closing day

Welcome to our new blog!

I have been waiting for this day ever since we first walked through the house (42 days ago). Closing day really means three things to me..

1) We're homeowners.. which actually doesn't seem as scary as I thought it would. Though I'm pretty sure the scary moments will come when the roof caves in and our bank account runs dry..
2) the hard labor begins... this is truly a starter home in every sense of the word, which also means these starters will be doing ALL (minus the dangerous stuff) the work ourselves..(more details to come later)
3) we can finally celebrate! Ben hasn't let me touch an ounce of champagne since we first saw the house- he thought I'd jinx the whole deal. But with the papers signed I'm finally allowed to celebrate the way they do on TV (House Hunters on HGTV!) and it's time to drink up.. just very slowly and not too much because tomorrow is day 1 and I hate to start our new project with my head in our toilet from 1934 (not kidding).

So a little information about us and the house and then we're getting on with the work and posting about it along the way.

who we are..
Ben
Ben is currently a project manager at a construction company in New York City. He works in some of the most expensive apartments and town houses in the country (meaning our lifestyle is slightly depressing to him).








Leah
Leah is an interior designer who previously worked as a Senior Designer at a high end firm in the Manhattan area. She currently has her own business and a maintains her blog daily.








Henry Biscotti
Henry is our very spoiled pup who is getting a MAJOR upgrade.. a house to run around in and a huge yard all his own.




why we're doing this..
We have always wanted to buy a house to fix up together. In fact when the real estate market was booming I used to try to convince Ben to flip houses with me.. he declined- which is probably a good thing since the market crashed only a few months later. I have always said I wish I were an architect because I love construction and reconfiguring houses just as much as I like furnishing them. And Ben has spent all of these years taking on other people's projects it's about time he gets the chance to do something for himself (except generally he's just the guy watching the subs do all of the work and this time he'll be swinging the hammer).

where the house is..
As Skidmore graduates we have always loved the city of Saratoga Springs. We've returned at least once a year every year since graduation and we've really become attached to the area. With Ben from the Philadelphia area and my family from Connecticut we feel like Saratoga is really "our place" and with the area expanding and becoming more and more popular we decided to jump on it and buy our own little piece of the place.

what you need to know about the house..
We were really looking for three things when it came to buying a house- not counting the whole "being in our budget" thing..

1) in-town location.. had to be walking distance from all of the excitement
2) big yard.. at least by "in-town" standards
3) fireplace.. surprisingly this was not an easy thing to find even with the cold (and very long) winters up there

and this is what we got..
A very cute, cape style house that's in need of a LOT of TLC... and luckily for the house (and for us) we can provide that!

what the house needs..
This house came complete with shag green wall to wall carpeting and vinyl flooring and at least three layers of wallpaper in every room..
but that's nothing. The floors will be refinished and I am VERY handy with a paint brush. The bathroom has to be reconfigured- there is no shower, only a tub. The plumbing and electrical need to be redone and there is no kitchen.. unless you count a single row of cabinets and vinyl flooring that looks like its been peeling for a decade or so.
The few trees on our spacious double lot has turned the area into a jungle-like atmosphere and the front stairs are so badly rotted and mangled Henry can't even get into the door himself.
and that's just the preliminary list.

In other words.. we have a lot cut out for ourselves and Ben and I plan to share it all with you! While I'm sure there will be some obstacles (and plenty of arguments) along the way, in the end we're both hoping for a place we can really call ours.

We'd love for you to follow us on our journey and please feel free to write words on encouragement along the way. This is going to be a very long and difficult ride.. but keep reading!!