The Black House

When I first saw this house, Apartment Therapy ran a story only showing the exterior.  It was not love at first sight.  In fact, I think I got a chill.  However, I keep coming back to this picture.  After some investigation, I have found the interior photos on FreshHome (check out link for more pictures).  This "black house" needs to be viewed in its entirety. It is still not my favorite but deserves some of my blog time for being so bold.

What do you think? Take it or Leave it?

XOXO-

"Live like no one else now, so later you can live like no one else."

-Dave Ramsey


Well we did it.  We bought a house in Houston after just 2 days of looking. It was easy and tough all at the same time.  You see this relocation has brought a dramatic increase in Byron's salary.  The increase made it very tempting to go out and spend big bucks on a house. We actually looked at several homes in those fancy neighborhoods where the shopping and restaurants are trendy and the schools are top notch.  We just could not spend our money that way. It did not feel right. Tempting, but not right for us and our goals.  So, we settled on a smaller, fixer-upper in an older neighborhood just north of all the fanciness.  Our mortgage payment (PITI) will only be 5% of our monthly take home pay (after taxes etc). I own a car and can drive to the fancy when I need a fix and actually afford to spend my money at the shops and restaurants without worry.  You can't put a price on that kind of freedom.

Our new home is going to require lots of work; landscaping, flooring, paint, kitchen, appliances...just to name a few more urgent things.  Yes, I will be blogging the entire transformation.  I also must get Max enrolled in a school. The public school he is zoned to is questionable and I can't seem to find a private school close enough to the house. Also, being that it is summer, most schools are not available til next week to answer questions. I have faith it will work out. God has brought us this far, he will see us through this move.

I might be a little absent on my blog for the month of August. I must concentrate on getting my TN home ready for the movers. They arrive in 23 days. Make that 23 short days and then settled in Houston.  Say a prayer for me please. I will need it.

"Houston House"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

~XOXO~

**A very special THANK YOU to our Realtor Jackie from Greenwood King. I can't say enough good things about her or her agency.**

PENDING!!

We accepted an offer on our home yesterday!! Thank you my prayer warriors. You did good :)

Now, I am off to Houston in the morning with Max in tow.  My plan is to find a new house. We are homeless as of August 31st. Yes, you heard right.

~XOXO~

To My Houston Realtor Becky:

I am a tough client. I know exactly what I want but always have the hardest time finding it. My house means everything to me.  I blog about it, shop for it, work on it and spend all my creative time dreaming about it.  Shopping for a new home is both fun and stressful for me.  When my world is not in order, I tend to be overwhelmed and stressed. You will be challenged.  

When house hunting, simplicity is my new motto. I want to keep my home simple. I don't need fancy finishes or lots of square feet. I prefer smaller spaces and "where to put things" challenges. I need shade trees and a backyard big enough for a pool.  A cul-de-sac street is preferred and I need lots of 6-8 year old boys as neighbors.

I realize that schools are going to be a challenge. You know my situation. Most of my readers know my situation with Max.  I can accept a rated school, it doesn't have to exemplarily. Private school is also an option.

Then there is the financial challenges that my husband and I place on ourselves. We live below our means, like way below. Sometime this causes stress. We want to keep up with the Jones but must be good stewards with our money. So, we might be able to afford those big beautiful houses but we don't want to spend our money that way. We will look to you to help keep us within our budget. You are on our team now.

Becky, you will need patience with me as a client. However, I promise in the end, I will be your biggest advocate and fan.

Here is some of my latest research, of course I have yet to visit Houston so I am sure my opinions will all change!

(click on photo for listing)

(click on photo for listing)

(click on photo for listing)


13934 Kingsride Lane

4659 Ingersoll Street


~XOXO~

iHouse

This past Saturday (before surgery) Byron and I toured this new modular home by Clayton Homes. Yes, your heard me right. The mobile home company has come out with a new home. It is not your typical manufactured home, this one is actually modular, and it is also an environmentally friendly home.

The iHouse offers two intuitive floor plans with additional flex units. These flex units come in six variations and all can be mix and matched. The web site offers potential buyers the option of picking out your floor plans, features and pricing.

I enjoyed my tour of this home. If you get a chance, it's worth taking a look. Clayton Home's web site lists the model home's locations.  I was a little shocked by the price. The model we toured in Knoxville, TN was listed in the $140's.  However, this would be a great 2nd home at the beach or lake lot.

Pictures inside the red building (flex unit):

Pictures inside the main home:

Energy Features:

Check out Clayton's iHouse, intelligent, inspired, intuitive, innovative, integrated:

~XOXO~

Resourceful Links:

Clayton's Homes iHouse

YouTube

I was told that these feature lists were not on the web site:

What is wrong with people?? My "Hug a House" Campaign...

"A tear-down" is how it is described.  They define this by square footage, age and value of the lot.  Even realtors will describe a listed house as "the value is in the lot". Most of these tear-downs are between $600,000 - $1.5 million.  Yes, that is not a typo.

What has happened to our society that we feel it is acceptable to replace an older home with a new one? Have we become that disposable?  If it breaks, fix it. Don't replace it!  Style, history, design, nostalgia, originality, do these words mean nothing?  

Good grief people, quit trying to out-do your neighbor. Appreciate history and the beauty in architecture.  

What does it say about me when a "tear-down" is actually my dream home?  I would take one of these over a newly built Mansion any day:

What were you thinking people? You tore down history to build this. WTF?  No home should have this much stone.

Oh, and don't even get me started on this beauty...NOT! This is only the side view but it was not worth my time or view to get a photo from the front. Disgraceful.

I think the Dallas heat is getting to me. I am a little cranky. Do you have an opinion?

XOXO-

Be sure to check out Hooked on Houses. There's a party going on over there!