Pleasant Surprises in the New House

We knew, upon buying this place, that it had what we needed: fenced-in yard, two acres, giant driveway, huge barn, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, new-ish appliances (not all work well, but that's another story), a/c and heat that both are functional enough, well water, etc. When we were looking for very specific non-negotiables (mainly the barn, the fence, and the few acres of flat, useable land), my expectations were low for the inside because those are always the things Scott says he can fix.

Fortunately, there wasn't as much fixing right away that needed to be done. When we moved into our house in Colorado in 2014, we more or less gutted the place over time. Ripping out dusty carpet and tearing up linoleum in 95 degree heat wasn't my best memory. The only thing we didn't rip out of that house was the drywall. 

In this house, it's a slower process. While some things drive me insane already, I'm trying not to let the little things get to me (i.e. light fixtures) because it just takes time. 

Here's a few pleasant surprises I didn't notice until moving time:

Black granite sink. 

These things are expensive, so it was a nice surprise. We've only ever had stainless steel, aside from the copper one we put in Colorado. 

Backsplash.

I don't think we've ever had a backsplash. We put one in Colorado (I remember grouting on Christmas Eve 2015), but usually rentals don't have them. This one is professionally done and, while I don't know that I would've picked it out of a line-up, I do like it. 

New carpeting.

The 3 bedrooms and the living/family room have brand new carpet. I am often wary of moving into a house with carpet but, if it's brand new, I can't argue with that. I prefer it in bedrooms and living rooms anyway.

Freshly painted walls. 

Again, no weird colors. I always appreciate a house that has that builder-grade, everything-one-color look. It's a blank slate. I've already painted one of the kitchen walls gray (obviously) because the muted cream color does get sterile-looking if it's everywhere. I am just glad there's no unicorns or bright yellow (Wyoming house had yellow walls...rereading this post, I had NO idea we'd end up having a baby in Wyoming LOL.)

The kitchen is more functional than I initially thought. 

What I did not like about this house was the kitchen. It was the non-selling point for me back when we were looking at houses in this area. I don't like kitchens that are basically squares or big open spaces with no structure in the middle or bare walls with no cupboards on them (wasted space!). It's the first thing I notice about a house...Call me whatever you want (a snob?) but it just looks unfinished to me when that's the case.

back in May...the wall looks yellow but it's cream. now it's gray.

However, this kitchen actually has a lot of counter space. While I wish there were a pantry, we put in the island already and that has small appliance storage and MORE counter space. It's probably my favorite project that we've ever done. I love counter space and this pulls the whole room together.

The front door.

If you recall, I am weird about front doors. The one in our rental in Pittsburgh was pale yellow and I couldn't stand it. This one...is red. It has a bit of style to it though. I don't hate it. We are eventually going to do the outside of the house in white, so a red door will look fantastic. As of now, it's fine. Not strong feelings. I'm kind of glad it's not brown or white, because that seems to be the standard out there and now I don't have to paint it. 

This wreath has been serving me well in 3 houses now. Getting my money's worth, I suppose. It was originally $75 at Hobby Lobby and I think I got it for $35. I can't believe someone would pay $75 for a foam flower Hobby Lobby wreath. 

*Please expect a remodeling update post once a week for the foreseeable future. I'm trying to write them all now, before school starts, because I'll never ever document this stuff if I wait.*