Moving Day

Abe and I close on our first house today! We had our walk through yesterday and seeing it empty and ready for us made me only that much more excited to get all moved. It is going to be a lot of work but definitely worth it. We spoke to our realtor about some of our ideas for updates and she had some wonderful input. Even though I know we will be carrying heavy boxes and furniture, unpacking a big mess, and sorting through repair work, I can't wait for tonight when we get the keys.

Warning: the rest of this post is potentially very boring and not worth reading unless you are into HGTV!

I am also excited to get some bids on some work. We have a list of things in our allowance from the seller including windows and radon mitigation. Here are a few things I am now really hoping/planning to do if at all possible.

Our front yard is on a slope. I REALLY want to put a retaining wall out front (less uphill mowing!) with possibly some flower beds. I feel this is a bit urgent as stone is on-sale for the next week (can you believe it really costs upwards of a dollar or two for each stone?!) and my brother is here to help. Also, pour concrete stairs on side and front to replace original (and very hazardous) ones.

Island in the kitchen. We have a ton of empty space and this could be a great and pretty easy update to the kitchen. May be a good time for new countertops (granite? Wishing again). Maybe add a large oven for Abe? With some good bar seating. Maybe a cooktop? Who knows?

Attic renovation, including popping out some dormers. Closet space is our biggest weakness in this house. A master bedroom with a large closet would be a dream. What about a walkout deck on the second level? Ah, dreaming again.

Maybe more doable in the next few months: I AM installing a new sink. Maybe this week. And I want a gas insert for our fireplace.

I bet Abe is happy I have plans for all of our money!

Let me know if you want to put your decorating/rennovating/landscaping ideas to use