Ready or Not … We Moved In!

Elisa
Jan 14
3 min read

Updated: May 12

Hi Friend,

I hope you had a very restful Christmas and New Year's! We did not! But it wasn't without warning ... We knew we'd be renting out our old house to move into the new house at some point this winter. And then in October, we got a booking for our house for the month of January. So that set the deadline; January 3rd we'd be moving into the new house whether we were ready or not!

So on top of managing the final few items on the new build, we set to work on our old house, fixing all of those little repairs are needed to make sure it would be fully functional for renters. And while we were so excited to be hosting visitors for Christmas - our family of 8 plus 9 additional extended family members, 17 people total - we were also freaking out about the amount of work we had to do!

So we saw family, had Christmas, and then upended 3,600-square-feet of house to deep clean, take out all our personal stuff, and move it into the new house across the street (still under construction, though thankfully, had all the basic services). But it's a new year, we're still alive, and we're believing for a calm and orderly 2025!

The one photo we got with all of us this Christmas, opening up a box of Mickey's mom's Lenox ornaments that his sister sent us

The calm before the storm: Christmas morning in our old house before moving across the street

Getting ready for renters. We empty every drawer in the house and wash/organize everything.

As soon as we were done making that house perfect, we arrived at the new house, which was filled with boxes and bags and very little furniture or storage. I didn't know that it would feel like we were literally moving!

Anna enjoys her breakfast in the new house, sitting on the only chair she can find

Now it's been 11 days, and we're figuring it out - trying to organize our stuff and make it our home. Would you like a tour? (Obviously, these are beauty shots, with lots of our stuff taken out of view, but I've cleaned it up for you as if you were actually coming over!)

The mudroom painted with hooks on the wall (we used the extra wooden strapping that we had on hand)

The laundry room painted (and needing a smaller mirror for over the sink)

Washer and dryer (given to us by friends!) and the ERV (ventilator) installed

This is the hole made to vent the ERV. I thought it was cool how you can see the layers of the house: wooden sheathing of the walls, 3 inches of insulation, an air gap, then siding.

Both corner cabinets built and marble countertops and long bench installed

Kitchen shelves installed - still need a third shelf for visual balance and more storage

The pantry and broom closet next to the fridge were just built on Sunday

Lauren was excited to fill up the pantry with the food we had in boxes and bags

We'll get a loveseat for this space, but we picked up this Bauhaus leather couch for 50 cents!

The den is our construction room, filled with materials and Judah's Milwaukee tool collection

The downstairs bathroom with temporary mirror and vanity

David and Judah got the first coat of microcement on the shower walls

Upstairs bathroom - still looking for shower curtain solutions for a slanted ceiling!

Girls' bedroom upstairs is cozy and warm

It's easy to get lost in all the details of setting up a house and growing tired of the prolonged period of constant work. But when I step back for a moment to see the overall project, I am really impressed with this house. And I say this as someone who is a committed old-house lover! It feels solid, it's quiet, it's warm, even when it's downright frigid outside. I know it's only been a few days, but I really like living here. I've never lived in a house so insulated! And the radiant slab downstairs has been amazing. For better or worse, beauty has always been my top concern in a house because I feel so affected by my visual environment, but now I'm really thinking about performance. I've got to thank David Howard (FirstDay Cottage) for being so thoughtful about these house kits.

We still have our punchlist to work through, but I'm hoping the next post will be a final interior reveal! The exterior can wait until late spring. :)

Happy New Year!

xo,