So here she is, the Farmhouse. Yes, I know it's a Craftsman and not a Farmhouse, but that's what we call her. Who is we? Me (alysha) , my husband (matt) and our three Kits (of the feline variety). If you've been to the site before (glad to see you again) you may already be a bit familiar with the house and the projects I've posted so far. If you're a virgin Old House New Trickster, Welcome! Feel free to browse the Before {and} Afters and How To's to get an idea of the transformations that have occurred already.
The house is from 1919 and resides in West Seattle. I haven't posted a full 'Before' tour yet but here it is, all the 'Befores' of the Before {and} Afters. These images were taken with my phone during the open house (except for one bathroom image that I couldn't find is current). We took the first month before we moved in to deal with the walls and floors, and unless you're into salmon colored painted floors and light peach walls you will understand that urgency.
I'm always a bit taken back when I stroll through these images, because it just looks like a completely different house than when we took our inaugural steps inside. That's a really good thing to keep in mind for anyone house hunting out there; when you're looking for a place of your own, really try to look past surface details like paint and carpet and tile that aren't your style and envision your personal mark to see its potential. Color and style are easy fixes once it's yours and aren't worth letting a great place go. I think this is exactly why we got such a good deal on this home; we were able to look past someone else's bad taste and just knew she had to be ours.
So without further adieu. Welcome, This is a Farmhouse...
So what did we love about this house? Well, let me tell you:
Number One was the light. It has incredibly large windows that flood the house with light year round. Being in Seattle that was our number one priority in order to make the winters a little easier to get through. Having to turn on lights during the day before the 'sun' goes down is just a major no-go for me and makes me really unhappy.
Number Two was the history. We loved that it's almost 100 years old, built by the owner's grandfather, and still standing like a well made ship. We are the first people outside the family to own it and will take as much care of it as if we built it ourselves.
Number Three was the character. It has the most charming character that we felt from the moment we stepped inside. It is warm, cozy, and happy. That's exactly the kind of place we wanted to call home. I have always dreamt of having an attic bedroom and cottage type home and this was making that come true. My other love is Pre-Fab Modern, but that costs the big bucks and will be something to strive for down the line.
Number Four was the potential. Although she came with lots of quirks and would take some work to turn into a cozy, industrial, modern home, we knew she was worth it. We wanted to make it a home that doesn't feel forgotten about, that retains its character and yet feels as though is has stayed with the times, and will be loved and cherished for the next century to come. I'm really looking forward to feeling the excitement and accomplishment when all of the visions we have for this house come to fruition.
Number Five was the neighborhood. It is in a great walkable neighborhood with lovely neighbors. We are blocks away from markets, bars, restaurants, yoga studios, parks, shops etc. We have lived in many places over the past seventeen years that ranged from the outskirts of Las Vegas to right on the main drag of Santa Barbara. There is no question where we are happiest and most comfortable. Living in a quiet but walkable neighborhood was one of those things that meant so much to us, but we were pretty sure it would never happen. We lucked out big time and take full advantage of it.
Number Six was the future. As we began the depressing hunt for a home in Seattle, a house war broke out on the market right when we started. We found ourselves mentality shifting to a place we didn't expect where we were looking and bidding on places we would take out of desperation. They were homes that we were planning on fixing and getting out of within five years. Homes that when we would've signed the papers and gotten the keys we would have felt sick and regretful instead of ecstatic and hopeful. We kept being told that when we walked into the perfect home that was meant to be ours we would just know. As much as I didn't believe it at the time, this is exactly what happened. The thoughts of planning our exit strategy was the furthest thing from our minds as we fantasized about plans ten years down the line. This is a house that will be hard to leave. This is a house that we will look forward to walking into. This is a house we want to start and raise our family in. This is a house we are proud to call home.
