Our Bungalow

In June, I mentioned that we were ready to embark on home ownership and beginning our search for a house. Less than two weeks later we looked at a few more houses in a different town than we had previously considered. We learned that it was good to be open-minded, and to consider all potential, good locations rather than just ideal locations.  As luck would have it, we found a house we loved. Of course, it was more expensive that others we had seen (although, the others had been quite low). Of course.

I loved this house from the exterior: a bungalow. Enough said.  And I loved it as soon as we walked in: a beautiful Arts & Crafts front door, original wood floors and molding that hadn’t been painted and original wood windows! Barely any “improvements” beyond maintenance and minimal modernization had been done to this house; but, it was immaculately clean and in great condition. Perfect. And, it just seemed like the perfect size. Honestly, it came close to being my dream house. We wanted it.

We were ready to make an offer within a few days, but someone else placed an offer the day before we did. No! I couldn’t believe it – our perfect house in a perfect location for us and we were going to lose it. As first time home buyers, we weren’t quite sure what to do. In addition to placing the best offer that we could, I wrote a letter to the sellers to introduce ourselves and our love of the house. It just had to be meant for us. Who else would love its original features and lack of changes as much as us? It was an emotional 24 hours. We were nervous and worried; it was not a good morning after the offer. We wanted to know, one way or the other.

Good news prevailed. The realtor called me to tell me that our offer was accepted! I almost didn’t believe her and then was ecstatic. High-fives all around the office!

So, fast forward beyond the home inspection, finishing the mortgage paperwork and getting all documents in order, scheduling a moving truck, packing, getting things in order for our house AND planning the last minute details of the wedding and getting married…. and at the end of July, we officially became homeowners! Talk about a busy month.

Just after closing on our house!

Bungalows have always been my favorite style of residential architecture (aside from the little 1930s Tudor Revivals), but when we moved to Vermont, I worried that I was in the wrong part of the country to find a bungalow. Much of the architecture here is of the gable front, two-story massing type or capes with Greek Revival style elements (actually, I love those now). Still, I needed a porch. Nor did we want to live in the middle of nowhere, which would be quite isolating in the winter months. Anyway, now you can understand why I immediately loved this house. Though, honestly, it’s the original windows that did me in. I won’t even pretend otherwise.

Once we were settled, I planned to write a post announcing our “new” historic house; but Tropical Storm Irene and her flooding picked up my plans and scattered them out of order. Thank you all for offering advice, suggestions and good thoughts as I quietly slipped in the fact that we just bought a house and then it flooded. It is much appreciated. We’re hoping for a calmer 2012.

In terms of the house: it definitely needs work – such as electrical upgrades and aesthetic improvements such as interior paint, and many things in between. Despite the flooding, we love the house. I can’t believe it’s ours.

In terms of Preservation in Pink and our bungalow, this blog will not become a house blog or a home design blog (though I love those). It will remain a historic preservation focused blog, just with one more opportunity for tangents. For privacy reasons, I will not show images of the exterior and the exact location, but I will probably share snippets of projects from the inside. Depending on the speed of our projects, I might post once per month with house projects. Our house is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, so we intend to maintain its historic integrity. If you have any questions about the house or projects, let me know and I’m happy to answer.

I am so excited to be living in a historic home – a 1920s bungalow – with my new husband. Life is good. Home ownership is already a fun challenge.