Home Sweet Home, Part I

After years of deliberating, weighing the pros and cons of staying in San Francisco versus moving to the 'burbs on the Peninsula, second-guessing ourselves, riding out real estate bubbles, and feeling general anxiety about what will likely be the biggest financial commitment we'll ever make, we have finally taken the plunge:

We bought a house in San Francisco!!!

November 10, 2011
Closing Day

Like many structures in San Francisco, our house is old. Pre-1906 earthquake old. And like many houses, ours was in the same family from the 1940's until it was sold to us in probate. So there are a few weird rooms added on at the back, sloping at questionable angles. So the house needs a new foundation. So... I'll spare the details, and get to the good part: We are renovating and doing a small addition at the back of the house which will even out the odd parts.

While this project is and will continue to be a lot of work, it is a pretty wonderful opportunity for us to create our home, down to the last detail. We are working with a fantastic architect and a skilled contractor, and if all goes well, sometime in mid-2013 our old/new house will truly become our home.

When there's more to tell, I'll tell it. For now, we're waiting for the City to process our first permit application. This part with the City? Sigh. 

Meanwhile, we try to find creative ways to get some use from our house, such as "picnicking" in the living room.

And we were pleased to discover several rose buses in the backyard. We had been told that the family matriarch, who died many years ago, had a beautiful garden which was left to go wild and then torn out. It's such a pleasant surprise to find some unexpected beauty.