Sorting, Packing and Saying Good-bye after 24 years

DLM2000-GW

9 years ago

We knew this day was coming and actually I've been s-l-o-w-l-y preparing for a few years. The boys are now big hairy men living far away, and it's time to move on to a new lifestyle in a new place and shake things up a bit! We had an accidental almost FSBO when a couple knocked on our door in July and wanted to buy our house but the deal fell apart. However it was a good kick in the pants and we dusted ourselves off and got ready to try again, this time with a realtor. We got lucky, 3 showings in 2 days and the first people to see it made an offer that was good, we negotiated back and forth a bit and have a contract - closing to be 11/15.

Over the years I've posted photos of various things or rooms and had wonderful help here but my pictures don't compare to what the photographer did - she was awesome. And it's really a shame they'll never be seen - we never made it to the mls - so I'll share here. I'm not terribly sentimental but there is not a corner of this house that we left unchanged - it has our blood, sweat and tears and a lot of love throughout and I am getting weepy pretty regularly now! We'll rent for a while, figure out where we want to be (somewhere in western NC) then find another house that needs love or maybe build. Many of you were my cheerleaders and inspiration through projects years ago and I hope you will be again when I can't see the forest for the trees! Here are the listing pics

ps - if anyone in the Chicago area wants to buy furniture, we're selling quite a bit

Here is a link that might be useful: Listing photos

This post was edited by dlm2000 on Thu, Oct 2, 14 at 22:01

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Comments (46)

Bethpen
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oh Dlm, I feel your pain! What a lovely home you have. Dh and I are in the very preliminary stages of thinking of doing what you've done and your post made me tear up a bit.

I think it's exciting though! I hope you'll share your journey with us, I think a lot of us are heading that way and I know I'll need a lot of handholding.

