awm03 - I have asked my mother before about the address, and she doesn't remember. She was a grown woman when my grandparents lived in that house. My mom grew up on Ardsley-on-Hudson???, NY and in Winnetka, Ill. (outside of Chicago) while my grandfather worked in both NYC and Chicago.

By all means, post your home! That way, we get to see the before and after the renovations. :)

The back of my home is so blah. Tried to talk my DH into letting us build a pergola to no avail. The back needs help! Then I tried the curtain thing on the porch (working on that now) however, it is not going well. :( Anyone need about 6 painters tarps? lol

kbmas0n - Your new home looks just like I envision our next one being. Any inside pictures yet? I'd love to see the floor plan. And your husband reminds me of my own...that's exactly what he would be doing!!

All of these homes are so lovely and so well loved. I can tell how much each one is cared for which stands out more than anything else!

Come closer, cooperbailey Sue. I think you have some mustard on your nose.

nah-ah, I'm not falling for that one! you missed me! love your house tho,

Of course I missed you. You are fabulous.

AND I saw your pic on the conversations side. You look so young!

So much fun to look at all the different homes. We had the house built in 1999. I've always preferred older homes (love the character), but couldn't find one in the area we wanted so we built instead. What we love best is our setting--large wood lot in a neighborhood where homes are set far off the road and away from each other. We've seen foxes, rabbits, black bear, wild turkey and many beautiful birds just while sitting our our porch. Waking to the songbirds on a summer morning is so wonderful! (By the way, please ignore the overgrown front yard--just returned from a two week vacation!)

wow, most people that post in this forum must have huge families. I'd get lost in most of these houses, but they are beautiful. Do you guys have to have house keepers to take care of them?

I love looking at people's homes.
We moved in 2 weeks ago.

newhomebuilder - your mom lived in Winnetka? That's about 5 miles from where I live now and I went to High school there - New Trier. When was she living there?

cb you're first on my email list kiddo - as soon and I finish making the copies I'm sending them to you for collating ;-)

Hi, I don't know the exact dates (late 30's, early 40's), but she was in school with Rock Hudson at New Trier, then she went off to boarding school when her parents moved back to NY.

livinginoregon - I really like the style of your new home. :)

I LOVE these homes!

And,...I'm missing out!!!
Actually DS got a pretty bad concussion this past weekend.....he's fine...and I probably just worry to much...so never got outside to take a picture for the other thread. Now we're on part 2!!! Which is really really cool to see that many homes. It just makes it so much more fun to talk to everyone knowing how their personalities come across in their individual heavens.
Anyway, I really need to get one of the front (well really the back) of my home before this thread goes bye-bye. Think there will be a front of your home part 3 ???

kats, I hope you post your house too. (And I'd still like to know if you work for Harley. I have a friend who is an accountant for a local Harley dealership. It is hysterical b/c she is so NOT what you'd expect when you hear the word "Harley".)

"It just makes it so much more fun to talk to everyone knowing how their personalities come across in their individual heavens"

Please remember that not all of us built or even bought our dream home. We choose our home based on location (school district!), price, condition, and size. I can't say that it reflects my personal style, but I've grown to appreciate and love it.

We live outside of Chicago, in the Northwest suburbs. The whole house pic was taken this spring before we relandscaped out front. The second picture was taken after we freshened up the front of the house. We love our house and especially love our backyard, which backs up to conservation land. We've only been here a year, having relocated from the East Coast last year.

LOVE everyone's homes on both threads! So impressed and inspired by all of you!

shellfish - Pretty home and gorgeous yard!

Meant to say that I am glad your son is OK. How did he get injured?

Lots of huge homes ... here's my humble abode in Western NY, outside Buffalo .. 1964 cape which was 1300 sq feet, that I made into 2500 sq feet, on 20 acres.

{{!gwi}}

View of the Barn, which will be purple next year.
{{!gwi}}

Back of the house from acroos the pond.
{{!gwi}}

Picture of my "backyard" from by the Barn
{{!gwi}}

Pam

OH I want to go wandering in that "backyard"...it's so beautiful...what does your property back to?

I only have a Christmas one on my webshots album. I don't think I can add the picture directly here but you can link on the link if you would like to peek.........Beautiful homes here on this site.......amazing pics on both threads!
Bonnie

Here is a link that might be useful: Front of our home

THANK YOU! After showing DH all of your beautiful houses I have finally convinced him that our house needs painting. They are coming next week! Yee-haw!

