I'm Kylie, and this is my better half, Jesse. We met at work in 2007, got married in 2011, and bought a house in May 2014 in inner southeast Portland, Oregon. Together with our friends and family, we are working to bring it from featureless beige box back to its 1923 bungalow roots. My parents are remodel addicts, so we all joke I grew up with sheetrock in my lungs and sawdust in my veins. After eight years living in apartments, I am thrilled to be able to hone my woodworking and DIY skills to turn this house into a gorgeous home.
The Cats
These are our fluffy monsters, Sassafras and Pecan. They have no idea what's going on. (This is specific to the new house, but also true in general.)
The House
This is our big adventure, a 3-bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house originally built in 1923. In 1986, the owners added a large addition to the back, creating a huge kitchen and adding two of the bedrooms and bathrooms. Luckily for us, it's got updated mechanicals - new wiring, plumbing and furnace - and most of its issues are largely cosmetic. It's got great light, a good-sized yard, and a big garage out back that has quickly become my workshop. It's a big house on a quiet street, in a neighborhood that's being fixed up. When we bought it, it reeked of cat and definitely needed a facelift, but we're excited to call it home.
The Name
What's up with "a little bit left of center"? In a weird coincidence, the house immediately next door - aka "The Center" - was owned by Jesse's parents, and it's where he and his friends lived for their last two years in college and the two years after that. The Center is a cultural monolith, with huge social significance.
Part of the original Center crew.
As I talked about here, one of the reasons we went to look at the house was because it was right next door to The Center. And then when we bought it, and I decided to start a blog, the only obvious title, was "A Little Bit Left of Center", because when you're standing on the front porch, it is.
****
Any questions, comments or suggestions? Drop us a line!
No comments:
Post a Comment