I don't think it's great, but every other new construction in my neighborhood is the same fake craftsman style built by one company (Everett), so at least it adds some variety.
Actually - concrete cutters cut two parallel lines. I sledged the concrete and Mike pried it out. Then we pick-axed the top and dug it out with a trenching shovel and a regular old shovel. But Gia did get in and dig at Mike's request, which was pretty funny.
You can come over soon! We might be ready for some bbq action soon...
What was it like to use the concrete cutters? Did you rent from NEPTL? And by "sledged," you mean you broke it up by sledge hammer? Intense! Is your back sore?
Good job not buying a house! BUT REALLY! Nightmares?!
We hired Brothers Concrete Cutting who were awesome and cheap. And borrowed a sledge hammer to break it up. We work out sometimes, so we were ok! Very tired, but not super sore.
I was up in the Olympic Peninsula last week at Lake Quinault. My friend and I passed a few houses for sale right on the lake and took turns guessing how much they cost. I guessed 550k. Turns out they were $125. and $139k (or something)! The land is leased, so you don't actually own it, which explains the low price but JEEZ - that lake is SERIOUSLY gorgeous and it those houses would make some hella airbnb's with a little work. Here's one:
Usually if you buy a place on Forest Service leased land, it's against the law to rent it out as a vacation/AirBnB rental. At least, that's the case up by Mt Hood, might be different up in the Olympics!
It is a tiny house! We went with the town with the co-op. It was like, every time we drove to Easthampton to look for a house we got more and more bummed, and every time we drove to this town to look for a house we got more and more stoked. It just seems COOL AS HELL up there, the community is cool and interesting, the downtown is better, and houses are so cheap! It adds like 5 minutes to my commute, but on the flip side, here we won't have to drive to do any other errands (unlike Easthampton where you have to drive for everything including groceries). So I bet ultimately we'll save on drive time.
So anyway. It's so, so cute and pretty. It looks JUST like a Portland house--we laughed when we drove up to it. It's a classic Portland bungalow with a big front porch. It's literally next door to a house made out of a red barn--so new england! Then there's this Portland dude sitting there. We felt instantly comfortable and pleased. The major drawback is it's oil heat, which is so gross, but we have a ten year plan of switching to solar, I don't know. Plus it's a small house so at least will be very efficient.
It is very small. 2 bedrooms/936 square feet. BUT, first of all, the living room/dining room/kitchen feel somehow normal sized, not small at all. It's really only the bedrooms that feel tiny, and we kind of don't care as much about that--we like a tiny bedroom anyway, and the other one will just have a desk in it. ALSO, crucially, the house has a big nice attic with good headroom, that is already insulated and already has one dormer window. So, because it's in this town, which has the perception of not being nice (even though it is), the market is normal and chill here, and so the house only cost $148,000 (!!!), which means we can feasibly finish the attic within a year or so, and then the house will be great.
So Gary is going to have to rent an office downtown until we do the attic, but they are like $200 and he is excited about it.
THE YARD! Has a GIANT APPLE TREE in it, and blueberry bushes, kale, tomatoes, beans, and strawberries. It is small but very comfortable. There's no garage but a little shed for sticking your lawn mower/bikes in.
And it's on a quiet street. But a 10 minute walk to the co-op and all the bars we like.
I love this house more than I can say! It's completely adorable! And I wouldn't worry too much about the size. Matt and I have been living with this big dumb dog in a space that's roughly 700 sq. ft. (plus a 200-300 sq. ft. attic room), and doing fine. And you'll have a dining room, which we don't have.
Ugh, this is just so perfect. I'm so happy for you guys.
Thanks! Yeah, I never had a dining room until this year, and now I see how crucial it is...it makes the whole house feel more expansive, and it's so nice to eat in a clean, cool room, away from the dirty pots and pans and radiating leftover stove heat of the kitchen.
I can't believe your place is 700! Feels much bigger in there!
