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Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Our Journey to a Mortgage Free Home ... #4

In the last entry I left you with this description of the house we purchased to move on our now cleared lot ...

Just you wait to see what we moved onto this nice clear lot ... I can't tell you how many people questioned our sanity when they saw it!!!  If I had been them, I would have too!!!

Here are a few hints:

it was old (built in 1932) ...

it had been a house and had served as a church at different times ...

it had a huge hole in the roof ...

it had a big hole in the floor directly under the huge hole in the roof ...

it had no inside walls, only studs ...

it was home to many creatures ...

it was full of trash (this is an under statement) ...

it had been neglected for lots of years ...

it had been used for storage for all of those 'lots of years' (You know the kind of storage where you just open the door and throw it in?)

the structure was sound ...

it was what we could pay cash for ...

Are you ready to see what I was talking about???

It's okay if you 'think we were crazy too, plenty of people did' ....

Just feast your eyes on this beauty .....


(above) ... the front ....



the back ....


one end ...



the other end!

Go ahead, feel free to laugh ... (Looking back, all I can say is that we were determined, we had a goal and we were not going to be deterred!)

Through laughing?  

It does look pretty bad doesn't it?  Go ahead, you can say it, you won't hurt my feelings!  

Okay, now you've seen the outside, want to take a look on the inside?

We will ... in the next entry!

Until next time,
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

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39 comments:

  1. Patsy, the first house I ever owned had been a hay barn for lots of years. The trash was piled out back, but it was a challenge. I don't know about you, but starting with 4 walls and nothing else is really easier than remodeling one that has rooms already. I can't wait to see how it turned out. Kathi

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    1. Kathi, just you wait until the next entry and you'll see what we had to deal with!!!!

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  2. I have to ask- how did you move it and how far did you have to move it?

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    1. My husband and half of the neighborhood men jacked it up, drove a huge trailer under it, lowered the house onto the trailer, hooked the trailer to a tractor and slowly moved it down the middle of our little town. There were men driving a vehicle in front of it with flashers on, men walking beside it with really long poles to make sure it got under the power lines and someone in another vehicle behind it with flashers on. (Of course, we had to have a permit to move it.) It was quite the spectacle. I have pictures but getting everyone's permission in the pictures to allow me to post them would be impossible. We moved the house about 4 miles.

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  3. I was expecting a trailer or a storage crate

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  4. For the pics I can see the potential and many possibilities. Can't wait to see more. Paula in Kansas

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  5. I think it's pretty darn awesome! And it looks like it would be easy to add onto should you ever want to do that. I love wood houses.

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    1. ladyhawthorne, we have talked about adding on, but are finding that our little house is quite adequate for us in the season of life we're in. We are enjoying those smaller utility bills and keeping it clean is not nearly as labor intensive!

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  6. Ok my past house was a mansion by comparison. I'm glad you and hubby were able to see the potential because it is not showing itself to me in anyway what so ever!
    Looking forward to the next instalment in this series.

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    1. Jane, like I've said before, we were determined to be homeowners without a mortgage!

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  7. Also not laughing at all as I think our old house was moved onto this block many years ago. I can't wait to see what your home looks like now. You are quite the tease :-)

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    1. Nanna Chel, it is still a work in progress, but we're much closer to finishing than we were!!!

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  8. Hi Patsy!

    I've been looking forward to this! What amazes me is how you had so many helpers, and your husband was able to run things himself. Paying a house relocator would have been expensive.

    Really, I think a structurally sound timber house, that yours is, is rather wonderful. I would be happy with something smaller. This provision of a building has so much potential. You all did a great thing! We Australians admire the beautiful timber architecture that is found in so many of your older homes, yet some of us thrive on the simpler ways of doing things. It looks like you found the right track!!

    How long will it be until the next instalment?!!!!!

    With warm regards,
    Rachel Holt

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    1. Rachel, I'm trying to post this series on Tuesday of each week. Yes, we have been blessed with helpers all through this journey. As I said at the beginning of this series, we give God all the glory for providing the resources and the people we need/needed to make this project a reality.

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  9. i didn't laugh ...
    it's not that bad, have seen worse, wood houses are the best & easiest to renovate, so i've been told, all it needs is high stumps a grand entrance & good wide stairs. a bit of a scrub & a lick of paint & she'll be as good as new :))
    you'll both have a lot of work to do but i think you are looking forward to it.
    can't wait to see the inside, it certainly does look solid from what you've shown, so it has good frame work to work from.

    thanx for sharing

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    1. Selina, it is solid and we've been slowly working on all those things for several years now ... paying as we go.