Newhomebuilder, thank you for your compliments.

Bonniee-where do you live to have such beautiful ferns out at Christmas time?? With these cold Chicago winters,our poor ferns are brought in by end of September, or a bit later, if I'm lazy. :-)

Every single home in these threads is just such a delight! What beautiful houses and gardens and views ...!

Aren't we all a fortunate bunch! :-)

Hi shellfish........We live in MS. It really doesn't get freezing here until after Christmas. My geraniums at the front door in urns were still alive at Christmas too. Hey you aren't lazy, we just let our ferns die each year & buy more in the Spring. :) Bonnie

Everyone's homes have such character! I am enjoying this thread. My dd took this pic a few weeks ago. We live in central Ill. on 20 acres. Its alittle far from town but we love the peacefulness and the wildlife. We have put alot of work into it over the last four years,trying to do alot ourselves and save $$. Its starting to feel orderly:) Thanks to squirrel for lots of great inspiration!

flyleft,

my property is 1/2 mile deep and backs up to farmers fields. 5 acres around the house are cleared and 15 acres of woods with trails.

It's great here, all the farmers have all their familiy involved in their business and the farms pass thru to family members.

I used to live in the city, now I plan on living here for the rest of my life.

My rural property is all of 35 minutes from downtown Buffalo .... it's paradise to me!

So many beautiful homes. Glad we do not have to vote on the best one.

Oh, I'm so jealous of those of you who have acres of land. I'd give up my house and live in 2 rooms if I could have lots and lots of land.

I have a pic of my house if some kind soul will kindly post it for me.

I've skimmed the thread, and loved looking at all the beautiful homes! We are in Westchester County, NY, where prices are high, lots are small, and many homes lack features, like garages, that most of you take for granted. I love our house, a 1931 slate-roof Colonial, with large windows and graciously proportioned rooms. Our lot is large for this area (0.38 acre), and we have an unusually open feeling because we are on a ridge, and well above the rooftops of the houses behind us, our street has a grassy median and we are relatively far from the houses across the street, and there is an empty lot on one side (the house on the other side is 9' from us!) We do not have a master bath or an eat-in kitchen, or a family room, and the floor plan does not work particularly well for our family, and the bathrooms are old and awful (one now being renovated), but I love the house.

These photos are several years old. I am planning to take some new ones and start a "curb appeal" thread, because we desperately need new landscaping in the front.

Love all the homes posted on both threads! Some truly beautiful and inviting homes!

Brutuses! love your home especially because it reminds me of my maternal grandmothers. I spent many happy hours rocking on that front porch in her lap while she told me stories of her growing up years in alabama. What is the color of your siding? it is so pretty!

snagd, beautiful home. What have you used on the exterior of your home (vinyl/cement/?). We also have been remodeling a house on own!

Take 2: I know I already posted on the part 1 thread but the photo was taken after a storm and the stone was much grayer than it really is. Here is one taken today in the sunshine:

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

pamg, *sigh* what a dream property you have. I guess it will have to be some other life...we're getting too old to have some fantastic thing like that happen to us. I just love big meadowlike spaces, esp. right in front of woods.

I must say am missing any modernist homes...looks like jakabedy's house of fabulosity, which is certanly true modernist, and then, amazingly, my humble 1978 homestead is the most "modern" looking...let's see if anyone has any modern houses here!

OH, and ctlane's, if s/he wants to classify her home that way--or maybe it's its own genre? :) Love all that light, no matter what it's called!

Ohhhh, I love looking at everyone's homes! I really hope these threads (#1 and #2) don't slide off into GW oblivion. Our front portal (covered front porch) is in the middle of a badly needed redo. The packrats chewed up my last cushions and I recently finished making all new ones. DS has just refinished the chairs for me, but I still need to do the tables. I'd love to post pics of them but there's still too much reno stuff piled around out there now. Here's one from before, though. Our house is shaped like a boomarang, and this is the west wing of the house: the living room, dining room, kitchen, family room and study part of it:

You all have inspired me to get a move on and finish!

lynninnewmexico, I thought at first that your photo was not real - it looks like a painting of a magical landscape! I can't imagine living in such beauty. Your house is spectacular. Have you posted any interior photos?

