Do you love your house?

[Mergath]

I like our home well enough. We live in a duplex on the edge of a small rural town. I love the big yard with a garden, the fact that dd has three friends exactly her age that are so close we can see their houses from the front windows, the gorgeous view of fields and a forest out the back, the second-story deck that feels like a tree house, and the bright, cheerful kitchen. And it's extremely affordable because the utilities are included with the rent. At around 1000 sq ft, it's the perfect size for the three of us.

 

I'm not a huge fan of having to share the adjoining laundry room with our duplex neighbors, but it's light years ahead of going to the laundromat. The guy in the other unit is a friend/coworker/carpool buddy of dh's, so it could be much worse. 

 

 

[whitestavern]

Dh and I love old houses. The one we're in now is our second. It has been more work than we expected, and honestly, it was pretty up to date when we purchased it. We had a couple of big jobs done (kitchen bath wing renovation, roof) but we've done extensive other work ourselves. We're close to 50 and in good shape, but with our kids' and work schedules, it's getting to be a lot. We have over 3 acres and an inground pool to upkeep as well. We would like to sell and purchase something smaller and easier, but the market has dropped so that the house is worth just about what we paid for it 15 years ago :(

 

I'd love something smaller, like a reproduction cape on maybe one private acre in a decent town, but we'd have to move to a somewhat crappy town to get something affordable. With one kid in high school and one going in the fall, we're kind of stuck unfortunately.

 

If we had money, it would change everything.

[Ewe Mama]

I dislike it immensely, but still feel fortunate to have a roof over our heads and plenty of room for the children to play, both inside and out.

[gardenmom5]

this house is dh's dream - not mine.   he was in process of purchasing it when we were engaged.  I had little say in this house. for reasons I'm not willing to go into - moving is not an option.  I've done things cosmetically (he has agreed the finishes are better than he would have done.)  - but I'll never  be happy with the bones.  Most of my kids are gone - so those bones aren't as much an issue as when they were young.

 

the greatness of the location has made itself manifest over the years, and utilities have cut down trees giving us something desirable to look at . . . .(and something the mcmansions up the street do NOT have!) I can "tolerate" and be content with it (honestly, what other choice do I have?) - but I doubt I'll ever be able to "love" it.

[The Girls' Mom]

Not as much as I'd like.  I've moved a lot too, and lived in a lot of homes.  This isn't my favorite.

 

1.  I really, really, really miss the house we bought in Texas.  It was beautiful and just felt like home from day one.  Also, I didn't want to leave Texas.

2.  I didn't want to build where we are.  It is family property, and comes with strings.  Big, trappy strings.

 

I do really like the house itself.  We put a lot of thought into the layout.  It is the perfect size for us.  However, I'd move in a heartbeat if I could easily do so.  As it is, this is likely our forever home.  

[Spryte]

Sprite, do you have red eared sliders? I'm not sure how you'd keep them from escaping the small pond, maybe put fencing around it? Back in TX, we released ours ( they were native) to our large pond after a few years. One was amazing- he'd hear us when we were down there fishing, and would swim over to see us. He did that for a couple years. I've even got it on video.

 

That is so cool that he would come visit you!  What a great turtle-friend.  

 

We have two red-eared sliders and a Mississippi map.  They are fast, too.   I've been researching, and we seem to need a fence type structure to keep them in their enclosure - I'm not sure the best way to do it yet, but pinterest has some good ideas.  I would dearly love to release them to the large pond, but we fear they might not survive, and it wouldn't be humane.  So a turtle pond it will be.  When we were house hunting, having either a pre-made pond or a place to put one was a requirement.   :lol:

[happypamama]

I love that my house was built in the 1830s.

I hate that my house was built in the 1830s.

I love that it's in the country, away from everything.

I hate that it's in the country, away from everything.

 

And that's really the crux of it.  The things we love are sometimes the things we hate, and vice versa.

[dtsmamtj]

I hate my house. I married someone who works construction, so buying a fixer upper, even if we would only slowly be able to afford fixing it, made sense. Now that we're separated, living in a fixer upper is a nightmare.

Still married to mine and the house is rotting and falling a part!! I am telling my children - nothing but "turn key" even if small.

