We’ve been casually house hunting for a few weeks—driving through different neighborhoods, scrolling through MLS photos, and popping into a few open houses when we could. Between cleaning our current home for showings and juggling schedules, it took us a while to sit down and write about the experience. It’s funny how the actual hunt for a new place can get pushed to the back burner by the logistics of trying to sell the one you’re in.
We also spent time deciding how to share this process. Part of us wanted to show every nook and cranny of each house, but we don’t want to invade sellers’ privacy. These homeowners haven’t signed up to have their spaces publicly critiqued the way participants on TV shows do, so we settled on a compromise: we’ll share a single, lightly edited exterior photo and a candid description of each place’s strengths and drawbacks, along with our thoughts on whether it would work for our family.
First up is a house we nicknamed “The Cottage in the Woods.” We came across it while exploring a nearby neighborhood and were smitten by the exterior before we even knew anything about the interior or the layout. The house sits back on a private, tree-filled lot and has a real storybook charm to it—exactly the sort of place that makes you imagine cozy winters and quiet mornings among the trees.
THE STATS:
- Year built: 1953
- House size: 1,905 square feet
- Lot size: approximately 1.4 acres
- Bedrooms: 3
- Bathrooms: 2
THE PROS:
- Charming, older home with character that could be enhanced with some thoughtful updates
- Extremely private lot set back from the road—about 150 feet of wooded driveway before you reach the house
- Located in a desirable neighborhood with good local schools
- Open living and dining areas that feel welcoming and social
THE CONS:
- No en-suite bathroom, which is something we prefer for privacy and convenience
- Small, cramped kitchen—roughly half the size of our current one—with limited options for expansion
- Two bedrooms are on the main level while the third is in the basement, creating a split layout that doesn’t suit our needs
- Basement ceiling is low—so much so that taller people need to duck—and one of the bedrooms is down there, along with a dehumidifier
Even though the exterior completely won us over, the interior layout didn’t match our priorities. We tend to love airy, open spaces and the idea of opening walls to create flow, but this house’s configuration didn’t lend itself well to that kind of renovation. The basement bedroom with its low ceiling made us pause as well; we prefer bedrooms to be above grade and grouped together, especially since we want to be close to Clara and any future young children during their early years.
We’re enthusiastic about older homes and the potential they offer, but in this case choosing that lovely, secluded cottage would have meant compromising on daily comfort and functionality. It felt like settling rather than moving toward what we actually want. So, as much as we adored the setting and curb appeal, we passed on this one and moved on to the next potential candidate.
Altered exterior photo taken by us and edited with Photoshop.
Psst — don’t forget we have a nerve-wracking appearance on The Nate Show this coming Monday the 25th. We’re hoping we don’t come across as starstruck geeks!