We’re Moving! Again!

I bet that subject line felt like it came out of left field. But, I’m so excited to share that Kurtis and I have decided to move again and I’m so happy to finally be able to share all the details with you today.

First and foremost: we’re staying in the 30A Florida area. In fact, not only are we staying in the same neighborhood, we’ll only be moving one street away. Our new house will be almost directly behind the trees that currently back our home!

The Backstory

So, now it’s probably time for a little backstory. If you followed along with the new build of our current home while we still lived in Omaha, we specifically purchased this lot/home because of its location in our neighborhood. It truly is the best spot! But with our lot being one of the few remaining at the time, and given its size, there was only one floorplan we could build and we weren’t allowed to make many changes. Since we were new transplants from Omaha, we didn’t really know what features we’d still need in our home that we were giving up, how much square footage felt right, etc. It was all a very big change for us! At the time, we knew this home wouldn’t be our forever home, and we figured we’d just play it by ear and figure it out once the right time came along. Long story short, after living in Florida for two and a half years now, we’ve been able to answer so many of those questions. However, up until late last summer, we hadn’t really planned to move for a bit.

You may remember last summer, we took a lot of golf cart rides to another area of our neighborhood on Lake Powell. We’d hang out on the dock, walk around, watch the sunset, etc. Well, at the time, we (along with our friends Chris and Rachel) considered buying lots there that were coming up for sale and were some of the few custom lots our neighborhood was offering. Long story short, after months of dreaming and planning and convinced we were both getting the lots and moving, others beat us to the lot we wanted. I was probably more disappointed than Kurtis, but we both actually thought that would end the talks of moving.

But I think we all had the itch at that point. Fast forward a bit, and Rachel showed a house in our neighborhood to a client that she later said we all needed to see. The home was originally being built for the builder, but his plans changed, so it hit the market after it was fairly far along. We all loved the floor plan and said it was one of the coolest homes we’d seen. We all kept talking about it and what a great house it was.

Fast forward another month or so, and Rachel and Chris decided to potentially make an offer on that home, but they really wanted us to move to that street too. The builder owns the remaining available lots on the street so we saw it as an opportunity. After talking it over, we really wanted the largest remaining lot and he agreed to sell it to us. The lot was the exact same size as Chris and Rachel’s so he planned to build the same home there again. He agreed that if they bought the house under construction, he’d sell the other lot/house to us even though it wasn’t technically for sale. The lot is three doors down from their new one, and funny enough, we live three doors down from each other now. (If you know the band Three Doors Down, their songs have become our theme songs over the years). It felt like fate! Or we’re all just crazy 😉

So yes, we’ll be living in the same house. Well, not the same same house, but the same floor plan. Which, if you live in the area, isn’t all that odd since most builders only offer a few floor plans (Rachel and our friend Katie currently have the same house, for example). Since their new home is now only a month away from completion, they were limited on some of the changes they could make. But we plan to alter a few things (and our styles are different enough) that I don’t think it will be super obvious that it’s the same. Kurtis and I visit multiple times a week to theirs because it helps us envision ours.

We actually went under contract Thanksgiving weekend last year. We thought things would move fairly quickly and we’d be able to make the announcement after the first of the year. Then the county introduced new zoning/planning, had staffing shortages, blah, blah, blah. Long story short, the permitting didn’t come back until mid-April which was a bit wild. But, we are excited to announce the house is now underway!

New House Favorite Features

Okay, now for the fun stuff! Let’s chat about the new house and our favorite features.

Coming from Nebraska, we quite honestly didn’t know what we would need or wouldn’t need once we moved to Florida. Over the past two and a half years or so, we’ve been able to refine that list.

I’ve always said I’d never live on a lot backing a golf course. Well, never say never. Ha! I prefer private lots and never wanted foot traffic, or a rogue golf ball, in my yard. So while technically our new lot backs the golf course (which is our neighborhood par 3 golf course – meaning no long drives), it will feel more like a park most of the time. We also back a large pond with lots of trees so very little of the course itself will be seen most times of the year.

Funny enough, neighbors from our current street moved to the house next door earlier this year, so we already know one of our neighbors! The other lot is currently empty.

Jointly, we were both sold on the overall floor plan, the back covered porch, gaining a mudroom which we’ve both desperately missed, the pantry (as well as other storage in the home) and more. The lot is also about 20 feet wider in the back (but is pie-shaped so a bit smaller in the front) so we have a smidge more room between neighbors than we do now. It’s still tight, but it feels much larger (particularly since our garage/carriage house currently takes up half our backyard). Let’s get into more of the specifics and favorite features other than those listed above.