[Scarlett]

I love our pool

Our acre lot in the country

Our big shop

Our kitchen/living area open area

Our paid for home

Our remodeled bathrooms.

 

Even when it is all completely remodeled though I will not love that two bedrooms and two bathrooms are all right on top of each other.

 

But mostly I could love this home. As long as I am with Dh I am good.

[Amira]

My feelings are too mixed. I love it in some ways. It's ours. We chose it for a reason. I love the idea of it, I think. The reality of having a century+ old house is not always fun. $10k brick repointing bill coming our way soon... sigh.

 

Do you know much about the history of your house?

[madteaparty]

I do, I really do. But I have to sell it so DS can go a semi decent high school and I'm super sad about it. I could keep it as a country place but where we are moving is "country" too. Whine.

 

It will cost me approx 4 times what this house might fetch to build something remotely similar, and even then, it won't be brick for example.

Edited February 9, 2016 by madteaparty

[Annie G]

Love our house. 135 years old and it needs a lot of work but I love it. It's right in town- I can walk to the library, the gym, the post office, downtown.  I have 'interesting' neighbors and it's easy for people to find our house. 

 

We chose it because it was large enough and cheap enough to raise our four kids. Now it's way too big...but when we downsize at least we'll still have our memories. 

[Farrar]

Do you know much about the history of your house?

 

A little. You can do research about your house at the city section at MLK. Last year the kids and I looked up and found the original permit for our row and discovered a few of the owners. The original owner was a German American middle school teacher and later principal. In the 20's, rooms were let out at least for a time. Nothing especially interesting seems to have happened here though. It's always funny to think about our neighborhood a century ago - all these new rows of homes and new homeowners. Trolleys turning around on the corner. There was a big arcade up the road. Must have been so different.

[mamiof5]

Love ours. Plenty of room for 5 growing kids, a school room, not too far from dh's job (30 mins. Not ideal, but can't have everything). We have had only 2 houses in 13 years...dh and I passionately dislike moving :p

[RebeccaS]

Yes! I love my house. It's a hand hewn log home built in 1819. It was well taken care of and still has original floors and lots of charm. The history nerd in me was over the moon when we bought it. We have done a fair amount of upkeep to it but it's worth it to us. It had an addition put on it but the owner who did it paid a professional historic designer to come do it so the room completely fits the house. We're close enough to the city to be convenient and far enough out for some quiet.

[Annie G]

Yes! I love my house. It's a hand hewn log home built in 1819. It was well taken care of and still has original floors and lots of charm. The history nerd in me was over the moon when we bought it. We have done a fair amount of upkeep to it but it's worth it to us. It had an addition put on it but the owner who did it paid a professional historic designer to come do it so the room completely fits the house. We're close enough to the city to be convenient and far enough out for some quiet.

 

That sounds like an awesome place to live!!

[Tap]

No, I do not like my house. 

 

There are happy memories here, but also Lots of bad ones. 

 

I hate one of the neighbor kids that moved in this fall. He is a jerk and sets dd9 off. Also, a  few years ago one of the neighbor's house sitters accused DS of robbing them. (My son who is a pastor)  It went all the way to a felony trial, where he was found not guilty.

 

Our house is too small for all 5 of us. We gave ds20 the upstairs bonus room for his bedroom. This means the laundry room is in his bedroom. 

 

If I could move, I would, but our mortage is very low and we couldn't buy what we have here for that price. We barely make our bills as it is... So, here we stay. 

 

There are days when I don't want to come home at night, so I sit and watch traffic lights at freeway overpasses from a nearby parking lot. I will watch Netflix on my phone or listen to music. Usually, with a drink and snack. 2 days, ago, I sat for over an hour before I drug myself home.  I almost didn't go inside, but DD9 saw me out the window and came out to the car.

Edited February 9, 2016 by Tap

[Amira]

A little. You can do research about your house at the city section at MLK. Last year the kids and I looked up and found the original permit for our row and discovered a few of the owners. The original owner was a German American middle school teacher and later principal. In the 20's, rooms were let out at least for a time. Nothing especially interesting seems to have happened here though. It's always funny to think about our neighborhood a century ago - all these new rows of homes and new homeowners. Trolleys turning around on the corner. There was a big arcade up the road. Must have been so different.

