On August 16, 2012 I signed on here and wrote about dreams and home styles I love. I had no idea the adventure our family was about to embark on! I was simply writing musings.
A few months after that blog post I restlessly asked Howard if I could just look online to see what kind of homes were available in our price range. He agreed that it was fine to look although he jokingly says that he should have known better because I seem to run with whatever's on my mind to look into!
Well, the looking, turned into contacting realtors, viewing properties and driving around a lot. The exploring turned up the possibility of finding land and building ourselves. We ended up stumbling upon a property that was too expensive for us but that we loved. The realtor there directed us to another piece of land nearby that we felt immediately was "ours". There was such a scenario of perfect timing that I really believe the Lord directed our steps. We needed to sell our house and rent (so that we had money in the bank) for the bank to give us a construction loan. Our house sold a little over three weeks on the market and we closed a month later.
I don't do change well and it was such an incredible upheaval in a short period of time. We rented a townhome 35 min. from where we used to live in an area I was totally unfamiliar with. I did not love the townhome living and with small children we often felt very hemmed in BUT the park down the road was a constant outlet for us. It was very quiet in the area; a first considering all the traffic noise of our old home. We had some really great times in the rental but were also quite ready for the build to be over by the end. What I did discover is that I loved the change! Exploring the area, getting to be with my kids in unplanned opportunities and experiencing a type of living we otherwise would not have picked for ourselves.
What amazes me the most as I look back on this is that I shared in my Aug. 12 post that I really loved Craftsman style homes and wanted to live in one when I was old. When Howard and I began looking at house plans online we quickly gravitated towards cape cod and craftsman style homes. It floored both of us because Howard thought he was anti-Craftsman. Cape cods are much more expensive to build which settled our decision!
When we began looking I was hoping to find an already built home with a decent piece of land for our kids. What God gave us was a big chunk of raw ground where we could build a home that met our needs. And He saw fit to bless me with one of the desires of my heart in the form of a Craftsman style home. I cannot express how much I view this home as a gift. We did not expect it and have ended up with much more than we had ever thought possible.
This is the best I can do at condensing my thoughts so here's a brief glimpse at the home. For the record, I am still over the moon about Craftsmans and I've read up on them since building one. If the house only had stone, wood and light it would be perfect by me. My focus is more on that than decorating. I love natural elements and simple lines. :)
There is stone and architectural shingles on the house as we have no shutters in keeping with the style of our home. We picked one bold pop of color for this one peak and we are so glad that we did.
The steps are probably one of my favorites. I love the newell posts, the stained floors (which are just bare pine steps stained to blend with the downstairs hardwood) and the square spindles. Love them!
The lights over the kitchen island are a nod to the era in which Craftsmans were built. They came out with the Edison bulb style just in time for us!
And that is how we ended up here a totally different direction than our rental or our old home. I am loving the peace, the more rural location and the single home living that we have not experienced since we were married. Home sweet home.
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