Beth
sjhockeyfan325
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Dlm2000, we did it 2 years ago after 26 years in the same house and it WAS because someone knocked on our door! I didn't get teary about it at all, because I'm so happy to be living in the city, in an apartment, close to work. You'll see, you're going to love whatever new lifestyle and location you choose!
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Bon, Most bell peppers start out green, like tomatoes do, and then mature to whatever their mature color might be: yellow, orange, red, purple, chocolate (an oddity I'll address in a second), etc. There are some bells and non-bells that start out either ivory/pale yellow or lilac/purple, but they're not real common except in the gardens of pepper afficianados who want to grow them in every possible color. Oh, and the chocolate bells that I've grown do eventually turn red, but they stay at that milk chocolate brown color, which is a blend of their unripe green and ripe red color, for a really long time, and their flavor is decent while brown, but not as good as it is if you eat them after they've turned red. There are a few sweet pepper types that go through a multitude of color changes as they mature, and one of those types that I've grown is called "Blushing Beauty". It starts out very light colored, almost an ivory or cream color sometimes with a slight tinge of light green that then turns to yellow and then yellowish-orange and then to red. Often, there are peppers at all the stages of color on the plants at the same time, making each plant a beautiful sight. As with tomatoes (except the green-when-ripe types), when in the green stage, the bell pepper flavor is not mature and full and rich and sweet. The reason that grocery stores sell us green, immature peppers (and we have been conditioned to think we like them) is that ripe, fully-colored-up peppers only have a shelf life of a few days and the stores lose money if the fully-colored peppers go bad before they sell. It is better for the grocery industry, as a whole, to convince us we want to eat bitter, unripened green bell peppers because those peppers have a long shelf life since they aren't ripe. yet. If this sounds similar to the tomatoes-shipped-while-green-and-artificially-turned-fake-orangeish-red to make us think they are ripe situation that drives me up the wall, well yes...same sort of deal, but they don't bother gassing the peppers to make them turn their mature color while in transit. Thus, the green bell peppers we buy at the grocery store are harvested green and unripe, shipped, and sold to us consumers as if that is the proper way to harvest and eat a bell pepper---green. It isn't! However, if you grow up in a non-gardening family, you might not even know that because for decades all you really saw in stores was green bells. When bell peppers are allowed to stay on the plant another couple of weeks and mature to their final ripe color, the flavor improves tremendously. So, when I think about the flavor of grocery store green peppers versus the flavor of peppers allowed to grow until they reach their full mature color, the choice is clear to me---I don't want to buy and eat green peppers. Luckily, the consumers have made their voices heard in the last 10-20 years and most grocery stores now carry bell peppers in their mature colors of red, yellow and orange too, but often charge a premium price for them. I cannot comment on the flavor of the colored peppers from the store because normally I don't buy peppers at the grocery store, but the few times that I've bought colored peppers from the store, their flavor was good and sometimes their texture was good. Still, they weren't as good as fresh ones out of the garden. I don't necessarily think the flavor and texture of mature, fully-colored bell peppers from the store is as bad as the flavor and texture of grocery store tomatoes, but I still prefer the sweet peppers fresh and home-grown. They're just so much better when you've grown them yourself, harvested them, and taken them inside to use that day. Even if you are lucky enough to have a neighborhood grocery store or farmer's market that features locally-grown produce, peppers from a source like that still are going to have been picked at least the day before you see them on the store shelves, whereas I can walk out to my garden, pick a couple of peppers, take them inside, wash them, and prepare them for the next meal. I appreciate having produce that fresh. I really don't like green, unripe peppers any more than I like green, unripe tomatoes, so I tend to slice up whatever green peppers are left right before the last freeze and freeze them for cooking where their flavor is only a part of whatever dish they're in, but not the main flavor. Once you get used to having sweet, crisp, fully ripe, colored bells, the green ones taste like what they are--unripened, immature fruit. And, for the record, many of the hot peppers we eat also mature to colors other than green, and I prefer for my hot peppers to be allowed to mature to their ripe color too. I don't mind eating jalapenos green, but like them even more when they've been left on the plants until they turn red. It is just a bonus when I leave them on the plants while they red and don't harvest them until they start corking. This year I let everything stay on the pepper plants until November and when I harvested there were all kinds of red, yellow and orange peppers, hot and sweet, and some immature green ones as well. By everything, I only mean the late crop that came from August or September flowers. I had harvested tons of peppers earlier in the summer before the drought set in and it got too hot and dry for me to spend much time in the garden. Carol, I try to cage my peppers, but inevitably I run out of shorter cages before I get all of them done. This year I had about a dozen plants, mostly jalapenos, that weren't caged, but they produced great. They fell over once they reached a certain size and laid all over the ground, but it was so dry that I didn't lose many peppers to rot. I just had to be really careful because I kept seeing timber rattlers in and around those plants, which is one reason I stopped picking them in late July and didn't venture back into that bed until September. Then I had two more timber rattler encounters in and near the peppers in September, and stayed away from that bed until a day or two before the killing freeze in November. By then, the nights were cold enough that I felt like I wouldn't encounter a snake in the garden, and I didn't. I did cage all the poblano peppers this year, partly because they got so big last year, but also because I had a little voice in my head telling me to do it (and you have to listen to the voices in your head if you're a gardener because they are the voice of experience), so I used the last few pepper cages for them and let a bunch of jalepeno peppers and peter peppers sprawl on the ground. Actually, the sprawlers started out staked, but eventually got big enough to fall over and pull the stakes over with them. The three caged poblano pepper plants each got about 4-5' tall and 3-4' wide, and crowded out nearby jalapeno pepper plants lying on the ground around them and beneath them, but barely produced anything all summer. Then, undoubtedly influenced by cooler temperatures and the return of rain in the fall, the poblanos went crazy. At the time I harvested them, each plant had produced several dozen poblanos that were full-sized and red, and many more that were small and immature. It was the best poblano harvest ever, so I dried lots of them to make ancho peppers, ancho pepper flakes and ancho pepper powder. I've been processing peppers for a couple of weeks now and am almost done. I have been too distracted by all the remodeling and redecorating projects I have going on to even think about next year's grow lists yet, but the seed catalogs are piling up on the coffee table and one day soon I'll flip through them to see if there is anything I need or want. I have such a big stash of horded seeds that I might not need to buy many (or any) for 2014. I need to use up some of the older seeds before they get too old for good germination. I love the multi-packs of seeds that contain numerous varieties because you can get, for example, three colors of sweet bells in a pack of seeds instead of buying three separate packs. 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joaniepoanie
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Your home is lovely. It's easy to see why you will miss it. We will be in the same boat in a few years. Still trying to figure out where we want to go and yes, plenty of sorting and pitching to do in the meantime after 30 years. Thinking about moving on is sad, scary, and exciting at the same time.
crl_
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
What a beautiful house. Best of luck on your new adventures!
User
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I agree, such a beautiful house, and yes, great photographer. How exciting to be able to pick up and move where you want though. That is my long-term goal too. I can't wait to see what you do with your next house and hear about your new adventure.
mtnrdredux_gw
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
A classic, perfect home. No surprise it was much in demand. We cant' wait to see what's next!
User
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Beautiful ! So light and airy...a truly lovely home. It was so nice seeing it all together in the slide show..she did an amazing job ! As to the change you are so lucky to have choices. We have thought about it...and very seriously this past August..but I guess we just aren't ready yet. No place draws us ..at least not yet ! Have a grand time with looking and choosing and definitely keep us up to date . c
amykath
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
So serene and beautiful! Thank you for sharing your house with us.

