My husband would probably tell you I watch too many DIY home shows, which usually ends up in a project for him to do. I love Fixer Upper and Flip or Flop. I probably never would have even considered what I’m about to tell you unless I hadn’t seen Texas Flip and Move.
I want to relocate an old farmhouse to our property!
The property owner of where the house sits now is planning on tearing it down. It hurts my soul just to type those words. Call me nostalgic or sentimental or whatever, I just don’t want to see a piece of history destroyed. Living in a farmhouse was never my dream, but I do love old things, so I guess that fits.
We live on 5 acres of land that was bought by my great-grandparents. I absolutely love it here. There are flowers that bloom every year planted by my relatives and an arbor full of grapevines. We have a pond and wildlife. There is an old barn built by my grandfather who passed away before I was born that I want to restore.
So, for me moving isn’t an option. With that being said, the only way I see it is we build a house, or we relocate one to our land.
I drive the Five-Mile stretch the house will have to travel every day on my way to work. I see the low-hanging telephone lines and tree branches reaching over the roadway, and I try to picture how tall the house is compared to these obstacles.
The house we want to move is a two-story 100-year old farmhouse with 9-foot ceilings plus an attic room. Sounds tall right? It makes me very nervous. I don’t even know if we’re going through with this, but I want to so badly. I’ve kept myself up at night thinking of how we would renovate. I think about it everytime I drive by. If it doesn’t work out I will definitely be disappointed.
I’m worried about how much it’s going to cost. I’m waiting to get back the moving quote so we can at least have an idea. I put off sending away for a quote because I’m nervous about what they’ll tell us. I’m afraid it will be more than we expect and deter us from going through with it. I’ve tried to research online but every move is so different I haven’t been able to find a good estimate.
My dream is to pay cash and do a little at a time, but with such significant expenses just to get started; moving costs, pouring a basement, sewer system, Etc., I’m not sure how that’s going to go. Not going into debt to build a house is one of my BIG Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG). It’s terrifying, but it would be worth it.
My aunt and uncle built their house themselves, and a couple we know from our church had their home built little by little whenever they had the money. It took them five years to complete it, but they don’t have a mortgage. I’ve always thought that was an excellent idea.
I’m determined to get that beautiful old house to our property even if I have to take it piece by piece in my Chevy Tahoe. (My husband says that’s not happening) But when I put my mind to something I don’t give up easily. Call me stubborn if you will. When I have a desire in my heart, I worked towards it with all my might.
I’m not sure what God has in store for us, but wouldn’t that be awesome. I plan on posting updates as we go through the process. So sign up to follow me and you won’t miss a thing.
Do you have a BHAG right now that you’re scared to take action on? Leave me a comment below
I was scared to even hit publish! Now my dreams are out in the open. I feel obligated to work harder to make them a reality and scared they won’t come true at the same time.