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{Ten Reasons To Buy A New House}

by | Apr 9, 2013 | Decorating Inspiration

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{Ten Reasons To Buy A New House}

Lately I’ve been thinking back on our whole experience of buying and living in a new house. Was it worth it? How am I feeling about being in a new house? Did I make the right choice? Do I have any regrets? Honestly, there are so many reasons (and a few unexpected ones) why I’m really glad we bought new this time. I’m doing so many more things I’ve always wanted to do, and many of them are made possible because we chose to buy a new house this time. What? I know! Who knew?

When we first found out we were going to move four and a half years ago, my goal was to find an older charming house, of course — because that is what I knew, loved, and was comfortable with. But once we got here and started house shopping, we realized that was not going to be the right choice for us. Once we decided the area we needed to be in, the price range we were looking in, the move in condition we hoped for and the amount of time we would have to get settled in a home, it became pretty clear buying a new house was our best option. I was a little scared but I felt it was the right decision.

We toured so many new houses. And many of them didn’t feel right to us, but we didn’t give up. This was the first new house we’ve ever bought so we wanted to be careful to chose a home by a reputable builder in the area. We did our homework on what we needed to be aware of when buying a new home. And we thought through everything we wanted to do in the upcoming years and made sure we were buying a house that would accomodate our goals.

In hindsight, we are not only happy we made this decision for all the reasons we did, but there are a few other good reasons to have bought a new house we can see now as we look back at how it impacted our life.

So here are the 10 reasons I’m glad we bought a new house this time.

Obviously every house is different and not all new or old houses are the same across the country (and many older houses are affordable and move in ready thanks to wonderful previous owners!), but this is just our personal experience with this move, and what we’ve been happy about in our new house!  

{Ten Reasons To Buy A New House}

10 Reasons You Might Want to Buy a New House

1. The thrill of a want to do list.

In the past we’ve spent more time on a “have to do” list (repairs and safety updates) than our “want to do” (which involved pretty things and even travel and just having fun!).

That “have to do” list around the house wasn’t the life I really envisioned for us this time around.  Yes, we have had to work harder than we ever have in our life (starting a church and running my business). BUT, we have also really enjoyed our “want to do list” thanks to less demands from our house. Even when we make updates to add charm to our new home, it is really fun to choose things we want rather than trying to make due after paying for so many necessary things. Best of all, the price tag for our “want to do” list has been considerably less than our “have to do” list ever was.

2. Energy efficiency.

We were surprised how affordable our energy bills are in this house! We are happy to report we no longer dread those winter energy bills. In our old houses we wore coats inside in the winter to save our heat bill. In this house, my favorite thing ever is that I sit comfortably by our gas fireplace without a coat on all winter long (well I do get up occasionally haha), and never worry about heat bill because it is so affordable. And best of all, I’m never cold! Being warm enough means I’m productive, comfortable and happy!

3. Safety.

Our new home is up to code and free of lead paint, asbestos and design features that are not safe. It’s nice to be able to cross a few old worries off our list as life is stressful enough. Peace of mind in our home is important!

{Ten Reasons To Buy A New House}

4. Less immediate out of pocket expenses.

Because we did our homework and bought a decently built new home, we didn’t have to face any big repairs or remodeling costs in the early years of ownership. That was really nice for our pocket book as we got established in this new area.  Also our new house was already equipped for modern conveniences like electrical, internet and cable outlets and gas hook ups where many of our older houses required these updates in order to be set up to function with our modern lifestyle.

5. Time to focus on other goals and ambitions.

I love houses. For years and years, our house was one of our biggest time (and money) consuming projects and weekend hobbies. While we do still enjoy updating our home, we really aren’t avid DIY’ers so the pressure is off with the newer house. We have been able to accomplish a lot of important things in the past three years we never would have been able to do if our time had gone towards to upkeep of an older home. We all only have 24 hours in a day, so every hour we don’t spend working on our house or working to pay for it, means more time and money for other things we want to do in the world. It’s awesome to have a well-rounded life!

