Random questions to which you seek an answer
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Ok Forum people, I need some advice.
The wife and I agree that we have "outgrown" our house (well, at least the configuration is quite wrong for us now) and are looking for new options for our family. We are in the "go as big as possible" vs. "Get exactly what we want, but smaller size" argument now. I guess, we don't want to get something too small and outgrow it too fast with our kiddos (and if we whoops and have a third), but I also don't want to get something too big and always regret buying more house than we need. My style is smaller, with usable spaces and high end/custom styling. My wife's style is not very particular, but she feels more space is more important.
I guess, I am looking for insight for those of your guys with multiple kids who have found the right balance of space without undertaking something that gets unused…
I know this post is very "american" lol my bad...
Cheers,
Adam
My $0.02 Adam @Appfaff
I just more or less went through this. My son is about 17 months old now. When we first had him, it was me, my wife, and my mother, plus a dog, in a tiny townhouse of about 900 sq ft. Before the little guy actually arrived, I thought this would be manageable, but it quickly became clear that it just wasn't going to work once we were faced with the prospect of him running around the house. And with the possibility of a second coming along sooner or later, I knew we needed to make a change more or less immediately.
I've always been the old fashioned type. I love stone farmhouses, etc and always pictured having one. But, looking at the market, the prices, the availability, and the functionality, it just became apparent that it wasn't practical. I see a lot of people suggesting smaller/functional. I am going to go and argue the opposite. Go for something big, new, and while still functional, it should seem like more than you need.
Obviously, everybody's life situation is different, but I'll give you mine. I work enough that I really don't have a lot of spare time. When I come home, I want to spend it with my family, which means I don't have a lot of time to devote to household type activities. I couldn't, as it stands now, keep up with the upkeep of an old home. The new house affords me some security in that everything is solid, new, and won't need any real maintenance (at least by me, I have a small builder who comes out to the house for issues when they arise). As a result, all I really have to do is maintain the yard, about an acre, keep things orderly inside and outside, and deal with cozying up the the place. I can honestly say, that even this is tough with 1 child, a dog, and a wife. Between weekend activities, family gatherings, busy workweek, and weekly errands, it is all I can fit in.
Honestly, nothing makes me feel better than coming home knowing: 1) I can just start hanging out with my family, 2) I have a solid roof over my head the requires little upkeep at the moment, 3) I adequate space for my family to grow, 4) the space I went with gives my son (and additional future kids) places to run, play, and have fun, and 5) both my mother and my dog also have enough space such that everyone can have their own private time if they need, which all do once in a while.
And if there is anything else I leave you with, which I haven't heard mentioned yet, its the old cliche "Happy wife, happy life."
Feel free to PM if you have any questions.
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Thank you very much for the honest feedback @ROman and @thomasnunnally - it really means alot o hear honest points of view.
ROman - I am very similar to you as I see a "house" as an investment. Can I sell this easily and make money is always on my mind. I always try to find the cheapest house in a high end neighborhood or community. It worked with my first home (sold for moderate profit in 16 hours) but isn't working for my current home (been on the market more than 100 days with no offers). With the inevitable market crash happening again within the 3-5 years (my guess after talking with people in the business, not pure fact so don't freak out!) I figured we might as well get into a house we know we will want to stay in for a while instead of simply taking one step up and possibly needing more space in the future and (worst case scenario) not being able to sell it. I'll have to check out your house photos again, but I do remember you having an AWESOME bar set up!
Thomas - I really appreciate you sharing your story. It sounds very similar to where we are. I am similar in the fact that I don't want to have a lot of projects on my hands because I work too much, and am not very handy with things haha. All the houses we are looking at are all new construction with 2/10 warranties and gold fortified so lower insurance costs. As much as I would love a 1960s Board and Batten Farmhouse with a wrap around porch and 3+ acres, I know 1. I will never mow it and 2. I will regret the weekend projects for the next 5 years haha.
Cheers gents, hope you guys have a wonderful weekend doing what you enjoy most.
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I have an 80 year old Tudor in south St Louis and although it's beautiful, it has been a bit of a money pit.
3 major roof repairs, insulation, ac/furnace, water heater, some small structural wood work, and lots of plaster and paint. A lot of our rehab money was spent on maintenance and will stay that way until my student loans are done in two years. It can be a little drafty (stained glass windows), can be a bitch to heat and cool, and is short on closets and bathroom space. It has a lot of character but sometimes I envy new builds.
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Our house was built in 1941, there's a lady who lives up the street from us who is 86 and Pam looks after her a bit in the winter (shopping and stuff). She refers to our house as "one of the new houses"
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I would kill for that house Anesthetist! But I understand the repairs and remodel issues. I grew up in a Spanish Colonial built in 1925(ish).
Heck the United States as a country is younger than some houses in Europe
I do feel that's where Americans go wrong sometimes. Most of our communities tear down old buildings and build newer/more efficient builds instead of keeping the original Culture alive. Some places will give tax credits for renovating historic homes, but that's definitely not the norm around here. Wish it was - it would make getting an older home more cost effective for us and renovating it:
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Hahahaha
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[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
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As usual Seul, your pretty funny (very funny) and right on target.
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I haven't posted pictures of my house yet, just the bar, which is my favorite gathering place in the house. I keep going back and forth on if I should. Even with a new house, I had some issues to deal with. I developed the patio in the back which I added a fireplace. The house is built on a crawl space, so to prevent further problems, I had it encapsulated this past summer. Then on the side of my house, the property was on a severe slope, so I just finished having a retaining wall built to prevent land loss due to severe rains, which occasionally occur.
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Looking for some jeans with a similar fit to my UHR BB's, all I've found so far are Samurai 710's and I don't want Samurai's. any suggestions?
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Have you thought about a Warehouse 66s?
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Thanks dude, I'll check them out
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Kinda copy/ pasta'ing Mega here… So my best jeans are my IH-555 01s... Problem is: they're perfect EVERYWHERE, except for the waist, which is at least 1.5" too big... I'd just wash 'm at 40C°, but they'd just stretch again...
So: if anyone knows of a pair of jeans, preferably something rather heavy and even quite bonkers, that has these measurements (giveth or taketh), please let me know... Much obliged fellas...
Waist: 33" (meaning they'd have to shrink to or stretch to ~33", not looking for something that measures 33" from the start, then stretches 2" after some wear)
Inseam: 33-34"
Legopening: 7.5" (7.5" at 33-34", not at 38")
Thigh: 12.2-12.5
Rise: ~15.5-16" -
Size down
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Looking for some jeans with a similar fit to my UHR BB's, all I've found so far are Samurai 710's and I don't want Samurai's. any suggestions?
UES 400T maybe?
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Can't praise the UES 400T more. They had among the best fit, fabric and construction of all my pairs. And the Fading is awesome.
Fullcount 1101 could also offer a similar fit to the 710.
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Yeah 400T is a great jean Mega