Thanks! Ds and I are in the early 1900s in our DC history class right now and I've been imagining DC the way it was then. We'll have to go to MLK to see what we can find (and to help him work on his research paper).

[Minerva]

I LOVE my house. It is the first house that I have ever lived in where I really feel like I am at home.

 

The only problem is that even though my dh built it, it is company housing. So in a few years when my dh's job is over, we will pack up and move away. I like being on the move and I think adapting to new situations is good for us, but I am already having to prepare myself for this goodbye. It is the house of my kid's early childhoods and it is filled with magic. 

[elegantlion]

I love my house, the location is not so great. It's in a rural small town that has its own charm, but is 30 highway minutes to anything besides Walmart - or my university. 

 

Ironically, the layout of our bungalow is so similar to a house we used to live except this one had all the additions done we never got to on the other house. Ds lives in the finished attic dormer, it has a two car detached garage, and covered porches and a nice deck. It also has much of the original floors and woodwork. 

 

If I could move this house to another town, I would. It's just a 1920s bungalow and I can find one of those in my college town, but this house has some extras - like large closets - that make it special. 

[Night Elf]

I like my house, I do not love it. This is definitely not my forever home. I cannot see getting old in this house. We chose it because 1) it looked like a cozy house, 2) it was a neighborhood without an HOA, 3) it's not butted up against other houses and we have space and privacy, and 4) it was well within our budget in an area that is super nice. We've lived here for 10 years. If DH suggested it, I'd move in a heartbeat.

 

I loved our last house but hated the circumstances it was in, location and neighborhood was not to my liking. If I could have that house on my current propery, I'd be floating on cloud 9.

[lllll]

No, I do not like my house. 

 

There are happy memories here, but also Lots of bad ones. 

 

I hate one of the neighbor kids that moved in this fall. He is a jerk and sets dd9 off. Also, a  few years ago one of the neighbor's house sitters accused DS of robbing them. (My son who is a pastor)  It went all the way to a felony trial, where he was found not guilty.

 

Our house is too small for all 5 of us. We gave ds20 the upstairs bonus room for his bedroom. This means the laundry room is in his bedroom. 

 

If I could move, I would, but our mortage is very low and we couldn't buy what we have here for that price. We barely make our bills as it is... So, here we stay. 

 

There are days when I don't want to come home at night, so I sit and watch traffic lights at freeway overpasses from a nearby parking lot. I will watch Netflix on my phone or listen to music. Usually, with a drink and snack. 2 days, ago, I sat for over an hour before I drug myself home.  I almost didn't go inside, but DD9 saw me out the window and came out to the car.

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:

[pehp]

I love it. For a long time I did not.  We didn't choose this house, and that was part of the struggle.  My mother died very suddenly when I was a 23-year-old newlywed. My little sister was still in high school, in her senior year.  My husband and I did not think it would be wise to pull her out after such a shocking loss and have her transfer to the county where my dad lived (my parents were divorced).  So we moved into my mother's house...all her stuff still in it, a 1990s ranch-style house whose layout I hated and the style was nothing, NOTHING, like what I'd envisioned as a newlywed for my future home....etc etc.

 

I could write an epic book on contentment, on blooming where you're planted, on sacrificing dreams, on growing into a place, on learning to love what you have been given, on realizing that you are where you are meant to be (we live on my family's farm), on the elements that make a home a true *home*, on blessings in disguise, etc.  For a while I felt wonder at my friends who would purchase houses out of choice--they actually got to CHOOSE!  Amazing.

 

And we could have chosen to sell, once my sister was out of college (she attended a local college--it was best for us to keep the house as she got her bearings, which was a long and difficult process).  But by then, 5-6 years had passed.  And I'd started to understand that I was meant to be here, and stay, and raise my family.  It was weird.  It was good. 

 

I love my house.  I never plan to move to another house!

[Seeking Squirrels]

I would love to have a house. We are in an apartment and no I do not love it. It's better than our last apartment, as we have a bit more sq ft, but it's still an apartment. I'd really love a bit more space. I don't need anything huge. Actually I don't *want* huge. I don't want to have to clean huge! But more than this would be nice. Seriously, I'd take just 200 sq ft more and be a lot happier.

[Guest]

No, I do not like my house.

 

There are happy memories here, but also Lots of bad ones.

