This week we take a close look at the two approaches we used to find our Florida house. We explain how we balanced wants versus needs, sorted through hundreds of listings, and relied on technology to bridge the 800-mile gap while house hunting from afar. We also share how a difficult phone call from our contractor ultimately prevented a major future problem—one that might have left us with no working bathrooms when we moved in. Along the way, Sherry’s way with words gets her into trouble again, and John pushes spreadsheeting to new heights.
You can also find this episode on your preferred podcast app, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, and Spotify.
What’s New
- We’re sharing an update on the renovation at our Florida house after discovering that all of the first-floor drywall needed to be replaced. Not exactly fun, but necessary.
- We’ll post many more photos in a week or two once the house is more secure. For now, here’s the only existing bathroom in the house. We plan to add an en-suite later, but at the moment this is the only full bath. We had intended to keep the original tub/shower combo, but a leak behind the wall required a more thorough renovation. When we move in, the bathroom should be like new—without any leaks.
- If you want the backstory on our ongoing plumbing misadventures, that origin story begins in Episode #168 of our podcast. We also discuss our affection for baskets (and Sherry’s musical ode “Baskets In The Attic”) in Episode #123—an episode whose title, “Baskets: Friend Or Foe?”, remains a favorite.
- Later this week we’ll publish a gallery of inspiration photos that are guiding the Florida renovation. Expect to see lots of woven textures and natural materials—consider this a spoiler.
Game: What’s Sherry Describing?
- Thanks to listener Jeannie Rodriguez for putting together this week’s game. If you enjoyed the round, you might like the episode featuring her husband, nicknamed “Dr Budgets,” where he shares practical budgeting advice.
- Below are the items Sherry described on the show and the episode where each clip originally appeared:
- Ice roller (described as a “zamboni for her face”) — featured in Episode #142.
- Salt lamp nightlights (described as “not-rocky-cylinders”) — featured in Episode #65.
- Divided turntable organizer (described as “pizza shaped wedges”) — featured in Episode #76.
- Corkcicle water bottle (described as “doesn’t ting-a-ling-a-ling bottom”) — featured in Episode #150.
- Outdoor kids’ swing (described as a “crocheted hoola hoop”) — featured in Episode #48.
- Drop Stop (described as a “sock full of rice for the crack”) — featured in Episode #109.
How We House Hunted From Afar
- If you want more context about why we moved and how we chose the Florida Panhandle, check Episode #163 and our accompanying blog post for a fuller explanation of the decision and the region.
- To show you how many options we considered: after setting filters like at least three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a pool, some search areas still returned hundreds of results—often close to 900 listings. That’s why a spreadsheet became essential.
- We favorited promising listings on Zillow and Realtor.com, then compiled them into the now-famous spreadsheet that helped us track and compare properties. The sheet included many rows—imagine roughly 70 or more—and helped us decide which houses to view during a short, two-day trip to Florida in February. With limited time on the ground, organization was critical.
- Below is a snapshot of the spreadsheet layout we used. It made it much easier to narrow our list to the most promising houses to see in person.
- Even the best spreadsheets have limits. Many aspects of a home—how well a floor plan flows, neighborhood feel, and true walkability—can’t be fully judged from online listings alone.
- We included Walkability scores in the sheet based on WalkScore data, but those numbers aren’t perfect and should be verified with satellite maps and an on-the-ground visit. For example, our Cape Charles beach house registers a higher WalkScore than our new Florida house, but in real life the Florida property is within walking distance of many more amenities. Nothing replaces physically parking and walking the neighborhood when you can.
We’re Digging
- Our Florida-themed puzzle is currently out of stock, but we found several family-friendly puzzles in the 500-piece range that strike the right balance for kids and adults. Options we like include colorful crystals, playful flair designs, and cat-themed puzzles that keep everyone engaged without being overwhelming. We also spotted a 1,000-piece “Cool Cats” puzzle for those ready for a bigger challenge.
- We’re also enjoying the April 6th episode of the podcast Everything Little Thing, which features conversations with essential workers describing what it’s like to deliver packages, stock shelves, drive buses, and keep communities running during challenging times.
If you’re trying to locate something we’ve recommended in a past episode, we maintain a master list of everything we’ve been digging across episodes, along with a separate page that lists all the books we’ve recommended in our Book Club.
Finally, thanks to Social Print Studio for sponsoring this episode. They offered a discount code for listeners during the promotion period and shared a reminder about their shipping deadlines for seasonal gifting.
Thanks for listening and following along with our Florida house journey. We appreciate your support and can’t wait to share more updates and photos as the renovation progresses.
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