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…
Ami says
Ha! After I double checked my calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1st (I’ve got the worst pregnancy brain so yes I had to check), my first thought was “HA! I was right!”
I was just looking at all the progress you’ve made on the house and thinking “Man they are ALMOST DONE with that house. ALREADY. They’re gonna have to move b/c this is their job and not just their house and they need more space to redo stuff cuz this whole space is dang near done!”
Congratulations guys! I can’t wait to see what y’all do to show the new place some love!
Momcat says
Yay!! How exciting for you, but MORE importantly — more DIY EYE-CANDY FOR US!! (Because it is all about us, is it not?!)
Congrats to you! If we weren’t so entrenched here, I’d for sure love to buy a Petersik home! (like a Frank Lloyd Wright, but better. More contemporary & colorful)
Reina says
absolutely gorgeous! god bless!
Becky D. says
I may have exclaimed out loud at work when I saw your post…I was SO surprised and then feebly mumbled “never mind” when everyone looked at me (I work in a library HA!) Wow! I am so excited to follow this next journey to see how you transform this house with fantastic bones…how exciting.
Katie says
Whoa – didn’t see that one coming! Congratulations on the new house!
How much are you planning on leaving at your old house or taking along with you? I remember being asked that question when we sold our first house and I told the realtor we would leave everything (we were moving across the country rather than across the city). Now I regret not taking some of the light fixtures and our upright freezer, all of which would have fit perfectly in our current place. Live and learn!
YoungHouseLove says
We’ll be leaving all the light fixtures and curtains except for the curtains in a few rooms (the ones Clara picked out in her big girl room for example) and bringing all of our furniture, so it should be fun to see how picking new lights and wall colors and getting new furniture and accessories to fit the new house will evolve along with the things we bring from here. It’s so funny to look back at how different our first and current house are, so we’re sure wherever we end up will surprise us!
xo
s
Abbey says
Congrats on your new home, I love the outside!
I didn’t read through all the comments to see if you answered this already but since you have a showing today it would be interesting to know what you guys did to prep the house for a showing, it seems like your house has so much of you guys in it, for example the gallery wall, that I wonder if you took conventional selling tips and packed that stuff away already or if you left it because it’s all so fabulous looking?
YoungHouseLove says
Ahhhh, the showing was good! No offer or anything, but we hear they like it and will get back to us! We can’t wait to write up a post all about what we did to prep :)
xo
s
Tina W. says
i want to say congratulations like a nice polite adult but part of me is mad at you for abandoning the penny tile so soon into your relationship. i’m sure your next kitchen will be even better but i’m still going in to the corner to pout and huff.
(p.s. yay! new house = more blogging & ideas)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, oh there will be penny tile somewhere in the new house. That’s a promise.
xo,
s
Amanda Janel says
Tina, I felt the same way, lol!
So glad to hear you’re gonna use penny tile again! Now my only worry is about the peninsula stools. They’re the one thing (…four things?) I truly covet in your current house the most, besides the penny tile wall, of course!
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
Holy smokes, you guys! Thank you for waiting until the last day of April for posting this versus the first day of April. This is CRAZY! And you want to hear something crazy and perhaps slightly stalkerish? I was thinking about you guys a week or so ago and how you once said that when you get done with projects in your current house you’d maybe go in on a beach house with John’s family to fix up. But then you sneaky little devils went ahead and bought a new house. I’m so flippin’ excited for you guys! The house is absolutely gorgeous (from the outside), and I know you’ll work your magic on the inside. Just let me know when I can visit. I can sleep in Clara’s new closet if need be.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I know it’s so crazy! I really thought we might do a rental or a beach house or something because I had lost all hope on that neighborhood we love. And then a house had to go and pop up and WIN OUR HEARTS! Haha!
xo
s
Barbara says
It’s PARTY TIME…. wait, wasn’t this yesterday!
CONGRATULATIONS!
krystle @ Color Transformed Family says
wow! You almost completely caught me by surprise with this one. Except that Melanie @ Mailbox Journey had gotten a little suspicious the other week and had me waiting for the big annoucement. I am so excited and can’t wait to see more of the new house!
decoratica says
I’m almost ashamed of writing one more post to summ up to the 1700 large that you have published already…
But these are really great news! The new house looks amazing and you have the job I can only dream about! Buy, renovate and decorate house after house! You lucky guys!!! I bet this won’t be your last one (how many bets already on this? :)
I’m following you from the first one, before even Clara was born and I still can’t wait to see what you come up with.
Congratulations and good luck!!!
Maky says
DUDES!!! What an (unexpected) surprise! How exciting for you, to finally have your dream home in your dream area. Things always fall into place eventually, don’t they? :)
Can’t wait for the new adventures – congrats on the new house!
[email protected] says
AHHHH! SO excited for you guys! I got all giddy and felt like I was moving! Can’t wait to see the new house- it’s stunning!
Audrey says
OMGosh I am so excited for you guys! Can’t wait to see what you do to this house. Congratulations!!!!!!
