Things I Hate About My House

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Yesterday, I revealed that Greg took a new job in an awesome town about 30 minutes away.  And although we’re excited about his new job, we’re a little bummed that we have to move.  Well, kind’ve.  We’ve actually batted around the idea of moving for the last few years.  You see, we currently live in a small town about 30 minutes east of Indianapolis.  It’s fine here, I suppose, but there are nicer places to live nearby.  Most of the nearby communities have better school systems, more parks, and more things to offer.  There are also some things that I hate about my house, which makes moving to a nearby community an attractive option anyway.

Greg’s new job will be in the town of Noblesville, Indiana, and we need to live within a 20 minute radius of his new place of employment.  This means that we can look for a home in these three towns:

  • Carmel, Indiana (#5 school system in the state)
  • Fishers, Indiana (#8 school system in the state)
  • Noblesville, Indiana (#12 school system in the state)

Since I’m cheap and don’t want to pay for private school for my kids, I’m pretty stoked about our new school options.  My daughter starts kindergarten next year and I would prefer to keep her in the same school system if possible.  Being a kid is hard enough without having to move around and I don’t want to decide to move when she’s already a few years into school.  So, although things haven’t gone exactly as planned, it’s a pretty decent time for us to move over all.

As we start looking for houses this week, I will be giving frequent updates on our progress.  But, for now, I wanted to talk about the things that I don’t like about my current house.

Our Current Home

Our current home has 4 bedrooms and three bathrooms and is located in a suburb east of Indianapolis.  It’s about 2,400 square feet and was built in the late 70’s.  There are things that I do like about the home, but there are other features that drive me absolutely crazy.  Here are the things I hate about our house:

DSCF2482Front Yard– Our house is on almost a half acre lot, which is nice.  However, most of the yard is in the front which makes me insane.  Our back yard is still a decent size but it has a ton of trees which makes almost makes it hard for us to have a play set for the kids.  In our new house, I’m hoping to have a larger back yard and fewer trees.

Kitchen– My kitchen makes me want to freak the *F* out.  Although it’s fairly nice, it’s super boxy and not open to the rest of my house.  When I cook, I feel like I’m trapped.  And, why is my stove directly next to my refrigerator?  Furthermore, I cannot open my dishwasher and oven at the same time because they are directly across from each other.  It makes me crazy!  In our new house, I am hoping for a kitchen that is open to some part of the house and appliances that are spread out evenly throughout the kitchen.

Master Bedroom- You can’t really tell from the picture, but my current bedroom is super long and skinny.  I also do not like the fact that it only has one tiny window at the very end of the room.  Because of the lack of lighting, my bedroom always seems dark and dreary.  I would really like a bedroom with more windows and more light!

DSCF2454Master Bathroom- The master bathroom in our current house doesn’t have a bathtub and only has a walk-in shower.  There are also no windows which makes it very dark and depressing.  On a positive note, my skin always looks amazing in my bathroom because I can’t see anything.  Regardless, I would really love a master bathroom with at least one window.  Oh, and a garden tub, Jacuzzi tub, or bath tub of some kind would be nice.

Office- My office is currently housed in our formal dining room, and it’s super small.  I would really like for my office to be in a loft or a bedroom with carpet.  Using our dining room as an office worked fine when our kids were little since we didn’t require much space to eat.  But now that they’re bigger, I would like to have a room to eat in.

Stuff I will Miss

DSCF2451Great Room- Our great room is 23 by 14 and I really hope that our new house has a living area that big.  It’s great for the kids because they can run around, dance, and act crazy.  I would also like to have a fireplace in our new house as well.

DSCF2452Play Room- I love having a play room for all of my kids crap.  I really hope that our new house has some sort of room that I can put all of their toys in.  Even after I sold a bunch of their stuff in my garage sale this summer, they still manage to have so much crap!

 

So, there it is.  Can you tell that I’m picky?  Being an OCD clean freak really does come in handy when you’re moving.  Who knew?  A few days ago, I wrote out a list of things that I do want and do not want in our new house and anybody that read it would think that I’m absolutely insane.  I have some high hopes for our new home.  And as always, I have champagne taste on a beer budget.  Houses are slightly more expensive where we’re moving, but not by much.  I really hope to find something that I love within my desired price range.  Stay tuned to see what happens!

Do you think that I am being realistic in my search for the perfect home?  What do you dislike about your home?  What would you look for in you decided to move?

