Your House

PixiesDust

UO is filled with lots of home discussion topics this morning and got me thinking about everyone's house/home

SO -- tell me about your house/home.  Are you generally happy with it or do you want to move.  What do you love?  What one thing do you wish you could change?  What is your favorite room and why?  What's on your wishlist for your next home?

Bonus points for PIPS!

carawasa

oh I love this

We have a contemporary 2bdrm 1 1/2 bath. I do like it but it's got a lot of stairs and I would prefer another bedroom. It has vaulted ceilings and 2 skylights, and huge windows and we are on top of a big hill. We have a really steep driveway which sucks because I don't park in it. I chose a really neat bronze metallic paint for our living room and it always makes me happy. I would change the deck and make it a little bigger and also I wish we could Vinyl side it... We didn't have to do much except paint when we moved in.

elllaf

This is my favorite part of our house

We live on a golf course.
I want to move.
I used to want to live in a neighborhood but now I want a lot of land!
#ivebecomeMontanaized

jnsmith85

We live in a too small of a house for us, it's 1600 square feet (yes I know that's huge compared to others). It is 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. It's our first home so I can't complain. If I could change some things I would redo the kithen, get wood floors throughout, and extend our back porch!

Next house will be at least 2300 sq feet, marble countertops, wood floors. minimum 4 bedrooms and 3 baths. Huge backyard, and a pool would be nice.

shelley1002

Its a 4 bedroom colonial.  A cookie cutter house from 1975.  4 bedrooms and full bath upstairs.  Big kitchen (with no counterspace), dining room, living room, and 1/2 bath downstairs.  2 car garage,  Laundry in teh unfinished basement.  We love it though.  Its home.  Definitely does not look like something from HGTV.  We have 2 living rooms thanks to an addition added in the 80s to connect the house and the garage.

My wishes are for the basement to get finished (DH is working in it slowly) and a new kitchen.  We still have the original pale yellow wall oven.

babyw101813

@elllaf - what a PHENOMENAL view - don't leave! @carawasa - oooo bronze paint! sounds awesome. 

We are closing on our new house TODAY!!!!! I am so excited. 4 bed 3 bath (Evan has a half brother and half sister so now when they are here they will have their own rooms!). Finished basement with walkout into the FENCED backyard with a 2 year old playset and deck! Kitchen had a $35k upgrade in 2012 with soft-close everything, new appliances, hardwood floors. I can't decide what my favorite room is yet but I am so excited to have more room and the yard for the kids  

Fruitcove7

I love our house! We closed on it 2 weeks before finding out we were pregnant. It is in the perfect area for schools and where DH and I grew up. It is 1,500 SF and I think perfect. DH wants to sell and get something bigger in 4 years (well he'd do it sooner if he could).

Some things I would change:  I would have double vanities, 4 bedrooms (we have 3), and a bigger living room. I do not have many complaints! Here's a picture:

pmarie33

We just moved into this house almost a year ago and we love it. Favorite room is the master suite.  We have two ginormous walk-in closets and big master bath with a water closet (toilet room).  

Things I wish we could change: the size and build of our backyard.  It slopes down in the back.  I wish it were flat.  The basement is only a 1/3 of the size of our old basement and there is a column near the pool table.

This is the only pic I have on my computer, during Halloween.

stephl3055

LOVE our house.  This is our dream home and I hope we don't have to move until we are ready to downsize after the kid(s) are on their own.  We bought it in 2009 when housing prices were lower in the area than they had been in a long time and we got a great deal.  We would have quite a bit of equity if we sold.

The one thing I would change is the lot size.  It's small and our neighbors are really close.  I would want at least 1/2 an acre I think.  

I love that everything has it's own place in the house.  Our house is large, probably bigger than we really need, but we have room for everything and I don't feel like it's all cramped together.  

A couple of these are pictures from when we were looking at the house.  The kitchen one is right after we moved in, so there's junk everywhere.  

