Well, we finally did it. We closed on our new house last Friday.
For those who haven't heard the story, we started looking at homes just a couple months ago with the idea that it would take us a long time to find what we really wanted. At this point in our lives, we find ourselves to be pretty particular about what we want and don't want in a house. We knew we wanted to stay in St. Paul, but wanted more land, a little more space, a better kitchen and more energy-efficient house...in addition to a long list of other "little" things. After seeing a number of great homes along Summit Avenue, near the River and in Highland we stumbled across the house we would come to buy.
The new house is located in the Highlandland neighborhood of St. Paul on a wooded lot of nearly 2 acres along a quiet, winding street. The home itself was built in the early 1950's and reminds us more of a cabin than a house. It has about 2,100 square feet filled with 5 bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room and kitchen but no basement. The one thing is does have is more wood than Sherwood Forrest! The family who built the house was in the lumber business and reflected their work in their home -- redwood siding outside and on the inside redwood panelling on every wall and hardwood floors throughout. For us, it's a good foundation to create the home we really want.
That's where the fun starts. We're now in the process of talking with a number of architects including Lucas Alm at Alm Design Studio, rt design, and Kuhl Design Build. After seeing the "green house" at the State Fair last weekend, we're also thinking about talking with SALA Architects. We're hoping to pick an architect by mid-September, take three to four months to work on the designs and start construction in the winter. Based on the timing we've heard from the architects, the house will hopefully be done by late spring or early summer 2009. But we also know that construction schedules almost always go longer than you plan for...
We hope to use this blog as a way to share our fears, excitement, frustrations and celebrations. We look forward to having a big house-warming with all of you next year. Wish us luck!