It is hard to let go of a home. I say home bc it is not just a house. You have memories and like you said, your blood, sweat and tears has been put into every inch in making it your home.

I hope that you can look forward to what comes next; all of the adventures and what can be.

I hope you take us with you through your next chapter~
User
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Dlm2000, your home is beautiful, and looks like it would make you feel good just being in it. There are so many wonderful features, from those charming half round curtains in your bathroom to the fabulous kitchen, to the room with the bed tucked into an alcove! The floor plan is so liveable, and the outdoor setting looks mature and calm and lovely----what a wonderful place to have called home for so many years! The buyers are very lucky to be the recipients of all the thoughtful consideration you've spent on this house.

Many good wishes and blessings for you and your husband on this exodus.
oldbat2be
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Lovely pictures, how nice to have them done professionally! Your home looks like a happy one, can't hope for much more, you know?

Hope you make it to Western NC; my father is in Hendersonville and I occasionally make it down to see him. Even though I've been in MA for 17 years, NC is still home :)
Annie Deighnaugh
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Your home is absolutely wonderful. Each room is special in its own way and shows all the effort you put into it. Be glad and proud...all your efforts have paid off wonderfully. Be sure you get a copy of those pics from the agent. (I didn't with our old house and am sorry.)

We moved after living in our old home for 32 years. So I know what it's like. We too put lots of blood, sweat and tears into every room. But the transition was made easier in that we were moving into our new house with all the anticipation that included.

So be sad that you are leaving, but let it go. Be glad that you enjoyed the place for as long as you have, and look forward to the new adventure that awaits as you find a new place to make your own. And just think of all the learning and experience you had on this house, and how you'll be able to apply it to make the next one even better still!

I used to kid DH that our new house was my very expensive craft project. Shortly after we moved in, I started saying it was time to build a new house, so I can start designing and decorating again...my last craft project was getting done!

The only constant in life is change....
busybee3
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
we had been in our house about half the time you have been in yours (which was a very long time for us!) - moved middle of august for job relocation and we are still unpacking and sorting and organizing like crazy- I had forgotten how much work it is!! it was a tough move-- my kids did a lot of their growing up there!
the next move we make will most likely be post retirement- we will look forward to choosing the community we move to then! my parents moved to Brevard later in their retirement yrs and really enjoyed their time there!
bpath
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Such a lovely home, no wonder it sold so quickly! HP? I love the sunroom on the side! Your kitchen/family room is charming, and your light fixtures are wonderful. Will you leave the kitchen chairs with the house? Because they're the perfect match.

