have been living in upstate NY for about 12 years now I think, maybe a little longer....I'm originally from NY City and I couldn't be happier to be away from the hustle and bustle!

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  10. The views are gorgeous and it looks as though you made the perfect choice for your dream home! It is absolutely beautiful!! You chose well my friend and I know you are enjoying every minute of living there!!

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    1. I truly am, Benita - the house is perfect for me at this stage in my life. Thanks for visiting!! :)

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  11. Your wants in a house sound exactly like ours. It was so difficult to find a home in our area that suited us, and we did have to give up a few things and add them ourselves over the past two years. Still a couple of things on our list and we hope to do them next year. Keeps my husband busy, that's for sure! Love your house and I would buy it in a heartbeat if house shopping in your area... xox

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    1. Awww that's so cute, thanks for your vote of confidence!! I still have a few things on my "someday" list - like changing out the tile counters in the kitchen....but nothing that can't wait. For now, I'm very happy with everything just as it is!

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  12. It looks so beautiful. When we went house hunting I saw the picture of this house and said no way. They only showed us one side and it looked horrible. Hubby said to look anyway. I fell in love with the knotty pine kitchen, which after 17 years I have painted, and Hubby fell in love with the garage. In about 4 yours we will be looking for our last house to buy when he retires.

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    1. So you will have had 20+ years in your lovely home....that's a nice feeling, isn't it? I bet it will be hard for you to leave it. I moved so many times in the past few years I don't want to ever move again. But who knows how I'll feel in another 20 years! Thanks for your visit, Betty!

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  13. Happy Anniversary. Isn't it amazing how the right house will find you. This one is so gorgeous. So happy you found this one.
    Kris

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    1. You're so right, Kris - I do feel like this house found me! Definitely feels like fate.

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  14. we are so lucky. and we have such great neighhhhbors. haha xoxox KISMET <3

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  15. Happy Anniversary and i'd be feeding those horses carrots and apples a lot if they were my neighbors...

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    1. We do give them carrots - and apparently they like marshmallows, according to their mommy!! I would rather give them carrots, though!

      I must try apples, too. Good call, Deb!

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