The beginning...

I will begin this blog by saying that making decisions about your own house is hard! Every day I help people design kitchens, pick materials, rework spaces, select furniture, etc. to achieve a final space that makes them happy. Usually I am very envious of the final product - a new (or updated) space that they get to live in and call home. To be honest, sometimes I am not quite so envious, mostly because of a particularly difficult attribute about their house that just can't be worked around, say a double-height wall in a living room, or a newly renovated kitchen that just quite isn't the new homeowner's style. But usually there is a huge sense of relief, these ideas they had swimming around in their head about how this space could be better have been realized.

Recently we purchased a house that needs A LOT of work. I have two little boys that were quickly growing out of their playroom which also happened to be the guest room, laundry room, hallway to the garage, and last but not least, my office. My oldest is starting kindergarten, so schools came into the picture.  We could not afford a completely renovated house that was modern, and to be quite honest, after doing this for so long, I am a little picky. So we headed in the other direction - look for good bones, a good yard, and a good neighborhood. Of course Austin has the most insane real estate market right now. Selling our current house? No problem. Buying a new one, ugh.  We found a house that most people would probably tear down. We, instead, decided to renovate. I am going to think of this as an adventure...