A new house!

We bought another house to fix up and rent.  Well, the hubs says we'll try to flip it, and I won't stand in the way if we can make a pretty good deal on it.  Buuuutttt, I want it.  To live in.

This house was built in 1955, and has a laundry list of things wrong with it.  Starting with around 6K in foundation work.  The owners have almost doubled the square footage, adding a big family room, converting the original one-car garage, and adding a giant two car on the back of the house w/ alley access.  A plain but private, comfy guest suite through the garage.  The backyard is an exercise in compromise, since the add-on cuts it in half.  The front yard has tall trees--one of them has a cactus growing out of it.

It's really a mess, but I have fallen in love.  Wood floors through the living room, hall and bedrooms.  Tons of space for storage, workrooms, an office.  Original 50's kitchen!

We used to believe we needed to be out in the country.  Strike that.  We used to NEED to be out in the country.  But over the last several years, we've discovered things change, people change (I promise not to break into song here) and what used to fit just doesn't anymore.  Sooooo...Phil and I have talked about renting the house after we fix it up, and then in a year...maybe moving back to town.

I'm working hard not to get my heart set on the place, but it might be too late.  We'll sign contracts and close by mid-September, then the rehab begins.  After the foundation lift, there will be lots to fix, new tile, drywall repairs, some demo of parts that need to go away (godawful fake fireplace in the family room) and lots of landscape cleanup.  New appliances, paint, etc.  We're looking at around 32K in rehab costs--if there are no ugly surprises.

Have I mentioned the original 50's kitchen?
Ahem, where was I?

Well, anyway, if I seem a little distracted from this weekend's show, from making dolls, from cooking dinner...it's because I am.  This silly old house.  Pictures as we proceed.