Sarah says
Congrats!! My first thought when seeing the picture was “Yay! We get to see them do pretty stuff to stairs now!”
Hannahhenning says
What a beautiful house! Can’t wait to follow this new adventure! Congratulations!
samantha says
Just as well you didn’t post this on April 1st, because I’d be waiting for the next post which would read April fool! I can’t believe you have been in your current place of 3 years, really?
The house above looks very grand, can’t wait to see how it all turns out, and how clara gets on with the stairs, lots of imaginative ways to get from top to bottom…..
Molly O. says
CONGRATULATIONS
Angie says
Wow, big news! Congrats to you guys! This new house looks gorgeous, even with the (awesome) 70’s wallpaper. :) And I can’t stop watching that Carlton gif. So, thanks for that. If I had a list of “favorite things ever” The Carlton would be in the top 10, hands down. I’m hoping one of you broke out that dance right after you closed. No shame.
harlie says
Wow! Congrats! I had to reread that first sentence a few times and, even then, it’s such a big deal that I kept expecting to read, “Just kidding!” I’m excited for you guys :)
Rachel says
Okay, is it weird that reading this post brought tears to my eyes a little bit? Like other commenters above, I have been noticing that there are a lot of items crossed off your list…. And it had me wondering a tiny bit, but I was still shocked when I just read this! I actually convinced myself that it must be some kind of April-Fools-moved-to-the-last-day-of-April joke… This sounds totally creepy, but I feel like I’ve lived in theis house with you guys, and I am really sad to see if go! However, I can’t wait to see what you do with the new place… I can already see its potential! Best of luck with this new journey!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw you’re so sweet Rachel! Thanks to everyone for all the love today! It feels so good to spill the beans to you guys, and we can’t wait to show you more of this ugly/beautiful house of ours! Hahah!
xo
s
Maren says
haha me too! I’m like, “wait, it’s april 30, not april 1!!
Jenn says
ahhhh this is so exciting! I can’t wait to follow the next step in this ridiculously fast process haha
Jenn
With Luck Blog
Kristy says
Here’s the thing…. I was planning to win the lottery and move to Virginia so I could buy your house from you. But you have gone rogue and moved up the timetable. So unless the lottery thing happens very soon you will have to sell your/my house to someone else!!! I do forgive you as I prepare to dream another dream. BEST WISHES ON FOLLOWING YOUR DREAMS!!!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha, you’re so sweet Kristy!
xo
s
Cortney says
Congrats! So excited to see all the new projects, I was getting worried that you were running out of big projects at the old house. Love the look of it from the outside!
Christina says
CONGRATS GUYS!!! This is awesome news. Cannot wait to see all the DIY adventures ahead! Enjoy the new casa!
Lisa says
I’m so excited for you guys!! You can tell that your hearts are really into this one. Honestly, I never quite got that from your current house. I think you guys will be very happy there and I can’t wait to see more pics! Congrats! :)
YoungHouseLove says
The funny thing is that we were so in love with our first house that we thought we could never get that feeling again (we thought it was like a “first love” thing and it wouldn’t happen with other homes) but then we got it again with the new house. Totally shocked us!
xo
s
Allison says
I think it’s safe to say you have officially shocked everyone that visits this page! Haha! Everyone thinks you’re joking! Even I scrolled quickly to the bottom to find the “gotcha!” : ) Congratulations!
Dawn says
I swear I thought this was going to be a joke! Such a surprise! So excited to see what you guys come up with!
cori roberts says
This was so exciting to read today!!!! I can’t wait to watch it all unfold! The house is beautiful!! Lots of new memories will be made there! And maybe another book!!!??? ;) Sounds like a plan to me! HAHA!! (I am the one who creepily posted that you should buy your current house without knowing you actually did buy that house!) I will pretend that I found this house for you too! ;)
Sarah says
Congratulations, Petersiks!
It would be so much fun if you did the new house tour (whenever you get to that) in the same manner as you do the house crashing posts on your blog. And because you’ve debated about this quite a bit in your current house, I’m curious–does the new place have a garage or a carport?
YoungHouseLove says
A garage! Wahoo! Although now we might just miss the ol’ carport! Haha!
xo
s
Brandy says
Holy crap!!! I so thought this was a joke. I actually thought this was a house crashing and you were kidding about moving in. I’m so excited for future projects! Congratulations!!!
asha says
Congrats Petersiks!! That is fantastic :)To be honest, I double checked the date it was posted to be sure it wasn’t an April Fools “gotcha!”. haha…what can I say, it was too exciting all at once.
Can’t wait to see how you tackle the many new projects in your new place and also see how your tastes/talents continue to grow. Best of luck with the move and settling in!
Audrey says
CONGRADULATIONS!!!
I cant wait to see the layout of the house and more pics. I am sure your current house will sell fast becauseit is just beautiful!! and you really have a great kitchen.
Janel says
This is so exciting! Congrats! I actually just started following, and felt overwhelmed at how I was going to have to go back and read every post from the beginning (it was a sacrifice I was willing to make ;)…now I can see the entire process in “real time” ha!
