It's so crazy to think that it has been TWO WEEKS since we were in Europe! Time has been flying by and it's almost time for Ryan to leave on another tour. We've been trying to relax after our trip and ease back into reality, but it seems like we are busier than ever. If you remember me telling you guys we have been looking to buy a house - and it is the most exhausting process ever. We've seen a handful of houses that we've really loved and driven all over the state of Vermont to look at them but either someone else jumped at buying them before us or they just weren't "our house." It's gotten both of us thinking about finding our inner Chip and Joanna Gaines and getting a fixer upper! I know that sounds absolutely bonkers considering Ryan is always traveling and I work during the week, but it seems like it might be the way for us to get what we truly want! I thought it would be fun to share with you guys what our dream house would look like! Plus, let me know if you have been through a renovation, have any tips, or know anyone that can help us out!
In case you were wondering, I am not the picky one here! I'm honestly pretty laid back in what I want in a house. Ideally I would like to have a white kitchen open into the living room (maybe with a fireplace if we're lucky), three bedrooms, and a laundry space that isn't so gross that I'll never want to do the laundry - LOL! This is Ryan's wish-list for a house and he does not back down!
1) Granite countertops in the kitchen
2) Hardwood floors
3) Big windows
4) Nice bath tub
5) Loft area overlooking the living room
6) Hot tub
7) Pond or river on the property
8) Duck coop
9) Fenced in area for Oscar
Can you believe that!?! I obviously have my work cut out for me if I'm going to convince him to buy a fixer upper so I have been saving a ton of photos on Pinterest. Let me know what you think!
I've always dream of having an all white kitchen. I grew up with a white kitchen in my family's house and always loved the way that it looked. I'm all down for Ryan's opinion of the granite countertops but I also really like a nice butcher block countertop. I also have to agree with him on the hardwood floors and big windows. In an ideal world I would ban carpets! I just can't understand why someone would want carpeted floors especially if they plan on having kids or pets which automatically equals a mess!
I never really thought I'd care about what my bathroom looked like until I met Ryan's family. His brother Sean and his parents both have AMAZING bathrooms with beautifully tiled walk in showers! Ryan wants a big tub so we may have to find a house with two bathrooms so we both get what we want. Or I could go for a more retro bathroom if it had an awesome tub like this one.
I also am pretty positive I would like an open concept first floor for our home considering we love to entertain and hope to have kids eventually. When the kitchen is open to the living room it really just makes things easier and adding an open loft to that open concept is something I agree with Ryan on. The open loft is very common in Vermont homes so all we would have to do is add a cool railing to personalize it to our preferences.
Luckily, when it comes to the backyard Ryan and I agree 100%. Animals are super important to us so we definitely need space if we plan on getting more. We are hoping to have enough property to get another duck and maybe some farm animals in the future. I wouldn't mind a nice view and a hot tub to relax in on ALL OF THOSE COLD WINTER NIGHTS! Surprisingly almost all of the houses we've looked at have had hot tubs so that would definitely be an added plus if we didn't have to put that in ourselves. This photo is actually of a house that we looked at but didn't end up buying for other reasons. I wish we could find this view again!
Keep your fingers crossed for us that we will find a place that we love and the stress will be over! Whether we get a house that we can slowly make our own over time or go all in and get a fixer upper I know that we will build a happy home together so I am very excited. I hope that I can update you guys with some good news soon!
xoxo. Alexandra
PS: If you LOVE where you live let us know! We are open to living anywhere in Vermont or even looking elsewhere if it's worth it!
