We built our home in 2017 after purchasing the land 2 years prior. We have lived on an acreage before and after living in 2 homes that were in town, we knew we wanted another acreage. Our home is definitely not a mansion or huge, even though, someone from the UK commented on IG that I do live in a mansion per UK standards. For argument’s sake, we’re talking about USA homes…we live in an averaged sized home, under 2000 sq ft. There are some things that I would definitely change about our house if I were to build again (different contractor for sure). But today, I’m going to share all of my favorite things about our home, and I don’t think I could live without now. So, let’s get to it!
1. Large Front Porch
This is really the first thing you see when you come to our house. I wanted a porch so bad and we actually added square footage to the porch. Currently, it’s kind of a cat sanctuary and I definitely want to make it cozier and more usable. But I love decorating around our front door and I’m sure you’ve seen my door on Pinterest or IG.
2. Open Floor Plan with Vaulted Ceilings
Our house before this one was a fixer upper, and it did not have tall ceilings. I’ve had vaulted ceilings in almost all of our homes, and it’s a requirement…specifically for Christmas. 😂 Yes, I need vaulted ceilings for my tall Christmas tree. My husband always jokes that we built our home around a Christmas tree…he’s not totally wrong. 🙈 I think vaulted ceilings and an open floor plan help give the illusion of a larger home with more space. I love having an open living area with the kitchen. Our front porch and back deck are also vaulted. Basically, the beam runs the length of our house.
3. Kitchen Island
I’ve had a kitchen island in one other house before this one and it definitely wasn’t anything to write home about. I wanted a large island that people could eat at. I don’t think my son has eaten many meals not at the island. He just loves it for some reason. It’s also a great place for meal prep. We have our sink and dishwasher in the island, along with, storage. We opted to give our island an accent color apart from the rest of kitchen cabinets and I still love it. The color is just the stock cabinet black color with distressing.
4. Walk-in Pantry
We recently renovated our pantry during the Spring One Room Challenge, and I absolutely love how it turned out. A pantry was definitely a must-have for me. We actually made it a little larger than originally planned. A large pantry is a must to keep a kitchen tidy and organized. And I didn’t want to see any small appliances in the kitchen. Now, they all have a home.
5. Mudroom
Because we live in the country, a mudroom is another must-have. You need a place to be able to take shoes/boots off. But it’s also super pretty. We didn’t finish the mudroom before moving in…Andy finished it almost 2 years after we moved in. Then I painted it and then painted it again and added wallpaper. It’s definitely giving cottage vibes and I love it.
6. Pretty Laundry Room
We renovated our Laundry Room during the One Room Challenge in 2022. It was fine before, but the renovation made it perfect. We’re a taller family and I cannot fathom having to bend so far over every time I did laundry. An elevated space for the machines was a must! We added wallpaper, new cabinets, beadboard, and usable storage.
7. Master Bedroom with Walk-in Closet
I love having a bedroom that doesn’t feel cramped. I n the picture below we had an antique sofa in our bedroom, but I ended up selling it. I still want to add a couple of chairs with an accent table in front of the window. I think I would also like a very slim wooden bench at the foot of the bed. I’ve had my eye on a new bed frame, as well. Too many ideas, too little money. 😂
We opted to not have a dresser in our bedroom because I would definitely rather have a large closet instead. Our closet isn’t huge, but there’s plenty of storage. We did top and bottom hanging racks with a shelving tower. One of these days I need to go through the whole thing and organize it better.
8. Master Bathroom with Stand-along Tub
Another must-have for me was a stand-alone tub in the bathroom. Have I used the tub a lot? No. 😂 Does it look pretty? Yes! It was a huge issue between with our builder…for some reason, he didn’t think we should do a stand-alone tub. I think we all know who won that argument.
I’m currently thinking about ways to update the bathroom…mainly with paint. I added wallpaper to the water closet that has a very bold pattern. We also need more storage in our bathroom. I didn’t think about adding a linen closet when we were building…we should have! I want to add a storage tower in our bathroom, change out the mirrors, maybe the lighting, and paint the whole thing. Check out my How to draw a Bath story.
9. Theater Room
Another One Room Challenge success story. This was a huge project for us (mainly Andy). We started with an unfinished room in our basement and basically built it from the ground up. We love movies and it’s the perfect spot for family movie nights. We even added a built-in daybed and that is where my son sleeps in the summer. I guess it probably feels a lot cooler since it’s a basement room. 😉
10. 10 acres with a Pond
Last, but certainly not least, is our land. We purchased the acreage in 2015 and didn’t build until 2017. One of the selling points was the huge old red barn. It also had another smaller shed on the property. We thought we’d be able to save the barn, but we didn’t realize how much work (and money) it was going to take. We have decided to not fix it and we’ll most likely tear it down and replace it.
We added a pond a couple years ago. I wanted a swimming pond with a dock and beach. Noah has been swimming in it, but it really isn’t clean enough for swimming. I still want to add a dock and an area to hang out. I’d love a bunch of large rocks around the pond to help with all the weeds.
Conclusion
To some, we may not live in a dream home, but it’s definitely a dream to be back in the country living on an acreage. We’ve had chickens and goats, maybe we’ll have them again someday. Probably not goats, but how about a mini cow?
Let me know in the comments, would you rather live in the country (near a city), a small town, or in the city? You know I love to hear from you! Until next time Treasure Hunters!
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