 

I hate one of the neighbor kids that moved in this fall. He is a jerk and sets dd9 off. Also, a few years ago one of the neighbor's house sitters accused DS of robbing them. (My son who is a pastor) It went all the way to a felony trial, where he was found not guilty.

 

Our house is too small for all 5 of us. We gave ds20 the upstairs bonus room for his bedroom. This means the laundry room is in his bedroom.

 

If I could move, I would, but our mortage is very low and we couldn't buy what we have here for that price. We barely make our bills as it is... So, here we stay.

 

There are days when I don't want to come home at night, so I sit and watch traffic lights at freeway overpasses from a nearby parking lot. I will watch Netflix on my phone or listen to music. Usually, with a drink and snack. 2 days, ago, I sat for over an hour before I drug myself home. I almost didn't go inside, but DD9 saw me out the window and came out to the car.

:grouphug:

[TianXiaXueXiao]

We were pressured into finding a home we could tolerate that was affordable when our lease was ending and the new lease was going to cost us about $600 more per month. We quickly came to realize that the local housing market had sky rocketed and we weren't going to find another affordable rental in our town. We also couldn't afford to buy there so we started looking farther away in the smaller outer rim areas for an affordable house to buy. We found a house that had a 2 car garage on a decent (more than a postage stamp) sized lot about 40 minutes from the city. It's 1344 Sq ft with 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. Most of the house has the original hardwood floors from the 60s. We installed new flooring in the rest. It is a good house with good bones. It's a ranch layout. There's definitely nothing fancy about it. It's no where near as nice as our home in California was and is much smaller, but I'm always happy to be here. It feels good and safe in this house. I love the paint colors we chose for the interior and we aren't having any allergies due to the hardwoods and lack of carpets. It's a rather fitting and humble little abode and I'm happy we didn't have to win a bidding war to get it. Ours was the only offer and it's been pretty smooth sailing, thank goodness. I do love my house and I'm happy in it!

Edited February 10, 2016 by TianXiaXueXiao

[Hoot]

I'm ambivalent, really. I don't love it and don't hate it, but love that it's ours and its paid for. We've lived here 17 yrs and it has been our only married home. There are parts I love and parts I don't, but I think that's just life. The one thing I desperately wish was that the basement was finished.

 

As a child I lived in 5 different homes with my family. I've never really had that "this feels like my one true home" feeling about any of them. I think I'm a bit too utilitarian for my own good sometimes. A house is just a place to live. I'm not really overly sentimental.

 

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[Loesje22000]

Housing is part of DH job.

So we have nothing to chose.

 

It also never feels as 'my' house, always as someone elses.

 

For the first time in 10+ years we have a warm house, so we can pay the electricity bills.

And we have a light house, which is also very nice.

 

but is is not 'home' to me.

[Chris in VA]

:grouphug: :grouphug: 

No, I do not like my house. 

 

There are happy memories here, but also Lots of bad ones. 

 

I hate one of the neighbor kids that moved in this fall. He is a jerk and sets dd9 off. Also, a  few years ago one of the neighbor's house sitters accused DS of robbing them. (My son who is a pastor)  It went all the way to a felony trial, where he was found not guilty.

 

Our house is too small for all 5 of us. We gave ds20 the upstairs bonus room for his bedroom. This means the laundry room is in his bedroom. 

 

If I could move, I would, but our mortage is very low and we couldn't buy what we have here for that price. We barely make our bills as it is... So, here we stay. 

 

There are days when I don't want to come home at night, so I sit and watch traffic lights at freeway overpasses from a nearby parking lot. I will watch Netflix on my phone or listen to music. Usually, with a drink and snack. 2 days, ago, I sat for over an hour before I drug myself home.  I almost didn't go inside, but DD9 saw me out the window and came out to the car.

 I have some of the same feelings about this house.

 

When ds comes home, I re-feel all the bad.

 

It will never truly be home for me.

 

I hate that it's a rectory, because we will have to leave when we leave the church. Dd is dreading that, since it's the only house she remembers (moved here 2001).

 

We also have our own house south of here. I hate it because I find the space impossible to use, there are too many trees surrounding it, it's got a blech location, and it needs updating that we can't afford. I can't wait to sell it. I will never live there full-time unless I absolutely have to.