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98 Comments

  1. Of course you should be looking for you dream house, as long as you don´t get too picky. Think of the things you consider a must in a house, and then the things you can negotiate, then try to find the houses with your “musts” and be open about no getting absolutely eeeeeverything you want. Think of the opportunities a house can have, not what is is today. Good luck on the house hunt! 🙂

    1. I know?

      The crazy thing is that 3 or 4 of the houses I’ve looked at online have the same thing going on (WE ARE NOT LOOKING AT THOSE HOUSES) I don’t get it. Why?

  2. We cared more about location so we had to sacrifice some stuff. We don’t have a master bath, the bedrooms are pretty small, and the kitchen is galley-style. There are plenty of things that aren’t ideal, but I’m happy we found a house in our budget and in the area we wanted to live in. My next house a walk-in closet and master bath is on our must-have list, as well as a bigger kitchen.

    1. Yep, me too!

      Our house is 2400 s.f. and I’m willing to downsize down to 1900 s.f. to get a nicer house. We don’t really need a 4th bedroom.

  3. I don’t like front yards too, like you are exposed for every walker by who feels like people watching. And I’d like a big window better too. Our master bedroom has a huge French door and it is awesome. What I don’t like about my house is the thatched roof being a nest for many critters and I think a bat!

  4. The biggest thing for us when we bought was location. We 100% did not want to be in an HOA and deal with that unnecessary drama, and I wanted to be near to outdoor activities and quiet space.

    1. We don’t have a HOA either, which is fine by me!

  5. You can probably find all of that in Fishers since they are building like crazy there (of course they are all vinyl village so that may be a con to you). You would probably be able to find plenty of good options in Carmel, but you would probably pay a premium to live there and I would be required to hate you (in public). Personally I am not a fan of Nobletucky, but there are lots of nice older homes and plenty of new construction up there. From my understand prices are a little lower up there compared to both Fishers and Carmel. The real problem I see is you are either dealing with 31 or I-69 to get come down to Indy.

    Good luck with your house hunt! I’m sure you will find something you love!

    1. I know I am a total snob but I DO NOT want to be in a vinyl village. Because of that, we’re going to have to pay a little more. But, I’ve made my peace with it. We have a monster down payment and will continue to pay it off like crazy once we move in.

      We are looking at two houses in Carmel, several in Noblesville, and a bunch in Fishers. The other day, I was saying that I was ready to leave our town because of all of the white trash. And Greg said, “but in Fishers, WE’LL be the white trash!” Maybe Noblesville is our place. Haha!

      You could publicly hate me if I live in Carmel. Hell, I would probably hate myself. That place just looks like one big movie set. But, I’m willing to move there if we find a house we love!

      1. There are plenty of non-vinyl village houses in Fishers, Carmel, and Noblesville. You just may not get a giant mudroom with a double walk in pantry. HA. I am sure you will be fine!

  6. You’ll find plenty of houses that you like in those towns. They all have some great neighborhoods and also pretty good schools (from what I’ve heard). Two friends of mine used to live in Fishers and their kids now go to well respected colleges.

    1. I think we will find something. Like Brian said above, we DONT want a vinly village so we’re kind’ve limited. There is still plenty out there, though.

  7. I think your list sounds completely reasonable. None of the stuff on the list shouts dollars to me, it just seems like a personal preference. It might take a lot of looking but I bet you’ll find something suitable.

    I would change SO many things about my place if I moved. I’d want an extra bedroom for guests/office/workout area. The layout of my current place is utter crap. The only bathroom is through the bedroom which results in guests/my husband having to go through the bedroom when I’m sleeping to get to the bathroom. The laundry room is also off the bedroom, and the cat’s litter box is in there. So if we ever want to ban the cat from the bedroom (which we do, every night) we have to carry the litter box out into the kitchen (which is so small it’s basically a wet bar with a stove) and bring it back in, in the morning.

  8. WOOHOO for house shopping! We haven’t been able to find our dream home, so now it is on hold. I do have a question, since we are almost in the same predicament – Will the fact that Greg doesn’t have a job and the fact that you freelance affect financing for a home for your family? This is something that at first we were upset about in our case but we are over it now.

    1. Yes and no.

      Since I’ve only been self-employed for this year, my income cannot count toward the mortgage! So, only Greg’s income can count. Fortunately, we’re debt free and Greg makes plenty so the bank said we can qualify for 325K or less with just his income. We are looking under that price range so it isn’t a problem.

