Good news!

emmaaa · April 2016

TLDR: MIL is moving and DH and I are buying her house and moving in June! This is much sooner than we expected but are very excited for the opportunity to buy our forever home and be settled by the time our LO gets here.

As I have mentioned to many of you, my FIL passed away back in January very unexpectedly. MIL decided within in days afterwards that she couldn't live in their house anymore. They built that house together and had plan to grow old together and age there. She had always wanted to move closer to town (we live in the country) when she got older but since FIL didn't, they decided not to. After he passed, she has said it was too hard for her to come home to the empty house and she dreads driving down the driveway. It is simply making her grieving process much harder.

Even though we (DH and I, and SIL and BIL) have tried to encourage her to not rush into anything, she said she was ready and sure. She started looking for townhouses in town (about 20 minutes from me and DH and just a few minutes from SIL). On Saturday, she found one she loved, perfect location (right across the road from a park with a walking track) and put in an offer. The offer was accepted and she signs the contract today!

From the beginning, she has said she wanted DH and I to buy their house (we currently rent a small 2 bedroom). DH definitely wanted to (and I have warmed up to the idea) because his dad's shop and tools (which he inherited) are there and his grampa's sawmill (that he also inherited) are there. It just makes the most sense. Even though we had always planned to build, we also never thought buying his parent's house was an option because we assumed/hoped they would always be there. Now, considering the circumstances, we are thrilled at the opportunity.

We initially thought it would be 6 months to a year before she bought anything but turns out we will probably be moving in June! I'm really excited we'll be able to decorate the baby's room a lot sooner than planned and settle in before our LO makes their debut.

The house does need some work. It is 20 years old so it is at the age where cosmetically, it needs to be updated. Nothing too drastic. Our first priority is getting carpets in the bedrooms upstairs, building a new deck, and remodeling the bathrooms. We will need to paint because a lot of it is dated and/or scratched and/or NMS.

I am nervous that we'll be moving while I'm 6 months pregnant. I usually like to be very hands-on by helping with furniture and stuff when we move but I'll just do small boxes and delegating.

Any advice on moving, renovation ideas, and just general good vibes would be appreciated!

kmmssg · April 2016

What awesome news! Congrats!!!!! Here is my moving advice: Move your entire kitchen first and set it up. You can use disposable stuff and a microwave for a couple of days at the old house. Also, make getting your bed set up a priority. If you can cook some food and have your bed to sleep in the rest will fall into place. I hate moving and the endless unpacking so if my kitchen is good and my bed is good I do much better. Start going through things and get rid of what you don't use. If you don't use it don't move it. Sending lots and lots of good vibes your way!

ILoveBeachMusic · April 2016

Congratulations! My advice is to label boxes well. When we moved into our current house we had two big moving trucks full. I had labeled all the boxes and just pointed the guys to the room where they belonged. We hired a local moving company - we were well past the era of having friends help us move. Also do as much painting as possible before you move. It is much easier to paint an empty room than one full of furniture. Good luck!

charlotte989875 · April 2016

Thanks fantastic, congratulations! Moving sucks, but it will definitely be worth it. I agree with @ILoveBeachMusic to be really detailed about labeling boxes, or number them and keep a master list. Even if the move is close I can't recommend having local movers strongly enough; we rented a UHaul and they have recommended movers that were far more reasonable than I thought and it saved a lot of stress and trouble.

Congrats again!

bleve0821 · April 2016

ILoveBeachMusic said:

Congratulations! My advice is to label boxes well. When we moved into our current house we had two big moving trucks full. I had labeled all the boxes and just pointed the guys to the room where they belonged. We hired a local moving company - we were well past the era of having friends help us move. Also do as much painting as possible before you move. It is much easier to paint an empty room than one full of furniture. Good luck!

I can't stress this enough. We moved in October and repainted the ENTIRE house (all 1500sqft of it). It took 6 weeks, but I was doing it mostly by myself after work and so it was like 3 hours at a time. Whatever color the walls are currently, DO NOT SKIP PRIMER. While most paints are advertised as "paint + primer," the way those paints go on the walls can look streaky in certain light, even after 2+ coats and everything is dry. Putting the primer down first eliminates this problem.

