It’s been 6 months in the making but I can finally say that my family is living in our new home in Florida! We bid on the short sale home on January 26 and we got our keys on June 28. My husband moved down from Syracuse to Florida after our home was packed up at the end of February. Earlier that week the boys and I flew to Charlotte, NC to stay with family. We all assumed we would move into the hotel with my husband for the expected 3 month wait. Thankfully we stayed behind because it took much longer than we anticipated. More on that story in a previous post.
By now several people have asked me “Was it worth the wait?” I’m not sure how to answer that question. Truth be told, the wait wasn’t the hardest part. It was not knowing if waiting was going to result in the home, or when the waiting would end. Had we been told “You will definitely get the home in 6 months.” it would have been a piece of cake and totally worth waiting for. Instead we were told “It should only take 3 months. You won’t know if you are getting the home until the bank tells you and there is no way of knowing how long that will take.” We were in for an insane emotional roller coaster but finally, we are home!
Now that the wait, and uncertainty are over, the real fun begins. We purchased a 4 bedroom 1976 ranch home on a cul-de-sac with old growth oak trees. We also purchased the home “as-is.” Before I list the many issues I don’t want you to think I hate my new home so I’ll explain WHY we bought the home.
Shade! This house has shade tress all around and these beautiful oak trees also have romantic spanish moss hanging from them. There are several palm trees and other plants around too but the trees mean that my kids can play outside even on hot summer days.
Cul-de-sac! As a parent I am trying to keep my kids as safe as possible. Living on a cul-de-sac allows us to also get some asphalt playing time with our ride on toys. If you have never lived/played in a cul-de-sac then you don’t know what you are missing out on.
Charm! Our street is so charming. Or creepy. Or both. When I saw it for the first time it was at dusk and the orange sky was behind the shady oaks with their spanish moss hanging down. It was a picturesque Halloween Street. Every home is unique- most are ranches and a few are 2 story. Some are brick, some have stone facades. Each home has a unique mail box that matches their home’s style or bricks.
One level! I despise stairs. I like to have access to my kids. Even though the home is fairly large I can be right at the scene of the crime as soon as a cry is heard. I’m a bit of a worry wart and an paranoid of NOt hearing a cry so this is perfect. Also, I don’t like carrying laundry up and down stairs. Call me lazy… In Florida having one story makes it easier too cool the house too.
Pool! Okay, so this one is a plus and minus but my husband really loves the idea of a pool. He just had to shock the water tonight so the reality of pool upkeep is creeping up on us. However, the kids both LOVE swimming and since it’s Florida almost everyone has a pool. We have some more childproofing to do on this one too. I’m a “worst case scenario” kinda mom so I’m thinking of every far fetched (but still plausible) way the kids could get to the pool when we are sleeping/showering/blinking.
When my husband and I were younger and would talk about our dream home I said “Victorian” and he said “Brand new. I don’t want anything old and dirty.” Somehow we ended up with an old and very dirty home. The bones are great, the layout is good, but the interior is YUCK. Think 1970’s outlets, paneling, shell shaped sinks, and random stone planter in the great room.
It’s renovation time.
Since we are mostly unpacked (don’t tell that to the 20 boxes left in the garage… shhh) the real hard work begins. The guest bathroom is getting completely remodeled. We are removing the paneling from the walls where it exists and hanging dry wall, then painting. We also have to replace all of the interior doors, repaint every single wall, remove the stone planter and fireplace, and somehow make our kitchen work with no pantry and very little overhead storage. The lawn is just miserable and we’ve already had landscapers come just to remove the massive amount of leaves left over from years of neglect. There are electrical issues, holes in walls, grime, and a deck that is just sad looking.
I have BIG plans and a tiny budget. Pinterest, take me away…..
I’m not a home renovation or DIY blog but you might see some posts here and there about our home progress. It might be interesting to some of you and if not, just skip to the next article. As you can imagine our family is undergoing a lot of change at the moment. I just got my Internet back and still haven’t unpacked my filming equipment. Family (and sanity) come first so please bear with me during this time in our life when I might not be updating the blog as much as usual. Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement and support over these long 6 months.
It really is true what they say about home being where your family is. My fears about adjusting to life together again were quelled immediately as we all just went back to life as usual like it was 6 months ago in Syracuse. Except now we have more room to play and more sunshine!
Gallery of the inside of our home before any work has been done. The theme is orange.