 

My favorite house will probably always be the small one we lived in while in Dallas. It was a rental in a great neighborhood, and we had good memories in it, and it was where my boys were happiest.

[SemiSweet]

I love our house. I've moved a lot and grew up fairly poor so home ownership didn't seem like it would be in the cards for me. We bought this house just 2 months ago and I chose it on my own. It's the nicest house I've ever lived in. The kitchen is what sold me on it, I've been so inspired to cook and bake lately because I love it so much. I've painted and furnished it exactly as my dreams have always been. It's perfect for us. I don't love the town but I love the neighborhood and the specific location, it's walking distance to Target, grocery store, and a few other things. The neighbor's are great, the yard is small but manageable with an in-ground pool that I think is going to be awesome in the summer. It's too big for retirement so we will downsize in 10 years or so, and go to a nicer town as well. The exterior is a bit boring, very blocky 1960s style, but it was a total renovation inside.

[Donna]

We downsized a few years ago so for awhile I felt if every room in my house were a foot bigger in each direction the house would be perfect. Our furniture was sized for a rancher with large rooms but as it gets old and needs replacing that issue goes away or I am just used to it now.

 

I like my house and will love it once my husband completes all the remodeling we have planned (the house is a long term project). I love my yard and the gardens, space for chickens, privacy afforded us by trees surrounding the yard, and the "man cave" (a pole barn at the back of the property). I even like the location in the country but wish I were a bit closer to the places I need to go for everything and wish we lived in a less expensive state.

[TranquilMind]

Lots of money threads lately, and in those threads there have been a lot of house comments (living below one's means, house needs work, not extravagant, things like that). I've been doing a lot of thinking about where we live, and wondering where others are on this topic.

 

I have loved all of our houses. This is number 36 (I think? Maybe more) for me. I've moved a lot. But always find something to adore about where we live. It's always home. I work hard to make it feel like home. Sometimes we've rented, right now we own. Sometimes we've been in the starving student category. Now we are not, but also not extravagant.

 

I thought our last home was fabulous. I still do. It was easily one third the size of our current home. Really, it was tiny.

 

And now I adore our current home. Like big puffy heart love it. A few of you here have visited both homes, so you know of what I speak... :)

 

So... Your home. Love it? Hate parts of it? Indifferent to it, so long as it meets shelter needs? What made you choose it?

Me too.  I love all my houses.  Each one will always be "home" to me, even if I no longer own it.

 

My last house was amazing and I sometimes think we should have kept it.  It was a huge midcentury with an indoor pool and lots of cool features.  An AMAZING kitchen.

 

But we downsized in order to buy more properties.  Now we have started selling off and it worked out well because of the kids reaching college age.  So there was a plan, but I sometimes miss that house.

 

This one is fine, and we upgraded it reasonably.  It's been comfortable and the neighborhood is fantastic.  Houses rarely sell here.  But I bought another at auction nearby and am in full renovation mode on that one, and it is pretty cool. 

[Seasider]

Mixed feelings here, too.

 

Not my first choice location.

 

House meets our needs quite well.

 

The house and grounds have great potential. But I am discouraged by the dollar signs it would take to realize full potential. At my age, I vascillate between wanting to make this house lovable and saving those renovation $s for a a down payment on a different place.

 

Sometimes when I think of the energy and bother of relocating, I like this house better.

[FO4UR]

Nope.

 

I relate to the "I hate it and I wish I didn't have to be here - ever" crowd.

 

Partly, it's an old house that needs a lot of work.

 

Partly, it's not mine. It's a parsonage, and it very much feels like we are just staying in someone else's house for a while. I HATE that feeling.

 

The walls are paper-thin. There is only 1 bathroom for 6 people.  The lot it sits on is not safe for the little one to play, no fence and on a very busy corner.  It's miserable inside, and very public outside.

 

Every picture I hang on the wall is a topic of gossip and/or contention, so I don't hang a darn thing...and I don't have anyone over anymore unless you happen to be a genuine friend.  Seriously, every item...it's just not worth the emotional energy to open my world up to ugly criticism.  Beauty can wait until I do have a real home.

