It really was ugly, but we could see a beautiful Victorian underneath all of the cedar, stone, the wrong sized windows, the lowered ceilings, the peel and stick carpet, the gold flaked mirrors, etc., etc..
We have worked and worked and worked on this house doing almost all of the renovations ourselves.
Yes, that is a HUGE hole on the side of the house!! See the joy on my husband's face? He loves the demolition part of renovating!! This is what he calls relaxing!
Cute, huh? Well...don't laugh at me too much because I know how to use power tools and I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty! ;)
We have been called crazy by many and at times I have wondered if that was true, but it has honestly been perfect for us! Most of the time we had fun doing this! It has been very rewarding! We have learned a lot about each other through this... a lot about tools, dry-walling, tiling, framing, building codes, flooring, where to find amazing deals on salvage in this city (and others). We've discovered gifts and talents we didn't know we had, and we've learned Patience with a capital P! But through lots of sweat, hard work, and some good luck over the years we have been able to turn the Ponderosa into the Victorian Cottage we dreamed of.
We have been honored to have won an Historic Preservation award from the city of Nashville; along with compliments from random people on the street; and amazement from our friends, neighbors, and family.
We have talked for years about selling this home...but it always seemed like things worked themselves out to postpone us from doing just that. Finally, last year we decided it was time to sell for several different reasons, even though the housing market was horrible and it was the worst time to sell in MANY years. Even so...we felt strongly that we needed to do it now. So...we worked tirelessly - painting molding and finishing up those last projects we had been putting off - and all the while we saw houses sitting on the market for months to years and prices dropping further and further.
Finally, the day came to list and although we had been advised to list a bit lower we went with a number H.G. had had in his mind for a long time. We figured we would just drop the price each month we waited. We thought it was a long shot, but what the heck, we would just try it - we were prepared to be sitting on the market for a while anyway. To our shock...within 2 days we'd had 3 showings and an offer on the table...within 4 days we'd gotten 5 showings and 2 offers on the table... and by day 5 there had been 6 showings and 3 offers!!!! Plus, a call from HGTV asking to use our house in the House Hunters show!!
To say that we were flabbergasted is an understatement! H.G. and I had prayed that the house would sell quickly, but NEVER in our wildest dreams did we think we would sell in less than a week and have 3 offers in line! I think our real estate agent who has been doing this for 25 years was even shocked.
I know the God of the universe hears my prayers, he has spoken directly to me in amazing ways. But I also know that As heaven is higher than earth so are His ways Higher than my ways. The Bible does not promise me health, wealth, and a life without challenges, but rather that following Christ will undoubtedly bring me challenges. I knew He had heard our prayers about this house, but I didn't know what His answer would be.
I have found comfort in the saying that God always answers prayers with "Yes" .........or "Yes, but not yet", ..........or "No, because I have something better in mind!" I have heard all 3 answers from Him at different times and there are prayers that after years of praying I am still waiting to hear His answer. I didn't know what His answer would be to our request. This time though He answered with a quick, "Yes and while I am it I am going to blow you out of the water and remind you of just how amazing I am!!"
With the way the market is right now, only God could orchestrate 3 offers on our house in such a short time (all of which have turned into contracts in case one falls through). We have been reminded this week of the verse....
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse , that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachai 3:10
God has been so gracious to us and we are so thankful that He is pouring out His blessing on us! We found out within 24 hours of listing the house that H.G.'s company is being acquired, and we don't know what that means for us. We are hesitant to buy because the new company may very well want him to move or they may not want him on staff. The timing of all these things is incredible. It is clear to us that God has His hand on this situation and we will trust in Him to guide our steps and continue to provide!!!