6. Instant gratification.

I’ve always loved decorating, but so often in an older house that needs refurbishing (which unfortunately in the NW, the needy ones are usually the ones in our price range! You are lucky if you are in a more affordable part of the country!) there are so many things that need to happen before you get to that point of decorating. It was fun knowing in those first few years I could simply paint or furnish a room, rather than first having to strip 10 layers of paper or grime or replace carpet.

7. Ready to invite guests in.

If you’ve been following my blog all these years, you might remember that right away after moving in we invited new friends over to our house for dinner. That was our goal! There was no need to remodel or fumigate first — we had more time for people. Now I have to say that I believe you should never have to create the perfect circumstances to invite people in, but it sure made it easier on us to have a new house rather than one that needed a lot of work right off the bat. Our furnishings and home were still all in disarray after moving, of course, and our home was not perfect or amazing, but having things clean and new from the start definitely helped us to be intentional and focus more on others than our house right from the beginning.

{Ten Reasons To Buy A New House}

8. Ability to personalize on a reasonable budget.

Because we are working with the structure of a new house, it is much more affordable to personalize. We could make some changes to our kitchen (you can see the kitchen remodel here) without having to buy all new appliances right now or deal with as many plumbing and electrical updates since everything behind the scenes was already up to code, appliances were still working and cabinets only needed paint (rather than all new doors and many cabinets). Definitely nice to be mostly just dealing with cosmetics these days!

{Ten Reasons To Buy A New House}

9. Standard affordable parts and repairs.

It is so nice to be able to run to a hardware store and find the part you need and look under the house or  in the “smart boxes” that newer homes have and see all the plumbing or wiring right where it should be (rather than find out it is hidden in walls you can’t access or repair). So much money and frustration saved! It’s the little things that make me happy. Haha.

I cannot tell you how many times we had to repair or update something in our old houses only to find out they don’t make those parts any more, or it would be difficult to repair due to the age or layout of the house, or the steps to repair would require special costly improvements or unusual skills. Yes, many older houses have good quality features and there is something to be said about that, but in our case we can see quite a few benefits of the newer standard parts and ease of access for updates. SO nice.

{Ten Reasons To Buy A New House}

10. Modern layout and amenities. 

I love quirky old houses, but it is nice now having a home that is new and set up for the modern family. It sure makes living here quite comfortable. I love that we have big windows to let in a lot of light. Our rooms are more open to each other. We have a normal sized open staircase up to our bedrooms. Living in a new house means we have things like pantries and closets with ample storage and generously sized bathrooms with nice vanities. We have a walk in closet in our large master bathroom which connects to our master bedroom — no more running down the hall to take a shower or find our clothes in the cramped hall closet. We have a double garage for our cars junk.

I’ve loved many old homes and still have a great fondness for them, but after living here for four years I can definitely say there are some real advantages to newer homes that are worth considering. I’m very glad we chose a new house for this season in our life!

The only thing I would do differently if we ever move again and have the option is to buy a new house we can be involved with from the beginning, before it is built and decisions are made. THAT would be fun and amazing!

Have you ever built a brand new house or bought one? What are some of the advantages you’ve found to buying new?

56 Comments

  1. Tina

    Oh my gosh, what a timely post for me!! Next week we close on our new home after living in our 100 year old current home that we have redone from the well to the entire electrical service. We can not wait to just enjoy our new home for the exact reasons you mention. We have wonderful memories here but with our second son graduating from college, we realized we are ready to move on. All our friends and family are so surprised, they love our home but for us it is the right move. Not to mention in our case our sons have or will be moving away for their careers, we have found they don’t come back home alone and our current house is not set up for houseguests for any length of time. Our new home is over 4800 square ft and will be the place my future grandchildren come to!! You have absolutely hit the nail on the head with this post and your home is absolutely lovely!!

    Tina

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Congratulations! I am sure you will LOVE living in your new home, it sounds wonderful!