Also, make sure that if you're using an oil-based primer, you have Goof-Off on hand (just in case someone drips paint, steps in it, and then just completely ignores the fact that he's stepped it in and traipses all over the house, not even bothering to walk on the drop cloths... I could have killed FH).

And don't paint over wallpaper. And get those paint brush covers and the roller covers, too. Also, blue tape sticks better than green tape, but the green tape comes off more easily. Don't leave them on the walls for more than a week, or the tape will strip the paint. And wipe down the trim before you paint.

This is probably more than you ever wanted to know about painting, but I wish someone had told me all of those things before I started.

Also, congratulations!!

princessleia22 · April 2016

With our last move, DH was pretty adamant that I not lift any boxes or furniture because I have a bad back. Usually I don't let my back stop me and I just deal with the pain the next day, but this time he wasn't letting me help much. But, it worked out okay and I stayed busy. We moved a lot of the smaller boxes and kitchen stuff the day before. So, I stayed at the new place and unpacked and set up that stuff while they were moving over the bigger stuff.

Make sure to fill both fridges with lots of water and ice, especially if moving in June. We had planned ahead and put an entire case of water in each fridge and the guys went through most of it on moving day (of course, we were moving in June in AZ when it was around 110 degrees).

I also agree with getting in there and painting ahead of time. It makes things SO much easier. And on that note, last time we painted, I fell in LOVE with low/zero VOC paints that are low odor. Behr makes a zero-VOC one now. You can paint and aren't left with that toxic paint smell. We painted our bedroom and were able to sleep in it that night with no annoying smell.

STARMOON44 · April 2016

Start getting rid of stuff in your current home immediately. Like, tonight, open a kitchen cupboard, and ask yourself what doesn't need to come with you. Makes packing easier when you've already made those decisions.

OliveOilsMom · April 2016

Hiring movers was the best decision we made when we purchased our house now. I used a company recommended by my co-worker and it was perfect. We did pack everything ourselves, so all the movers had to do was take the boxes and the furniture. I did not hire out packing services, which is also available from most movers. Most movers don't require you to empty drawers, unless something breakable is in them. So your dressers can usually be moved with all your clothes still inside!

Get honest reviews about movers. My brother moved and used movers. He went with a cheaper quote - they showed up late with not enough boxes. That got them to their new house (even though it was a 5 minute drive) much later than they should have. And then when they arrived, the movers would not remove anything from the truck because they needed more money to cover all the "extra" stuff they were forced to pack - although the entire quote was based on the amount of items they had, how many bedrooms, etc. And they wanted cash. My brother had to run to an ATM before they would move one box off the truck. This is a common scam with movers, so do your homework and get trusted reviews.

I also agree that you should try to paint everything before you move in. The carpeting too, if you can replace that right away.

Also, 6 days after we moved, we hosted Thanksgiving dinner. It was not the plan, but it was a last minute change due to my aunt getting sick. Because I labeled the boxes so well, I was able to focus on the kitchen first and had it cleaned, unpacked and together in 2 days.

littlemushroom · April 2016

My moving tip: Color code the boxes.

We bought little bottles of acrylic paint for 49 cents and assigned each room a color. Then each box got a circle of the assigned color in the upper right hand corner of each side. It made pointing the movers to the appropriate room a breeze no matter how far away we were from them or what way they were holding the boxes.

We still wrote about the contents on one side for us to use as we were unpacking, but the color code system was invaluable.

emmaaa · April 2016

Thanks everyone so far!

I never thought about doing the kitchen first, that's probably the best idea I ever heard.

We are definitely trying to paint mostly everything (at least rooms we'll be using right away) before we move in. I feel like this will make it so much easier for us.

As far as movers, even though I know it'd be easier, I doubt we hire them. We are literally moving 3 miles away and I cannot justify spending money on that for such a short move..

bleve0821 · April 2016

Another thing we did was just move most of the boxes into the garage, rather than right into the rooms we wanted them in. It was a lot less overwhelming to be able to grab one box at a time and unpack it without having a zillion other boxes also in the way. We also haven't unpacked a lot of the boxes, and since it's been 5 months since we moved in, and we aren't missing anything, I think it's safe to say those are things we can probably get rid of.

We also didn't pack anything that was on a hanger. We just threw that stuff in the back of the car and hung it straight up in the closets.

lnixon8 · April 2016

When we bought our house we got too excited and moved in before scraping the cottage cheese ceilings (first time living together, I was moving out of my parents home). So much work now that theres stuff on the walls, furniture etc.

