Four years ago we bought the house next-door to our home. We have lived at our address for 35 years, and have seen the property next to us go on the market three times prior to us owning the house. The first two times it was for sale we were absolutely not financially sound enough to make a bid, but like they say I guess, the third time was a charm. Not only was the price $30,000 cheaper than the second owners had quoted to us, but we were also financially situated to make a bid to purchase the house from an owner that knew us and actually wanted our family to have her mother’s home.
We were hoping to move through the closing process quickly so that we could do some remodeling, which usually meant breaking down cheap moving boxes and using them as “covers” for the floor so that paint didn’t get everywhere. We wanted this to still be done in time for my youngest son’s wedding day, in hopes that the groom and his men could spend the day at that house while his bride and her maids could stay next-door at our family home. Unfortunately the closing took longer than expected and we were unable to get into the house until only a week before the wedding, which was not enough time to get the house presentable for the groom and his six men.
Once we did get in it was so exciting to see this old farmhouse receive a facelift, that brought it into a more modern era, without losing its farmhouse charm. For example the lilac colored kitchen was painted a buttery shade of yellow. We dug into a few of our old cheap moving boxes to find painting supplies, and voila! It was transformed.
The plastic window covering, on all the windows, was removed along with the heavy curtains, which flooded the house with a ton of light! The dark brown tile backsplash was painted out white. The range hood was also painted out black, to match the refrigerator and stove. A scalloped board above the kitchen sink was removed, leaving a squared off craftsman style look to the cabinetry (talk about one simple thing changing the look drastically!) Several lights fixtures were replaced with metal light fixtures (in shades of black) and even more appropriately some were replaced with glass fixtures. Victorian mirrors were replaced with mirrors that also reflected a craftsman look, as the house is not Victorian in anyway, shape or form.
Although both our boys moved out of town and do not plan to live in our town anytime soon, my oldest son did live in the house while he was finishing up his Masters Degree so we often call this house “his” house. It brings us such joy when my son and his fiancé say “if we could only pick this house up and move it to Indy it would be the perfect house for us!” This home does have such an amazing floor plan for an older home and it also has storage galore, which is also unusual for some older homes. So, if you are in the market for the home next door I wish you blessings on being financially sound to have the winning bid. Happy second home purchasing to you all!