ETA: Added specs.  4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 3.5 car garage, game room, study, plus a couple of other "bonus" rooms.  

carawasa

Oh I meant to add pics

Phalaenopsis

No house, we are renting and saving up to buy or build. Wish list includes a view, mud room, open concept and chefs kitchen.

PixiesDust

DH and I bought our first home about 4.5 years ago, right before we got married.  It's a 100+ year old bungalow with tons of charm.  The people who lived there before us had been there for 47 years and raised three kids.  We've renovated almost everything (kitchen, laundry, refinished floors throughout, repaired plaster and repainted every room installed new windows, built a new master closet into the eves, installed AC etc), but it was really the bones and original finishes that attracted us (and it was bigger than anything else we were looking at).  We love the location, even though we could live in the next township over and not pay as much in taxes, or live further away and have a MUCH bigger home.  

I love our home's history, character and location

I hate that its age means it doesn't always look new and fresh, and that we always have a project of some kind (next up is replacing all upstairs baseboards and plaster ceilings).  I also hate that living so close to a major city means we get less house for our money.

My favorite room is the kitchen -- it's the one room that was completely gutted and brand-spanking new.  It now opens up into our dining room and living room making the downstairs feel larger

In our next home, I'd really like a proper entry way and a finished basement (or at lease a space away from the living room that could be a play space).  I also want something that is finished and turn-key.  I dont want to have to renovate another home.  It's a labor of love but it's draining, physically and financially.

Also -- Kitchen Before and After (it's a huge difference)

ballygirl

I love our house. We closed on it the day after the girls were born. It is about 1800 sq ft which is perfect. 3 bedrooms upstairs and a tiny bathroom that I wish was bigger. Downstairs is kitchen, dining area (open) , living room, 1/2 bath and an extra room that will be the girls' play room. Its really the perfect size for us. I wouldn't want a bigger house because that would just mean I would have to have more furniture to fill it, more time spent cleaning it. The rooms are pretty large, which I like and we have more than enough space and a full basement for storage. Backyard is nice and very private which I love. Everything except the upstairs bathroom has been recently renovated so the kitchen is all updated with nice counters/ cabinets which is nice. Hardwood floors in all the rooms. The real seller on this house was the location though - awesome town with awesome schools and the neighborhood is fantastic. Its like an old fashioned neighborhood with sidewalks and people out walking and kids riding their bikes. When we moved in, our neighbor actually brought us a welcome basket with pastries and baby toys!!! I couldn't believe it. Gah - bump will not let me post pictures from my computer anymore! bad bump....

trackgirlparis

Beautiful houses everyone!

We rent. Calgary has shitty cost of living. So I'll just leave this here....

hartsl01

@steph13055 Beautiful! I love all that brick!! 

We've got a 4 bed/2.5 bath. It's decent size but I still feel like we're so cramped and I can't wait to move into our 'dream' home. DH bought the house right out of college and I moved in when we got married, 3 years later, I'm still making it 'ours' and not 'his'. I do love our master bedroom, it takes up 1 whole side of our upstairs and we have a huge master closet. FIL put in a custom closet for us right before we got married and I love it. We also have a great deck out back and our hot tub is sunk down into it.. sometimes I love it but sometimes I wish we had a bit more space. I do like our backyard, but now with DS I wish it were flat instead of a hill, it'll be great for sledding but we don't have room for a swing set. I also wish we had a full size basement for storage and DH's stuff. I'll see if I can find a picture...

ballygirl

Ok picture posted from phone.

Ajoyd

@pixiesdust our story is similar! We live in a 1930s Tudor. I love the old character and having hardwoods throughout, and the original stained glass windows. We bought it three years ago and have been renovating it, so I also love my brand new 2nd floor bathroom and master bedroom with giant walk-in closet. I don't love that we always have a project and that the 1st floor bath and kitchen still need to be updated. 

