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…
julia says
Baaaaah! Congratulations!!
xo julesinflats.com
Bonnie says
How exciting! It will be interesting to see whether your design style changes from your current house to the new house, as it did moving from house 1 to 2!!
Mallory says
Congratulations to you all!! What a fabulous house! Can’t wait to see what you all in store for this one. I may have actually taken a second to make sure it wasn’t April 1…but glad that is in fact actually happening. ;)
Lyndsay says
Congrats!!! I can’t wait to see what you do with it!!
Erica says
Congrats! I am SO excited to see what you guys do to this house :) You guys inspire us!
~Erica
esther says
So many things!!
1) Congratulations!!!
2) It looks SO much bigger than your current house, so I totally dont get how its the same size? I know, explanations coming. (First house tour video of the new house – eeeeekk!! cant wait for that)
3)You were really running out of spaces to transform with the YHL touch and now you have so much! Lots of work for you, but yayyyyyy for us :)
4) Clara’s hair is so long, and she looks soooo pretty!
YoungHouseLove says
Re: #2 – it is kinda funny (even to us) but this current house has most of the square footage in the back of the house so it looks smaller from the street. But in the new house all of the square footage is stacked on top of each other so it’s right in your face.
-John
Kel says
OMG this is so exciting!Congrats on No3!
If you need some DIY tips there is this great book called “Young House Love 243 ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love” to help you out. Have you heard of it before?? It’s really quite good.
YoungHouseLove says
LOL. We’ll have to dig up a copy!
-John
Sarah D says
Not to be creepy- but I would totally come paint trim with you(I’m in the area)! Y’all staying on the southside or getting a passport and coming across the river?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Come over! We’ll bribe you with pizza! As for the location, we decided to be more vague this time around and just say “the Richmond area” :)
xo
s
torrie says
wow! talk about a surprise! thought it was a joke at first, but april fools already passed! and i’m glad it wasn’t! the house looks amazing – inside and out! how exciting FOR ALL OF US!! haha :) way to keep us on our toes and throw us for an exhilarating loop! and congrats! more reasons to love yhl!
Kelly says
A girl takes an internet break for the day and this is what happens!
Is it weird that I’m almost more excited for the house than for you guys? It hit the homeowner lottery! Congratulations.
Amanda @ the giraffe life says
Yay! The front of the house is gorgeous :)
Jennifer Richards says
I also thought you were kidding! It seemed too serious and straight forward to be true. Something about the lack of rap lyrics (I totally LOVE when you guys throw them in!) congrats! Yay for new projects!!
Megan says
That is so awesome! A new blank (well, ahem, not blank) canvas for you two! I cannot wait to see what this new home has in store for you!
NancyB says
Not at all surprised!!! I was just thinking yesterday when I read about the carport update you have nothing else to do and unless you have another career choice up your sleeves…you need to move. Congratulations…it will be exciting to see what choices you make in this home.
Melissa says
WHAT ABOUT THE BIG GIRL ROOM!? :-D so happy for y’all! Can’t wait to see what you do with it! If I had it my way you would buy 50 more houses so I could be infinitely inspired! Happy moving and I have my fingers crossed that you find a seller quick!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha thanks Melissa! Thankfully when we moved in we wanted that middle bedroom to be a playroom and a future other kiddo room, so since we only have one kid right now we figure Clara can’t sleep in both rooms so we’re just taking her lead. Right now she likes to sleep in her crib but plays in the big girl room all the time – and it’ll all come with us except for the walls, so it’s nice to know that it’ll travel right over the new place :)
xo
s
Nicola says
Hurrah! Congratulations, Petersiks! So happy for you and can’t wait to hear and read all about your new adventures. This definitely calls for a Carlton dance. Xxx
Whitney says
Ok first off congratulations! I cant wait to see all the fabulousness you guys turn out with this new house! And I literally laughed out loud about Clara “Gangnam- styling”; my 2 year old daughter is obsessed as well! HA!
Whitney
Paula says
Wow, someone will get an absolutely terrific house from you and we will get to watch your process in a completely different style of home! Congratulations! (And I had thought in recent posts, that your project list of major things WAS dwindling…Hmmmmm…). Bon voyage!
