So, funny story about the house below. We bought it and we’re moving in.
We know this news probably evokes a whole range of reactions. Excitement for new makeovers. Sadness for leaving our current house. Curiosity about all of the logistics. Confusion. Anger. The inexplicable urge to do The Carlton.
Starting this story requires rewinding seven years, back to our first house hunting experience in Richmond in the spring of 2006. We had just moved from New York City and Richmond real estate felt very spacious and very cheap by comparison. It made dreamers out of us. We checked out a bunch of neighborhoods, and fell for an awesome old area with nice big wooded lots, great schools, charming tree-lined streets, and kids on scooters.
But none of the sweet old character-filled houses in that neighborhood were in our price range, especially because the bank had no faith in us. The issue was not our savings, but the fact that I was less than 2 months into my new job and Sherry was just as deep into her career as a freelance copywriter. In the eyes of the bank, Sherry was unemployed since she was a newbie self employed person (even though she was earning more than me!) so I ended up being the only name on the loan – basically cutting our buying power in half. Goodbye dream neighborhood, hello this looker.
As deflating as that financial reality check was, it turned out to be one of the biggest blessings. Had we not been steered towards a fixer upper, we might not have ever started this blog or learned the advantage of buying a home that’s well within our means. By not stretching financially, we could stash away a lot more project money and build up our nest egg – because we hadn’t lost sight of that neighborhood we first fell for, we had just put that dream on hold.
Fast forward 4.5 years, past a new puppy, a wedding in the backyard, Clara’s birth, and me coming home to work full-time. Our beloved little 1,250 sq ft ranch (with only one full bathroom) was suddenly feeling cramped and we found ourselves house hunting again. Dream neighborhood here we come, right? Try again, compadre. This time I was the financial deadweight (having just left a salaried job six months earlier to come work at home – great timing, right?). So once again we found ourselves approved for something far below our actual mortgage-paying abilities thanks to the bank’s you-haven’t-done-this-self-employment-thing-long-enough-for-it-to-count doubt.
But it dropped another gem of a fixer upper in our laps. And this time we knew that an affordable needs-work home meant even more projects and more money squirreled away for our “maybe someday” neighborhood.
Now, I wouldn’t say we ever consciously thought of these homes as “stepping stones” or rungs on a property ladder that we were itching to climb. Even though we always loved that dream neighborhood from afar, Sherry was fully convinced our first house would be our “forever home” (we even have that statement on video). When we fall in love with a house, we fall hard. But the experience of outgrowing and leaving our first place made us realize that we enjoy the process of loving an old house back to life way too much to stop at just one.
So when we moved into this house, we went into things with a more open attitude. Knowing we’d soak up every second of living here (you know we’re nuts about the journey) but no longer making bold declarations like “we’ll stay here forever.” Admittedly, at halfway through year three of living here, the end came a bit sooner than we expected, but our time here since 2010 has been jam-packed. We’ve celebrated three Christmases in this house, created a book from start to finish here, and enjoyed countless Clara milestones (crawling, walking, talking, Gangnam Style-ing). So this place is by no means a blip on the timeline of our family history. It has been “home” through a heckova lot, which makes leaving it that much more bittersweet.
We just knew we didn’t want our current place to be our last fixer upper (it’s not only what we love to do, it’s our livelihood), so when we felt ourselves tackling the last few untouched rooms on our list we started casually keeping one eye open for a deal that could be a potential rental or even a future Casa Petersik. We’d occasionally flip through real estate listings and drop in on open houses. We always hoped that something would come up in our price range in that dream neighborhood so we could jump on it like a velociraptor, but after two house-hunting experiences that didn’t lead to us ending up there, we weren’t very confident.
And then it happened. Pretty much out of nowhere, we found the sweetest needs-lots-of-love home in that old charming neighborhood that we’ve driven through at least five times a year just to stare creepily since 2006. Yes, this is a seven-years-in-the-making house coup of ours. We would have loved to take you guys on the house hunting adventure with us like last time, but it all happened so fast and before we knew it we were closing on it.
And thanks to putting some of that saved-for-years cash down at closing, our new house’s mortgage amount is almost exactly the same as our current house’s – but our interest rate is even lower. We both spent closing day waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and scream “you got punked!” but all went well and the house is officially ours. We’ve even had it long enough to fix some first-priority issues like a leaking roof, a broken furnace, and even hooked up the alarm system.