 

Never again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[foxbridgeacademy]

Lots of money threads lately, and in those threads there have been a lot of house comments (living below one's means, house needs work, not extravagant, things like that). I've been doing a lot of thinking about where we live, and wondering where others are on this topic.

 

I have loved all of our houses. This is number 36 (I think? Maybe more) for me. I've moved a lot. But always find something to adore about where we live. It's always home. I work hard to make it feel like home. Sometimes we've rented, right now we own. Sometimes we've been in the starving student category. Now we are not, but also not extravagant.

 

I thought our last home was fabulous. I still do. It was easily one third the size of our current home. Really, it was tiny.

 

And now I adore our current home. Like big puffy heart love it. A few of you here have visited both homes, so you know of what I speak... :)

 

So... Your home. Love it? Hate parts of it? Indifferent to it, so long as it meets shelter needs? What made you choose it?

Start with the last question first,when we moved here 2 years ago for Dh's job we had literally 3 or 4 days to find a place to live and it was New Years Day.  Oh yeah there was about a foot and a half of snow and we were moving from out of state.  There were 2 houses available a really nice one 1/2 hour from Dh's new job in a bad, bad neighborhood (we had a crappy car) or this one which was not as nice but was walking distance to work and the neighborhood SEEMED okay.  

 

We're moving again at the end of the month and I am so excited!  We finally will have the income to afford the nice house in the nice neighborhood and it will be big enough to really spread out.  We won't be spending more than we can afford or more than the average for the market but it's a lot more than we're used to so I'm a bit worried.  As for this current house and others, there is always something about them I like and wish I could take with me.  Our house in NC was tiny and in a not so great area but it had wood floors, a huge sunny back yard and we loved our next door neighbor.  Our house in TN was right next to RR tracks and the back yard was practically inaccessible for my small kids but I loved the space and how spread out it was and again we loved our neighbor (still friends with her).  Our house now, I really like the layout, how all the bedrooms are separated and it's NOT an open concept, plus I have my own office space/school room. What I don't like is that the yard becomes a pond every time it rains or that the neighbors scream at each other on an almost daily basis (good news though the drug dealers on the other side are looking at 10 years after they got busted last year). So I think for us, so far, it's been a very mixed up love/hate kind of thing that I'm hoping to be done with very soon.

[scoutingmom]

Absolutely completely totally hate this house, but stuck here.

 

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[rutamattatt]

I LOVE our house, but I guess there are reasons I shouldn't as much.  It is 2080 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms.  The boys share a pretty small bedroom, and I think they wish they had either more space or their own rooms.  Of course, I grew up in an even smaller house with small bedrooms and shared 1/3 of the time, and I survived.  But DS14 is already much taller than I am and DS11 is heading that way, so I wonder if they will both "fit" in such a small room.    I guess I feel like I should want a different house for an extra bedroom.  

 

We put in a pool, a screened in porch, and a deck and did landscaping in our backyard two years ago, and it makes me so happy to be out there now.  When it is picked up and doesn't smell like teen boy, our home is my favorite place to be.   :laugh:

 

I would love to live out our golden years in this house, but our DD will probably need to always live with us in an above garage apartment or basement in law suite which we don't have here.  We are looking for land to buy now so that we can build what we will need later.  It makes me terribly sad to think of leaving this house.  After 11 years I still do a little crushing on it when I walk in the front door. 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2016 by rutamattatt

[MomtoCandJ]

I like it our house but don't love it. I would like it more if it wasn't a mobile home (ok well that's my biggest problem with since we can't easily add on or anything like that). I would also like to be closer to town (ok high internet access would be great, currently not available except through cellular data).

Dh and I are debating if we want to buy a house and property closer to town or if we want to build a house on our current property (if we get high speed internet via telephone company or cable where we are now at, then we will just build where we are at). Our current house (mobile home) will be paid off at current payments in about 6 yrs but once I'm done with school in 2 yrs and start working then we will be making at least double payment monthly.

Our one issue with our current property is that there is a swampy area and we heard that we will need a DEQ permit to fill it in to build. We will research to see if this is true before we make the ultimate decision.

[fairfarmhand]

Love my house.

 

It's a wonderful layout.  Open enough that it doesn't feel claustrophobic but we still have privacy from area to area.

 

The kitchen is perfect for me.