      Since Greg hasn’t had pay stubs for a few months, we just have to get a “job offer” letter from his new employer with all of his salary/pay details.

  9. Everyone dreams of that perfect house and you are absolutely right in searching for that dream house. Take your time and search so that you can go for a better house than your existing one

  10. I think you’re totally being realistic about what you’re looking for in a house. At least you know, which should make the house shopping easier on several levels. The nice thing is that you have some decent school districts to choose from, which is awesome. I think we’d change not having an office as well. My office is at the dining room table as well and it can get just a bit nutty at times. It’s part of the reason why I’m up at like 4:30 in the morning most days.

    1. Yep!

      I would love to have an office in a bedroom so that I could just shut the door.

  11. Sounds like you have a strong understanding of what you do and don’t like, which seems to me like it will make the experience easier. I would definitely like our next place to have a little more room for our kids to run around, like you have now, and to also have a yard. Although I do like how close we are to multiple parks right now.

    1. Me too! I didn’t mention that but we’re within a few minutes of two parks at the moment. I would love to be within walking distance of a park at our new house.

  12. Hahaha. Love this article because it is exactly how I feel whenever I’ve moved in the past 12 years. Every time I have moved, I think, “______ sucks about this house/apartment and that’s why I definitely need to get the heck out of here.”

    I don’t think there is anything wrong with it as I think most people love the fresh beginnings. It’s more just funny that I would have also written the same article about my current house (changing what I hate about it) the day after I posted why I am moving.

    Good luck with house hunting!

    The Warrior
    NetWorthWarrior.com

    1. Ha!

      Well, I’m someone who tries to see the positive in things. I don’t especially want to move right now so I’m trying to remember that I don’t really like my house all that much.

  13. I know how you feel about your yard. My parents live on a corner site so around 80% of the plot that the house sits on is open to the street. That means almost no privacy when you are in the garden.

    The toughest aspect of finding a new house is spotting the little things which will annoy you. Often they only become apparent once you’ve moved in.

    Good luck with your search.

    1. I agree!

      At least I know more about what I want now. When we bought this house, we didn’t have kids yet and I didn’t really know what I was looking for. Now I know better!

  14. Good luck with the house hunt! I really wish we could live in our current house for a while! It’s an awesome neighborhood and the schools here are some of the best in the state . However, since we’re military, I’m sure as soon as my (as yet non-existent) children are ready for those awesome schools, it will be time to move. 😉

    1. That stinks! Well, maybe you’ll end up in an even better school system!!!

  15. The photos of your home look really nice! But I’m probably just at that stage where that’s what I would expect in a house. I always get excited to move, because I love buying real estate!

  16. Will you be doing any staging or updating to try to sell your current home for more/faster? Have you done anything to the house while you lived there? It sounds like you know what you would like in your next home. Happy house hunting!

    1. We remodeled when we moved in five years ago so almost everything is updated. We did just refresh the mulch in the yard, some minor landscaping, etc. Greg scrubbed the house with a brush and we repainted our deck. He also recaulked the bathtub.

      I am kind’ve a clean freak so our house was mostly good to go. I did pack up about half of my kids toys into totes. I had to promise them that they can come back out at the new house!

  17. Watch out for garage doors that open in to refrigerators. Major annoyance

    I don’t like tri-level houses after owning one either. I don’t like for my den to be halfway sunken in the ground. More light, please!

    Oh, and some newer houses have 19×19 garages instead of 20×20 or larger. Those few feet make a major difference.

    1. I don’t want a tri-level at all. The house across the street is a tri-level and I hate the layout. It’s just like having three tiny floors and you’re going up and down the stairs all the time.

      I would really like a 3 car garage but I’ll settle for an oversized two car garage!

  18. How is the timing of your move going to work out? Will you be afforded plenty of time to shop around for a new house or will be there be some urgency? I’m curious as to how that may impact how selective you’ll be able to be…

    1. I’m curious to see how the timing works out as well. Our house just went on the market yesterday. If it sells quick and we haven’t found a house we like, we’re prepared to move into an apartment. I’m not buying a house I don’t like just because we need to move.
      I’ve already found a few apartments that offer short-term leases so that’s our back up plan.

  19. House hunting is so fun! I will agree though that is an awful appliance layout in your kitchen! My moms new house is sort of like that with the stove next to the refrigerator and they designed it like that! I don’t know what they were thinking.