The house hasn’t been updated since it was built around 35 years ago, and knowing that its interior might scare off others trying to buy in a mostly turn-key community, the sellers priced it way under assessment. It was over $100,000 less than another house of the same size that was for sale down the street. A low-priced fixer upper in a neighborhood that we’ve dreamed about for almost a decade? Yes please. 70’s wallpaper, blue trim, lumpy carpet and all…
Beyond the price, neighborhood, and glaring need to be rescued – this place is perfect for us in so many other ways. It’s nearly the exact same size as our current place (huzzah, no more extra square feet to clean). The street is beautiful and quiet (perfect for someday teaching Clara to ride a bike). It’s still just as close to our family (maybe they can watch Clara while we strip wallpaper). And it presents us with so many new design challenges and opportunities that our minds are spinning with ideas. I mean, hello, we have stairs for the first time in seven years of home-ownership!
Perhaps the funniest thing is that at our age, my parents were moving into their third house, which was where they stayed for over three decades. So apparently it’s in the Petersik blood.
We know that you guys probably have dozens of questions – When are we moving in? (Don’t know yet) When can you see more pictures? (Soon) What does Clara think? (She already picked out her room… based on the closet size. Is she 16?) But this post would be ten thousand words if we tried to cover everything, so we’ll get to those things in time. We also have a few things to finish around here to get our current house sold (anyone interested?) so in an effort to keep our own minds focused on those to-dos, it won’t be all new house posts all the time. We’ll just be moving at our usual real-time pace and sharing a little bit of everything that’s happening (selling, packing, planning, moving, and diving into our new house adventure).
Did I mention these two are the most excited of all? Okay, three if you count Ariel.
We can’t wait to continue sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly with you guys. Seriously, who wants to come paint some mauve trim with us? And if there were a moral to this story, it’s patience. This is not “the house the book bought” (we still haven’t hit our royalty point), it’s the house that seven years of saving up and living within our means bought. Had we strained our wallets and gone for a larger or more turn-key house back in 2006, we probably would’ve had a very different financial path, and most certainly would have had a different career path. So even though we had to wait a while, it just makes this new chapter in our lives that much sweeter. Who knows, we might just stay there forever…
Allyson says
WOW! Did not see that one coming! So very exciting..both for you guys and for personal reasons. I can’t get enough of your projects!
Lilly says
WOW! Congratulations!! I appreciated the walk-through of how you came into each house, including this one. And sersly, Congrats on the same mortgage payment but with lower interest. I love your blog’s mesg of living/loving within your means. Looking forward to learning all about this house, and to see how you will remodel. Congrats again!
[Not sure if my first comment went through; I got a “server busy” mesg–I bet! Sorry if this is a repeat.]
Lindsey R. says
Mind. Officially. Blown. Wow! Congratulations!
Stephanie says
Congratulations! My hubby and I just closed on our first house and will be moving in on May 18. Definitely not a fixer upper, since it was built in 2007 but there are still things that need to be done to make it our own! I’m excited to watch you guys update this house and hopefully learn some tricks along the way to use in our home as well!
Renee says
Just think about all those NAIL HOLES that have to be filled!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Good thing we have a tub o’ putty.
xo
s
Kim says
Umm, FYI. If you ever decide to start a DIY rock band, your name should TOTALLY be Tub O’ Putty.
YoungHouseLove says
Comment of the day! Especially when read with a British accent!
-John
Nicole says
Congratulations! I’m probably way more excited about this than I should be, but I can’t wait to see what you do with this new beauty!
Marissa says
That is so very exciting!! Congrats you guys!!
Janelle says
Congrats! I’m so excited for you guys!!
Hailey says
Congrats!
Gina F says
Congrats! It looks beautiful (the outside at least.) I was just thinking this week that most of your house was done and wondering if you would start looking at a new place or not. How exciting for you!
Vicki says
I’m floored! I skipped to the bottom of the post to see if that was a last ditch April Fool’s joke what with it being April 30th….
Good for you guys! That house looks H-U-G-E! It will take you years to get it into shape :)
ShellyP says
WOWZA!!!! BLOW. MA. MIND!!!!
Congratulations to you two kids and this big, new, bold ADVENTURE!!! I am sitting on the edge of my chair waiting to see the 1970’s fabulousity that defines the interior of this new house and what plans the two of you have in store to freshen it YHL-style. I read YHL faithfully every morning for the past two years and am looking forward to the morning updates on this new place. Very excited for your family but also very excited for the benefits it will mean to the YHL readership and all the lessons to learn/copy/steal/plagiarize/bogart/pilfer. Over the moon happy for YHL!
ShellyP
Ashley S says
I’m so excited for you! I figured that’s the direction you guys were going from recent posts, but how exciting to start redesigning your dream home! I can’t wait to read all the details about the house! Congratulations!!