      Reply
  2. Sandra at Thistle Cove Farm

    Like Tina, this is a timely post for me. I’m in early days of doing what needs to be done to put my 111+ year old home and farm on the market so I can move 300 miles. I think I’d like a newer house, no more than 50 years old, but have thought about having a house built. I’ve got a layout in mind and having family who are electricians, carpenters and have built 6, or more houses, and who are established in the county where I want to live will help. Whatever happens, I’m hoping/praying for a one floor, perhaps with a basement, house. More than likely, this is the last house I’ll live in and want it comfortable and safe for my senior years.
    Thank you for this post; it’s brought some interesting questions to mind.

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Thank you Sandra, definitely good to think about the season of life you are in when you are deciding where to live!!

      Reply
  3. Lindsay

    How serendipitous! We have been in the final stages of a buying decision for the last few days and have just made the big decision to put an offer on a new home TONIGHT. I feel so safe and confident in our decision after reading your post. I have often referred to your blog when discussing this decision with family and friends, and I feel like you were in my head this morning!
    Thank you so very much for this inspiration and feeling of reassurance.
    Cheers to a new home!
    The Wades

    Reply
    • Melissa

      You are welcome and yes, CHEERS! So exciting!

      Reply
  4. Bette

    I wrote a post about why we decided to move yesterday. The home we’ve lived in is over 30 years old and was a mess when we moved in. The home we purchased is only a few years old and I’m excited about not having to do any repairs or renovations.

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Yay, that is exciting! Enjoy your new home!

      Reply
  5. Jennifer

    It is nice to just focus on the fun part of decorating in a new house. My house is only 15 years old, but it has started falling apart the past few years due to all of the builder grade options that were chosen. I’d love to spend more on decorating, but a new shower, roof, applicances, and insulation are eating our budget. I have to admit sometimes I let things go and choose more fun options, like new floors over a roof. If I didn’t do that on occasion I’d probably be really irritated with this house! I’d love something new, but we’re just in the most perfect location. The bright side is that I can see the light of almost being done with the big things!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Yes, even newer houses require upgrades and maintenance over time to be at their best and not fall apart! It is hard to wait on decorating when you know you need that new shower or roof, but the light at the tunnel is a good feeling! Good for you! And the perfect location? That is definitely something to be content with!!

      Reply
  6. Louise

    We built two homes. The first disappeared in a fire as it was under construction, burned up the new bathtub it was so hot. A high-on-drugs drywall guy, arson. Rebuilt in same spot. No, for me, at least, the new home had not the gracefulness of the older homes I’ve lived in. And dust–it was always right there, in my face, rather than blending nicely into the ambience of our older homes. Walls meeting floors too crisply, not enough or not nice enough wood molding, and that horrible whirlpool bathtub, the cleaning of which was onerous to the point we stopped using it. An older home for me! But at this point in our lives I’d like it to be an older condominium–for less maintenance–so I guess your points are well taken! ~ Your home is a beauty; and it reads good-new, not builder-new, and my eyes have been opened as to all the things that can be done to a new home.

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Oh that sounds terrible (your experience in your first new home) but yes, that is not always the experience. Thanks, “good-new” is what I want right now and it is nice to know for myself that I can actually love living in a new house and have FUN decorating it and updating it, just like I always dreamed of in old houses. Definitely it has been eye-opening for me too!

