In This Space Between: Tick Tock House Clock

Next spring we'll have lived in this house for five years. We have officially broken our previous record in staying at the same place for this long. When we moved, we knew this house was only going to be temporary, but resolved the next time we moved it was going to be to buy. No more renting, we've put our time in. We never planned on being here this long!

At barely 1000 square feet, our current home can be described as cozy. It's like a well worn shoe that knows the contours of your foot, but the foot has kept growing and the shoe is getting uncomfortably snug. The original part of the house, built in the early 1900's, is only about 600 square feet. More recently, a back porch was remodeled to add an extra 400 square feet of living space. This space is currently our dining room. The layout is very convenient and open, making the house feel bigger than what it is. But with only two smallish bedrooms for six people, this calls for some creativity in arranging things. There are two dressers squeezed into each room, and the standard-sized closets are literally stacked to the ceiling with stuff. Bunk beds are essential, and if we aren't able to buy a bigger house soon we're going to have to consider upgrading the top twin-sized bunk to a double. Rearranging furniture is out of the question, unless it's a "six inches to the left" kind of move. I have given away kitchen supplies for lack of space to store them. It works...though not ideal. And no, we do not have an upstairs or a finished basement (we get these questions often).

The side yard, which is essentially our back yard, garden behind the garage, and front door (which faces north). Corner double lot.

The street side of the house and back door. There's a rock walkway between the house and garage that serves as a path to the garden and yard (and composter).

This is why it feels like our clock is ticking. It seems as though we're on the precipice of change. It's time to move on. No more flushing away rent money with nothing to show for it. We've been searching for a house to buy for two years now. Up until the last few months we were only considering acreages, as this is where our hearts are. However, we've discovered all the acreages in our price range need updates to their septic systems per state law, or other major repairs, and most owners selling acreages that "reasonably" cannot afford those kinds of changes. Stepping into a large reno project right away is not our ideal. And since septic updates have to be taken care of before a property changes ownership, we would have to assume those costs (estimates we received were $6,900-$10,000), with our own money, before closing. If closing fell through, those pricey updates would literally be our gift to the seller. We cannot take on that kind of risk. We promised ourselves never again to get in over our heads with a house. We had to consider that maybe God had other plans for us. We conceded that we may have to settle for a home in town for now.

And we did. In June we found the "big old farmhouse" that I've always wanted, just without the farm. With four bedrooms and one and a half baths, there was room for us all. Two of the three bedrooms upstairs had walk-in closets. Walk-in closets! What a luxury! Although panicking at first because it was in town, and a lot farther away than I've ever moved in my life, I soon had plans for decorating and fixing it up. There was a place for everything. I consoled myself with the fact that the town was small, a third of the size of the town we currently live in, and close to friends. The house was a (small town) block from the edge of town and rolling fields. The alley running behind the house opened up onto a field driveway. It even had a front porch! The streets around the house were gravel, and there were no houses facing or behind it. It was up on a hill and also had a spectacular view of train tracks, something Gavin was so excited about. We currently live pretty close to tracks, so we're already used to train noise. If we have to be in town, this is a good place to be.

Almost twice the size of the house we're in now!

The view from the end of the alley behind the house.

As already recounted here, we were on the homestretch of purchasing it when the mortgage was denied due to Eli being laid off from work. Our current realtor has to be one of the nicest people we've worked with in our house hunt, and she is now working on another plan to get us the house. Unfortunately, the house is wrapped up in a state recovery program, and they can force the sale of the house. It has gone back on the market and is being offered at $15,000 less than what they were originally asking. It is now being shown several times a week, and it's obviously first come first served, so our chances of owning it are growing slimmer by the week. It's only a matter of time before it sells. And our hands are tied until Eli goes back to work. If we have to walk away for good we'll be out $875 in non-refundable inspection, appraisal, and mortgage application fees. It really could be worse...this could have been an acreage that we sunk nearly $10K into! And it's not!

I am not wallowing in sorrows! Good things come to those who wait, right?

Until I'm able to share the good news that we finally own our own little piece of America again, I'll give you a tour of our cozy little bungalow.

Disclaimer: these photos were taken right after I hosted a shower, so the house was in "company condition" not the "lived in condition" of everyday life. While I aspire to always have things this tidy it's simple not possible with four little boys under a roof. My goal for this blog is to "keep it real", and since I also plan on sharing "real life" photos of the house in the future I need these nice photos to keep it all balanced...and proof that I do pick up once in a while. ;)