NC seems to be the place to be! Breviary, Asheville, so lovely. Best of luck! And of course you'll be here to share your next remodeling adventure :)
dedtired
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yes, no wonder it sold in a heartbeat. It is a beautiful home. I can imagine how difficult it is to be leaving. I envy you the chance for a new life adventure! Don't look back.
DLM2000-GW
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Annie my mother used to say you never finish a house, that you are hanging the last picture as the moving van pulls up in front!

It seems many of us are in similar life phases, either recently moving on from the long term nest or approaching that milestone. My emotions vacillate between excitement and terror - this is an adventure and potentially the beginning of a wonderful 2nd chapter but I'll miss my friends, family, familiarity with my surroundings and fear feeling isolated and lonely. I've already made contact with various organizations on our trips there - a newcomers hiking club, an animal shelter where I'd like to volunteer, a synagogue (even though I never attend here it might be a way to meet people) - I know I'll have to be proactive to create a life. It won't happen organically the way it does for young mommies! We live in a 'walk-to' location, the beach, schools, train to the city, restaurants......and as wonderful as that is (and it sure makes sense for our age!) it's not DH's dream. He wants land, privacy, space, views and that's all wonderful but to me that means no neighbors, no neighborhood, no walking down the street and seeing people I know.....sigh. It's all an experiment and I've heard from plenty of people that we're nuts for going there and will be bored to tears, fish out of water and yankees in a world of southerners! As DH says, if it doesn't work out, we can always come back or try some other place. Sorry for spilling my entire crazy mind with you! Thank you for the sweet comments on our home - the young couple buying are completely smitten with it (and have the most adorable 3 yr old daughter) so it will continue to be loved and shelter a family making memories. That's the way it should be.

oldbat2be we are looking to rent a house in Hendersonville (no luck yet) and use that location as a base for exploring and figuring out where we are most comfortable. We won't settle in Asheville proper but I would like to be able to get there easily. Or possibly Greenville, SC which we haven't explored yet.
deeinohio
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Change is always difficult--good and bad. Were my kids and grandkids not in the area, I would be living in NC right along with ya! It is such a wonderful place.

Thank you for sharing all the pics of your lovely home. I've seen some of the rooms in the past, but it was nice seeing them all. I remember when you were so generous to share with me your painting technique for your red armoire.

Good luck Deb, and looking forward to posts about your new place once you find it.
DLM2000-GW
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
busybee - Brevard is definitely on our list - haven't spent a lot of time there but we like it. You JUST moved - it takes time to settle in, doesn't it?

bpathome - yes, HP - you? The sunroom is really hard to leave! Hadn't thought about leaving the chairs but we certainly could - they were on the to be sold list.

deeinohio - if our boys lived here I'd never leave but they'll never live here again. Our oldest, however, loved visiting Asheville with us and is considering moving once we get settled. His dream is to build a tiny home with his father and place it somewhere on the land DH dreams about. In that case, I'd be a happy mamma!

This post was edited by dlm2000 on Fri, Oct 3, 14 at 9:06
jill302
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Gorgeous, gorgeous home. This must be a bittersweet change.Wishing you many happy years in SC.

In a similar situation - although no one came knocking at our door and we are a bit behind. We have been in our house 23 years. After a few months of decluttering and updating we listed our home at the end of August, accepted an offer second buyer that came to see the place - 5 days after listing. Unfortunately 1 month in, the day after we made an offer on another home, the deal fell through. The house is back listed for a week now. Unfortunately, the market has slowed dramatically and no buyers have visited yet.So we are back in limbo again.
User
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks for sharing pictures of your beautiful light-filled home. It's easy to see why you are reluctant to leave it.

