Sandy,

Many blessings to you!

xoxo
Suzy

Thanks so much for your comment! I’ll be honest – there are times this house feels too big for just the two of us. I’m not sure it’s an “accordion” house! But with our 24-year-old home due to the pandemic, we’ve been grateful for the extra space. Also, with this catastrophic ice storm we’re currently living under in Texas, we’ve had 7 people, 3 generations here for several days. We’re so grateful for all the space!

I’m going to be writing more about this very thing in my subscriber-only weekend post this weekend. Specifically, I’m going to be running down some of the whole-house changes we made that have made a huge lifestyle difference! If you’re not a subscriber, please sign up so you don’t miss it.

I feel so blessed to have our home, and thankful for friends like you to share it with! Thanks so much for reading and walking along on this empty nester journey with me!

xoxo
Suzy

We took a different path and started our Act 3 in a new state, close to our daughter. We were ready for a fun new adventure and there was no time like the present.

That being said, we want our home to have an “accordion” capability…cozy and intimate when its just the two of us, and exandable when we want to welcome our kids and their kids, and company too (we moved to a resort town.)

I was just very curious about how you accomplished, what sounds like, similar goals. AND, my husband always has in mind what will add to the value of the home, if/when we ever sell and move again. We are about to embark on a pretty good sized remodel to hopefully achieve our “empty nest” (or full nest) goals. Thank you for letting me pick your brain. We are so blessed to have our homes!

Love,
Sandy

Thanks so much for your sweet comment and question!

The decision is a HUGE one, and we deliberated for several years before making the final determination. We built this home in 2004, and we still love so many things about it, that entered into our decision, for sure! With our 24-year-old daughter back in the next because her industry is shut down due to the pandemic, having the extra space upstairs has been wonderful, and a good reminder that you never know what is coming. We were so happy to have the extra room so she could have her own space. I know lots of other empty nesters whose nests are not so empty any more!

I also have heard terrible stories of situations where grandparents have had to step in and keep grandchildren – either to help facilitate two working parents or in an extreme case like the death or an unforeseen other situation with the parents. Although we are trusting the Lord that we will not be in a situation like that, it’s good to know that we could accommodate everyone if we needed to do that.

Also, for us, the things we did to our home were updates that increased its value or needed to be done anyway. (Like remodeling our leaking pool and improving our WiFi situation.) Not having those updates would bring down the value of our home in the eyes of potential homebuyers, whether in the immediate or distant future. They also have improved our quality of life and saved us money! (One thing we had done that I haven’t talked about is to have a guy come in, rehang all of our doors, and update the weather stripping around them! It has made a big difference this winter!)

We really felt like staying put and updating was optimizing our options for the future. If we stay, we love it, and if we eventually decide to move, we’re in a way better situation too!

I hope that helps! Good luck to you all, Sandy! Thanks for reading Empty Nest Blessed!

xoxo
Suzy

You mentioned that you had met with builders that specialize in home construction for empty-nesters. I never imagined there would be such a specialty 🙂 Other than create your own wish list of items you wanted to change, did you consult with an “empty nester” designer? My husband and I are teetering between empty nesting and filling our nest again with grand kids…I would sure appreciate any tips you might offer!

Nancy,
Thank you for your sweet comment! Don’t paint your woodwork!!! It’s a classic feature that will never really be out of style. Once you paint, you can’t go back!
More to come on the remodel, so stay tuned.
xoxo Suzy

I love the remodel! It’s lovely! I’m so happy you addressed the woodwork of your cabinets. I have beautiful cabinets in my home with the majority being in the kitchen. I’ve gone back and forth about painting, but could not bring myself to do it. Reading about your decision in your bathroom really made me feel I’m making the right decision. I believe I’ll paint my island cabinets, but that is it. Just to provide some accent color. Also hardware needs to be updated. I’ve done this in a previous home.

Thank you for sharing the before and after! That tub is Everything!! Well done friend!
Nancy

Elaine,

So sweet of you! Thank you for your kind words! So glad you enjoyed it.

xoxo
Suzy