    Good luck with your house hunt! I’m sure you’ll find something great!

  20. Am I the only thing who finds no problem having the fridge beside the stove? Doesn’t that help when you’re cooking? You can tell I’m a bachelor and an apartment dweller 🙂

    In all seriousness though, I have never gotten to the buying a house stage of life, and I can only imagine that it must be an emotional roller coaster at times. Do the children know you will all be moving and are they excited?

    Whatever happens, it looks like it will be for the best for you all and that’s the main thing 🙂

    Take care and thanks for the house tour…it’s a nice house, at least to me 🙂

    Lyle

    1. It is still functional but I just think it looks ugly!

  21. Wow your house is immaculate! Good luck on the house hunting. My wife and I are looking for a new place too…but being in NYC, it will likely be an apartment “co-op.” Trust me, I am jealous of your kitchen…our current kitchen fits 3 people standing side by side. Very little counter space. No windows in the bathroom or kitchen. Sigh…

    1. Well, you have a lot more to do than we do in rural Indiana. At least you have stuff to look at!

  22. Good luck on the house hunting. My tip is not to be too picky. Truth be told, once you buy a house, it’s yours. You can make the changes that make you feel happy later. Right now, it’s probably best to focus on location, cost and value. Heck, if you can save $30,000 by buying a house that you would want to change, you can sink $20,000 into renovations and still save a ton. Well, at least that’s what I’d do if I were looking for a house. Thanks for yet another great read!

    1. I would be willing to do some things – paint, replace floors, countertops, etc.
      However, I’m not going to knock down any walls or anything. Been there and done that!

  23. I’ve never searched for a home (just apartments and condos) but I think you still have your wish list. I think it starts with the list of the absolute must haves, then the it would be nice to have, then the I would like but…You may not get everything in a house, but you want the stuff that is most important to you. If I moved I’d look for a dishwasher and a w/d at least on the premisses, but more preferably in unit. I’m so completely over going to the laundromat. I’d also love hardwood floors, but that’s not a deal breaker.

    1. I would love hardwood floors too. We had them in our old house and I miss them.

  24. We were house buying virgins when we bought our current home. I can think of many things that I don’t like and few that I do. We are selling that biatch next year (hopefully!).

  25. I like our house for the most part, but if I had it to do over, I’d make the garage bigger and not have as big of a yard. I love a yard, but unless you have a cow or horse, 3 acres is a lot to deal with. We just got a really good deal and were coming from a house with a postage stamp size yard, so got a bit carried away.

    1. That would be a lot for us too. We like spending time outdoors but we don’t really like to spend a lot of time taking care of our property.

  26. I can see how the kitchen might not be functional, but I love the wood cabinets! You’re so neat for having two little ones, our place isn’t nearly as spotless and we don’t have any kids. 🙂 Happy house hunting!!

    1. Our house is extra clean now since it’s on the market.

    1. Ha! Hey, you never know. Maybe it would match my stuff!

      I looked at a few houses yesterday that had wallpaper that I actually liked!

  27. Kyle @ Debt Free Diaries says:

    There’s nothing wrong with wanting to avoid the things that bugged you at your current house while you search for a new one. The drive to improve our quality of life is what makes us work hard 🙂 When Leslie and I move we’ve already agreed on what our “musts” and our “wants” will be. Leslie must have a bedroom and a bathtub (we live in a small studio apartment right now, with just a shower). I must have a dishwasher. We both want an open floor plan and a washer/dryer included but are willing to adjust on those if we like the overall space enough.

  28. We are currently looking for our house. We found one we love, but didn’t bid on it in time. Currently we are looking for a house that’s around 1700 sq. feet. 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, living room, kitchen, 2 car garage, and loft area that can be used as a study. I know most houses have carpet, so we are already planning to spend a couple thousand dollars on engineered hardwood floors to install throughout the house. I do not like carpets at all. We’re both tired of living in apartments. Rent is almost as much as a house payment (plus insurance and taxes) here. We want a yard so we’re not so close to our neighbors!!!

    1. I can totally understand that! I’ve lived in apartments before and I can’t imagine doing it now.

  29. I think it’s great you have specifics on what you do and don’t want. It’s always good to have an idea in mind when looking at houses, this way you can quickly determine if it’s right for you or not. I have a feeling I will be kind of picky when it comes to buying a house, but I think looking can be fun! I love going to open houses and just seeing where other people live. I think it’s also good that you’re content with being in an apartment for a little while if your house sells while you look for the perfect house; you don’t want to be pressured into buying something just because time ran out.