We lived in our first home 20 yrs. It was modest but charming and held all the memories of our kids' growing-up years. When it became clear my parents' health issues would require my monitoring & help and our youngest was off to college, we bit the bullet & returned to our hometown. I'll never forget DD's initial reaction when we told her. "Mom, isn't that where people move away from and not back to?!" The irony is that now she and her young family have chosen to live here, as well. DS, on the other hand, our "homebody" who took our selling his childhood home the hardest, now lives in Europe. You never know!

The best thing about your circumstance is that you have choices. As someone above mentioned, if you don't like it in NC you are not bound to live there. I have relatives in Columbus who moved there from up north 20 yrs. ago and they describe it as heaven.

Good luck on your new life journey. Keep us posted!
Holly- Kay
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oh my DLM, your home is just lovely and I was getting teary eyed just looking at all the love and care you put into it.

DH and I are at the age that we should be looking for a practical, one level home but he refuses to move. I am still easily able to go up and down stairs but the day when I can't is rapidly approaching. He has two huge garages and three outbuildings that holds his antique cars and his work shop and he doesn't want to move it all or start a new build project. At some point we will need to put an elevator in our home if we are to stay there but he is immovable on that front as well. I am so envious of my GW friends that are able to move.

You will adore Western North Carolina. My DM lived in a lovely Southern Colonial just a mile or so from the Biltmore House. She was in the middle of a lovely neighborhood but they had three acres so it was a very prime location. I held onto it for a bit over a year as I wanted to keep the home but it was a ten hour trip from home so very impractical as a weekend retreat. I actually sold the home to a gentleman that knew the area and he wanted the home badly. He and another family both wanted it but he came up with an all cash deal so it worked splendidly.

If there is a place on earth that I would love to live it is in Asheville or Hendersonville. The people in the South are so very friendly but DH and I always commented on how extremely slow paced everyone was. I swear nobody there is in a hurry to go anywhere.

Good luck and all my best wishes for an exciting new life there!
Fun2BHere
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Your home is lovely. I know you will miss it, but what wonderful pictures you will have to view when you feel a bit nostalgic. I wish that I had taken pictures of every place we've lived, no matter how humble.

You obviously have a good plan for meeting new people and becoming involved in your new community. Best wishes to you for an easy closing and a trouble-free move.

I'm looking forward to downsizing and moving to a more walkable location. That's a few years away, though.
awm03
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oh dlm...wish I could give you a hug. It's not just leaving your gorgeous, happy home & yard and all the effort you put into it to make it so. All your family memories are there. That's so hard to leave behind.

Yes, those photographs are beautiful. The photographer did a great job fiddling with the lighting, exposure, & brightness to give them good color & visual impact: a nice tribute to your old home and your excellent decorating skills.

Please know we're here to support you getting through this. I'm sure you'll land on your feet just fine and will make a lovely new home in a place that will make you happy -- a new place to fill with more happiness for phase 2 (or 3?) of your life.
violetwest
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
well, there's no mystery why you sold your home so fast -- it's lovely. I especially think the kitchen looks not only very pretty, but functional!

Just think of the fun you'll have with your new place, though!

(I laughed at the "big hairy men" line, too!)
Joe
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Dlm,
You created a lovely property, no surprise of the fast sale.

We did what you are contemplating, and from the northern burbs of Chi-town.
You have a good plan in place to make connections. MeetUp groups are also an option.

Land, privacy, space, views - CHECK

What worked for us:
Chose middle location between 2 cities. Have greater choice of restaurants, entertainment and shopping. Note: impossible to replicate Chicago dining and retail, except NC furniture!

Purchased raw land within a very rural, yet gated, hobby farm subdivision.
(We did what's on trend, went from corporate jobs to hobby farm)
All tracts are minimum 10 acres, covenants allow animals. Some owners are lake front. Covenant restrictions are 'lite', only common property provided besides roads is the gate.
We have 28 acres, 1/3 pasture, 2/3 wooded/woodlands & ravines. The majority of owners have horses, cattle, mini donks, heritage chickens. All owners are professionals, many entrepreneurs.

