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Making plans for our forever home

Making plans for our forever home

Towards the end of the year an opportunity arose… there was the potential of buying a new house. We bought our current home back in 2012. It was a new build and very much out of our price range. However, after much consideration, we went for it. We are so glad we did. The first couple of years were so tough financially, but we found our feet. It has very much been the perfect family home. A forever home.

So, when this opportunity arose for a new house, there was a lot of deliberation. It was a project, a big project which included building work and planning permission. And whilst there were pros and cons to moving it was difficult not to get excited. A whole new space, a blank canvas, with enough rooms so the girls wouldn’t have to share and a dream kitchen designed just as we wanted it.

However, just as my imagination was starting to run wild with all the possibilities, the opportunity was gone, the deal fell through. Naturally we are disappointed, who wouldn’t be, but I guess there was a small part of me relieved. It was a decision that was no longer ours to make. Truthfully, we love our current home. It is a 10 minute walk from the school. Close to potential secondary schools and a home full of special memories. Me and my husband are firm believers that everything happens for a reason. This new house mustn’t have been right for us.

This whole experience has made me want to give our home a little love and attention.

There is so much we want to do including extending the back kitchen, allowing for a bigger family space. There are so many beautiful kitchens to choose from and I can’t wait to visit this kitchen showroom in Hampstead.

We would also like to add another bedroom and just need to think about the best way to do this. Ideally we would love to convert our loft. Live in lofts create beautiful spaces and I can definitely envisage something similar in our home.

These are big jobs, ones that won’t happening for quite some time yet there are smaller jobs that we can start on. I desperately want to decorate our bedroom. The only room that has never been touched since moving in. I also want to sort out the storage issues in our home. We are not great at finishing rooms so the study, living room and Alfie’s bedroom all need pictures and mirrors hanging.

I also plan to give our garden a little bit more love. We have a beautiful patio and a children’s play area. I would love to also have a huge hammock on the grass so I can relax whilst the children are playing.

At the moment I feel like we are stuck between not wanting to spend too much money with the children being so young. Yet not wanting to wait so long that we don’t get the full benefit of our lovely home as a family. The perfect example of this is that we are desperately in need of a bigger sofa in our family area. However I don’t want to buy something new and expensive whilst Alfie is still throwing his food everywhere. But I don’t want to wait until they are older to buy one only to discover that they no longer want to sit with us. I want to make the most of our life together now.

The last few months may have been a little stressful and a little disappointing, but it has ignited my passion for sorting out my home. Adding some finishing touches and making some plans for the future, together as a family.

This is a collaboration post.

17 thoughts on “Making plans for our forever home

  1. Lots to think about, but don’t get caught up in perfection. Your children will be perfectly happy with far less than you imagine. Many of us didn’t get anything close to our “dream” kitchen until we were much farther along in life, and it’s okay. You can make lots of happy memories in your home just as it is. And don’t worry about the girls having to share a room. It’s perfectly fine. I never had my own room until my sister left home. One of my friends when I was in school was part of an extremely wealthy family with a gigantic home, and yet she and her two sisters shared a bedroom. Her parents did not want them to be spoiled.

  2. My late Dad always said it was more important to spend money on memory making rather than stuff. I think he was very wise. All the best on getting the balance right for you and yours and I never invest in expensive stuff because with kids and pets the chances of it getting ruined are way too high #SharingtheBlogLove

  3. Oh I’m also a firm believer in things happen for a reason. We were due to move last year but it fell through and now I think the garden was too big and it was a blessing in disguise (didn’t feel like it at the time though!!) I think it all sounds exciting, I like making new plans. Good luck! #SharingtheBlogLove xx

  4. Things seem to happen for a reason so maybe that forever home wasn’t as suitable as it looked at first glance. But what you’ve got planned sounds really exciting. All the best with your plans and I can’t wait to see them. I love virtually nosing around people’s houses 🙂

  5. I know what you mean about the sofa! We bit the bullet and bought a new one last year when we thought it was safe to do so – believe it or not the cat makes more mess than the child! Thanks so much for sharing with #TriumphantTales, hope to see you again on Tuesday.

  6. We started in a small home as a couple and after baby 3 we felt we needed more space, we built our dream home in the countryside with a massive kitchen and we designed every little detail. After 4 years there we decided to move closer to the city, which meant downsizing, honestly we all think we need space, but the truth is that it is an illusion. We can be a happy family whatever size home. I think the stage you are in currently is actually the hardest space wise. They have many more toys at the younger ages, and grow out of dress ups and doll houses, large toys and trucks and then they don’t need as much space. I would wait to buy the new sofa, mine are almost 14, 11 and 8 and still their favourite thing is snuggling with us. Trust me although they grow up quick they are still happy to be close to us for a long time yet.

  7. You’re so right that everything happens for a reason — my mum always says ‘if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be’ — and it drives me mad when things aren’t quite going my way but it’s so true. I would definitely concentrate on the home you have at the moment — start on some of the plans you have! PS — I bought our new sofas off eBay — £9.99 for the pair!!! I bet the guy selling them was gutted!!!! 😉 #HomeEtc

  8. I’m a firm believer in everything happens for a reason! The fact that you love the house you are in is great and sounds like you’ve got some great plans. Thank you for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove

  9. I know what you mean about wanting to improve your home without spending too much money on things the kids will destroy! We’re going to wait until next year when our daughter is a bit older to try to get a proper house. #familyfunlinky

  10. Things do happen for a reason, this obviously is supposed to be your home for a long while yet.
    #FamilyFun

  11. We went through something VERY similar and were so disappointed but at the same time it changed the way we feel about our current home, which we also saw as our forever home when we got it. We’ve just replaced all out windows and started creating our own artwork and putting up paintings and have totally fallen back in love with it again. Yes an extra bedroom and a bigger garden would be nice but not only would it put us at a struggle financially, it would involve more cleaning and gardening so I’m focussing on the positives!
    Thank you for joining the #FamilyFunLinky x

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