Recently, my husband and I bought a new-to-us old house about four or five blocks as the crow flies from our previous one. We’d decided that we wanted a ranch and that staying in the neighborhood would be ideal. Certainly, as empty-nesters, we would downsize.
Checking Zillow became a daily ritual, and we sent links back and forth to one another regularly. “Love the house, but the street is too busy.” “Great location. Not enough yard for the boys.”
“Boys,” in addition to being a reference to my three sons, now refers to our two wirehaired pointing griffons. Jeff Bridges is a year-and-a-half old, and Beau is about nine months, but they both seem like puppies. Some people are curious if we refer to Jeff Bridges by his entire name. We do, though sometimes we call him, “J.B.” My husband refers to Beau by his name consistently. Sometimes I call him, “Bo Bo” which I regret, but it seems to have stuck. He wags his tail either way.
During our house hunt we looked in parts of the city we hadn’t considered before. It was fun, but we came to our senses and agreed that being close to work was more important. We moved about five blocks east from our previous house.
Rather than downsizing, which I think is what we’re supposed to be doing, we bought a house that is a bit bigger than the one we were in. I write with the background noise of dogs snoring and people pounding, drilling, and helping us realize our vision of what this home together will be. Already there is a larger yard, wonderful light, and a daily exchange of images and ideas along with minor inconveniences.
Currently, my makeshift desk is in front of a window that looks out to the street where I can watch my neighbors and their children walking or riding by. One gentleman who works at a local store rides his skateboard past my window every day on his way to work. Even with the dust and noise it feels like home.
If you live in an old heritage home in Kansas City, you can find a photo of it online at the Missouri Digital Heritage website.
Local Organization Supports Housing, Community
While I am great at acquiring, I am not always great at shedding. Growing up in an unstable household, I struggle with anxiety about not having enough, though I’ve been graced with stable—and lovely—housing for decades. This is one of the reasons I am a big fan of ReStore, Habitat KC’s home improvement stores.
ReStore accepts donations of household items including furniture, appliances, and building supplies, and sells them at a discount to generate funds to build affordable homes for area families in need. And believe me, ReStore has everything. Salvaged doors and windows, shutters, hardware, countertops, paint, plumbing, furniture and more.
As an old-house fanatic, I’ve donated and purchased from ReStore. The last time I dropped off items before I moved, I stumbled across a Kohler pedestal sink that is the same model that I’ve used in my last two houses. It’s waiting for installation in the new house now. In addition, we’ll donate any functional items we remove from the renovation to ReStore to keep the good energy moving.
The Habitat for Humanity ReStore site lists the items they accept. Free pick up is available. (Though then you miss the fun of the great find!) Drop off items are accepted Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. They have five sites in the metro. Check their site for more information on what they accept and the closest of their five locations to you.