Because of small ownership and the POA, we know ALL our neighbors. A friendly group, we connect frequently among families and hold annual parties.

Plan for:
Raw land requires obvious infrastructure. Once developed it needs maintenance. RTVs and a farm tractor are necessities for us. Outbuildings need to be built, electricity run and possibility water.

Despite years of planning and owning the land, the move for us was physically exhausting and stressful. Your plan to move and rent initially may be for the best.

Enjoy the journey! We love it here. Great to get away from winter weather AND the constant feeling that someone had their hand in my wallet, hahaha.
~bgj
sjhockeyfan325
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
dlm, I'm interested in one of your move moves -- where did you find a "newcomers hiking club"? We love to hike (6 days in Peru this year, for example), so that would be a good intro to a new area for us when we move too.
Arapaho-Rd
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
dlm, I've long been an admirer of your home. You are a "familiar face" here on this forum and your posts were ones I enjoyed. Please come back and show us your new place and stay with us as you transition! Sending good thoughts your way....
nhb22
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
dlm2000 - I remember your many post on updating your home. It is truly beautiful and I now you will miss it. My brother and SIL are getting ready to put their long standing home on the market. They will, however, stay in the same town in SC. They have had people knocking on their door.

Hendersonville, Bat Cave, Weaverville, Arden and Laurel Park are wonderful communities in the Asheville, NC area. We have friends in all 3.

I live about an hour from Hendersonville, just over the mountain in the hills of TN. You might consider the Tri-Cities area of TN instead of W. NC. We live in the oldest town of TN...Jonesborough, but Johnson City proper.

Greenville, SC is another wonderful town. I grew up in that area. :)
User
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I got teary eyed reading your post. I've always admired your home and thought it had such a crisp/clean, cozy look. And I love all the big trees. Good luck on your new journey!

(Side note - could you tell me about your pendant light in the kitchen?)
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
No surprise that sold quickly. It's beautiful and immaculately clean.

Love the window treatments here.
caminnc
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Just beautiful, can't believe what great shape your home is in after 24 years. I wish you good luck for the future, I am sure you will enjoy the new adventure.
patricianat
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I would love to say that I was a part of the happy young couple making the purchase but, like you, we made a move and now are ready to make another. Joints, muscles, connective tissues, vital organs, dependable though they may have been for many years, are now giving way and the 2300-square feet that seemed so small a few years ago, is now far too much with more than an acre of land and now a 1000-sq ft apartment is looking better and better. You made that a lovely home. Lucky buyers. It is perfect but I understand.
DLM2000-GW
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'm so surprised and interested that many seem to have a connection of one kind or another with NC! We had never been there till 3 years ago and it wasn't even on my radar until I started researching places to move. After 2 visits we were hooked. I'll be perfectly honest that with all the changes I know are coming, it is comforting that this won't change. I can visit here at GW anytime and yak on the conversation side with all my internet peeps! Y'all - catch that? I'm working on my southern talk ;-) - are so sweet with comments and understanding my not so young house love. Hey, wait a minute. I feel a blog coming on! NOT!

awm I will take that hug - today has been a tough day, lunch with my best friend - she's my rock and we are in denial. But her DH is in the furniture business, goes to High Point 2x/year so she thinks they should move, too :-)

Oh antiqueannie what a pain to lose that buyer after a month. Our market has slowed a lot since July, too and we couldn't risk being publicly on the market and possibly not selling - DH's customers would be very hesitant to start projects with him if they thought he was leaving - so we did an exempt listing, no sign, no MLS and got lucky. I hope you get a buyer soon.

billygoatjoe you have described my husband's dream. He's an entrepreneur, always had his own businesses and part of this plan is to take what has been a small but consistent sideline business and grow it to support us. You're from here? And went to NC? need to talk to you!!!

