It’s no news around these parts that we ARE MOVING! I’m pumped. And SO ready for our new house. I’m frequently asked the same questions regarding our new house and why we’re moving, so I figured I’d do a little Q & A with y’all so you have all the deets about what’s next for the Watne Family.
Q: WHY Erie?
A: I’m obsessed with small town USA. I love the laid back vibe, everyone knowing everyone (I know, that’s weird) and the slightly slower pace. But, on the other hand, I’m in love with the city-the hustle and bustle, the shops, the restaurants, the people. I want the both of best worlds. Erie is a small town (for now, I know, that’s rapidly changing) but the vibe there is THE BEST. And, thanks to the recent expansion of the toll lanes on I-25, getting into downtown Denver (or Boulder for that matter) is less than 30 minutes. I get to have my cake and eat it, too, thankyouverymuch, in Erie. From our new home, we’ll be able to walk (or in Steve’s case, take our new golf cart!) to downtown Erie, and go to dinner, the Farmer’s Market, shopping, and even school. Ryker’s pre-school is in downtown Erie and the thought of me being able to walk my kid to school, makes me well, want to cry. This is something I’ve ALWAYS dreamed about. Kinley’s school (and Ryker’s future school) is within walking distance, too, and I’m just so ready for this. I’m the one who usually takes the kids to and from school, and that takes up a good two hours in my day. To have that time back, and the ease of getting them to and from school within minutes (and walking them there if I wanted) is the best feeling in the world.
BUT, truth be told, the MAIN reason we chose Erie is for our besties. Steve’s BFF from his childhood and his wife (who happens to be one of my BFF’s–double win!) will live THREE HOUSES AWAY from us. It’s a dream, truly. Our kids will grow up together. We’ll grow up together. Family dinners. Time spent with people we love. Our husbands share similar schedules and careers, so to have someone close who gets our schedule (the craziness and all) and can step in whenever needed, is truly a gift I can’t explain. An added perk was finding out some friends from the fire department live literally across the street. ALL the kids already love to play together, and getting all the adults together is just…the best.
We have several other really, really, good friends that will be so close to us, so getting together is going to be so much easier and simpler. While we still have some close friends that live in south Denver, and of course my sister and her family, we have so much to be thankful for in Erie and being back north again. My parents are also much closer, too! Now, we’ll just have to convince Hadley (and her little family) and our friends to move north with us!
It’s hard to explain, and if you know, you know–but living back in north Denver just feels like we’re “back home”. There’s something so comforting about being in Erie.
Q: Why build new?
A: The really short answer to this is that we are exhausted from the entire gut remodel we did on our home in Denver. Steve literally rebuilt that home with his own blood, sweat, and tears and the thought of another HUGE renovation like that is not something we wanted to take on again. With that being said, we still have SO many projects planned for the new house, and we cannot wait to share everything with you! Projects to make a house a home vs. a total gut renovation on a home are two TOTALLY different things. We’ve realized our true passion lies in decorating a home, projects to make it feel more like home, and not tearing down walls and rebuilding plumbing
Q: Why not build a custom home?
A; First off, welcome to Colorado, where land alone is a MAJOR EXPENSE. Would we love to build custom, yeah sure, maybe?! But what we wanted more was to be in a neighborhood with people we know, kids around every corner, a neighborhood pool, people out walking and getting together and everything suburbia has to offer (ha!). Even the neighborhood events, pool parties, parades, and everything else was something we CRAVE at this point in our life. Sure, land sounds incredible….one day, maybe….but right now, we want neighbors close by. We want to be in a neighborhood and surrounded by friends, people and kids. That’s what our hearts are craving. Even though we built a “track home” with a “mass production builder”–our home is literally everything we wanted in a new home. And how it all just came together is well…magical. And so right. And perfect. We are embracing our home with everything we’ve got and CAN’T WAIT to do projects and truly make our home, feel like our home.