ILoveBeachMusic · April 2016

emmaaa said:

Thanks everyone so far!

I never thought about doing the kitchen first, that's probably the best idea I ever heard.

We are definitely trying to paint mostly everything (at least rooms we'll be using right away) before we move in. I feel like this will make it so much easier for us.

As far as movers, even though I know it'd be easier, I doubt we hire them. We are literally moving 3 miles away and I cannot justify spending money on that for such a short move..

We moved less than three miles away, but with a house full of stuff it was worth hiring the movers - especially if you have stairs! Look at local movers and get different quotes. As PP said, look at reviews too. We had everything out of the old house and into the new one in less than a day. If we did it by ourselves, it would've taken longer. Also agree with kitchen and bed set up first. Once my kitchen is set up, I feel at home!

STARMOON44 · April 2016

ILoveBeachMusic said:

emmaaa said:

Thanks everyone so far!

I never thought about doing the kitchen first, that's probably the best idea I ever heard.

We are definitely trying to paint mostly everything (at least rooms we'll be using right away) before we move in. I feel like this will make it so much easier for us.

As far as movers, even though I know it'd be easier, I doubt we hire them. We are literally moving 3 miles away and I cannot justify spending money on that for such a short move..

We moved less than three miles away, but with a house full of stuff it was worth hiring the movers - especially if you have stairs! Look at local movers and get different quotes. As PP said, look at reviews too. We had everything out of the old house and into the new one in less than a day. If we did it by ourselves, it would've taken longer. Also agree with kitchen and bed set up first. Once my kitchen is set up, I feel at home!

I just moved a one bedroom apt 1.5 miles. I absolutely hired movers. Who else is going to lift my couch? Wrap my glass topped table and make sure it arrives intact? I'm certainly not doing the heavy lifting and no way, as someone who can afford movers, am I imposing on my friends and family to do it. To me the distance has nothing to do with anything. Getting the stuff in and out of the homes is the hard part!

charlotte989875 · April 2016

Yeah, I definitely had movers for an in-town move. We boxed everything ourselves, drove the truck ourselves, but just had them at the old place and new place. Really reasonable for a few hours work, saved a lot of time and stress.

ILoveBeachMusic · April 2016

charlotte989875 said:

Yeah, I definitely had movers for an in-town move. We boxed everything ourselves, drove the truck ourselves, but just had them at the old place and new place. Really reasonable for a few hours work, saved a lot of time and stress.

To clarify - we packed ourselves too.

kvruns · April 2016

congrats! I'd definitely do whatever renovations you can prior to moving (bathroom updates, painting, etc) so you don't have to live with the mess.

ShesSoCold · April 2016

I agree with PP's advice of putting all the boxes in the garage and taking them in as you unpack. We did that and it was so much less overwhelming than seeing 1,000 boxes all over the house. Also agree that labeling is SUPER important. Label really well.

Also, I think someone else on these boards said this, but don't remodel anything right away. See how you live there for a while first. H and I just bought our first house and the master bathroom floors are terribly ugly. I wanted to fix them immediately. After living there for a little bit, we found the white ceramic tile in the entry much more annoying and we'd like to replace that first. Same with bathrooms - we have a tub/shower and a shower in the master bath which is weird, and I originally wanted to rip out the tub/shower combo and put in a tub, but we dislike the shower so we use the tub. We didn't know that the first week.

But good vibes for you, MIL, the baby, everything!

WinstonsGirl · April 2016

So exciting of you!! Congrats

I'd say set up your bed first. You can also get take out or hit up a restaurant for a day or two, but being able to fall into bed at the end of the day is the best.

Also, pack a small box for the car. Put a roll or two of toilet paper, a small pump of soap, hand towel, some paper towels and maybe water. That way you have access to the bathroom too, as do any movers/friends

Jen4948 · April 2016

Congratulations!

Good luck with your new house.

OliveOilsMom · April 2016

We also only moved about 4 miles. The movers were still the best $450 we spent!

