We Are Moving!

With a baby on the way, we need a little more space. So we are moving!

When I shared our mini nursery, I let you in on a secret… we are moving. At the end of last year we put a deposit down on a place that is being constructed. The development team says that things are on schedule and we should be moving at the end of this year.

Charles and I started looking for a new home last fall when we learned that I am pregnant. We have been in our Old Town two bedroom for six years and we bought it with the intention of it being an investment property and not a long-term home. We really love this home, but are ready for a little more space and are eager to have our own private rooftop space for entertaining.

We’ve been flirting with the idea of moving for a while but ultimately decided to wait until we knew if we would be having children or not since that would have such a major impact on the type of home we would be looking for. Once we learned that the IVF cycle worked, we started looking for a home for three!

We originally wanted to move before the baby comes. We put an offer in on a duplex unit on the top floors of a three unit building one block from our current home in Old Town back in November. Our offer was (pretty harshly) rejected and we were told that the developers of the just-completed building would accept nothing less than 99% of asking. It’s still on the market…

We were disappointed, but not willing to (in our opinion) overpay for a condo that wasn’t perfect (don’t get me wrong, it’s gorgeous, but the second bathroom didn’t have a tub and walking up three flights of stairs with a baby seemed like it would be a challenge). Eventually, we fell in love not with a home, but with blueprints for a home. It checked all our boxes – even though it means waiting until the end of the year to move in.

Some of the things that really mattered to us were: ease of getting into the home, a bathtub in the baby’s bathroom, our own rooftop space, having a powder room on the main level by the kitchen, easy access to a bathroom from the rooftop (a bathroom in a hall for guests to use when we entertain on the roof instead of having to go through a bedroom to use a bathroom), and a pantry. In addition to meeting these requirements, our future home has four bedrooms, meaning that we will have a guest room and a separate office. This is going to be our long-term home.

When it came to location, we wanted to be in the city, near the train, and within walking distance to the grocery store. We got super lucky and are very close to both to the el and the grocery store – plus a Target.

We spent some time “dating” potential neighborhoods to get a feel for them – even though we have both lived in Chicago for over a decade we wanted to see what was new and to understand walkability. I kept pushing for Lincoln Park, but Charles won and we are moving to Wicker Park! Moving to Wicker Park and close to the Blue Line means getting to and from the airport will be so much easier. Plus, so many of our favorite restaurants will be within walking distance from our new home.

One of the fun things about buying new construction is that we get to be involved in the design process. The home is going to be pretty modern so we are looking to pick some finishings that add a more traditional design elements to the space.

Our process is this: I find examples that I like online and then Charles and I discuss them. House hunting together helped me to get a sense of styles we can both agree on, so even though we saw many homes we didn’t love – the experience was helpful!

I will be sharing posts on our plans for the kitchen and living room over the next few weeks! I am excited to share this new step with you – and very thankful that picking design elements for the new home has kept me busy while I shelter at home.