I have been in my house for approximately 1 year. During this time, I have learned more than I ever wanted to know about radon, wood floors, crawl spaces, spray foam insulation, triple pane glass, low VOC paint, leaks, and most importantly, which projects should be left to professionals.
I will begin at the beginning.
October 2009 - the hunt begins. After moving to 3 apartments in 3 years, and being fed up with landlords and their lack of concern for energy efficiency and my opinion of home aesthetic, we began the hunt for a house that we could make our home. Our requirements were simple (or so we thought). Small- 1200 sqft or smaller. 2 bedrooms. 1 bathroom. 1 car garage. low maintenance. under $90,000. in a town of 60,000. in Iowa.
November 2009 - change in criteria. The pickins turn out to be pretty slim within our price range for a house that needs little to no work. We lower our price and start looking more toward the fix-r-upper market. Knowing ML's needs for an interesting yard space for gardening and my need for control over every aspect of the look and feel of the home, this fixing up idea seems to give us more flexibility and hopefully, a lower upfront cost and more freedom in the end.
