Monday, August 8, 2016

Welcome To Porchlandia

Back in March, when we were waiting for the Nashua house to sell, I saw a property online that just reached into my stomach and squeezed. So I set up a time the next day for my dad and I to look at it with our realtor. We got there early and spent a half hour wandering around the outside while we waited for our realtor and even before stepping foot inside we were already spouting off ideas.


Then once our realtor arrived and we made it inside the ideas just continued. After, we stood in the driveway discussing the property and our realtor said to let her know if we were interested and almost simultaneously my father and I said We want it. We're ready to make an offer. 



So we made an offer. And it was accepted by the sellers. And then, because it was a short sale, it dragged for one month. And then two. And now, four months after putting in the offer, we are finally the owners. FINALLY. Have we discussed how patience is something I just don't possess? I think the universe was trying to test me, to instill some sort of chill in me. I have no chill when there's something I want. I am Veruca Salt. 


This house, which I named Porchlandia (because there are three porches), has been unloved and unlived in for years. It has orange shag carpet and wallpaper that's lovely, now that it's framed on my wall to remember this house by but has no business being on entire walls. Within the first two weeks of putting in our offer I dreamt about the house. And then I started to panic that even though the sellers had accepted our offer it didn't mean the bank would accept it since they'd be losing money (i.e. short sale). So I worried, and texted my father nearly every other day asking if he'd heard anything. It's a miracle that after fourth months of that he didn't disown me and change his number.


Anywho, Porchlandia is now ours. And so the renovations begin! Many of the windows are boarded up because they have been broken. I don't know how many years the house has sat uninhabited but I'm guessing it's been a few. The siding needs to be replaced, windows and doors replaced, and the three decks redone. That's just the beginning.


Upstairs in both the master and the extra space (which could be used as a playroom, office, or tv room) sliders are installed, yet they can't be opened because they go to nowhere. There are no second floor decks. So both of those need to be replaced with appropriate windows.


Below is a boarded up slider that should be the front door. So that will be replaced with a sturdy front door in place of sliders (so weird). So many sliders. I get wanting to let in light. I'm all about that. But this house has five sliders, two of which go nowhere, and no official front door. How do people know where to knock if there's no front door? Where does the UPS guy leave the packages? Well this will eventually be a front door. Get excited.


Now to the front of the house which looks down to the street. It's not much to look at right now as it's all boarded up. But once we get some new sliders and windows in there... va-va-voom!


But seriously, are you in love with this stonework? Wait until you see the inside because I'm ready to pull on a plaid and curl up on front of the fire with a mug of hot apple cider and a good book. 


So anywho, this is what the front of the house currently looks like. Porches, porches everywhere. Are you in love? Do you understand why I was so obsessed and stressed out for the past few months waiting and waiting? I feel so much better now that it's ours, that we get to renovate it and turn it from this ramshackle building into something lovely (which I will probably want to move into instead of selling) because if for some reason we hadn't ended up getting it I would have probably cried. This whole getting attached to buildings thing may end up being a problem...


So this is it, the next DaddyDaughterFlip. I hope you join me on this adventure and see how my dad and I do with it. I am beyond excited to demo and get going on the remodel. It's going to be amazing.

~Stephanie
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1 comment

  1. I am so excited for you two! This house is bursting with potential and the Blackburns are just the people to bring it out and make it shine.

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