      Reply
  7. Sally

    I built a new house in 2004 and totally enjoyed the process…we picked our lot & plan and also were able to make a few changes to the plans prior to building so the house was our own and flowed better. I am with you on the want to do list instead of the need to do list as it can cost so much more than what you want to spend your hard earned money & time on. We were able to pick our finishes with our cabinetry, countertops, flooring and lighting which ended up saving us a bundle as we didnt have to change anything after move in! We also got a great price to have the basement finished during construction which would have cost us at least double what we paid and it would have taken us at least 2 years to get it all done as we would have picked away at it as the money was available. I have since sold the home, and moved into a home that was only 4 yrs old but we have had to personalize this place which added to our cost of the home. I would consider moving into a new home again as it was a fun enjoyable process!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      It really does sound fun (and wise!) to be able to get in on the decisions prior to moving in, that would be a real attraction for me in a new house (next time!)!! :-)

      Reply
  8. cindy the cottage chick

    We are waiting on financing for our new build…and are building for many of the same reasons as you. We’ve lived in 4 homes in 15 years that all needed tons of TLC, and we’ve decided we’re done with DIY. Cosmetic stuff, sure, we can and like to handle. Homes are very reasonable here, and many older ones are well-cared for….but we want more functional use of space, big closets, energy efficiency, open layout. Hard to find in an older home! Thankfully we’ve found a builder who adds historical detail to their newer homes (our plan is called ‘American Reflections’ and is a craftsman bungalow style)….this is so important to us as we’re building on a city lot with older homes surrounding us, and I don’t want to be the ostentacious ‘new build’ everyone gawks at :)

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Oh yes, it is wonderful if you can get a new home with historical detail, so you start out with charm too! Best of both worlds!

      Reply
  9. Melissa from the Blue House

    My last house was built in 1928 and had to be totally gutted, and it was a complete nightmare… but it was so dang CUTE! :) The one we’re buying now was built in 1965. I NEVER thought I’d own one that didn’t come with high ceilings and hardwood floors and all the cute little nooks and crannies, but I’m in love with it. A new one though?? I don’t think I could…. (but yours is gorgeous!)

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Exactly what I thought, I never imagined I would love a new house, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised! Congrats on your new-to-you home! So exciting!

      Reply
  10. Regina

    It appears your post is timely for many of us. We will be moving into our new custom built home in about a month, after living in only older homes all my 50-some years. I’m soooo looking forward to more reasonable energy bills, the quietness of a well insulated home, easy clean tilt-in windows, etc., etc. But high on my list of things to look forward to is LESS DUST!!! I hope we enjoy our home as much as you enjoy yours.

    Reply
    • Melissa

      That sounds wonderful! I’m sure you’ll love it!

      Reply
  11. Deidre

    I totally agree with everything on your list! We bought a new home this time after living in 6 other older homes. It has made a total difference in my stress level and I don’t have the constant feeling of wanting to change things. As a person with an OCD personality, everything is bright and shiny and new and it just makes me happy!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Ha, yes, I can relate!!

      Reply
  12. Carol

    We built new in 1994, our first new house. We had quite a bit of design input, however now after almost 20 years, we are in the “if I knew then what I know now, I’d have done things differently” phase, so updating and sometimes reconfiguring are on the wish list. Since I’ve been unemployed for a few years and now have medical bills piling up after breast cancer we only do the most urgent necessary “have to dos”, and the wants just wait. I am inspired by your projects, and I like that many of them are easy and relatively inexpensive. Thanks for the insight into your reasons for buying new, because new doesn’t have to mean without character!

    Reply
  13. Adelina Priddis

    We’ve now bought 2 older homes (one from the 40’s and one from the 70’s). We really enjoy the whole diy updates and making it our own. But our real dream is to build our own house, because then it’s done right the way we want from the beginning :) Not sure we’ll ever be able to afford that though.

    Reply
  14. Carolyn Kavarnos

    When we were looking for our dream home, I was thrilled with the grand old Victorians that were in our area, loved the nooks and cranies and the charm. What I did not love, the cost of repairs, the lack of closets, the layout of many of the kitchen that lacked the space I needed. What did we do? We build our own 7000 square foot Victorian colonial home that had the features I loved like a huge wrap around front porch, dormers, nooks, but had enormous closets, big bathrooms with showers and Jacuzzi, a huge kitchen with tons of cabinets and more. Best of both worlds, the charm of the past in a modern structure that was well built and functional in every way.

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Sounds WONDERFUL! I love that you were able to get the best of both, that is certainly a dream worth considering!!!

