Hellobee Boards

@avivoca: Yes to the coat closet too! I didn't think of that.

@MrsSCB: @bhbee: yeah, can't build basements on coastal plains like 2' above sea level. in most of the rest of heavily habited areas of Texas, not far under the soil is a gigantic limestone plateau that is *seriously* heavy lifting to drill through--so installing a pool even tends to be a lot of work, let alone a full basement for every house.

@bhbee: my mother is from Sherman and they used to get tornado sirens constantly there--she always said it was the tail end of tornado alley. do they happen in Dallas too? your house sounds adorable

@mrsjd: DREAMMMMYY, I want to see a picture! I always had 10-12' ceilings living in brownstones in Brooklyn-- I was afraid I'd miss the extra height, but finding that the house feels spacious and I don't mind only 9'. 14 is amazing though. is it that kind of house with the full-length front porch and the tall creepy windows in front? love those.

@periwinklebee: how are aesthetics not important to him *at all*?? it kind of sounds like he has some soul searching to do re new build vs close-in. maybe you guys can get something closer in and smaller--it's not impossible or prohibitively expensive to have central A/C installed, just ideal to do it before you've moved in because the duct work is a mess (or so I hear). I know what you mean about the market going nuts, it is here too--but what are you going to do, wait for the next housing crisis crash? when we got our mortgage I was super pissed off because I was counting on the low rate we were promised last fall, and we ended up with a .4% higher rate which was still really good for the time--point being I think you just can't wait around for perfect circumstances... eh. maybe getting into a true 2-bedroom would help you with the night wake ups, too. don't know if it applies to your boo but some babies do better settling down with their own dedicated space when they can't sense that you're rightthere.

also thx for adding more fuel to my fire for hating popcorn ceilings and gross plaster work-- I didn't know they were a health hazard beside mental health we have one ceiling in the whole house with those gross swirly pattens on it, and I'm having it skim-coated this week.

Must haves:
3+ bedrooms
2+ baths
“Charm”
Wood floors
Large yard
Good light
Newer roof, furnace, good pipes (we’ve had to replace all of these and now after 6 years of home ownership the fun updates begin!)

Extras:
Updated baths and kitchen
Open floor plan
Master bath
Laundry not in basement
Mudroom
Central air

@Mama Bird: that kind of summer bill to keep the house still pretty warm is why we are getting solar. It's cheaper.