We’ve always dreamed of living just over the hill- with a little more property and a lot more view than the home that we’ve lived in for over 13 years.
When connections of long-standing friendships presented the perfect opportunity, we jumped (ok, somewhat reluctantly)
at the chance to purchase a 1 acre, 2200 square foot, 1955 home with a beautiful view… a little diamond in the rough.
We knew it would require a complete overhaul- a renovation of the entire house and property. But in the end, it will all be worth it, right?! Are we crazy? yes. Nervous? yes. Excited? very.
Setting: Idyllic foothills town rich in California Gold Rush history, agriculture, wineries, and outdoor adventure.
Characters: Myself, graphic designer, wife, mom and now blogger (?!)
My husband, 15 year old son, and 10 year old daughter
The Mission: Sell our home of 13 years and purchase a 1 acre property, just over the hill from our current neighborhood, to remodel completely while living in a fifth wheel on the property.
Our last home was supposed to be a “five-year” home. I wasn’t thrilled about purchasing a brand- new track home on a postage stamp-sized lot in a 22-home subdivision. I had grown up on property and we had just sold our first home, which was on a forested 2 acres. However, it ended up being the best decision we could have made. I thought I’d never love it, but had to admit that it was nice to have everything new and modern in the house, especially after our first house entailed so many renovations (it was built in the 70’s). After five years, we had made many close friends in our neighborhood, loving the the easy access to work, school, and town. Many of us had kids the same ages and developed very close friendships, which made it very hard to leave. We also had a little issue called “the great recession” which left us with few options in the real estate market. But things do change, and the time was right.
Somehow, the ball started rolling and the momentum rolled us right into this new adventure. If you’d told me a few months ago that I would be starting a blog to update my friends on the construction of my home remodel, I would have guessed you reached your wine limit. It seems like it has taken forever to get to this point, and yet it has all happened very quickly. I can’t wait to know what happens next in my own story. Heck, I can’t even wait to see if I’m going to publish this blog!