Kelly says
YAY! I’m excited to see what you do with the new place!
Liz says
I am so excited for you guys! This looks just like the house I grew up in, and I’ve always wanted to go back, buy it, and completely renovate it…. except it’s now in a horrible part of town. I’ll live vicariously through you!
Elaine K says
I’m a little surprised, but excited to see what you will do with this house since it’s closer to my 70’s colonial–even has blue trim which I really need to get to! Best of luck with selling your current house.
sarah says
Yay! So exciting! I live in RVA also and have a few neighborhoods I purposely go for runs in and dream of living there. Until then, I keep saving. It’s encouraging to hear your story of how it happened. Maybe one day I’ll move into my dream neighborhood too :) I am excited to see the changes you make.
haverwench says
OK, so I have one observation, and one question.
Observation: when I first saw your new house, my first thought was that it looks a lot like a two-story version of your old house. Seeing all three of your houses in this post, I’d have to say I can see a real pattern–like when you’ve met several of your best friend’s boyfriends in a row and suddenly see what they all have in common. Red brick, black shutters, and white columns, topped by a chimney and flanked by some little shrubs, is definitely your type.
And the question: How long are you guys going to keep this up? I mean, now that you finally have a house is in your dream neighborhood, are you going to have to abandon it for someplace new when you finish fixing up everything there is to fix? Or is that the point at which you start looking around for a vacation cottage in really bad shape?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it’s true we apparently love a brick house with black shutters! As for how long we’ll keep this up, our new house feels much more permanent to us since it’s in a neighborhood we’ve always longed to live in, so we’d imagine that 4-5 years down the line (it should take us at least that long since it’s a lot less finished in many aspects than our first or second house) we’ll reevaluate and either go in on a rental or a beach house or decide to help other people with their homes or maybe not even be blogging by then! It’s really hard to project that far ahead when 5 years ago we never could have guessed we’d actually do this full time! We just like to trust that we’ll figure it out as we go :)
xo
s
Jessica says
ACK! Stop blogging??? How will we see photos of Will and Clara’s wedding?? : ) You can’t stop ever – you have us hooked. : )
Ali says
WOW, I am completely surprised! I figured you guys would be in the current house for a while yet, but whem opportunity knocks, what can you do! I am so excited to see what new adventures you’ll have in this new house, and jealous of whoever moves into your current one. Congratulations :)
bethany says
wowweee!!!!!! this literally made my day!!! House is so cute and omg cant wait to see what you guys do with it!!!!!!!!
Dawn says
Wow! What a surprise! I am excited to see your progress in the new house. It reminds me a lot of what I started with… mauve paint, powder blue trim, wallpaper galore!
Your new buyer will be thrilled with your famously updated home. I’m sure it will sell fast! Good luck!
Meghan says
So is this the “pretty big cat in pretty big bags” from your resolutions post or are there EVEN. MORE. CATS AND BAGS???
So excited for you!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahahahahah! I think for now all of our cats are out of their bags!
xo
s
Karen @ yearofserendipity says
Dude, didn’t see that coming! I can totally see you guys there and making it beyond awesome! Congrats!!!! We moved into our current house the same weekend you moved into your soon-to-be old house and lately I’ve been dreaming of the fixer upper Victorian we want to own next- I still feel like I’m cheating on my house though. Is it awkward to tell a house ‘it’s not you it’s me’?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Oddly enough I think that’s totally something I said to a few houses while we slipped into open houses! So I dub it totally normal.
xo
s
Tina says
Wow, nice new to you home! I’ve been following your blog since you moved into house #2! I have to say the decor in house #3 is very similar to the 1964 ranch that my husband and I moved into in 2008 (which we are still remodeling). Congratulations and good luck to you guys. I can’t wait to see what you do with this place!
Evie says
As a first time home buyer in RVA any hints on how to find your listing?! Your house is absolutely gorgeous and I can’t wait to see what you do with your new home.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s actually not on MLS yet, but if you email us we’d be glad to send you a link to the listing if it ends up on there :)
xo
s
Renée says
The exterior of your new house is super charming. I’m excited to see how you guys gussy up this house to make it your home. Congratulations, Petersiks!
aaroohii says
OMG carlton dance! yes please!
