Finally!! Our top-secret secret is secret no more

About a million years ago I mentioned some exciting, top-secret news that revolved around our frequent trips to West Virginia (here).  I wasn't trying to be coy or anything, we just weren't sure that our exciting news was going to pan out. I'm glad I didn't say anything then, because it almost didn't. I mean, that was almost five months ago. You'd probably forgotten.

So much for a much anticipated reveal!

But, I can now let you in on our exciting news because everything is finalized and wonderful.

We bought a house!!

(By the way, never, ever, ever attempt to finance a home with Amerisave. They are the reason it took almost five months to close. They were hard to work with, inefficient and generally terrible. We ended up working with a local lender and the process was amazingly simple. Again, just say no to Amerisave. Your life will be much less stressful. Ours was, anyway.)

In case you are wondering, we aren't moving to Snowshoe full time, but we do plan on spending quite a bit of time there. Wouldn't you with views like this?

 

Or this?

 



 

Or a sunset like this?

 

 

If you can't tell, I'm absolutely in love with the view.

 

Before you get all jealous of our swanky vacation home/rental property/investment for Little Man's education, let me show you a few elements that might make you wonder if we are insane.

 

See, we bought a bit of a fixer-upper.

 

 

It might need a coat of paint or two.

 

Yes, those are pink and burgundy stripes as a focal point of the room and in the dining room.

 

Barf. (But a really cute baby peeking from the corner. He's standing up!)

 

There has been a bit of settling that needs attention.

 

 

 

The floors have seen much better days.

 

 

We think those stains are from the two dogs that lived there. Eeeew. The finish is also almost completely worn away in most high-traffic areas. Also probably because of the doggies.

 

 

The second level floors are worse. And that's being nice. 









Yep, those are subfloors. Stained ones. Apparently the carpet was too gross to leave in the room. As opposed to the two rooms that do have carpeting:

 



Gross city. Fortunately, the carpeting doesn't stink. But it will need to go. I imagine it will be taken out with gloves on. And perhaps while wearing masks.

But wait, there's more.

This door is sealed with tape instead of an actual seal. That's awesome for heating when the temperature is negative two degrees as it was when we were there last week.

 

 

There is actually quite a bit more about this house that needs work, but you get the idea. I don't want to depress myself.

 

Lest you think we are absolutely bonkers for spending actual money on this dump, let me point out a few of the selling points. (Besides the obvious view I have already bragged about thrice.)

 

 

The house has charming details that make it feel like a fun and cozy place to get away.

 

 

 

If you take a moment to look down instead of out when on the deck you can see that there is a nice little yard that happened to have five little visitors when I went out to snap a photo. The yard is complete with a grassy area with a fire pit.

 

And there is the space. From the rear view photo, you can see it is three levels. The bottom level is an apartment and the top two levels will be our living area. The top floor is wide open with general areas for dining and living areas as well as a good sized kitchen, a small half bath, and a bar area. The middle floor has four modest bedrooms and two bathrooms.

 

I'll take you on a tour soon.

 

We figure it will take us the better part of ten years to get the house to the condition it should be in. Unfortunately for me, there are some structural and efficiency issues (windows and that taped door) that need to be fixed before we get down to business making a cozy mountain getaway. I'm going to bring you along with us on this new adventure. Some of it might be ugly, but we're planning on learning as we go.

 

While Beau and a contractor are replacing rotted floor joists and putting in efficient windows and doors, I'll be on Pinterest going to town pinning every rustic cabin option out there for ideas.

 

I'm like a kid in a Pinterest candy shop. It is ridiculous.

 

So, do you think we are nutso for tackling this huge project, or are you on board with us? Either way, it promises to be an interesting ride.