She’s a brick house…

She’s mighty, mighty, just letting it all hang out.

Ok, now that I’ll have that song stuck in my head all day long, I’ll move on. As I mentioned in my previous post, Daniel and I are in full-blown house mode. White picket fences, purdy kitchens, and wood flooring house mode. We did a lot of driving this weekend since we took a trip up to San Antonio for the weekend, and it’s all we talked about. Ironically, we were in San Antonio this weekend to visit with friends who just bought a house. I’m not jealous. I’m happy for them.

Alright, that’s crap. I am super jealous, and I loved their house. Sue me.

They bought a lovely, 3-bedroom, 2-bath home in a super nice part of San Antonio. It’s right by my most favorite mall. I love it. They have high ceilings, a gorgeous kitchen, a cozy covered patio, and new furniture. It’s fab. Super fab. Staying at their house for the weekend was great because I think it set our eyes on the prize. It’s a nice prize.

Being at their house made us look as what we wanted in our future home. We figured a few things out:

1.) Daniel wants 1-story, I want 2-story. People say 2-story homes create higher energy costs, but Leslie (homeowner friend/Matron of Honor) has a 1-story home and she says it’s high in energy costs because it’s an older home and because it has vaulted ceilings. So, I vote for new home with good insulation that is 2-stories tall. Daniel is still on the opposite team.

2.) We want a “landing”. I notice many homes, especially the new/cookie cutter homes, have you literally step into the living room when you open the front door. We don’t like that. Here’s an example:

Here are some examples of what we DO like:

Nice room off to the side(s).

A hallway type thing and a higher ceiling.

A nice little small area that acts as a buffer.

We don’t really have a reason for why we don’t like the whole “step right into the living room” thing, but we don’t.

3.) Must have a 2-car garage. No, we will not use the garage as storage, hence why both our cars need to fit in there.

4.) The master bedroom must have a shower and tub. Not a combo, but separate. This is my weird request.

5.) Daniel wants a large kitchen that either has an island or has room for one.

6.) I want high ceilings in the living room.

7.) A nice backyard that is not TOO big.

Will we find a house with all of the above? Who knows. But if we can get close, that’s good enough for us! What things/features did you look for in your homes?