Houses are on my mind a lot lately. I am planning to start a list of things that are musts and things that would be nice. Notice that I said planning. It is hard to think about what I want in a house because, um, I have only lived in 3 houses. One was my parents, one was a rental with 4 girlfriends in college, and one was with the family that I nannied for during college. You could say those three houses were a tad different. And when I say tad, I really mean, very different.
The first was my home. The home that I came home to as a newborn. The home that I could walk around in in the dark and not run into anything. (As long as the path was clear, ahem) The home that I knew which stair squeaked. The home that I cried when I left for college.
The second was a rental with four girlfriends. We hung stuff on walls, or somebody did, because I do remember there being stuff on the walls. And it was a comfortable house, but it wasn't really home. Nor did it have many amenities. We were thrilled that it had two full bathrooms. And sometimes that wasn't enough for 5 low maintenance girls. I remember the fridge was, um, not full sized, which sometimes created a problem because yes, I did need to keep all 12 Diet Cokes cold at the same time.
The third was, how do I say, huge, large, like 3 of my growing up homes in one big house. It was comfortable, I enjoyed living there. Did I mention that I was in charge of cleaning that bad boy. All but the master bedroom and bathroom. It is a beautiful house, but I don't want something that big.
So, looking back at what I know through experience, this is what I want in a house. 4 bedrooms. A large fridge. 2.5 bathrooms. A master bath would be nice, but it won't rule a house out. One story would be nice, but again, wouldn't rule a house out. A backyard. And there is where I am stuck.
Any suggestions? What else should I be looking for?
Oh, and Houston is having a cold snap, it is 45 degrees there today.
I was just thinking that it's a shame you can't move to Houston in the winter, when it would seem like going to a balmy resort locale. I'm afraid when you actually move in June or whenever it is going to come as an overwhelming stifling shock of humidity and heat.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, our house desires are 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and 2 living areas. I think a third child is far enough in our future that 4 bedrooms is not a must, but I would really love 2 living areas, one for couches/TV/company and one for computer/sewing/playroom. When Rob and I lived in a condo during med school, we had 2.5 bathrooms, which felt utterly ridiculous when there were only 2 people living there. We designated one the "storage bathroom", kept stuff in it, and forbade anyone from using it so we didn't have to regularly clean it.
Do they have basements in TX? We love our big living area down there and it's a great place to have all of the toys so that parts of your home can look like adults live there. Also, how about a fence in the backyard. I love suburbia but on my list of wants is a fenced in area in my backyard so I can let my kids go out to play while I'm glancing their way from the kitchen window and not worrying they are going to wander in to the cornfield or the street ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree on the fence! I know that they can play out there and if I run to do a load of laundry I don't have to worry about someone snatching them or them running into the street.
ReplyDelete4 bedrooms on a ranch will be a HUGE house! I love our new house! I also agree with the basement for toys!
I would have hated to clean that bad boy too - all those spindals to dust and the tile and the bathrooms etc....
Does Drew have garage requirements? Glen has said he would have made the garage bigger if he was doing it again. Also, Sammy just asked me tonight if Dad could build another little bathroom for her and Britta so they wouldn't have to share with the boys. :) I can't wait to visit you!
ReplyDeleteDon't give away all your winter clothes. We do have winter in texas (last year, a bonafide ice storn in San Antonio!). Check for window placement if opening windows is important to you and ceiling fans are very nice in the heat of summer.
ReplyDelete