Val says
CONGRATS! Looks like an amazing house and I love the whole story…sometimes things all fall into place the way they should, right? :-)
Sarah R. says
My first thought was “oh no, we won’t have the same move in date now!”. I moved into my (first) house the same day you guys moved into your current (second) house. I thought that was so cool. :)
I’ll come paint! I live in MD, my family lives just south of you guys in Chesterfield, and that drive is nothing. And I’m pretty tall, so that should help!
Congrats you guys, I am SO EXCITED to follow along with you as you give some love to this new house.
Harmony_G says
Part of me is sad. I found your blog just after you bought the current house and have loved your adventures so much that part of me is very attached to it.
That new house though…. its amazing, full of possibilities, and it makes you all very happy. What more could we ask for. I wish you the best on the sale and moving and look forward to what is a head. Thankfully the new old house will always live on in the archives.
Kelly says
Congrats!! My initial thought was “Shut the front door!”, totally thought you were pulling a prank! The house looks awesome from the outside and I’m excited to see all the new things you will think of!
tawnia says
How thrilling! Your blog/life is so inspirational! I know you guys will do amazing things to that gorgeous shell of a house. Congrats and good luck!
Melissa Miller says
Congrats! It is gorgeous and looks perfect for you all! So funny but I actually thought just the other day that you all would move soon. I guess it shows how in tune you are with your readers. *Smiles*
Lauren says
Ahhh! So excited for you guys! And excited for all of the new design ideas that will come out of your new home :)
Sarah says
I’m so excited for you! I can’t wait to see what you do with everything. If I were in Richmond, I’d totally come help paint. Sherry, I am the cutter-inner in our family just like you!
gemma@thesweetestdigs says
Holy smokey!!! That is such exciting news. I *love* the exterior of the new house – so classic and lovely. As always, I’ll be excited to watch as you transform the space and make it yours.
Huge congratulations!!
xo.
Brittany says
Man, I kept thinking the whole time that John was going to say “Just kidding!”. Not sure why. I guess I’m just in shock, haha. So happy for you guys! The house is beautiful (outside anyway..). I know you guys are going to do amazing and wonderful things with it. It has so much potential. I’m excited to go on this ‘journey’ with you!
Juliemara says
I seriously thought this was a prank at first, I feel like you just moved! Then when I realized it was for real I turned around in my office to tell someone, but no one knows you, so they’d think I’m nutz for tearing up in excitement for your new house! Whoohoo!
Macey says
Wow! Congrats! What a journey
Suzanne says
Yup, I had to look at the date again too, but of course you were gonna move at some point. You NEED to love a house to shining glory. It’s what you do, it’s why we read your loving and entertaining blog, John & Sherry :)
Congrats. Buckled up and ready for this wild ride with you, even if just a passenger :)
Smiles from NW Illinois,
Suzanne (“& Kevin”)
VickiP says
Congrats! We did the same- bought a crazy fixer-upper on the street of our dreams. Complete with pink painted fireplace and trim! But you can change all of it. What you can’t change is the location. Way to go on keeping an eye on the prize. Can’t wait to watch this one evolve!
Christy says
I’m shocked! You guys are great secret keepers. I am thrilled to have a whole new host of DIY projects to watch and learn from. I just got your book a couple weeks ago at the Joss & Main sale (sorry, I’m a little late to the party) and have loved pouring over all the projects. I’m thinking house #3 will provide lots of opportunities for book #2! Congratulations, guys! You have worked so hard and deserve it!
Cathy M. says
Congratulations! I have to admit that I was shocked. You guys are great secret keepers. Although, the first clue should have been that you really were running out of significant projects. Absolutely can’t wait to see what you do with the “new to you” house. Looks like it has great potential! Guess Clara may never sleep in that big girl room after all. :-)
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says
Congratulations! That is so exciting you guys! Can’t wait to see all of the new projects this house will bring! :)
Meredith says
This is nuts. Congrats, guys! I’m in the midst of spring cleaning and downsizing, and I was just popping in to request a master bedroom closet tour so I could steal organizing/small wardrobe ideas from you guys… and then this! Well, maybe you could do a closet post before you pack it all up and say goodbye. :)
Julie says
So very excited for you guys. I had a feeling this was coming! I am looking forward to seeing more of the inside of the house and also, your new backyard. Good luck with your showing today!
Chaney says
WHOA PETERSIKS! So excited for y’all! I kept reading this post thinking it might be another April Fool’s joke, but no – no joke here – just new house awesomeness! Can’t wait to see what you do on this one. Here’s to a new adventure!
