Hardwood floors and a fireplace

"Well, yes, it's kind of an unusual house. It has umm, three beautiful bedrooms and ah, no baths. But, you know, the ocean is right there."
- Friends

I have concluded that I like hardwood floors and fireplaces. When I see these things in a home, I immediately want to buy the house. Other features notwithstanding, those two things always turn my head. I swear, it could be a former marijuana grow-op, but if it has refinished hardwood floors and a fireplace, I'll absolutely adore it. For some reason, it takes considerable effort for me to see past those two little features.

Take tonight. H and I very nearly put in an offer on an older house in a pretty decent neighborhood right across the street from an elementary school. It had an apartment-style galley kitchen, a small living room, no storage, poor insulation, lifting shingles, some older aluminum windows that would need to be replaced ... but it had gorgeous hardwood floors and a lovely woodburning fireplace. And it was beautiful!

The conclusion I have reached, of course, is that I need to make better use of my brain. Aesthetics notwithstanding, the house was overpriced given the amount of work required. Our house is lovely. And for the moment, our house is fairly practical. Maybe it isn't the most practical house we could own, but it is well enough for the present time. We should keep it for a bit longer.

And we should install hardwood floors and a fireplace. Maybe someday, we will do so.