      Reply
  15. Stacey

    I love this post! I grew up in an older home and watched my parents (Dad especially) have to do so much work.I decided to build new and I feel exactly the way you do so much more time to make things pretty, instead of constantly worrying about whats gonna need repaired next!

    Reply
  16. Stacey

    I love this post! I grew up in an older home and watched my parents (Dad especially) have to do so much work.I decided to build new and I feel exactly the way you do so much more time to make things pretty, instead of constantly worrying about whats gonna need repaired next!

    Reply
  17. Colleen Dahlem

    I know this was a sponsored post by a new home builder but I have found new homes with the charm and character as well as established neighborhood are much more expensive than simply buying a refurbished 1940s home in the style that I appreciate :-)

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Those things can be expensive, I agree! Although I think every neighborhood, city or state might be a little different in what types of and ages of homes are more common and available at better price points! It’s worth looking at all kinds of homes in order to find the best one available for your circumstances and budget.

      Reply
  18. Barbara (WA)

    Such a well stated and interesting subject! Being a bit older (okay, quite a bit older, poo) I’ve been considering when the best time would be to move into an aging-in-place space. I am concerned with feeling at home somewhere after being here for 25+ years. Yes, we are going to remodel and enjoy our home for probably 10 more years. So this is an entirely different subject except I know you know what I mean about a home feeling right!

    Reply
  19. julie

    I’ve never lived in a brand new house, so I guess I can’t really compare the two. But I live in a 70 yr old house (lived here for the past 20 years) and I absolutely love the charm and ambience of old, nicked and scratched hardwood floors and original moulding, fireplace surround, etc. People come into my very modest little house and tell me all the time what a good “feel” this house has. And I agree. There is just an energy here that I attribute somewhat to it being so old, lived in and loved. Doesn’t mean a new house can’t feel good, of course…but I’m just all about old house “cottage” charm. (even have a picket fence out front!)

    Reply
    • Melissa

      That is true, an older house does have that lived in charm that is hard to duplicate! People used to say the exact same thing when they came in our old houses, that they had a good “feel” to them. But interestingly, they say that here too? Now I’m wondering if it is just some houses feel right (which is why we might choose them!) or it’s the vibe YOU bring and personality you add to the home that brings that feel, new or old. Either way, it is important to find a home that feels right to you! And I love a picket fence :-).

      Reply
  20. Amber

    Uh-oh! We JUST put an offer in on a house built in 1856. We did the “new” thing several times and it was great (except when you walk into the design center and find that all the bells and whistles the models had were a pretty Cha-Ching!) Anyway, we live in CA and after seeing the old homes in the South, ours are made of paper! Haha! We found a house that has been updated throughout the years and as far as we can tell, doesn’t need much (the big things were recently redone). Who knows if our offer will be accepted but it sure is exciting to possibly live in a home with so much history! Loved your post and so glad you found HOME.

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Well that sounds exciting!! I know what you mean, not all new homes are of good quality. And not all areas have good options for newer/or older houses! Enjoy your new home, I hope your offer is accepted!!

      Reply
  21. Carrie

    Yes!!! I bought a newer-build house a few years ago (it was built in 2006 and I got it in 2010), and I am soooo thrilled. It is such a relief to not have to do home improvement projects! I also really appreciate the open floor plan that is more common in newer-build houses. And all of the other reasons you cite! I like the look of old and established, but it is totally not my thing to have a table saw in my dining room while some sort of project goes on.

    Reply
  22. lylah ledner

    Melissa…as always…great post. Made me really think differently…thanks friend! xo lylah

    Reply
  23. erin

    Great post Melissa! We are in the process of building our dream home with plans to stay put for quite a while and it really is an amazing process. VERY stressful and I put so much pressure on myself to get everything just right but I’m so grateful I have the opportunity to do it. Although I wish I had someone as house savvy as you guiding me through it. Ha! One thing I’ve learned throughout this process is that there really is no such thing as having things “perfect” and exactly how you want them – even when building your own home from the start. Certain things dictate others and it’s all a give and take. But yes! Very nice to get things 90% the way you want! :) Your new kitchen is absolutely beautiful by the way!! LOVE it!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      That is the truth, there is no perfect house and I think that is where we get into trouble expecting too much. But you are right, having things 90% of the way you want them is a DREAM! Congrats on your new home!!