ETA: in my next home I'd like a finished basement. I actually hate hanging out in basements, even finished ones, but with kids I would appreciate an extra play space! So a finished basement or one more bedroom that we could turn into a playroom. 

Here is a pic while we were still working on the front. It is the only pic I have access to at work:

PixiesDust

steph 13055 -- where do you live or what do you do?  Your house is huge?

stephl3055

@PixiesDust, I love your landscaping, especially the pink plants on the right.

I enjoy seeing how houses are so different where other people live.  Like houses with the master upstairs, tri-level homes, and basements.  Those are not common here, so it's interesting to see.  

rimjob

We live in a 1920s mess.  Ok so it isn't reallly a mess but it needs a ton of updates.  It is right around 2400 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, and a downstairs playroom.  I love all the old woodwork and the formal layout but it really is too much freaking work to keep it clean because we live right on a main road so it's always freaking dusty .  I was 8 months pregant when we decided on it and had I not been so over looking and over being pregnant and moving into my nesting stage I'm sure we would have not ended up here.  I refuse to even consider moving though because my parents are divorced and they both moved a ton.  I love the idea of my kids coming home to visit someday with their kids to the house they grew up in.

muffyvonmuff

We bought a single family right before a month before having DS. Before we lived in our multi family, so so so happy we moved when we did. As for the house it's nice for now but not forever. It's a 3 bed 2 bath with bonus finished open third floor it also has a garage and fenced yard. The bonus room sold us on buying it. We were able to put our old microfiber sectional in one half and the other will be a play room area when Hudson gets a little bigger. I also love the yard, I'm trying to get DH on board with getting an outdoor hot tub.

I like how kitchen turned out too after we renovated it a little. The inside of the cabinet above the microwave is now painted teal.

jennlin

oooooh..i have lots of pics. i bought it relatively recently, and have all the pics still. these are pics from when the house was staged..so it's got perfect lighting, not my furniture, and it's a billion times more cluttered with kid stuff now



from the outside


when you walk in, the left hand side.  this is now our play room. it's got a pink popup tent castle and a 3 foot slide in there for my daughter.


downstairs guest half bath



i love my kitchen, but mostly because i super love the walk-in pantry


master bath


i love my house..it was recently remodeled before we bought it. the previous owners had a dirty divorce so we were there at the exact right time. some of the remodel is super trendy, so we're worried about changing it out when we need to sell...but for now, we call it our 20-year house..we love the size, the layout, etc...but we both always wanted a view.. so we think when the kids are all married/moved out, we will buy a small condo with a view...no yard to maintain!

ETA: 3100sqft, 5bdrm, 3 bath.

PixiesDust

steph 13055 said:

@PixiesDust, I love your landscaping, especially the pink plants on the right.

I enjoy seeing how houses are so different where other people live.  Like houses with the master upstairs, tri-level homes, and basements.  Those are not common here, so it's interesting to see.  

Thanks! I'll tell my husband #idontdoyardwork

alyshamarie007

Our house is a 3 bedroom ranch style house built in 1964 that we bought a year ago. It was remodeled quite a bit before we purchased it. I love that it has a lot of new features but still has some original charm. I love the yard because the previous owners did a lot of landscaping. We have all kinds of flowers and even a pear tree. We have a huge basement which we plan on finishing in the coming years and we also have a large family room with a fireplace, which I have turned into a playroom for DS.

It's not too big...not too small. Just right for us right now.

megs1409

LOVE our house. We just had it built and moved in December. We have to do landscaping, etc as it was too cold for them to do any of that on December in MA! I do wish our backyard was a little more level, but we've got plenty of room for playing back there!!

ETA:  Your standard New England Colonial style with family room over garage.  2800 sq ft, 4BR, 3BA.

lefnc82

I hate our house. I bought it 4 years ago when I was still single, and we've definitely outgrown if! It's a 3bed, 1.5bath town home, 1300sq ft. My least favorite part is how tiny the kitchen is with no counter space at all, downstairs doesn't have a great layout. I do like the location and that it has a small fences in backyard.

