Posts tagged with: houses

Cabinet Envy

Posted by Caren Crane May 21 2011, 4:14 am in Caren Crane, countertops, houses, room remodel

The green-eyed monster has visited me recently. This is something of an “occasion” in my life, for I rarely envy anyone for any reason. In the past few seasons, though, several friends (including our own lovely Susan Sey) have remodeled their kitchens. All the talk of new cabinet facings, countertops and flooring has made me look around at my own kitchen with a disparaging eye. Yes, friends, it happened to me: cabinet envy.

Our house was built in 1979 and I don’t think the couple who built it were the cutting-edge types. When we moved in, the kitchen had wallpaper featuring partridges and fruit in shades of brown and mustard. Okay, it wasn’t as bad as the wallpaper in this picture, but still very 1970s. The partridges are gone but the faux butcher-block countertops remain. The cabinets are dark-stained wood in a faintly Spanish style (though I changed out the dungeon-door pulls years ago). The vinyl flooring is the original: small squares in shades of brown, showing its 32 years of wear and tear. Everywhere my eyes rest, there is Work To Be Done.

I have daydreams of sparkling new flooring, sleek countertops and blond wood cabinets. The bathrooms need Major Work, as well. To be perfectly honest, I haven’t touched the dining room or the guest room since we moved in, though everything else has at least had new paint. When we were younger, my husband and I would regularly take a week of vacation each year just to work on the house. That came to an end when we finally had enough money to take actual vacations, to which we quickly became addicted. Alas, poor house!

Since we will have an Empty Nest after next school year, I have been bitten and bitten hard by the Relocation Bug. We won’t be able to sell our house, though, unless we first do some remodeling. So, the remodeling will get done, but then I won’t be in the house to enjoy it. It’s the most ironic sort of irony ever! Really, though, we are older now and lack the energy to keep up the 1.1-acre yard, the house and the *^%# swimming pool (that I never wanted!). I think it will be worth the money and effort to get rid of the house and buy something a bit smaller with no yard to speak of.

The kids are already whining about us selling the house (which won’t happen for a few years, I’m sure), but my husband is on board. I thought he would fight it, but the prospect of not having to be lawn boy and pool boy both seems to have enticed him. (Here’s one for the ‘Raising Hope’ fans – Burt the Flirt!)

What about you? Has the change of seasons made you restless and discontent with the status quo in your living space? Had a friend do a spiffy remodel that has you drooling on her granite countertop? Or have you already done the remodel and are now resting, contented, on your updated laurels? Oh, and I REALLY want to know if anyone has had to do updates in order to sell. I am your captive, so please tell me all!

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I Have to Cut the Grass!!!!

Posted by Joan Kayse Oct 13 2010, 5:43 am in house hunters, houses, Joan Kayse, moving

I have a new addiction. No, it’s not chocolate….that’s an OLD one. Not Diet Coke, that’s just necessary for life. And NO…it’s not cats either. I have WAY too many friends on “cat watch” to be sure I don’t turn into crazy cat lady. (But I do confess to visiting the orphans at the pet store and browsing the Humane Society website. Really. Who could resist a kitty named Brenda? Who can resist that face??)

But I digress. My new addiction is the HGTV show “House Hunters”. It’s a fairly recent addiction. My friend Lisa had it on in the hotel room last weekend at Moonlight and Magnolias. She conked out and I was left to find out if the picky divorcee would pick the house with curb appeal, the fixer upper or the one with only 4 and ½ baths.

4 ½ baths?!!

So it has become apparent to me, that the majority of these folks looking for their dream home are well heeled, so to speak. Now I also realize that it has been 20 years since I shopped for a house and the prices are higher than the used to be. But man, these places are GORGEOUS!!!

I’m completely entranced by the descriptions of the hardwood vs. tile floors. The “flow” of the house. The immense kitchens. The professional landscaping, the paint and then…and then…one of the buyers looks out on an acre of land and whines. “But there’s a lot of mowing to do.”

Ok, seriously? You’re getting ready to plunk down $500,000 for a beautiful 4,000 square foot home with 8 fireplaces and you’re worried about mowing? Seriously, my little 3 bedroom ranch with the kitty habitat is nothing in comparison and I can pay somebody to do it for me. Bet you could too.

This of course has put me in a yearning for house shopping. Won’t happen for a lot of reasons: money and the fact that I come from a “put your roots down” family background but man, I wish I could have a master bath with a “jetted” bathtub and a kitchen with more cabinets then Costco has food.

I like lots of house plans. My wish list would include laundry on first level, finished basement, nice big kitchen with a pantry the aforementioned tub. A skylight would be nice and a huge wraparound porch. And the yard? Ohhhhh Vince….bring your mower on by.

What about you? Have you moved in recent years? What were some of your experiences? (One couple found out their paradise move to Hawaii required tsunami insurance) What features are on your wish list?

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