We built a house – AGAIN! For those of you who do not know we built a barndo, like physical built it, four short years ago. We actually moved into it on this day in 2019. Four years, two babies, and now two houses is a story for another time.

We started in January 2023 looking at house plans. I mashed up a few that I loved on a random notebook we had laying around. Through babies playing, crying, and needing us we tried and semi-succeeded sketching out the plans of our new home. We wanted a section of the house all to ourselves – a functional living area that we could live in forever, an open living space, large pantry, a side of the house for the two kids, and a playroom – potential baby number three’s room.

Moving In

We started construction in April of 2023. I was sure it would take us about a year to be able to move in and call this space ours. However, things went pretty quickly and we did some of the work on our own to save and have some control in pace. Our contractor, Jimmy Dobbins, was great about keeping things moving along. So, as we neared the Holidays it became evident that we may be able to live here for Christmas! With help from my parents, other family members, and friends we were able to get in just after Thanksgiving. So in 7 months, we are now able to call this place home!

The Living Space in Construction

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!

I throughly enjoyed the days of moving in. Getting to see all of my research, thoughts, and ideas come together like I had hoped they would was rewarding to say the least. Designing this home was something I have really took pride in and spent a lot of extra time working for. Most of my buys were made online due to my busy schedule and two babies which can be stressful, however I was thrilled how everything turned out- thanks Amazon!

We got the big stuff in, left for Georgia to see family, my family worked in the house getting the small stuff moved over, and when we returned we decorated for Christmas!!

Our Living Room

This fireplace and mantle have been one of my favorite aspects of this whole house. Large white stone and a white oak mantle goes well with my kitchen color scheme and that was important to me knowing we had an open floor plan. We chose to paint the walls white with contrast trim and doors. This decision was something that did make me nervous, but I am totally in love!

Our Kitchen

My “must haves” were a commercial fridge, double oven, and large island. We love having people over – whether it is family or friends we host often and I love to cook! I went away from the classic white cabinets and had them painted the color of our trim. I wanted the island to be different than the cabinets so we went with white oak. This was something that took a little research, but Roger Shipley worked with me on finding a stain and seal that could bring a soft wood tone to the room. There are a few features to our cabinets that I LOVE and I think will help maximize storage and minimize clutter.

Dining Room & Foyer

We bought this table in July on a good deal. I envision crafts, card games, anf family meals for years here.

I knew that our color scheme was a little bland so I bought this china piece on Marketplace for cheap and repainted it black. This is the same black as our pantry door and I’m obsessed!

This house is something we are proud of and so excited to get to live in. I plan to post room by room or area by area as we finish everything up!