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Saying Goodbye: The Downside of Flipping

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As some of you know, my husband and I renovated an abandoned foreclosure in 2015, thrilled to transform a weather-worn, cedar structure into a modern haven. We watched months of planning and design take shape as old cabinets were torn down, checkered mustard tile was removed, lackluster wood flooring was refinished to new glory, and a spa-like master bath was crafted with care.

Last fall, after enjoying our transformed castle for a year and a half, Chris and I called our realtor , who happens to be the best realtor in our city.  We aren’t biased at all ;). Sitting at our pristine, white quartz kitchen island, we had a hunch it was time to sell.

Dave, our awesome realtor, who initially sold us the foreclosure, made the magic happen. He researched. He advised. He marketed. He served mimosas at the open house, where a record-breaking 40+ families stopped by. The video showcasing our home had 48,000 views. People at random restaurants asked if we were that couple selling that cool house.

To our genuine surprise, we found ourselves with multiple offers within 24 hours.

Relief, excitement and sadness all at once.

As serial flippers, my husband and I get some weird looks. Including our newest address, we have lived in 4 homes in 4.5 years of marriage, which, we’ll admit is a wee bit cray. I guess it’s our personal version of adventure, creating, transforming, bringing a little more beauty into the world for ourselves and others.

Well this morning we officially said goodbye, handing over the keys to the new owners, who we trust will love this home that was crafted with immense love, imagination and its share of toil. There were happy tears on both sides of the table.

When we did the final walk-through of the empty house, my throat tightened. This was it. This was goodbye. This moment was a visceral reminder of the down-side of house-flipping. We make memories in these rooms. We laugh and cry and argue and welcome guests and make Thanksgiving dinner and share secrets. Bittersweet. Each home Chris and I have designed, each space we’ve said goodbye to, has changed and improved us for the better. Each home has a special place in our hearts–never forgotten, especially our exquisite “Kingswood Castle.”

As Marie Kondo would say, “Thank you for your service.”

Yesterday we hugged our sweet neighbors and drove off in the Uhaul to begin our next adventure. Later we met the new neighbors, who shared invaluable information when you’re living out of boxes–the best restaurants that deliver. 🙂

Bittersweet, the new adventure begins. #staytuned #RandallHomeDesign

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One Year Later: Randall Renovation

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With our awesome realtor on the day we closed!

We moved into our home exactly one year ago.

We watched the price of an abandoned, cedar dwelling tick down slowly, slowly, and then plummet on Christmas Eve.

We watched our quivering hands sign closing papers on an unpredictable foreclosure.

We watched countless contractors bustle in and out of a dust-filled construction zone.

We watched a black tarp peeled off the mysterious, black waters of a swimming pool.

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We watched endless checks fly out the door.

And finally, 365 days ago, we watched a beautiful space emerge from the chalky rubble, and spent our first night in our home, on an air mattress, in our little castle.

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Our first night in the house! Air Mattress Dreaming…

The years have a way of zooming by. So, I didn’t want this milestone to slip away without pausing…to remember some of the moments.

Moving from our 700 sq ft condo, during our experiment with minimalism, was a big jump. Our home was now a place that could hold more than four bodies at a time. 😉

We’ve been able to host lots of visits–family from Chicago,

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family from Oregon,

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family from Atlanta, and repeat :). Our kitchen has been tried and tested–it can handle intense curry-making, and a soul food Thanksgiving for a crowd. The water tank held up to 11 people bathing in one day (did I mention Thanksgiving for a crowd?)

And so far, the house has withstood a very busy, almost 18 month-old nephew who loves to rearrange stools and ottomans.

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We used to have a to-do-list, but I eventually gave it up. Sure, we need area rugs, and patio furniture, and hooks in the utility closet so the brooms don’t look like a game of pick up sticks. But I know it will all come together.

Every day I back out of the garage, and pause in the cul-de-sac. I love the shit out of this house. The satisfaction I have with the interior paint color, “Full Moon”, which looks white to the untrained eye. The simplicity. The peace. The house plants that are still alive, and are doing surprisingly well.

The laughs we have on the plush sectional, which Chris can actually stretch-out on with his giraffe limbs. The hot tea we sip on the deck. The shower. OMG. The shower. I can never have a steamless shower again.

One year later. Still in love with our perfectly imperfect home. And the good times under its roof.

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Building Our Castle Part 12: A Swamp Transformed

When we purchased our home in February of this year, it came with a swamp. Covered with a fortress of 2×4 beams, a heavy-duty wire grate and thick tarps. We had NO idea what was underneath its murky cover.

In early August, we set out on a brave adventure to discover what lay beneath.