 

 Bedrooms are a good size without being huge. Like having a bonus room separate from the living room. We can do electronics upstairs in the bonus room and not have them intrude on the rest of the house. Its about 2200 square feet, so it's a good size without being too large.

 

I grew up very poor.

 

I look at my house and think that when I was a kid, my idea of a rich person's house is where I am living right now.

[Ellesmere]

If we could add a garage, put on a small deck in the back (not a necessity in my dream house but it would really help on this particular piece of property), re-do the entry (nowhere to put coats or shoes, and we have a long winter), and add a half bath (now that the kids are older, all of us on one bathroom is getting harder), I'd happier in the house. We really need new windows since we would lose tons of heat if we didn't put up plastic all winter. It's still cold, dusty no matter what, and uncomfortable.

It's not too small, but the layout is terrible. The basement is too damp to use for good storage and we can't finish it. I dislike the location. It is not a house I want to grow old in as it is already difficult enough living here, physically. I am also tired of constantly driving to get anything done.

Most days I try to focus on the good things. It's a house. It's sturdy.Unlike the apartment I used to be in, I can do laundry here. Our own parking even if the driveway is terrible. No neighbor troubles. I could be in far worse places. I feel restless here but I know the grass isn't necessarily greener.

[Paige]

I like my house. I don't love it, but DH and I had a very short time to house hunt and didn't love anything and had to get something. It's his favorite of the ones we looked at and I liked it well enough. I think I could eventually love it but right now it's still new and I haven't figured out a good way to arrange things yet. Even though it's been 6mos! DH and I have very different ideas about what a perfect house and neighborhood would be so we both had to compromise. 

 

I loved 2 of my houses, although I probably wouldn't like them as well today for the family I have right now. I hated the house I had before this one. I may have had a tantrum about how much I hated it shortly before we learned we could finally move. I had to move in without even seeing it in person and although I still think it was the best choice we had at the time, I'm so happy to be out of there. 

[LMV]

I have come to love our main home.  It took awhile (and perhaps some of that was petty).

 

Our main home is a house that DH bought when he was engaged to his first wife.  It was the house they lived all of their married life in and the house that they brought their wonderful son home to. It was a huge house for a family of three but I'm sure that had DH's first wife not been killed when their son was four they would have brought his younger siblings home to that same house. When I married DH, it only seemed reasonable that we should not uproot his son from his house but it took awhile for the house to really feel like my home (or even our home). To his credit, I think DH kind of got this (which in some ways reinforced that he was a sensitive and caring guy and in other ways just made me feel like I needed to get over it already). That was probably the best explanation for our second home/lake home. This was a home that we designed together and for that reason it will always be a special place for us and our family. Over time as we did some more remodeling (and I tried to be sensitive in what we did so that I wasn't completely overhauling my stepson's home) our main home also came to feel more like our home. It was the home where we brought both of our oldest daughters home to and I really thought we had arrived. Then our younger daughter died and the struggle returned in much different fashion. That brought us to house number three, the house purchased when we did a geographic separation for some of my medical training (and because honestly we needed the space because we couldn't grieve together for a child we had both loved). Ultimately, we came back together geographically and emotionally. We've done some more remodeling, and our family has grown further. I gave birth to our fifth biological daughter (and tenth child) this past August and we brought her home to a house I do now truly love.

 

Things I appreciate about our house:

-Renewable energy

-Our kitchen is huge, but also very functional.  We're a very cook together kind of family so we spend a lot of time hanging out here.  We also have a great pantry set up and an eating area that transitions into the solarium extension.

-We have enough space for all of our children to have their own room.  

-Our dining room and formal living have managed to retain the historic charm of our home in spite of several remodels.

-We have two laundry rooms so there is a lot less lugging laundry all over. 

-We've added in storage and niche build ins with each remodel.  We have a place for everything so there really isn't an excuse for clutter.

-We have an amazing and  comfortable library.  The book shelves kind of make the room along two different window book nooks, a fireplace, and two couches I fell in love with at an estate sale.  Yes, a few friends have told us that libraries are really so last century but I don't care!  I love our library!  There are also a lot of tranquil escape nooks in our home (as worded by one of DD16's friends).

-Our attic has skylights (so one can stargaze without risking frostbite even this winter).

-Fireplaces did I mention fireplaces?  

