#colemancasita

Friends, we have a house!

The day after Christmas, escrow closed on our home in Bothell, Washington.

The same day, our offer was accepted on the #colemancasita in Newhall, California.

A little over one month later, we got the keys!


We have a fixer-upper on our hands, folks. I'm going to do my best to document the process - it's going to be a wild ride! These photos really don't do justice to the work that will need to go into this home, BUT we are thankful for the neighborhood we are in (a short walk from my parents house!) and we are starting to see past the mold and asbestos and dirt and grime (and blood!) to the potential it has.

Step 1. Treat for termites. 
Step 2. Remove asbestos and mold.
Step 3. Replace HVAC unit.
Step 4. Determine what to do with the crumbling chimney.
Step 5. General contractor to tackle the list of things we can't do on our own.
(This step will probably take a good 2+ months)
Step 6. Paint + clean.
Step 7. Move in!


Here's a peak at our BEFORE photos.

The entry way, complete with broken + taped-back-together glass.

 The living room.

 The sun room, aka the sauna. It smells bad and the metal walls make it either freezing cold or boiling hot.

 The kitchen. Thankfully the cabinets are good enough to keep! Excited to cook in this kitchen. A little paint and flooring is going to go a long way in here.

 Hall bathroom. This photo makes it look way nicer than it actually is. The tub is poorly sealed, causing mold. The area behind the toilet is....nasty.

 Bedrooms.

 Master bedroom. That door is going to turn into a window. You can't see the bloodstain, but its there.

 Master bathroom. Moldy cabinets, rusty shower, holes in the wall around the toilet, etc.

 Garage. Unsafe electrical. Mold and rotten drywall in the laundry area.

 Outside! A completely rotten patio cover. A roof which will likely need replacing.

Orange + lemon trees on the side!

 An olive tree out front that reminds me of Israel.

We'll be back with progress. 

xoxo

NEW YEAR, NEW START

2014 is gone. What!? I still don't know how that happened.

We are officially in Southern California. All our belongings are hanging out in a storage unit and we are living with my parents until we officially get the keys to our house. We found an old fixer-upper in Newhall with a lot of potential and while it will be a bit before we can actually move in, we are excited to get to work and make it home!

We are missing Washington! In a lot of ways, it still feels like we are down here on a vacation to see family, since we do that around this time every year anyway. I don't think it will officially hit us until we start settling in our own house and time passes and we are still here.

We got to start off the year with a trip to Yosemite for a lovely, FREEZING wedding - literally 20 degrees! Looking forward to a trip to Seattle this month for another wedding in Woodinville!

It has been fun to look back at the past year - friendships, abundant work, time with family. Before we moved, our dear friend took some photos of us in our home for our 2 year anniversary! I'm so glad we got that season of our lives documented - something I recommend to everyone. Document every moment, because things change quickly and its easy to forget.

xoxo