And here are the pictures of a swamp transformed. #WhereIsMyPinaColada

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Building Our Castle Part 11: Two Months In Our Dream Abode (Snakes On A Pool???!)

Well, we have officially been living in our dream home for two months. All the boxes have been unpacked, except for some obscure items (I really thought we would use that badminton set more often).

It feels really good to get settled in, but the reality of never-ending projects has been sobering. Although the construction dust has dissipated, we realize a house is never really finished.

So the fun continues. Here are some highlights and photos of what we’ve been up to since last month’s blog post.

  • We got a big, cozy king size mattress. (Thanks mom and dad for the awesome house warming gift). All I can say is—Why did we wait so long to do this? It’s like being in a luxury hotel bed every day. It makes for epic naps. It’s very difficult to go to work in the morning. For Huntsville locals, visit Mattress Max on Jordan Lane. Great products without the exuberant overhead. Ask for Bob.
  • We set up the guest bedroom. Just in time for our first house guest arriving tomorrow. 🙂
  • This evening we enjoyed dinner at our new dining table for the first time. We purchased several items online (so grateful for Wayfair, Overstock and Amazon!) and I’m always nervous about how the actual piece will look and feel when it arrives. The dining table and chairs were better than I could have imagined.
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Dining table arrived from Wayfair 🙂 Those chairs are from Amazon. We went with a color pop!
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This is a floating dining table, which we fell in love with online. I love how the glass legs allow the marble floors to shine.
  • We began to tackle some outdoor hazards, yes hazards. Our swamp of a swimming pool has been a dirty, scummy eye-sore since we purchased the property 7 months ago. Well, this morning Valley Pools came out to begin the process of restoring this abandoned pool. The morning started with a jolt—a rousing snake sighting. Let’s just say I’ve never seen my city-boy husband run so fast. 😉 More to come on the pool!
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The foreclosed home came with a mysterious pool, with a wooded barricade.
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Removing the baracade…
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The current state of the pool as of this afternoon. Gross.
  • We also began building the privacy fence around the house, which was apparently destroyed by a tornado a few years ago and never re-built. Fence + Snake-free pool + August in Alabama = happiness.
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    Posts for the side fence gate
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    We love our neighbors…but….
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    Aaaah, much better 🙂

     

Slowly but surely the blank slate is coming alive. And there’s no shortage of adventure, that’s for sure.

It’s still unbelievable at times to grasp that this once-hectic construction zone is now our cozy nest. Deeply grateful to call this space our home. #HomeSweetHome

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Building Our Castle Part 10: Our First Month In the New Digs!

Surreal.

That’s the best word to describe how the last month has felt.

Every time I pull up to this home, this once-abandoned structure that captured our hearts the moment we laid eyes on it on zillow.com, I pinch myself to see if I’m dreaming.

Chris and I poured our hearts, our souls and our wallets into transforming our personal castle–and like any major renovation, it consumed every waking minute of our lives. After the dust settled and the bustle of contractors subsided, we were left with a beautiful, quiet, piece of art to call home.

For those who follow my blog, you know my husband and I moved from a 700 SF, one-bedroom condo, which was absolutely adorable, into this 2,500 SF, 3-bedroom home. And although our home isn’t a mansion by any means, it is much larger than our previous living space. That being said, we have an entire house to furnish! EEK!

In fact, everything that we owned–EVERYTHING, fit into 1/4 of our 2-car garage. Clean. Slate. We preach minimalism, and intend to continue that trend in this house as well.

We unpacked our entire kitchen and haven’t even begun to use up all the cabinet space. The master closet accommodates ALL our clothes, shoes, accessories, and even has a little room to spare. Which means, obviously, I need to buy more shoes. 🙂

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During our first month in the house, we’ve been getting to know her; her sounds, her myriad of light switches, all her curves and all her edges. We’ve designated the guest bedroom, the man cave and my Zen nook. And almost every evening, we’ve had dinner in the kitchen of our dreams, a kitchen we designed together.

And perhaps that’s the most satisfying part of all–living in a space that was birthed as a creative collaboration. Our visions, our ideas, our personal style literally built before our eyes. Yes there were headaches and heart aches and money aches, and moments we wanted to scream and give up, and moments we doubted our decision to renovate a foreclosure instead of buying a cookie-cutter abode, and moments we were frustrated with contractors and disappointed by vendors, and plenty of moments we questioned our sanity.

However, gratitude continues to well up. We feel privileged to call this space our own, when we stand on our deck and gaze at a smooth black sky dotted with stars, when we dine on grits and eggs on a Saturday morning, when we plop down on our loveseat to watch a Netflix marathon, when we run our hands across the piece of tamarind wood that transformed into a stunning bathroom countertop, when we wake up and realize we’re not dreaming. We’re home.