Still reeling from the weekend! Normally, weekends are for relaxation, but Saturday was super stressful because… we went under contract on a house and will close on July 22! And it only took three rounds of negotiations and endless number crunching. Heh.
Closing on a house is a very interesting process indeed. We have to finalize financing, get an inspection, set up homeowners insurance, get a property survey, transfer the utilities, and – of course – actually move. I have to say that this all lights a major fire under my butt to get the first draft of the Healthy Tipping Point book finished!
I haven’t posted a house tour, but here’s a sneak peak. We have lots of DIY projects ahead of us. Young House Love has convinced me that we’re entirely capable – at least when it comes to the small stuff. Someone else should probably gut the master bath.
Here’s a list of things we want to do to the house, both short-term and long-term:
- Every single room needs to be painted.
- Almost all the fixtures need to be updated… I have a personal hatred for fans. Fans must go.
- Sand and stain the hardwood floors darker
- Lay stone patio in backyard under the second-story deck
- Paint kitchen cabinet cream, add tile backsplash, lay new flooring
- Sand and stain the deck
- Remove popcorn ceilings (maybe)
- Put in a backyard fence (leaving this one to professionals)
- Landscaping gut in the front of the house
- Paint exterior
- Tear up carpets in the den and replace with new flooring
- New master bath + walk-in closet (this will not happen for years)
- Remove glass enclosure in the guest bath
- Renovate fireplace
Whoa. That sounds like a lot of work! But the house is in an incredible neighborhood – the best school district we could afford to buy in and close to shops. So hopefully, it will all be worth it in the end. I hope! Ask me again when I’m knee-deep in DIY projects.
Aaaand, after closing on Saturday, I ran a sprint triathlon on Sunday. Whew! What a whirlwind. I’m hellua sore, especially in my arms and back, but my knee feels pretty good – just tight.
Breakfast time:
Chilled sweet potato taste FABULOUS with Greek yogurt – trust me! To make it quickly in the morning, I just put it in the microwave for 5 – 7 minutes, slice, and then pop in the freezer for another few minutes. Tada! Chilled sweet potato.
With vanilla Greek yogurt, banana, cashews, and chia seeds for a little Omega-3s.
Fellow homeowners: What’s the biggest DIY project you’ve successfully tackled? What did you call in the professionals for?
The husband and I completely redid our yard. It was a massive undertaking, but totally worth the effort. I think we’d call in professionals for stuff like redoing the upstairs bathroom, just because I have a feeling it could get really complicated really fast.
Congratulations on the house!