      Thanks Erin!

      Reply
  24. Tricia

    This makes perfect sense. I too, always lived in older homes so I dreamed of having the perfect little fixer upper when I got married. I guess you’d say our home is “just new enough”. It was built in the 1980′ and had absolutely no charm. But since we bought it from my brother-in-law who built it we knew we made a good investment. I’ve enjoyed turning our little 1980’s home into my dream home by givng it those little cottage/ Craftsman’s style details instead of having to restore an older home. It’s like having the best of both worlds!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      That is wonderful, I love when we can embrace what we have and make it into something we love no matter what age it is! :-)

      Reply
  25. oldhouselady

    I have lived in both, built 2 new, one I designed. We have lived in our current house for 7 years, it was built in 1762! We moved from new, to 1840, then 1833, then this. It is extremely unique. We restored it from top to bottom. It is warm, comfortable and another way to look at it, it is the most significant form of recycling! It’s 4200 square feet on 4 acres built by the Dutch of stone and brick with an 1840 frame addition. We are handy and creative and did the restoration thoughtfully and relatively inexpensively, (although correctly.) The house will be standing for another 251 years, at least. We lack things like vinyl siding and windows! Thank goodness! Because how long will they last? We have beautiful floor boards, some 26″ wide with a wonderful aged patina. We have chestnut beamed ceilings and original casement windows and exterior stone walls that are 33″ thick, 3 fireplaces and original woodwork, and too much more to list. We have a new furnace, central air, an on demand water heater, and all new appliances. We added a pool that looks like a pond. On the four acres we’ve rebuilt a long gone barn that is home to our 10 Jacobs sheep (also an ‘ancient breed’). We are surrounded by original stone walls and beautiful gardens and huge trees, maple, locust, tulip, pines, and old, old lilacs. New houses lack mature plantings. I know this for a fact as I design gardens for my sons landscape business! All these attributes can only be recreated in a new build if you truly have very deep pockets! Then too, there goes another piece of nature lost to a new house when there are so many older homes that need a new owner to love it and bring it back to life!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Your home sounds absolutely lovely. What a dream! We have NOTHING that glorious we could restore or buy in our area, sadly! That is the bummer, not all areas of the country have many beautiful old homes like that! I would move in to your house or neighborhood in a heartbeat! :-) But in the mean time, I’m happily content with where I am, blooming where we are planted, vinyl windows and lack of beautiful gardens and all :-). I’m so happy, though, to hear of lovely old homes like yours –I know they are absolutely wonderful and charming in so many ways — I agree!

      Reply
  26. Amy

    Loved this post! I grew up in an 1840 VT farmhouse and my mom used to joke that it was like “saving the Titanic with an ice bucket.” I’ve always loved older homes because of it’s charm, but when my husbandand I decided to move to our forever home (our 8th place), we knew we would build new. Bigger is definately not always better, as we knew we didn’t want cookie cutter or a McMansion, but we were able to incorporate a lot of vintage, classic features in our new home that will work for our family for many years to come. I agree that there is a certain “feel” to a place with history, but am happy with our decision.