Wish list would be land, lots of it (DH is a country boy and I could stand some space!), a much larger kitchen, 4 bedrooms and 2full baths, with a garden tub! Just larger is really my biggest want, DH has a lot of stuff!

For the pics: the outside is now green, painted by HOA (apparently I bought the house too late to get a say in the color) and we've put in a privacy fence and some garden areas.

bkeane619

I hate our house. Not necessarily the house itself but the crappy neighborhood. It's a 1930's Tudor. I love the big yard an outside but inside needs updating and we've already spent tens of thousands on it in the past 3 years we have owned it. I don't want to spend anymore because I want to move. The house itself is charming but I want something newer.

Weljadraak

Wow, you all live in some nice ass houses. Kudos!

MissLauraPants

I love looking at all your pictures!!

I love love love my townhouse.  I bought it in late 2012.  It is older-1990 but the owners before did a lot of renovations.  It is 2400 square feet and has 3.5 bedrooms and 2.5 baths so just enough room for all of us (including a zoo).  But my favorite part of the house in the backyard-which has a full deck and patio, a place for my rabbits and the original owners left a swing

(these pics are just what I had on my computer)

carawasa

hey @jennlin I guess we know where we are having the bumpie convention. #amiright? That's gorgeous!

sleepy33

I love our house. It needs remodeling/updating, but the 'bones' are great: 4 BR, 2.5 bath, 2 car garage in a fantastic neighborhood near a school. It will grow with us and we will update it as we have time/money.

jennlin

carawasa said:

hey @jennlin I guess we know where we are having the bumpie convention. #amiright? That's gorgeous!

lol thank you. i tried to throw seattle into the mix a few times but nobody bit. i gave up. lol.

jennlin

@pixiesdust i LOVE the front porch. seriously. i always tell h i feel like i need to be a white girl in the south. can i drink sweet tea with you on the porch? please?

@bkeane619 i am LOVING the look of your house...it reminds me of a mini-castle lol.

@misslaurapants .........is that a pole in your living room? the lighting? i'm confused.....(love the pink though!)

vvg28

Love my view. Surrounded by the family farm.

bkeane619

jennlin said:

@pixiesdust i LOVE the front porch. seriously. i always tell h i feel like i need to be a white girl in the south. can i drink sweet tea with you on the porch? please?

@bkeane619 i am LOVING the look of your house...it reminds me of a mini-castle lol.

@misslaurapants .........is that a pole in your living room? the lighting? i'm confused.....(love the pink though!)

TY in theory it is nice. In practicality it sucks.

MtnChickaD

We rent. We are in a 3bed/2bath townhouse right now. It's fairly new and much better than anything we have lived in before but all your amazing homes are making me feel like a total shitbum. I can't wait to buy a house.

#justanurseandabiologist
#werepoor

bkeane619

This is actually my fave part of my house

PixiesDust

@jennlin -- Of course!  And thank you!  I love our front porch too.  We have rockers and a swing.  We do enjoy sitting outside, having a beer and waving to our neighbors. However, we live in PA so you'll have to bring your own sweet tea

ajjf1026

This is our house. We bought it in 2012. It's only 2 bedrooms but it works for now. We paid next to nothing for it and it was completely remodeled.

megs1409

I love seeing all the homes!  I'm the crazy person (pre-baby) that would love to go to Open Houses on rainy Sundays just to see how places were decorated and get ideas!

jennlin

PixiesDust said:

@jennlin -- Of course!  And thank you!  I love our front porch too.  We have rockers and a swing.  We do enjoy sitting outside, having a beer and waving to our neighbors. However, we live in PA so you'll have to bring your own sweet tea

Lol well I'm not from the south either, we can stick with lemonade.