sjhockeyfan as bgj mentioned, check out Meetup.com for any location that interests you. Doesn't have to be about a move, you can find meet up activities that fit in with vacation plans, too. On one of our first visits I found out about a place called Brother Wolf Shelter and one of the things they do is have volunteers take the dogs on hikes to socialize them and help newcomers to the area meet people and learn about some great hiking. There's also Carolina Mountain Club and other organizations that I've been in touch with but you'll just have to research whatever area you're thinking of moving to. Start searching and follow every link but save anything that looks promising because you'll never find it again.

nhb we have considered looking into TN - thought about the Knoxville area. I did a little research long ago into Johnson City - may have to revisit and plan a visit to check it out. That whole corridor, from where you are down to Greenville is our target - somewhere in there is where we hope to land.

shee do you mean the double light over the island? I can look in my file and see if we still have any info on it. It's not really anything special, was bright brass and I painted it a few years back.

caminnc we spiffed everything up for listing, of course but the house is solid as a rock - built in the 30's then we added on and almost doubled the size in 91. DH is a mechanical engineer and his business is home remodeling and repair - that should explain a lot!

patricia that's part of our plan, single story. I will miss my stairs (built in exercise) and having bedrooms up (I think it's quieter than first floor bedrooms) but the windows will sure be easier to clean!
ellendi
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Dlm, my sister lives in Asheville after living in Florida for 30 years. They vacationed there and her DH said, "We could live here!" And that was that.
Both she and her DH still work, and found jobs immediately in their health professions.
I understand your DH's dream of land and privacy but hopefully you will come to a compromise. I think you can have privacy in NC yet not be isolated. As we age, we really do need to be near medical care. Thinking this move through, you want this house to last until your 90's, unless your DH has a two part plan that you are unaware of.
Good luck and keep us posted!
jjam
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
What a lovely, beautiful HOME. It must be so hard to leave but I can only imagine what you will create in your next place. Western NC is one of the most beautiful places on earth and I would love to live there. You have made a fine choice.

I learned a lot looking at your photos; you seem to have a knack for restraint when it is called for, and I'm working on that. I think that's why your home looks so open, airy, and yet comfortable and welcoming.

Best of luck in your future home!
bpath
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Was HP! Now LF. We were between the theatre and the historical museum, but it's been over 15 years. Before that I had an apartment between the HS and the hospital. Loved HP, still do, in fact I was at the library just today. It's my favorite.

My folks live on a small lake. A couple of months ago a fella building in the neighborhood knocked on the door, said he didn't realize how much he'd miss his old house on a small lake, and was dad interested in selling an easement for lake access. That land wasn't dad's to sell, but dad joked "I don't suppose you'd be interested in our house?". The guy perked up and said if dad was serious, he'd sell the house he was building and take him up on the offer! M&D are straddling 90 yrs, and I don't know why dad didn't say "hang on while I pack"! He did get the guy's phone number, though...
LE
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Wow, thanks for sharing. It's nice that you will have those wonderful photos to document what you did. I expect to find myself in the same boat in a year and a half, although it'll be a miracle if our house looks that finished even then! (We've "only" been in it since 1986!) I could stay indefinitely, but we only came to the city on a 5 year plan, and my husband is ready for the space, privacy, big shop building, etc. We did build it first, along with the house, so I'm hoping that will make the transition a little easier (more "to" and not all "from," if you know what I mean. But there are going to be a lot of tears, I know that. When you have touched every square inch and finally made a place what you want it to be and what it deserves to be... that's a hard goodbye!
User
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yes, that's the light. I would've never guessed that was brass.
Joe
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Dlm,
Apologies, we landed in Northwest Arkansas. Ironically, we lived in Eastern NC for 5 years early career. Coincidently, our initial 'rehirement' interest was south of Knoxville, TN. One relo criteria for us was to be near a large university town. We also met that criteria here.

We made about nine trips to the area south of Knoxville - from Oak Ridge, the fish glow in the dark ;), to Maryville and well outside Pigeon Forge, shudder... We desired acreage and a view. What we found with a view in this part of the country was land that was straight up and straight down. You needed a ski lift to get to the peak of these properties. And, the infrastructure costs to put in long, uphill driveways, and dig deep, deep wells was significant. We finally decided to look elsewhere.

