Behind the Build || Starting Over

After we sold our first house, we were planning to build another house just around the corner, but as logical as that plan was, there was something that didn’t feel right. I couldn’t explain it, but I would find myself casually searching the MLS for property. With zero idea what my intentions were, I would scour the internet just to see what was out there. It was during one of these search sessions I stumbled across a house with a little over three acres on a small, private lake, about twenty minutes away. As soon as I found it, I told Andy and we called our real estate broker, Josh, who arranged for us to see it the very next day.

By the time I arrived at the property, Andy, his dad, and Josh were already there. The second I stepped out of the car, I knew. This was it. There’s a place, a few hours north of us, called Baldwin. People flock there to enjoy some of the best nature Michigan has to offer, so when the first words out of Andy’s mouth were, “it feels like Baldwin,” I didn’t need to know anymore.

In fact, I actually never stepped foot in the house until after we purchased it. I walked around the property, saw what would be our forever view, and we submitted an offer in less than 30 minutes. There were multiple offers, but after we gave our best and final, we put the situation in God’s hands, wholeheartedly believing what was meant to be, would be. We received word about a week later, the deal was done. It was ours.

It was an abandoned house, hodged-podged together. From the pictures online, we had hoped to maybe salvage it with a massive renovation, but we quickly realized there was no hope of that. The house couldn’t be saved. Far beyond needing cosmetic updates, the structure wasn’t sound. We would have to tear down the house and start completely over.

Demolishing someone’s home was disappointing for us. Maybe this was once the first home to newlyweds or maybe this was the home of loving grandparents who’s door was always open. Although a house is ultimately just a material object, a home holds the stories of someone’s life, so we didn’t take the task ahead lightly.

With Andy’s dad in the Bobcat and his grandpa operating the backhoe, it took less than two days to dismantle the entire house and gather up the pieces, leaving us with a completely clean slate, ready to build our forever home on and create our own stories.

I wish we knew more about the previous owners, and maybe someday we will, but as we appreciate the past, we are grateful for this opportunity to create a brighter future by honoring this space with a new home, ready to be filled with love and countless memories.