As promised, I'm posting more pics of the house we're buying. (For those new to our house buying soap opera, we made our first offer on this place last fall to the original owner...then the house was foreclosed on before we could complete the purchase...but eventually we ended up getting a better price on the house from the bank.) We're scheduled to close at noon on Tuesday, July 27...keep your fingers crossed for us! In the meantime, we're scurrying around collecting paint chips and prioritizing needed repairs and updates. In a nutshell, the first floor looks pretty good except for the kitchen which needs to be renovated (sigh...). Initially, we'll have to make do with a good deep cleaning and new appliances, counters and cabinets will come later. See the breakfast bar where the purple cup is sitting? That wall separates the kitchen from the dining room, making the kitchen really cramped...so the wall is literally on our hit list. We'll be knocking it out to open up the space into a huge kitchen/dining area. Another advantage to removing the wall is that it opens up the "butler's pantry" that is tucked into a nook between the kitchen and dining room. This beautiful old built-in china closet will be the perfect place for my cut glass!
The second floor has 4 bedrooms but another wall will be coming down to make a master suite/office combo for Mom and Dad. Eventually a 3rd bathroom will be added just off the master suite...but for now, we'll make do with minor repairs/updates to the two full baths currently in the house. As I mentioned in my last post, the girls have chosen the two attic bedrooms for their space. Kate in particular has always wanted to live in a quaint garret like a starving artist. Shhh, don't tell them there's no bathroom up there! Maybe they'd like a couple of quaint chamber pots.
The 3 boys are still debating whether they want to split up between the two remaining bedrooms or use one bedroom for sleeping quarters and the other as a study/computer space. Right now, we're thinking triple bunks in one room, desks and spare bed in the other room. That way, the boys can have more space to use daily but we'll still have a room that can be used for guests as needed.
The second floor also has another favorite of mine, a truly beautiful old walk-in closet with huge linen cupboards that will accommodate even our biggest comforters. I love the fact that the closet is big enough to store our vacuum cleaner, too.
There's a lot to like in the new place...but there's lots to do to fix it up, too. Did I mention the ancient knob and tube wiring? The walls made of horsehair plaster and lathe? How about the leaking hot water heater? And the roof leak? And then there's the basement...it's everything I hate in a basement. It's musty, creepy, damp, poorly lit and has big spiders. It smells like a basement (or a crypt). Ewww...However, it also is much needed space for our laundry room, storage, Craig's workshop, and a game room for the kids. Craig has a plan to powerwash the walls and floor, then paint the whole thing with Kilz to improve these conditions before we move in. Otherwise, I'll be going to the laundromat.
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