Amanda @ Peanut Butter & Adrenaline says
OH MY GOD! I thought I was being punked! Congratulations to you both on buying what looks like a great home. I can’t wait to see what you end up doing with it. :)
karay says
Congratulations! I was definitely wondering how things would go on the blog once your current house’s interior was “finished”. From all the sneak-peek photos, this new house looks like it will be a blast to work on! Best of luck in all of your “details” stuff pre-move and on the move itself. I am a graduate student working on finishing up my degree and your blog has become a huge part of my world. You inspire me to keep working when I just want to stop…. I am always blown away by how efficient, energetic, and soulful you both are! So excited to keep reading :)
Maureen says
Awesome! Can’t wait to see what you do. Seems like big projects were winding down a bit on this current house so the timing seems perfect! Projects! Bring ’em on!
Mary Beth says
J’DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously.. that house is SO BEAUTIFUL!
And don’t even get me STARTED on my sudden and uncontrollable urge to move from Toronto, Ontario Canada into the house you’re now selling…
I’m sure hubs would go for it.. we’ll just pack up three kids, a dog and a cat and head out!
I cannot WAIT to see the projects that await you.. it’s funny, I was just wondering the other day what was left for you to do in the current place… not a problem anymore!!
Congrats!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha, thanks Mary Beth!
xo
s
Gina says
Congratulations! Like so many others who have commented, I was waiting for the “just kidding” part of the post!
Our current house was full of wallpaper. If I never have to remove wallpaper again, I will be a very happy person! Thankfully, it was only a pain to remove in 1 room. It was just a very time consuming process in all of the other rooms!
I can’t wait to see more of the new house and how it evolves over the next few years!
Sharon says
Congratulations! So excited for you guys and really looking forward to all the new projects! :)
Andrea says
Congratulations on your new home. It’s still in Richmond?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, it’s still in the Richmond area :)
xo
s
Suzy B says
So excited for you….. Ok, have to say when selling our house 3 yrs ago, we bought a St Joseph statue & followed the instructions exactly on the box and sold our house that week. There is loads of info about it & where you can buy one on the web. Something fun to try!!!!!Can’t wait for all the new projects…..saw this coming in a recent post. I have great intuition….love you guys!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Suzy!
xo
s
Amanda says
Holy cow!!! I am SO excited for you guys! Hooray for finding your dream house and saving for it! I can’t wait to see how you show this new house some love!
Jenny says
I already commented but I had to come back, read this again, and say again how awesome I think it is! The curb appeal is AMAZING on this one. I LOVE it! It’s such a dreamy house, I’m so excited for you guys! xox
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Jenny!
xo
s
Laura says
Very nice. I love that style. There is one in a town by us like it only it has a two story porch on the front. So pretty. I was wondering what you two would do when you ran out of projects.
Halle says
Super congratulations are in order! I wish I was older than 23 so I could afford to buy your amazingly cute home! Good luck in the new house, can’t wait to see what y’all make of it!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Halle!
xo
s
Kara K says
I love your new adventure! I also always feel like I’m chatting with a friend when I read your blog. In fact, I kind of want to text a couple of my friends to see if they heard the news that you’re moving. Which is creepy since none of us actually “know” you :)
Amanda Janel says
I’m excited for you guys! I feel like I’ve been waiting for this to happen.
I hope no one takes this the wrong way – I can’t be the only one who feels this way (waaaay too many comments to read through to find out!) – but I’m not that sad to see this second house go. I know people have gotten attached, and you guys have done some SERIOUSLY crazy awesome improvements, but it had so many oddities (because of the add-on?) that it never really felt right to me.
I’m extremely excited to see how you guys breathe new life into this next house! I know you guys love bright white molding, but when I looked at the picture of the room with blue woodworking all I could think of was how GOR-geeeoouus it would look painted black. Maybe it’s because of the black, white, and brick facade.
Can’t wait to see all the pictures of the property AND the new list!!
Alia Pustorino-Clevenger says
So many congratulations to my favorite DIY’ers! You have shown us all how to become confident in our own abilities in your first two homes, and now it will be amazing to see what you do to to your “potential forever home”.
Admittedly, I am very interesting in seeing since my husband and I live in a 50 something year old Colonial in Pittsburgh so you will be giving us ideas as you go along!
Best wishes and we all are looking to seeing your Petersik spin on your beautiful new home!
Lesley says
Embarassed to admit that at first I thought this was a reader submission post and just started skimming the pictures to see if it was my style b/c I was in a hurry today. Then I was confused with the pics of your house and had to scroll back up and read. Whoa big news.
Congratulations! Yes I was shocked but not really shocked. Your list of major projects seemed to be dwindling and you have a blog to maintain. The past two months I had been shocked at how quickly projects were being done and now we know why.
I may be a little superstitious but after being burned on a house hunt after being told we got it and announcing to others, I think it is smart to keep house hunting from others until closing.
Now my question, is there a room big enough for Karl?
YoungHouseLove says
Karl’s going to get a little makeover I think ;)
xo
s