Sarah C says
I seriously thought it was going to be a joke but so excited it’s not! I love your current house though so slightly sad…but excited to see you guys design the next one!!! Congratulations by the way!!!! I feel like I’m celebrating my own excitement for reading blog posts on a new home and we should be celebrating your next big move!
Melissa @ Loving Here says
First of all, CONGRATULATIONS! You guys totally deserve your “dream house,” and I’m super happy for you (as we all are, I’m sure.)
Second of all, I had to stop and reread the first part of this post 3 times to make sure you weren’t pranking us or somehow joking, as it was pretty unexpected. :)
Third of all, I’m so excited to see how you get started on big projects and slowly turn this house into your new masterpiece! Enjoy the adventure!
Kimberly says
Wow! Congratulations! I can’t wait to follow all of the new projects.
kates says
Congrats and good luck with the home selling process! I am sure yours will go much quicker than mine! Ours took 5 months 3 weeks and 2 days to sell (but who’s counting)!
I would love to buy your house but Richmond is a little to far of a commute back to Iowa. LOL!
Amber says
I have been creeping your blog since before Pinterest.(*gasp* Can you even remember back that far?)I have never commented (hence the “creeping”) but I have shared your page with so many people and I must admit, you guys have inspired a few diy changes at my own house, not that I needed any futher influence (hello, 11:30pm I just know that would look better if I…leading to tearing into walls and such while the kids are sleeping haha). I just wanted to drop a comment and tell you how STOKED I am to see what you guys do with this newest chapter in your life story! I am so happy for you and even happier looking forward to the next year + of ideas!!
Jyl says
Wow! Congratulations, Petersik family! I’ve been reading your blog for so long that my heart actually stopped for a second so it could swell with pride and happiness for you. I know you’re going to do amazing things with this house! Enjoy every minute of it! Weeeeeeeee!
Evelina says
I’m a little sad that we missed out on the house hunting process. But that sadness is trumped by all the excitement for all the new projects we will read about!!!!! WOO!!
Congratulations!! It’s so beautiful :)
Stephanie Riggin says
Congrats and Good Luck- Can’t wait to see the journey!
Joy says
Ahhh! I’m so excited for you guys! After reading your blog for over 4 years (!!) my husband and I JUST purchased our first home (not closed yet though…fingers crossed)! No more life as a renter, and now I can actually use all your ideas and inspiration in my home too! I’ll already book marked some kitchen cabinet painting and fridge building-in to get to those posts easily. Can’t wait to follow along on your new journey!
Bethany says
OMG!! Shut the front door!! Seriously so excited for you guys! I love the picture of Clara and Burger on your back?! deck? I am so excited to see what you guys do with this house!
I hope that whoever buys your current home realizes what a treasure they are getting. Not only do they get the beautiful design that you guys have created, they get a step-by-step manual of their new home. Every paint color, every appliance, everything! What I would have given to have something like that on my home when we moved in. Seriously, I think that is worth a bump in the price for you!
CONGRATS!!
Traci says
Congratulations! From the snippets of pictures it looks like some of your future projects align with things we have going on with our new (to us) house. Any giveaways to what the priority projects will be?
Jodi T. says
Woah! Totally didn’t see that one coming!!!! First, CONGRATULATIONS! :) Second, why do I feel like I might tear up a little? I “met” you guys when you moved into this house,and fell hard for your beautiful kitchen (and other rooms). I’m a little sad (but excited for y’all).
GOOD LUCK!
Kelsie W says
Did NOT see that coming! Well done on the shock factor. And Congrats!!! Can’t wait to see what you guys tackle next!
Jamie says
WOW! I resisted the urge to scroll all the way to the end, barely! Congrats, it looks like a big project, but I’m sure history will repeat itself and it will be beautiful!
K says
WOW! Congratulations. I’m excited to see what you do with a non-ranch space (although, I do love ranches).
Jenni says
Congratulations! We’ve been on a similar path ourselves…bought our first in Iowa in ’06. Got a dog. Bought a new house in ’11. Got married. Picked up and relocated to Georgia. Bought our third house in January, and are expecting our first human baby in 19 days (holy cow!) We’re not as design savvy as you guys, but we may have to try…cause this newest house has two completely bare to the studs bedrooms and barely roughed in bath upstairs that we’re going to have to do something with. Here’s to exciting new things, and enjoying the ride!
Sandy says
Ok … now that I picked myself off the floor and dusted myself off, let me just say, WOW!! Congratulations! I don’t think anyone of us saw this coming. WOW! Really? This isn’t an end of April joke is it?