What an exciting time for you and your DH. It's a great opportunity to reconnect with a spouse and create new memories. How many people get to experience their dream?
Best,
~bgj
nhb22
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yes, give Johnson City another try and look in our area of Jonesborough. Lot's of places with land, and not all of it is straight up and down.

Here is a photo of our back yard. We live in the city limits, but the back yard view is county. Our back yard is flat, but the house does sit on a slight hill off of the road, and across the neighborhood street from the 7th hole of our golf course community.
DLM2000-GW
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Wow, NHB - that is one gorgeous view. We've seen our share of houses perched on mountain sides and that's not for us. I love the more rolling land with the distance views of the mountains. It's not all about the land, of course, it's also lifestyle, and we love the slightly off kilter, hippy aspect aspects of Asheville along with the great dining, outdoor activities, entertainment options, the variety of festivals in the area etc. Last year we went down there with friends for LoxFest which was a hoot!

bgj your trips to Knoxville sound like ours to Asheville, looking for the area that fits and is far enough away for peace but still allows us to get there and enjoy the aspects we love. I do want to go to Oak Ridge, though, just to see it! I would prefer to find an existing home and remodel it like we did this one but we haven't seen anything worth putting the time and $$ into. Biggest issue for DH is he won't accept a block basement, it has to be poured so I imagine we'll build. that's another thing to freak out about. We want a smallish house on acreage and if the land is there the house is 3500 sq ft and up - way more than I want to deal with.

ellendi I hear you on the need for medical care. Privacy vs isolation is the tricky part but DH and I are partners and neither one of us is going to play the martyr for the other. We'll find a balance or we'll move on. Bottom line is, when I'm happy, he's happy ;-)

bpathome we're really neighbors, you know? Several friends live on the main drag east of town. You probably knew/know one or two. And do not get me started on the library! That is honestly one of the hardest things for me to leave - we have the BEST library.

shee that fixture is from Sea Gull Lighting but it's old and certainly not current stock. I spray painted it with Rustoleum ORB paint years ago when the look of brass was totally passé.
nutsaboutplants
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Dlm, your home is a timeless classic. So quietly elegant. May your next abode bring you just as much enjoyment and happiness.
outsideplaying_gw
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Dlm, your home is gorgeous, and it is certainly no wonder it sold so quickly. Wishing you well in your move and search for a new place to settle.

Every place suggested so far is wonderful. As a North Alabamian who has visited these cities many times, I can vouch for all, and then some. My mother's surviving family live in Greenville SC and the surrounding community of Greer. We visited last year and enjoyed it very much. Will be going again next fall for a wedding. A good friend has lived in Davidson, NC for several years, and another has a second home in Wolf Laurel, just south of Asheville. She and her friends hike a lot, especially this time of year.

Can't wait to hear of your next adventures. Hope all goes smoothly.
bpath
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
In your scouting trips, dlm, if you see a house you really like, try knocking on the door and ask if they'd sell! It could happen! And make sure the library is good. Yours has terrific programming, fabulous stock in every category and medium, and a view to rival NC...almost. (I lived there only about 4 years, great town.)
joyce_6333
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Beautiful home, dlm. Surely would be hard to leave a home you've put so much into. Last summer we visited relatives very near Asheville. Town was called Mills River, and the neighborhood was called High Vista. It was such a beautiful area. Just driving around to see all the beautiful homes was so much fun. It would definitely be a place I could settle in to easily. You have some wonderful adventures ahead of you. Enjoy!!
nhb22
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
dlm2000 - This is looking out the front of our home. We have all the things that you express an interest in, including the "hippies." We are a college town.
bpath
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oh! My! That's where I'm moving to! Under the rainbow!

Sorting, Packing and Saying Good-bye after 24 years

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