This is the best career decision you guys made, the current home was lacking in ‘interesting stuff’ for the blog. I`m so excited to continue reading YHL everyday!!!
Lee Ann says
Ooh, Pretty! Can’t wait to see what you do with it. :)
Joy says
First of all…The Carlton!! I truly laughed out loud when I saw that. Just another reason why I love you guys. Congrats on the new house. I can’t wait to see all of the awesome things you’ll do to make it your own.
Courtney says
Congratulations on the new home! You will sell so quickly it’ll scare you (if you haven’t already). Market’s right, house is perfect, etc…. I’m excited to watch your progress. Good luck!
Alex says
Firstly – congrats!
I’m one of those people who get anxious and hate moving. But I know I’ve been reading your blog for too long, when you moving house makes me feel all unsettled! Laughing at my self now, but having a cup of tea to settle down. Obviously you guys write so well you draw us well in. :)
Margaret says
It’s funny, when I initially saw the first part of your post my stomach dropped a bit and I felt such a sense of loss! It was such a shock (though of course makes sense, as you’re quickly coming to the end of your lists). But that is such a totally crazy reaction! It wasn’t a shock to you guys and how can I feel a loss to a house I’ve never been to, let alone lived in! I need to get a life :) But congrats to you both and how very exciting! Looking forward to all the renovations to come!
Rossi says
Congratulations! It’s really got the potential to be a beautiful home. I cannot wait to see how you bring it back to life!
Ashlie F says
Congratulations!!
Very unexpected but SUPER EXCITING! I cannot wait for all of your future projects!!
Yay! :-)
Lindsay says
I totally had to do a double check on today’s date to make sure it wasn’t April Fool’s Day. No lie. I don’t think anything could have shocked me more when I popped over to your blog. I also can’t believe you’ve lived in your house for 3 years. Time sure has flown! :)
Gretta says
OMG OMG OMG!!! I am so exicited!!! I am Clara and Burger excited for you guy’s. This is amazing news and I can’t wait for you guy’s start showing us what you are doing! GREAT JOB you guys.
amy says
So….I didn’t read all 2,000+ other comments but I’m kinda loving the wallpaper in pic #12. It’s kinda ikat-y, right?
So fun you guys! May God bless you for taking on all that trim! :)
YoungHouseLove says
I totally want to save scraps of every wallpaper and frame them :)
xo
s
Natalie says
CONGRATULATIONS!!
This is so weird that you posted this today as last night your guy were in my dream. You came to visit my house and I asked you how much more work there was left to do at your place as it seemed you couldn’t fit much more in.
So to wake up and see this news it is just bizzare but brillliant. I am very excited.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahaha!
xo
s
Bonnie @ the pin junkie says
Wow! This is big news! I’m already looking forward to all the new projects you’ll be doing and sharing with us. You two are amazing and have so much energy!
Kristen Allen says
Yaaaaay congrats!!! We’re doing the Carlton along with you :)
Sally says
Wow – that is a surprise, but a wonderful one! Congratulations, the new place is gorgeous, and I have no doubt you guys will do a wonderful job with making it your own:)If I lived closer I’d definitely by your old one! lol. I am currently selling my first fixer upper, and keeping an eye out for something else. I am considering mine a stepping stone though…eventually moving on up! Congrats again:)
Kelsey at Tanner Projects says
Yay! That house is beautiful! And I can’t wait to see what you guys do with it. YHL with stairs!? Can’t wait…
Amanda says
Okay, so I was totally convinced this was a joke for half the post, but once I realized you weren’t kidding, I was SO excited for you! The house looks amazing and it seems to have a ton of potential. Can’t wait to see what y’all decide to do with it!
Lindsey says
I’ve never been so excited for someone else to buy a new house in my life! Congratulations!!! I can’t wait to see what you do with it. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Thanks Lindsey!
xo
s
kathy v says
So exciting. Can’t wait to hear more details. Looking at the comments, did this post beat the post about the tour dates as “the most popular post”??
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, yes I think it wins!
xo
s