Same House, New Season

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

Now that you know why I’m going home, let’s talk about the house. It’s the same house Mom and I bought together in 2010, the one I lived in until 2016.

Moving back home means combining two households, finally fixing the things that stayed on the “someday” list for years, and updating the house so it works for Mom and me now and appeals to the next family who lives here.

Moving back home and combining two households

Moving back means two couches, two sets of dishes, and a whole lot of decisions about what stays and what goes. I’m the one making those calls, and I check with Mom on the things that matter most to her. The goal is one house that still feels like home to both of us.

My rule so far: if it’s in good shape, fits the room, and earns its place, it stays. Everything else goes to family, donation, or a yard sale. If you’re merging two homes, try walking one room at a time with that rule before anything gets moved.

The flood that changed the list

One of the things that happened in the last month: Mom turned on the water in her sink with the stopper closed and forgot about it. She didn’t know until she got up from her bed and found her carpet soaking wet.

Her tile bathroom floor flooded, but so did her carpeted closet and part of her bedroom. Replacing the carpet downstairs had to be added to the list. I have ideas, but no solid plans yet.

The fixes we couldn’t afford in 2010

When we bought this house, we did what we could with what we had. Some things got fixed. A lot of things waited. Here’s where the list starts:

• Kitchen: the small, dark galley kitchen needs more light and a better layout
• Flooring: replacing the downstairs carpet after the flood
• Paint: saying goodbye to the bright yellow walls

Updating the house for now and for later

I’m the designer on this project, and I’m hiring professionals to do the work. I make the design calls, pick the products, and manage the budget, and I ask for Mom’s input when a choice affects how she uses the house.

This house won’t be our forever home. One day it will be sold to help fund the next family home. So every choice has two jobs: make the house work for us while we’re here, and make it appealing to the next family. That means I’ll lean toward finishes most buyers like and save the personal touches for things that move with me.

Better lighting, safer floors, and alerts Mom can see as well as hear will keep the house comfortable for the years we’re here, without making it look like a hospital. Those updates help when it’s time to sell, too.

The honest part

This won’t happen fast. I’m working with a real budget, so some rooms will wait their turn. And selling my house to move home brought up more feelings than I expected.

What’s next

I’ll share every room as it happens: the plans, the products, what it costs, and what I’d do differently. Next, I’ll walk you through every project on my list and why each one made the cut.

This house is also step one of a bigger plan. You can read about it in Why I’m Planning a Multigenerational Family Home.

Have you ever merged two households? Tell me how you decided whose things stayed.