    Reply
    • Melissa

      That is funny, saving the Titanic with an ice bucket heheheh. I think many of us old home lovers get swept away by the charm and romance of an old house, I am definitely one of them, :-) but when we discover that we can in fact add vintage and classic features and have fun with a newer home, we can be quite content in a new home. That is a good feeling for me. You do have to give up that sense of history and old house features perhaps, so true, but sometimes that is a small thing to give up for all the good things we might gain with a newer house. It’s all about being content where you are in life! Good for you on moving to your forever home, that is a goal for me someday! I’ve moved far too many times for my liking :-)

      Reply
  27. Lauren

    Hello! Congrats on your new house! We bought new about 10 years ago. We bought new because we didn’t want to face many repairs and didn’twant to re-do or undo what other people have done to the home. Unforunately, our builder cut some corners, and although our home hasn’t even hit the 10-year mark yet, we’ve had to put in a new air conditioner, new furnace and two new windows. (Ours was a very small builder, not a big, well-known one.) But I am sure you won’t have our problems! (Overall, our house is good, though, we just had to put more money into it than we expected!)

    By the way, I LOVE your floors! Do you mind if I ask what brand/wood they are? (I am still hoping that my hubby will let me spring for wood floors some day!)

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Yes, I think unless you build some fancy quality custom house you probably will have to do some upgrading over time with a new house. It is just a fact of life with home ownership in general. We’ve already updated out kitchen (not because things were broken or dated necessarily but because we wanted to add charm and more function to our builder kitchen)…but STILL, it was worth it to us to have a new house to begin with! The cost of adding charm and updating a few things over time was still far less for us than buying an old house in our area and fixing it up.

      But, in any case, the floors are Hickory and you can read all about them here! We added those recently! https://theinspiredroom.net/2012/12/18/mohawk-natural-hickory-hardwood-flooring/

      Reply
  28. Lauren

    Thanks, Melissa! Your floors are just beautiful! I love how they have slight changes in color from plank to plank (and not just one uniform color). Congrats again on your new home — it is just beautiful!!

    Reply
  29. janet

    We are in our third new house. Second one that was custom to us. The middle one was a spec house where I didn’t choose the finishes. It was nice but never felt like home. This house I am in now definitely feels like me and feels like home.

    Before that we lived in an old apartment building and I have to say the only issue with a new house is getting over the fear of breaking it. Of feeling like it is perfect when you move in so your additions or changes never feel quite good enough or you stall thinking it has to stay perfect.

    Then the kids damage a wall, the dog scratches the floors, you can breathe again and you dive in.

    Nothing is ever perfect. ;) but that’s what is so great old or new.

    Reply
  30. camille

    Mmmmm. I want to go to there. Lovely!

    Reply
  31. camille

    PS My above comment was meant for your post about the outing you had with your daughters. ;)

    Reply
  32. Anne Marie

    What a great article – thanks for putting all this info into one spot! Do you have your wall color paints listed in one place?? For some reason, I thought you did but cannot locate it – love the gray paint color and am wondering what the color is!

    Reply
  33. Carolyn

    Very interesting. I’m curious, what exactly is your business, when and how did you start it? And did you START a brand-new church?

    Reply
  34. alli

    this is so helpful what would u recommend for building your own. just talking to an architect.

    Reply
  35. Irma

    Hi!
    I’m from the buying an older home group. I definitely can see how buying brand new, or building your own has a lot of wonderful perks. We have owned 3 100+ year old homes in our 38 years of marriage and rented a 25 yr.old home for 2 years. 2 of them were exceptionally well built, a Victorian and our present Craftsman. My hubby is in ministry and has always had simple tastes in housing. So buying a home had to be affordable, and on a pastors income that totally rules out newer homes. But we managed to find homes that were already in good shape and needed mostly cosmetic upgrades. Here in Canada, at least here in Ontario, housing inspections have become a must. So you will know exactly what will have to be addressed if you go through with the sale. We now have our house listed for sajle and when I look online at other houses in our price range I have to say we have a lovely home with lots of charm, a decent traffic flow, generous closets and very little that HAS to be done.

    Reply
  36. Robyn

    I know this is an old post but we are building our next house for all the reasons you listed here. We’re working with a custom home builder so our plans are 100% our own and it’s so fun but a lot of decisions! Any advice on picking finishes and paint colors when the house is just on paper and you can’t see how the light behaves?

    Reply

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