I am super frustrated by home ownership right now. All the contractors H works with for various things (furnace, alarm system, random maintenance stuff etc) are people he knows because his mom's a realtor, but I think what she hasn't realized as she's gotten older and stopped actually being very hands on with her realtor work is that these contractors just suck and and are extremely slow to respond, and one by one I am firing them and replacing them with "rando companies from Angie's list with good ratings" and invariably they are way better. This also makes me feel weird because often this means switching from shitty momnpop operations to bigger companies.
it is a cheerful hedge. We have seen some scary hedges and this one is totally cheerful!
Yes, there is a yard! A nice side-yard going into a nice backyard. Neither are giant but both are adequate. We've looked at some houses that are on like 1.2 acres and it just seems like the mowing would absolutely break you; this feels manageable.
stoked about the kale. And apples! My own apple tree has LITERALLY been a dream I've had since around age 15. Can't believe it is happening. I'm going to make vinegar, cider, and pies. Need to find out what kind of apples they are.
Stoked to work on projects and care more about my living space. Stoked to scrape lead paint off the window frames wearing a gas mask!
Is it a big tree? We have 4 apple trees but they give us a grand total of maybe 8-10 apples a year. I know it will get better. That is one thing that I like about having a house, what it does to your sense of time.
"The Housing Market is not a Rational Market" I'm not sure I believe just adding short options is will magically make it rational, but it is clear that many forces are at work to drive prices up, including the fact that in Oregon, the real estate agents work for the seller.
It is a huge problem in China now, with speculation on whole cities of newly built vacant condos. The Chinese stock market is certainly not rational for that matter!
Look for light fixtures! I've had a lot of fun finding and installing new light fixtures. Look for some great porch chairs, you're going to love drinking your coffee on that porch. Find someone to build a fence for dog? Does dog need a fence?
can you post some examples of cool porch chairs? I can't really envision them. Anything with fabric seems gross, but I also don't like wicker...what shall I do?
Comments
https://www.redfin.com/OR/Portland/1125-NE-Sumner-St-97211/home/26361871
we almost bought a house 2 days ago then both had nightmares all night then didn't buy it
Actually - concrete cutters cut two parallel lines. I sledged the concrete and Mike pried it out. Then we pick-axed the top and dug it out with a trenching shovel and a regular old shovel. But Gia did get in and dig at Mike's request, which was pretty funny.
You can come over soon! We might be ready for some bbq action soon...
It will be ok
We hired Brothers Concrete Cutting who were awesome and cheap. And borrowed a sledge hammer to break it up. We work out sometimes, so we were ok! Very tired, but not super sore.
https://www.redfin.com/city/30772/OR/Portland/filter#!v=8&sst=&lat=45.557670649686905&long=-122.65008208223774&zoomLevel=14®ion_id=30772®ion_type=6&market=oregon
https://www.redfin.com/city/30772/OR/Portland/filter#!v=8&sst=&lat=45.557670649686905&long=-122.65008208223774&zoomLevel=14®ion_id=30772®ion_type=6&market=oregon
http://www.edinarealty.com/homes-for-sale/835-Edmund-Avenue-St-Paul-MN-55104-152393707
!!?
It is a tiny house! We went with the town with the co-op. It was like, every time we drove to Easthampton to look for a house we got more and more bummed, and every time we drove to this town to look for a house we got more and more stoked. It just seems COOL AS HELL up there, the community is cool and interesting, the downtown is better, and houses are so cheap! It adds like 5 minutes to my commute, but on the flip side, here we won't have to drive to do any other errands (unlike Easthampton where you have to drive for everything including groceries). So I bet ultimately we'll save on drive time.
So anyway. It's so, so cute and pretty. It looks JUST like a Portland house--we laughed when we drove up to it. It's a classic Portland bungalow with a big front porch. It's literally next door to a house made out of a red barn--so new england! Then there's this Portland dude sitting there. We felt instantly comfortable and pleased. The major drawback is it's oil heat, which is so gross, but we have a ten year plan of switching to solar, I don't know. Plus it's a small house so at least will be very efficient.
