Welcome to my inaugural post on the rehabilitation of our 1890 house! This journey has been years in the making. Over the 20+ years that Tad and I have been married we’ve dreamed of having an acreage that wasn’t RIGHT on the interstate (too loud). Not super EXPENSIVE (this proved to be the biggest hurdle in the growing metro area). And, finally, within 30 miles of the metro for employment (see price restriction above).
In 2014 we began seriously talking about what we really wanted for our future. We decided that we would finish the basement in our beautiful, custom built home, and then sell the house. No plan beyond that. We began researching states that we might move to; thinking we might move west to be closer to my parents. We put our house up for sale in November 2015, prepared to wait months for it to sell. Six days later and two competing bids, it sold. We had nowhere to go. We decided that we should move into the metro and find a place to rent for a year and see what came our way. We ended up renting a house that is now an AirBnB at an urban farm. (A story for another time)
We moved to the rental just before Christmas. After taking a month to wonder what in the heck we just did, I began searching for acreages in Idaho and Iowa. We were not dead set on leaving Iowa. We just didn't think we could find the place for us. I started looking at run down shacks with land. I'd find one, message my friend Kris (also a fabulous realtor) only to discover it had gone under contract the day before (after being for sale for 6 months or longer). Then, at the end of January, 2016, I saw a place that had been on the market for a couple months. It was empty and being sold as is. Okay, we thought. What the heck, let's check it out.
These photos show our first views. Weird front room. Trash and discarded appliances/furniture everywhere. An old wooden ladder left behind.
We saw a barn and chicken coop; and a trashed metal shed that had been used for pigs. A fire ring. A rusted out burn barrel. Fields and a garden spot. I admit we were in love. Pretty sure Kris thought we were crazy. Especially after seeing all the animal skulls all over the place. We headed back to the city think about it....
In 2014 we began seriously talking about what we really wanted for our future. We decided that we would finish the basement in our beautiful, custom built home, and then sell the house. No plan beyond that. We began researching states that we might move to; thinking we might move west to be closer to my parents. We put our house up for sale in November 2015, prepared to wait months for it to sell. Six days later and two competing bids, it sold. We had nowhere to go. We decided that we should move into the metro and find a place to rent for a year and see what came our way. We ended up renting a house that is now an AirBnB at an urban farm. (A story for another time)
We moved to the rental just before Christmas. After taking a month to wonder what in the heck we just did, I began searching for acreages in Idaho and Iowa. We were not dead set on leaving Iowa. We just didn't think we could find the place for us. I started looking at run down shacks with land. I'd find one, message my friend Kris (also a fabulous realtor) only to discover it had gone under contract the day before (after being for sale for 6 months or longer). Then, at the end of January, 2016, I saw a place that had been on the market for a couple months. It was empty and being sold as is. Okay, we thought. What the heck, let's check it out.
These photos show our first views. Weird front room. Trash and discarded appliances/furniture everywhere. An old wooden ladder left behind.
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