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  10. I don't know, no interior walls has a plus....less to rip out and rebuild to suit your needs. Just sayin. And at that age......plaster and lath....shudder.

    Not laughing at all. Its called doing with what you can. I live in a house built in '36. No matter what I do it won't be a Better Homes and Gardens cover model, lol. Warm, dry, and paid for. I could afford more over the years, but paid for has a big pull. And besides, bigger homes have bigger rooms and more bathrooms.....I really am not that fond of cleaning. The husband had a couple of younger co-workers stop over to pick up a piece of equipment. I could tell by the look in their eyes when they stepped in the house. Eventually, many months later, one of them said..."I know about what you make, I see what you drive (not a BMW by any stretch) and I see where you live.....why do you live significantly below your means?" I'll bet they didn't do well during the following recessions, eh?

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    1. mdoe37, we are thankful that we didn't have to deal with the plaster and lath, that would have been a whole different demolition issue! I really do think that if we all lived within our means there would be a lot fewer huge fancy houses and BMW's. Not knocking either of those, it's just that those things are not in our financial realm and we're not going to act like they are.

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  11. Well, I did laugh a little, but only because I think it's delightful that you could see the potential in it. I can't wait to see the inside!

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    1. Glenda, in my opinion, the inside looked worse than the outside!

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  12. All it needs is "a woman's touch"!

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  13. I love it soooo much. I grew up in a farming community. My grandparents moved
    the old 2 storey farm house about a mile when they sold the 101 freeway frontage
    to a gas station. People in farming communities think out of the box and work
    together. I was not around to watch when they moved that house. I have just seen pictures. My other granddad bought a piece of land and decided to move his house, He welded some giant I beams together after he had jacked up the house left dishes in the cupboard and linens on the beds. He was a heavy equipment operator. He was originally from the same town as other granddad. Then finally our friends jackedup a house and moved it to the back of there property. I took part in this move . The guys that were the electricians sat
    on the roof with hot sticks to lift the power lines in case they were sagging.
    It was a little nerve racking. They had to get a permit and moved it on certain
    roads. The last house was just a shell.But it had great bones. They don't make beams like that anymore. You must be great visionaries. I see you are not afraid of work. I can't wait for your next post.
    Patti

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    1. Patti, we knew where we had been and that we didn't ever want to have another mortgage so we 'jumped outside the box' and through much prayer found another way.

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  14. I think it looks like freedom which is perfectly wonderful! Thank you for sharing this. It is an encouragement to see what you've achieved through hard work and being willing to live outside the norm.

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    1. It has brought us freedom and along the way taught us a lot about patience!

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  15. Well, like you said, it was structurally sound. It looks like a pretty good, basic house design to me. I would have gone for it too. Some people have a vision and imagination and some don't. (of course it helps to be young, strong, and have a number of years ahead of you to be able to do the work and enjoy the years in the finished house.)

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    1. Joy, young we are not, but determined ... yes ma'am!

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    2. I meant that if a person starts a project such as yours, it helps to be young so that you have the strength to do the work, and the time to reap the benefits. Starting out on a project such as this when one is in their later years, is more difficult. I don't know at what age you were when you began this project.

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  16. I have to say, I'd be freaking out a little! Seems like such a daunting task, but I'm glad you were able to see the possibilities and possessed the skills to bring it all to life. Can't wait for the next instalment.

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    1. LOL Janine, I have definitely had my moments of 'freaking out!'

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  17. Patsy I can see the potential as well. My husband, retired Contractor said it was well built and sound. I can't wait to see the next installment.

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    1. Judy, it is built well and sound and that's why we bought it ... we surely didn't buy it because it was pleasing to the eye!!!!!

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  18. I love how you're so excited to work on this glorified storage shed to be honest. I'm really eager to see what you're going to do with it and I know a lot of people are going to be rooting behind you guys to fix this up!

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    1. MelBrandle, we have been blessed to have lots of support along the way!

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  19. I don't know where I've been!! I have been waiting for this post and just found it! I know you made it wonderful... can't wait to see more!

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  20. Well, it's a step up from the burned out house! I'll give you that!

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    1. LOL ... Gloria, we definitely had to have vision to see what could be!

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