Showing posts with label home. Show all posts.

John Hancock Day

Well, today was officially "John Hancock Day" for Laurie and I. That basically means I signed my name on enough forms for my signature to lose all meaning to me. Actually, despite what many will say, it was easy. It only took 30 minutes (I've heard some say 2 - 4 hours, pssht!). After it was all over, we thanked our realtor John Lytle (give him a call if you're buying), and drove over to our new home!!!

First, it needs raking and yard cleanup. The owners weren't around this summer, so the yard was entirely neglected (along with the rest of the house). It's probably getting embarrassing for neighbors too, so if my new easterly neighbor is as domineering as my westerly neighbor claims, then he'll be bugging about the time we pull up with rakes. Also, the siding needs to be cleaned, and the garden brick cleaned up, tidied or just plain replaced. The fallen walnuts in the yard will go with the leaves to the curb.

Secondly, there's a bug problem in the window and door screens. Word on the street is this happens everywhere, so we'll get some fog and raid and knock them out quick.

Next is the preliminary decor. This means painting. There will be plenty of time to paint each room, since we won't immediately fill up the entire space. However, the master bedroom will get painted first. Also, we'll experiment with painting the trim, as it's fairly cheap wood with old stain, and it could use a modern update. Along with that, we'll put up $75-100 worth of crown molding and some new blinds. The carpet can stay for now.

Moving on, the fun part will be putting in furniture. Thrift stores will help with the initial expense. Decorative and accent tables, focusing on rustic or antique style wood will give our rooms the perfect flare. As for the furniture itself, primary seating will be a problem. Thrift stores are hit or miss, so hopefully we'll get lucky with enough furniture to fill the living room, and our couch can go in the basement for our entertainment room. Our current table will be getting touched up, as dings and scratches from the move have marred it slightly. It will be a beautiful addition to our empty dining room.

Still, we have the future projects to think about to give this house a truly unique feel.

We need to update the stain on the cabinets in the kitchen and master bathroom, possibly resurfacing them with a minor bit of sanding first. Once finished, we'll be adding backsplash above the sink in the kitchen, and of course eventually adding a new counter top. That can wait a while as the current counter is nice looking generic laminate, but brand new. The sink the previous owners chose is perfect, and will stay either way. Also, to add counter space, we'll remove the nook table and seating, and put in either more counters, an island or both. The pantries in this kitchen are to die for, and won't go away.

Out back, we're going to add a brick patio or a low profile deck and construct a basic outdoor kitchen. Either one will be doable myself, so I'll save bucks that way. I can't wait to get my construction hat on for that. I'm confident I can do it.

Next will be the sub-basement finish. Now, we've been told it's not likely to raise the value of the house. Granted. It will raise the value for us, however. We don't plan on spending lots of money on this though. Plywood ceilings with a nailgun, I can do myself. Paint it a beatiful color with stain, and we've got an afforable solution. The ceiling is already beamed and insulated, so we won't have to worry about that. Even framing basic walls and wiring a few electrical outlets is no problem. Drywalling will probably be contracted. Laying down more plywood or a more sturdy but affordable material to level the floor, and covering it with carpet is also doable for me. The toughest job--still doable but something demanding great care--is ripping out the entrance wall, installing an archway, and building grand stairs. We'll add wall sconces for a beautiful lighting solution, too. We may even be able to put in a really basic bathroom, but who knows for sure. All in all, I think it's doable in about 3-5 years.

And last but not least, the crowning achievement, the most achievable, and probably the highest priority item to get done in the next few months is a bar! I don't think I'm up for building one, so I'll pick one up. However, I may build or buy a cheap buffet and shelving to put up behind it, as well as a mirror and more glassware space. We'll add barstools and a small cafe table, and viola! I can't wait for that one!

Home Owners

And to add to my previous blog post, we are now officially home owners!!! The house in Quail Creek is officially ours! We close on October 30th if all goes well. Inspections, appraisals, and loan paperwork follow.

House Hunters

If some of you haven't heard, I'd like to take a moment to update you about a pivotal time in our lives which is transpiring now. We are currently shopping for a house!!! We have seen 30 houses in the last month, and 20-25 of them in the last 9 days. There are some real downers in the bunch, considering we are purposely lowering our price range to one that is reasonable, not frivolous. However, there are a few beautiful houses in the lot as well! We're really encouraged.

After some discussion and thought, we have had an interesting full-circle experience. One of the first houses we saw, when we visited Omaha before moving was in Quail Creek, Bellevue. After viewing many other houses in open house showings, and making a run with our realtor, we came right back to the Quail Creek house. Even our realtor loved it! We saw a few more open houses, and went for a showing in Happy Hollow to see older homes.

After it all, we're more than convinced we know which house is right for us. The house is perfect just as it is, and it's in a beautiful quiet neighborhood, has a huge wooded yard, and is tucked into the end of a dead end street (similar to a cul-de-sac but without the lack of parking). The house would need zero work up front, but has the potential for us to add numerous things to it, including a home theater with stadium seating in the bonus sub-basement! The floor plan is a tri-level house, which they don't make anymore, making it a fairly unique house. Combined with the customisations we've envisioned, this house could have over 2600 square (it has 2250 now), and worth considerably more than we'll end up paying for it. Not to mention, the housing market is slumping, which means cheap houses!

I'm pumped!!! See it here!

Older >>