Over this past weekend, H & I rented a large truck to pick up a bunch of furniture from my aunt & uncle. We had the truck for a few hours, add in the mileage and we spent over $80 on the rental. So for a potential few hundred dollar more, it will save the backs of your family and friends.

vikinganna87 · April 2016

Congratulations, @emmaaa ! That's excellent news. How exciting that your child gets to grow up in home with family history

I don't have much new advice except for agreeing about purging lots of stuff beforehand and labeling boxes. When we moved last summer I realized that ~75% of stuff in my boxes was books it finally gave me the kick in the @ss I needed to switch to a Kindle!

SP29 · April 2016

Awesome

I agree to start getting rid of any current items you don't use/ don't need. Don't move it if you don't have to!

Label your boxes with what is in them and what room it is going to.

Do as much cleaning, painting and reno work as you can before you need to move in. And if you can, start moving in room by room.

jenna8984 · April 2016

Congrats!! That's really great that you guys are in a position to be able to buy it. My brother and his wife wanted to buy my parents home when they were moving but my parents wouldn't let it go for under market value and bro couldn't afford it. It was so sad, like come on give him a discount lol.

I definitely did what @atomicblonde said and moved everything into my garage (Sept 1st) with the goal of having it completely empty and ready to park in by Nov 15th when snow could start coming. It worked out great, each night after work I'd bring up like 1-2 boxes and it helped having that deadline.

Have you found out the sex yet? Do you plan to?!

emmaaa · April 2016

@jenna8984 We haven't found out yet. The appointment is May 5! I was "team green" but DH really wants to find out and I don't feel like it's a hill to die on when he feels like it will help him to connect to the baby. It will be nice to stop calling the baby "it" lol.

jenna8984 · April 2016

Yaaay that's awesome!! Same happened to me- I never wanted to find out but H was absolutely adamant that he must find out. I knew it wouldn't work with one of us knowing and that he'd accidentally spill the beans, so I gave in and found out. No regrets

emmaaa · April 2016

jenna8984 said:

Yaaay that's awesome!! Same happened to me- I never wanted to find out but H was absolutely adamant that he must find out. I knew it wouldn't work with one of us knowing and that he'd accidentally spill the beans, so I gave in and found out. No regrets

Do you mind sharing the sex? So exciting for y'all! @jenna8984

short+sassy · April 2016

WinstonsGirl said:

So exciting of you!! Congrats

I'd say set up your bed first. You can also get take out or hit up a restaurant for a day or two, but being able to fall into bed at the end of the day is the best.

Also, pack a small box for the car. Put a roll or two of toilet paper, a small pump of soap, hand towel, some paper towels and maybe water. That way you have access to the bathroom too, as do any movers/friends

Haha! I own a few rental properties and, whenever I have a new tenant moving in, I make sure there is a 12-pack of cold bottled water in the fridge, two rolls of toilet paper in the bathroom, one roll of paper towels in the kitchen, and one trash bag.

It's those little things that people often need right away, but don't think about ahead of time.

short+sassy · April 2016

Congrats on the new house!

Always use high end paints for exterior painting (ie Sherwin Williams), but cheaper brand paints are fine for interiors. For interior, go with at least a Satin finish...do not use a flat/matte finish, they are very hard to clean/wipe down. Glossy or semi-gloss are the easiest to clean, but imperfections in the painting will stand out more.

If you and/or your H are fairly handy, you all should be able to DIY a deck. My H built one for us off our master bedroom. The materials were $2700, but it would have cost $10K-$15K to have had someone else build it (it's a pretty large deck).

Apply for a Lowe's credit card. You will get 5% off all purchases (10% off if you or your H are military/former military). Check E-bay for Lowe's and Home Depot coupons. You can usually get things like a 10% off coupon for $1-$2.

Although you didn't mention kitchens, a great and fairly cheap way to upgrade a kitchen is to change out the hardware.

jenna8984 · April 2016

@emmaaa My quote button doesn't work anymore (I think it's the internet browser at my work). We are having a boy and are so stoked about it!! We have top 5 names that I like equally but DH is having the hardest time choosing the ONE. lol

missJeanLouise · April 2016

I second keeping your clothes on a hanger. I poke a hole in the bottom of a larger trash bag to slide the hooks (usually 5 in the same bag) through, then tie the drawstring for anything long. FH's favorite moving hack is to tape a piece of cardboard to the top of your drawers. No need to unpack, saves boxes, easier to move the dresser with the drawers out.

ETA: Congratulations @jenna8984 and @emmaaa

Good news!

Re: Good news!

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