    1. Definitely. My worst fear is getting stuck in a house that I don’t like.

    1. It is pretty nice. I like having a playroom so that toys don’t end up all over the house.

  30. You’re smart to put together a list of things you want in your new home. In our new home (not imminent, probably a couple years out) I definitely want my own office and bigger family room. Right now it’s open to the kitchen which is great but it’s a relatively small room. There isn’t much seating and it’s a place where everyone congregates. Sounds like you have plenty of options as to where you can live and now it’s just hunting down the right place, which is kind of fun!

    1. We looked yesterday and it wasn’t fun at all….just stressful!

  31. I completely agree about the box kitchens.

    The open floor plan concepts are so much nicer.

    Not to mention, everyone spends all their time in the kitchens during parties anyways

    1. Yes, exactly. That is why I dislike my kitchen!

  32. I don’t think you sound OCD at all. Your concerns with your current house are all legitimate, and your “wish list” doesn’t seem crazy either.

    1. We’ll see. Some of the houses we looked at yesterday are crazy!

  33. Since you are looking to buy and not to rent, I would be very particular what I want and what I don’t want. I was fortunate enough to design my apartment to my liking because I bought walls basically and since it was a new development, I could do whatever I wanted with it. I don’t blame you for being so particular, you should be.

  34. I know what you mean Holly about the fridge next to the stove. The house we are in has the SAME thing, and it is so annoying! Who thought this was a good idea? 😉

    1. I don’t know. It didn’t bother me when we bought the house!

  35. I would love to have a big kitchen that is open to a family room. We also have very little closet space in our house, which a growing family desperately needs. I’m intrigued that the new job requires Greg to live within 20 minutes. You only live 30 minutes from that job now, right? That doesn’t seem to be much of a difference. Anyway, good luck with the move. Will you be selling or renting out your existing house?

    1. We live 30 minutes away when there’s no traffic. On a bad traffic day, it could be as much as 45 minutes.

      Greg is a mortician and families are often waiting for them to pick up their loves after they pass away. An extra 10 or 20 minutes may not sound like a lot but it is when your mom/husband/wife passed away and you’re waiting on someone to get there.

  36. We downsized from a 5 bedroom, 3 bath home 16 years ago. I like everything except the 3 levels. We eventually will need to move to a single level home or condo.

  37. Oh, the dishwasher and oven thing would drive me batty!

    It looks like you have a nice place now, but as you’ve said, there is definite room (or rooms) for improvement in a new house. Good luck with your house shopping!

  38. You have an absolutely beautiful house, Holly! That is what I always loved about the houses in the US: they are huge! In Romania (and most of the Europe), excluding luxury villas, 1,100 sq feet equals huge three bedroom house. I was really into writing a post about “why I hate my house” but after seeing yours, I would sum it up easily: because of everything. :)) So make sure Greg never accepts a job in Europe.

    Good luck with your house hunting! I am sure I’m not the only one who can hardly wait to see your new home!

  39. You have a nice house Holly. Isn’t a house in the high 200s really nice where you’re at? I always have house envy when I look at reasonable housing markets.

  40. I’ve always loved those traditional two-stories: my dream house was the second Leave it to Beaver house. 🙂 But you’ve definitely got some valid complaints, and having had a house with all of the features of your dream house (this is what Rick and I moved out of when we moved to the country) I can say that all of your “want” features are super nice to have. Good luck with the search – and don’t give up on that Jacuzzi tub; they’re wonderful!

  41. Good luck with finding your new home! I’m currently renting a house (and renting out my old one) and there are so many things I would like to change about it! The stairs are super creaky so I nearly always wake my daughter up when I go to bed. We have a yard rather than a garden and the decor is not to my taste! Still, I’m not in a position to change anything right now! When the debts are paid off, a cosy cottage with a small bit a lawn will do nicely.

  42. I think you are being realistic. Even if we live in an apartment, we have seen better apartments which we liked than others. It most of it is related to the stuff you mentioned. We like open floor plans and currently when my wife is in the kitchen, she feels cut out because it is not open. Also the kitchen is small. Other things we consider when shopping for apartments is washer and dryer in the unit, good closet size, pantry, balcony, neighborhood and of course cost of rent. It is a long list but sometimes we have to do without some of the things we need.

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