You think you know what you’re getting into when you buy a house. Buy. Unpack. Live. Sounds simple. I’ve discovered there’s so much more to owning a house than I originally thought.
I’ve learned so much about myself, my husband, and life in general through owning our little home.
1) The saying that ”if your marriage can survive a renovation you can survive anything” is so friggin’ close to the truth it’s not even funny. When Mike and I told people that we weren’t just ripping out and replacing our kitchen but would simultaneously be: redoing floors, painting, having driveway repaved, replacing all windows and siding all while living here, it’s no wonder we got more than one strange look. Living through the kitchen reno alone almost broke me.
Renos started in August and I didn’t have this until October:
It was still a little unfinished here.
I was one happy lady when I came home to a finished kitchen. I wanted to stay home and cook/clean for weeks! I still love my kitchen.
2) Blogs and blogging has pretty much changed my life. It is a huge part of my homeownership experience. I am the type of person who, once inspired is pretty much unstoppable until I obtain a goal. Reading blogs has inspired me to do so much more with my home than I probably would have had the creativity to do on my own. Blogging is a great outlet for me. To every reader and every blog I’ve come across, thank you. I’d like to thank Pinterest for also consuming every free moment I have to start/finish these amazing projects.
3) Painting doesn’t suck as much when you have someone with you. When we moved in I was pretty much ready to DIY/try anything myself except paint. I re-painted a few closets and that was enough, until my sister-in-law offered to help me with the basement and suddenly it was kinda fun, she took the suckiness out of painting.
4) Patience is required. I have a million ideas/home projects/upgrades I want to do at once, but for more than one reason, I cannot, it’s just not possible! We’ve only been here a year, there will be time!
5) If I am blessed with a little girl, she will never, no matter how much she begs, have a pink room.
This is our ”pink room” taken the day we moved in. It’s the spare room and the camera isn’t doing the pink justice. This room is so pink there is a permanent aura of pink around the door. It is one of the most obnoxious colors I have ever seen in my life. Once this room gets painted (that’s right, it’s STILL pink) the color pink shall not enter my house again. It has ruined me.
6) Lily has changed our lives and made our house a home. I’ve always had animals growing up, hubby has not, so for him initially, having a cat was more for me. Lily changed that. He loves her.
(Her favorite toy is a paint roller). She is our little fur baby. Having Lily has changed both of us and in some ways our relationship. We love our Lily kitten.
7) Organizing household finances takes time and is a learning experience. It is not easy, dude! Even though we lived together before the house (only renting), having the house is so much more of a challenge. We’re still learning and getting into a groove.
8.) It’s scary. When you really, really think about it, it’s a huge job. A house is a big object, no matter how big or small, we all have the same basic structure to maintain. From this fear I have a million little things filed away in the irrational file in my brain {what if we get a leaky roof, flood, are hit by a hurricane, what if birds/racoons/critters take up residence somewhere before I know?} the list goes on and on….
9) Having good quality windows is a must. One of the first things we did was replace all ten of our 20+yr old windows and H-O-L-Y it makes a difference. Less humidity & cooler in the summer and it keeps warmth in (and cool out) during the winter.
10) At least 1.5 bathrooms in a house will save your marriage a million times over. We don’t have an ensuite and don’t think we care if we ever do, but we both like our bathroom time. Having that second half bath is a must. Speaking of which, we just re-did ours:
It looks so much better, I still have a few little things to do in here but she’s almost done.
I love owning a home. It isn’t always easy, or fun, but it is so worth it. Owning something and making it your own is a great feeling. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
What has owning a home taught you??