What Sold Kurtis on Moving

• Dedicated, detached garage for a gym
• More garage space in general (we’ll actually be able to park both of our cars in the garage now that Kurtis won’t take a stall with his gym equipment)!
• Getting a mud room back
• Dedicated office with a partial golf course view

What Sold Sarah on Moving

• The primary suite (we can finally sleep in the same room where we get showered and dressed since we currently use the primary bedroom in our house now as my office) 🙂
• The mud room
• Additional storage (I can finally cancel the small storage unit we’re renting to hold my Christmas decor and other seasonal items). We had never used a storage unit prior to moving to Florida and I can resolutely state I hate them!
• I love designing new spaces, even if I hate moving!
• The fact that Kurtis was willing to move again 😉

While this won’t be a custom home, the builder has agreed to let me make all the design decisions, rather than using the designer they typically hire. So, I will have a lot more flexibility in the overall aesthetic I want to achieve compared to the last time we built. But the floorplan, at this point, is pretty locked-in and ready to go!

Now that the building has officially started, I’ll be able to start making selections like flooring, tile, cabinet colors, lighting, and so much more! I’m excited to take you all along on the journey.

FAQ

I tried to round up as many FAQs as possible that we’ve been receiving from friends, family and people around the neighborhood over the past several months.

When Will You Be Moving?

Honestly, we don’t know. I would love to think by early to mid-summer next year, but based on the current speed of progress, that isn’t promising. If that holds true, we’d likely list our current house next spring and then go from there. However, we’ve also tossed around the idea of selling yet this year if the right offer came along and renting back or moving to one of our rentals in the area. But I’m not really sure I want to manage multiple moves so we still have some things to figure out there!

Will You Sell Your House Furnished?

Again, this depends on a number of factors. In a dream world, we would sell our house fully furnished so I can order furniture that properly fits the new house size-wise and aesthetically. I also plan to change up the style a bit, so in my mind starting from scratch may be easier.

Is This Larger or Smaller Than Your Current Home or Omaha Home?

It will be larger than our current home (but smaller than Omaha). We’ve lived in Florida for nearly two and a half years now. We both work from home (and likely will for another 10-15 years), host overnight guests frequently, require more storage than the average person because of my job, have two cats that need their own space (specifically litter boxes), and Kurtis prefers to work out at home. We’re also homebodies, so we know we really use every square inch of where we live!

Without basements in Florida, we’ve realized that we prefer square footage somewhere in between what we currently have and what we had in Omaha. So our new home will be larger, but will have the same number of bedrooms and bathrooms. The space in each room (and storage space) will just be slightly larger and the carriage house will be almost the exact same square footage as what we have currently. The floorplan really maximizes square footage so it feel much larger and works so much better for the way we personally use our home!

Will You Still Have a Carriage House?

Yes! That was very important to us. Our current carriage house has been great for family and friends to stay in for longer stays. One of the features we’re most excited about in the new house is that the carriage house can actually be accessed from inside now, which will be great in inclement weather! I feel as though that will also mean much more usable space for us personally since it will be an extension of our home. The new house won’t have a second living area like we have currently, so one of us can go up to the carriage house apartment to watch shows, or Kurtis can escape to if I’m hosting my girlfriends 😉

What Overall Style Changes Do You Plan to Make?

I plan to keep a coastal aesthetic. But with this home, I plan to add in some traditional elements I haven’t in years past. It may come with age, or what feels like a more permanent situation, but I plan to incorporate more timeless elements that should carry us through another move if the time comes.

Is This Your Forever Home?

Honestly, I doubt it. But I could very much see us staying here for a minimum of 10-15+ years. We love the neighborhood, we love the area, and ultimately, we’re ready to feel settled in a home that feels perfect for us. I’d love to move on the water some day, but also don’t want to live in a tourist neighborhood. Kurtis would probably prefer to move further south to warmer weather someday, but he also loves our life here. However, I feel pretty confident in thinking that we’ll be in this home until we retire, and likely beyond that. But at this stage, and based on how the past five years have gone, I also could see another move if the right opportunity came along. We’ve become much less rigid over the past several years, and never say never!

Will We See Pictures or Design Plans Soon?

Well, because our friends are basically building the same house, I literally have hundreds of photos I can share. Which has made it such a fun process so far! And quite honestly, so helpful because both Kurtis and I can really get a feel for each space in person. I get so excited every time there is any progress at their house, because it feels a bit like it’s our house too. And if you know me, I’ve been working on Pinterest boards, design plans, and more since November 😉 I made a little video this morning that you can see here with the lot and some pics from Chris and Rachel’s house.

For those of you that have been around since the beginning (when we actually still lived on Virginia Street), this will be our fifth home we’ll have lived in (and sixth in our almost 20 years of marriage). Which honestly sounds a bit wild! But a lot can happen from age 25 to 44. I’m really hoping building wraps up sooner rather than later so I’m not 46 by the time we move!

I know there will be a lot of questions so feel free to ask away! I’ll answer as much as I can!

I have so much more to share with you about this move, including progress updates, tentative design thoughts and plans, and so much more. Lots of fun stuff to come! I appreciate all of you so much and am excited for you to follow along through this process!

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