Q: What’s the style of your new home?
A: Well, it’s a mix of modern farmhouse, classic, some coastal vibes, a little southern touch and a splash of fun. Get it? Ha! Me either. I truly believe a home “speaks to you” (ok, maybe just to me?!). I have a certain style in my head, but I’m waiting until we live in the home for a little bit, before making any big design decisions. That even means buying furniture! The only big purchase we plan to make prior to moving in is a golf cart (gotta be ready to go!) all other purchases will be after we move in. I think it’s best to live in a home for a little bit before making any big design decisions or furniture purchases. If you want to read my blog post where I talk more in depth about the design, check it out here.
Q: Will you share your projects at the new house?
A: Um, YES! Steve will make a few more appearances and will walk you through projects and give more “behind the scenes” of what truly goes on with our projects, Since really, he’s the brains behind it all. I point and have the ideas, he makes my realities come to real life. He’s the best.
Q: How did you like living in S Denver/Littleton area?
A: LOVED IT! Honestly. South Denver is awesome. And charming. There’s a different vibe that’s hard to describe, but our time here has been incredible. Our kids had the BEST schools, we met some wonderful people, the homes are beautiful and we loved the ease and accessibility to the mountains. I fell in love with the older homes, big trees, rolling hills and overall character of S Denver. I’ve even made my list of some of my top neighborhoods in this area (to name a few; Bow Mar, Bow Mar South, Coventry, Columbine Country Club on the Littleton side, and many more over in Centennial). South Denver is amazing.
Q: When will the new house be done and when will you move?
A: OK, first–the new house is supposed to be done late July/early August. We’re just hoping and crossing our fingers we are in before school starts for the kids!
We listed our Denver home for sale in February 2020, and got two great offers right away. We were supposed to close end of March, but our buyer was going to let us stay until May 1st. Then, we had a fun city rental all lined up for the summer. We wanted NO STRESS when it came to selling and moving all close together. And honestly, it was all working out so well. Then, coronavirus hit, and the rest is history. Our first buyer freaked out and terminated her contract 5 DAYS BEFORE CLOSING. We went right to our backup offer, which was a great offer, but they had a house to sell first. It was really bad timing for all of that since showings weren’t allowed and our buyers were having a helluva a time selling their home. We tried our best to work with them, even gave them a little extra time to try and get their home sold before cancelling their contract. In the meantime, we cancelled our summer rental in the city, and focused on getting our Denver home sold. After 45 days, our buyers just couldn’t sell their own home, so we had to finally terminate their contract. We went BACK ON THE MARKET in mid May. We ended up getting multiple offers on our home (all were great offers!) and ended up with a great couple who love our home. We close in June, but they are letting us stay in our Denver home until the end of July through a post closing rent back. It’s amazing, through all the stress and tears, how this is all working out…and dare I say….even better than it would’ve originally. We most likely won’t have to make a double move. Our new home may even be done EARLY and we can move right from our Denver home to our new home in Erie. It’s truly magical how much better this all worked out!
Q: What’s next for the Watne Family?
A: Steve and I have been dreaming up some fun things. We can’t share it all with you now, but we have some things on our minds. We’ll obviously be sharing all about our new home and all the projects we’ll be doing (and why we’re lovingly referring to our home as the Watne Farm!). Stay tuned! I’ve also been asked if I’ll ever offer up “design services” for others–the short answer is YES! More on that coming soon.
Thanks for being such amazing supporters of my little family and always being so encouraging. We love that we’re able to share all of these fun things with y’all and are so excited to see what the future holds. I’m in the process of working on a whole new website and it will include so many fun, new things. Thankful for YOU!
In the meantime–looking to buy or sell real estate in Denver? I’m your girl! Now that I’m with Compass (more on that here) I’m so excited for my next chapter in my “Denver Realtor” handbook and I can’t wait to help you on your real estate journey.
XO,
Lindsay
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