I've been away on vacation, so I'm just catching up with these threads. SO MANY gorgeous homes!!! My favorites are the old beauties (even with the maintenance required and their idiosyncrasies). I'd live in an old home in a heartbeat, but my husband is afraid of problems that might be hidden so we compromised with an older looking new home.

Here's a photo I took today. We've been here for 1-1/2 years, and we're still working with the landscaping (among a million other projects), but it's getting there! (At least we have grass (somewhat); we couldn't say that last summer!) Someday I'd love to adorn the porches with hanging ferns and/or window boxes mounted on the railings, but other projects have taken up our time and money, so they will have to wait.

I love drooling over all these gorgeous homes. I hope the thread continues!

Kats, I didn't see your new home here. Did I miss it or are you being shy?! I'd love to see that view again!

Oh, and Mammie, I'll post your photo if you email it to me (from My Page).

Hoosiergirl, I love your tower and the high porch on the top! You must have a wonderful view from there.

All these homes are just beautiful. This is better than any magazine! I'm glad I don't have to pick a favorite. It would be impossible.

Here's a link to a few photos of our house. I included a couple of "before" shots to show the progress we've made. We have 5 acres and at first I had no idea if we'd be able to grow anything, especially grass. Things are finally filling in.

Here is a link that might be useful: home photos

Thanks, Marisany! We do have beautiful views. I've always wanted to take a photo, and you gave me the push to do it. I photo-stitched a panoramic view from the upper porch and other one from the turret. They're very wide photos, so I'll just put links to them so they don't mess up this thread.

Porch view: http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g291/hoosiersrus/?action=view&current=08-05-08-porchview.jpg

Turret view:
http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g291/hoosiersrus/?action=view&current=08-05-08-turretview.jpg

Here is a link that might be useful:

Wow I had to go back a bit to find this thread. And it's #2!!! DH says I'll be late to my own funeral! Well, at least I got some pictures taken so I can show off my little slice of heaven. Over the year that we've been here we've put in our grass and I think about 40 trees (will need another 20 or so). Our shrubs are starting to take root and flowers are blooming but need to get a little more established. The natural landscaping you see at the bottom of our lot is a county requirement, can't plant anything but natural flora.

Hey hoosiergirl....looks like you're taking nice care of one of my all time favorite building forum homes! Love your house!

This is actually the back of the house but it's the view anyone driving up our street sees.....

A view in the opposite direction. When finished the green weedy area will be an apple grove.....

This is actually the front of the house.....

This has been a fun thread. I wish it didn't have to go into internet limbo.

Geez Louise, kats...I see the merest smidge of another house in your second photo--do you know whether there will be any more building around you? What a breathtaking view you have, from several angles!!

Kats, please post the view from inside your home -- it really is spectacular!!!

So...Many...Gorgeous...Homes.

Fussy Chicken -- I especially covet yours. Really very nice.

I thought I would visit, too. Loved each and every picture; we are lucky to have what we have, aren't we? This is my home in Boston during the spring.

Here is a link that might be useful: Home, Spring 2008

My little house looks like an efficiency apt. next to your beautiful huge homes. Really lovely.

Wow, you all have such amazing homes! Just beautiful. Here is my humble abode. We are painting and adding shutters in a few months (though I don't have a clue what colors) and landscaping in the Spring (agian no clue) but here it is "as is".

OP
What a nice place to call home! I can't wait to see the shutters when you get them placed. I love shutters!

flyleft
We live in the greatest neighborhood anyone could ask for. You can actually see a home in the first (right side at roof line) and third pictures (again right side). From our window vantage we can see the brown house but not the other because our garage blocks it. All lots surrounding us are built out. There will be no more homes right here. That's because the mountains behind in both the first and second photos are actually federal land (no building allowed). And, the mountain you see in the third photo is a state park, (again no building). It took a long time to get this lot but I think we are extremely blessed and I pinch myself daily....can you tell I love my home/area/neighbors! LOL

hooisergirl
This is a picture I took last year of our east view from the upstairs gameroom. Not sure if this is the view picture you are talking about. And it's not a real good picture of the view. This was taken in early morning (to early for summer smog) during our SoCal fires. Seemed like all of SoCal was on fire then and there was a layer of smoke everywhere.
:(

All I want is a room somewhere far away from the cold night air, someone's hand resting on my knee, oh! wouldn't it be loverly. Oh so loverly...

Aunt Jen's cottage on Allison's Lake with CooperBailey's weeping cherry and Kareen's winter wonderland....