It is very small. 2 bedrooms/936 square feet. BUT, first of all, the living room/dining room/kitchen feel somehow normal sized, not small at all. It's really only the bedrooms that feel tiny, and we kind of don't care as much about that--we like a tiny bedroom anyway, and the other one will just have a desk in it. ALSO, crucially, the house has a big nice attic with good headroom, that is already insulated and already has one dormer window. So, because it's in this town, which has the perception of not being nice (even though it is), the market is normal and chill here, and so the house only cost $148,000 (!!!), which means we can feasibly finish the attic within a year or so, and then the house will be great.
So Gary is going to have to rent an office downtown until we do the attic, but they are like $200 and he is excited about it.
THE YARD! Has a GIANT APPLE TREE in it, and blueberry bushes, kale, tomatoes, beans, and strawberries. It is small but very comfortable. There's no garage but a little shed for sticking your lawn mower/bikes in.
And it's on a quiet street. But a 10 minute walk to the co-op and all the bars we like.
SO RELIEVED
I love this house more than I can say! It's completely adorable! And I wouldn't worry too much about the size. Matt and I have been living with this big dumb dog in a space that's roughly 700 sq. ft. (plus a 200-300 sq. ft. attic room), and doing fine. And you'll have a dining room, which we don't have.
Ugh, this is just so perfect. I'm so happy for you guys.
Yeah, I never had a dining room until this year, and now I see how crucial it is...it makes the whole house feel more expansive, and it's so nice to eat in a clean, cool room, away from the dirty pots and pans and radiating leftover stove heat of the kitchen.
I can't believe your place is 700! Feels much bigger in there!
Good price in the right town. Stoked for you two!
I'm into these wee homes
I am super frustrated by home ownership right now. All the contractors H works with for various things (furnace, alarm system, random maintenance stuff etc) are people he knows because his mom's a realtor, but I think what she hasn't realized as she's gotten older and stopped actually being very hands on with her realtor work is that these contractors just suck and and are extremely slow to respond, and one by one I am firing them and replacing them with "rando companies from Angie's list with good ratings" and invariably they are way better. This also makes me feel weird because often this means switching from shitty momnpop operations to bigger companies.
just like that!
Having a house is so great!
Going outside to pull off a couple leaves of kale and knowing that you are constantly improving the soil, so next years' kale will be better!
Having a space that is yours! Putting roots down, and what it does for your sense of centeredness. It's all very real.
That home looks so perfect for you! The funny little columns on the porch! The cheerful hedge!
Do you have a yard back there?
Yes, there is a yard! A nice side-yard going into a nice backyard. Neither are giant but both are adequate. We've looked at some houses that are on like 1.2 acres and it just seems like the mowing would absolutely break you; this feels manageable.
stoked about the kale. And apples! My own apple tree has LITERALLY been a dream I've had since around age 15. Can't believe it is happening. I'm going to make vinegar, cider, and pies. Need to find out what kind of apples they are.
Stoked to work on projects and care more about my living space. Stoked to scrape lead paint off the window frames wearing a gas mask!
I did a google image search and found the listing, but won't post it here if you don't want it posted.
It is a huge problem in China now, with speculation on whole cities of newly built vacant condos. The Chinese stock market is certainly not rational for that matter!
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/upshot/the-housing-market-still-isnt-rational.html?_r=0
But there is no doubt that home ownership can be a pleasure too!
It looks like a cute jumping spider with dormer eyes and column legs! Or like Goomba. VERY CUTE!!
we have to wait until stupid end of August!
GROWFFF
Both wicker/rattan-like, but I like basket chairs.
I actually didn't hate this ikea chair, but it'd be nice if it weren't brown.
what shall I do
I want a porch swing but Gary says NO!!!!!