The Evolution of a Home

I was thinking the other day about how our thoughts and concepts about "home" change as we grow up.

As a child growing up in my parents homes, I always wanted someone else's house.  I always thought someone else had something cooler (like a pool) or bigger or neater.  They always had better rooms and bigger rooms.  Luckily, I never had to share a room since I was the only girl.  But, that meant that I had the smallest room.  And when you're a kid you usually have to keep someone else's house clean and help THEM clean it.  And those are awful things when you're a kid.  I was never happy enough with my parent's houses, even though we had some nice ones.

Then you get older and decide to branch out.  Usually it's to a dorm or apartment.  Sometimes you share with multiple people.  I sure did.  And boy did that perfectionism of a house fade.  I lived in a DUMP!  And I didn't care.  I was on my own, in a sense, even though I had tons of people living in that little apartment.  We didn't clean, we didn't decorate, it was small.  But, we were happy.  We didn't care about all that materialistic stuff because we were making it on our own.

But, those thoughts fade, QUICKLY.  You can only be happy in a dump for so long.  Then I started having those ideas of grandeur again.  But, wanting to own it myself, not live in someone else's ideal.

But, as with most young couples, we couldn't afford our dream home right off.  So, we settled on an apartment.  It was small and on the second floor, but we were young and in love and it was OURS.  That worked for awhile too.  Until we wanted something more permanent.  And we had to move because he made a career change.

Unfortunately, we bought our first house is a teeny, tiny town.  Where nothing had been built for 30 years.  Seriously.  It was an old mining town that had gone under.  It was really small (2,000 people) and away from the city (2 hours).  So, our first house that we owned was 30 years old, small, in need of repair and the ugliest pink and brown you'd ever seen.

And even though we were still young and in love and starting out this adventure, there were no illusions.  The place was a dump.  No matter how much paint I slapped on the walls and how much time and money I threw into it.  It was awful.  I never felt that that house was home.  Never.  It was just a resting point between here and there.  I always felt that way.  I actually laughed when some other sucker bought it from us.   Because I knew.

But, now we have our dream house.  We built it.  Not US, but we had it built.  To our specifications.  We changed the plans to accommodate our needs.   We thought and planned and fought and researched and built exactly what we wanted.  The process sucked, bit time!  But, we've got what we wanted.  And I decorated it just how I wanted.

And we're finally, after three years, almost completely done with all of the building, landscaping, projects!  The finish is in sight.  And the feeling is unbelievable.  To finally have what we wanted and just be able to enjoy it. 

We've said that the only time we'll move again is when we retire.  Even if we win the lottery.  And I'm not kidding.  Now, if we win the lottery, I'm sure we'd add on a guest house/game room, but that's all.  We really thought it all out and got exactly what we wanted. 

So, even though I now have to clean the whole thing and keep the whole thing maintained, I can 100% say that I'm happy and that I'm home.

Comments

[mielikki]

great.
now I have house envy...
sounds heavenly!

[Laura]

That's fantastic, Lori! I like our house, but it's not my "dream" house by any means. I hope to have that experience some day too!

[debbie]

My husband and I made the decision to not buy, but rent, as even though house prices themselves are not too high, the land on which you build would cost the proverbial "arm and a leg" and probably a few other body parts! Which is probably good because my concept of a "dream house" keeps changing slightly...
How lucky you are to be in your "dream house". Will you be posting pictures?!?! hint hint
The house we rent now is as close to what I would own as I have ever been in...if we ever have to move, I will be oh so very sad!!
Not bad for a girl who spent the majority of her growing in one trailer house or another!

[Jo Beaufoix]

You are so lucky. I'd love to be able to have that dream house some day. But the house we have is pretty good to keep us going on with and we love it.

[BOSSY]

Bossy loves her house too, even though it wasn't made to specification, and is easily 12 feet too small in every direction.

[bubblewench]

Nice! Congratulations.. that must be such an awesome feeling. We're home, and we know it, but we have just started on our projects, and the finish is years away.

Very cool post.

[Jules]

I am so glad you have a place you love and can truly call home!!! I hope we will get there in the next twenty years or so. Sigh.

[Sybil Law]

No pictures?!!! (I am house obsessed.)
What a great thing, though. Only, if you're like me, in 3 years you'll want to redecorate. And change little things.
I wish I could build my dream house!

[holly]

oh i am sooo envious. we are in our property-ladder house. please, please, please house, increase in value quickly so i can have a house with a driveway!