Upon move in, we had some major growing pains. Growing smaller that is. We moved from a roughly 3,000 square foot home in Atlanta to 1800 square feet on the coast. We sold half our furniture and took several loads to Goodwill. Those first few months were a big adjustment for everyone. We went from 3.5 bathrooms, to 2 full bathrooms, one of which my husband and Evans share. This isn't a "woah is me" post by any means, I'm just saying once you get used to your own spaces and then suddenly have to share- it's an adjustment. Going from 4 bedrooms plus a bonus room to three bedrooms was also an adjustment. At first, we really didn't love-love the house. We did, however, love the area. It's a stone's throw from the river, and a quick 2 minute drive to family. The location really cannot be beat, and we quickly discovered why Isle of Hope is so special to Savannah folks. It's extremely charming, you'll have to visit sometime to see for yourself.
Over time, the house definitely grew on us. We figured out how to live in a smaller space. Actually, I think it's helped us become closer as a family (both literally and figuratively). We are often forced to be in the same room spending time together. We are also forced to declutter and are very wise about keep-toss-sell piles. We really don't keep much clutter at all anymore simply because we don't have room for it! I forced myself to go through my closet and dresser and Goodwill anything I haven't worn in the last year. If I haven't worn it lately, I'm for sure not going to miss it. We've also done a big overhaul on kitchen items (do we really need 3 crock pot cookers, or 5 baking sheets? no). Random accessories, blankets, pillows, etc. we didn't NEED also went to Goodwill. I have to admit, it feels totally freeing to not have so much STUFF. I feel less of a hoarder now.
A smaller house also forces you to keep things tidy. And it's faster to clean. I used to spend a good 4.5 hours cleaning bathrooms, mopping floors, vacuuming etc. at our Atlanta home. It was a JOB. This house takes no time at all. Two bathrooms, hardwood floors throughout, a small (but functional) kitchen- and I'm done. Easy peasy.
All of this to say, yea the house grew on us. We started looking at homes for sale back in April and couldn't find much we liked that was in our price range. Our landlord threw out the idea of buying the rental from him, and at first we thought we wanted a 4th bedroom. After tossing it around, we decided that to be on Isle of Hope was probably worth sacrificing the extra space. After a month or so of negotiating, we weren't sure a deal could be made- so we started looking again. We found the CUTEST house that was further out towards the beach, but the flood insurance was going to be disastrous. Oy. So back to square one. Luckily, our rental was still in the mix, and we were able to finally reach a deal on buying it.
Under contract and set to close in July! I'm excited to finally say that. We have lots of renovation plans in mind that will probably go down in phases. First up will definitely be painting the exterior, getting a new front door, beadboard ceilings, and updating the hall bathroom. Down the road we'd love to add on a screened porch and a deck, and possibly a front porch. Can't wait to get to work and share the progress along the way with all of you!