 

Beyond our home I love:

-The rose arbor around our outdoor pool

-Our cute guesthouse which is great for out of state guests with a family and also was where DH and I have snuck away to for a night when my mom or MIL was staying with the kids but we were afraid to go too far.

-Our backyard which has an English Garden feel with paths and benches 

-Our greenhouse  (which does not cost us an arm thanks to a solar/geothermal system)

-Our four bay detached garage which looks like the former carriage house it once was.

Edited February 12, 2016 by LMV

[Ausmumof3]

Lots of money threads lately, and in those threads there have been a lot of house comments (living below one's means, house needs work, not extravagant, things like that). I've been doing a lot of thinking about where we live, and wondering where others are on this topic.

 

I have loved all of our houses. This is number 36 (I think? Maybe more) for me. I've moved a lot. But always find something to adore about where we live. It's always home. I work hard to make it feel like home. Sometimes we've rented, right now we own. Sometimes we've been in the starving student category. Now we are not, but also not extravagant.

 

I thought our last home was fabulous. I still do. It was easily one third the size of our current home. Really, it was tiny.

 

And now I adore our current home. Like big puffy heart love it. A few of you here have visited both homes, so you know of what I speak... :)

 

So... Your home. Love it? Hate parts of it? Indifferent to it, so long as it meets shelter needs? What made you choose it?

I have a love hate relationship with our house. I absolutely love where we live. The house itself is an owner builder house built by a guy who was half crazy borderline hoarderish. So he uses lots of second hand materials and did things terribly. Thankfully Dh is very handy and fixed up the electrical work that could have killed someone (yes he's qualified) and pulled down and replaced the patio that could have killed someone (we are talking posts sitting about an inch in the ground no cement holding up the whole thing. Pretty much every time we turn around something falls apart. By the time we actually fixed it all it would be cheaper to bulldoze and rebuild. However we don't have the money outright so we just keep doing it a bit at a time.

 

On the other hand we have happy memories here that make it ours and some of its unique features are actually pretty funky. They just aren't overly practical. I also missed out on that homemaker gene that can walk into a space and figure out how to make a place feel lovely on a next to nothing budget though I have huge admiration for people that do.

[lailasmum]

I don't like this house but we are stuck here. The major issue is no storage and like many 70s or later British homes there's no room for adding decent storage, the rooms are too small. I also hate the kitchen, it's small and impractical. It has lots of smaller issues like getting curtain poles to stay in the wall is impossible and they make daily life difficult.

[Carrie12345]

I feel like I should update, since we did new living room furniture and curtains yesterday.

Look, I'm never going to see this as my dream house, but I spent most of yesterday with my jaw hanging open, shocked by the difference a little change makes to the whole place.  (It's an open floor plan, so it gives everything a new feel.)

Next up is going to be a whole lot of paint, and maybe my hatred will turn more toward ambivalence, lol.

[AnnE-girl]

I feel like I should update, since we did new living room furniture and curtains yesterday.

Look, I'm never going to see this as my dream house, but I spent most of yesterday with my jaw hanging open, shocked by the difference a little change makes to the whole place. (It's an open floor plan, so it gives everything a new feel.)

Next up is going to be a whole lot of paint, and maybe my hatred will turn more toward ambivalence, lol.

Two years ago we ripped out our old carpet, put in bamboo floors, and painted the ugly dark trim white. It made a huge difference in the feeling of the house. Its still way too small for our now family of five, but at least I disliked the house less for the last couple of years.

 

We're looking at a few houses this weekend that would double or even triple our living space. Crossing my fingers and toes that if we love one of them we can get the price we want and sell our house soon!

Edited February 12, 2016 by AnnE-girl

[EMS83]

We chose it because DH knew someone who was selling one and we were trying to move, and it was a good fit at the time.  Now I wish it had a few extra rooms and a garage or basement.  But I love our yard, and I like where we are in relation to shopping and family and such.  The house itself is fine; it's just a little starter type home and I like that it's cozy.  This is home, probably for a while still.  I'll be sad to go, just like I was sad to say goodbye to my 17-year-old car.  But we will really need a small bit of an upgrade when it happens--in space, not fanciness.  I don't like fancy; we'll just get dirt on it.   :lol: