A House for Hamlins?

(Click on the pics to see them better)

Yesterday Jason and I went to look at a house. It is not the most beautiful house, it is not the newest house, it is not the most intelligently constructed house but it has two things that our current apartment lacks: 1)space and 2) 6.5 acres of land!!!

First let me tell you about the house's history. As Jason has this to say about the short man who put the house together: "It is hard to build a house with only one hand." No, the man was not a victim of some unfortunate accident or birth defect, we are talking beer in one hand and a hammer in the other. Yes, a drunk man built his house upon the dirt. Well, it started out as a camp and then morphed into this odd shaped, multiple roofed, unique structure. None of the roofs really match up, none of the floors match up, the walls are less than straight, and the ceiling fairly low.

My Dad is currently in the process of putting on a singular metal roof on the house. The project is nearly complete and once finished the snow will slide right off it instead of stay and step up house for the winter. My Dad is also putting in a closet near the kitchen for coats and a pantry.

We talked for sometime with the owner and she assures us that although the house leaks heat it stays more than enough warm inside with the wood stove pumping out a serious amount of BTU's. She also has a monitor heater (soon to be two monitor heaters) to make up the difference when no one is at home and the fire goes out. As far as renovating she has completed: removing a whole room (it was badly constructed) and adding a deck in it's place (so that she could sit out and watch her horses); replacing the washer, dryer, fridge and hot water tank; added a monitor heater; added a closet; put in an arch between the kitchen and the laundry "tunnel" room/space to let in more light; and some basic pain touch ups.

The house's most strangest room would be the second bedroom which barely has a window. The window looks out over an entry way in the back of the house. The second strangest room would be the laundry area. It is only as wide as the washer and stretches nearly the length of the house on that side. I have no idea what the original intent was when the drunk (or the crazy mean man that owned it after the drunk) put that section on to the house.

Now you are wondering why Delia, why would you want such an odd house? .... 6.5 acres of land!!! Jason and I walked some of the property and it has GREAT potential. There is a cleared off, nearly level area where a house could go. A real house. A nice house. Not some Alice in Wonderland house. We wouldn't have to CLEAR any trees like we would if we were to build on my parents land, we wouldn't have to pay to dig a well or to get electricity in or to make a driveway because it is already done!

I am so in love with the land there. There is a little stream and some woods and I can just envision children playing in it and having so much fun. There is a nice barn and a shed for Jason to do his "man stuff" in or get goats for pets or get me a runner duck....

The downside is that her brother(s) are living on the property in a trailer. It's a nice trailer (at least on the outside) and she's letting them stay there and in return they are supposed to help her out with the house. They haven't helped and there is more work than she is able to do on her own so that is why she wants OUT of her mortgage and out of the house. Jason and I would probably get a lease with the brother(s) that they'd have to be out in 2 months after we bought the place. There are also some crudely built add-ons to a fairly decent shed that will need to go. Plus there is the usual stock pile of junk that old places get: random pieces of tin, machinery, wood, concrete, ect. I don't think that we'd be biting off more than we could chew.

As far as the funny little house goes. Well I have some plans. Dad tells me that since the roof is now supported on the outer walls that we could move some walls around. The first thing would be a major bathroom renovation. It is wayyyy too small. So the weird entry way in the back would go and the bathroom would fill it's place. I think that the 2nd bedroom walls should be moved so that it could be a real room with real windows and possibly retain an exit to the back for the dogs to use so that I don't have to chase them every morning.

The house isn't some down-on-it's-luck fixer-upper. It's just odd. Everything works in it. Nothing leaks or is in bad disrepair, it's just really really really odd.

The goal would be that in 5 or so years to refinance and get some more money and build a REAL house or get a modular house of some sort.

On May 6th we are talking to a loan agent to see if we can get pre-approved or at least find out what we need to do to improve our credit score.......

OH!! that reminds me.

Jason and I are with-in $750 of being DEBT FREE!!! With our income tax return & the vacation pay Jason got from Franklin County we paid off a credit card, Jason's school loan (from the whole month he attended), half of another credit card, and the whopping $78.00 we still owed on the car

If you can't tell I'm super excited. Maybe, just maybe in 6month I'll be in a house!!!

( All drawings were done by Delia and are not in any shape or form close to being accurate in size or proportion, they are all a rough estimate of the fact )