If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram then you probably already know this, but yesterday we closed on our newest adventure… The Marquette House!
I’m actually not sure what we’ll be calling this house yet, some of the great suggestions online were “The Non-Fixer in the Upper”, “The Woodland Wonder”, and “UP in the Woods” (since it’s in the U-P). I’m still not sure, but I couldn’t wait to introduce it to you!
We’ve been living in a sad rental for the last month, and we were SO ready to have a place of our own again. This home meets and exceeds any expectation we ever had for a home.
We were greeted by a nice snowfall, which just makes everything about the woods a little bit more dreamy. The house is beautiful and we are loving that there is nothing that we HAVE to do right off the bat! Of course with time there’s definitely some improvements we’ll make, but we’re excited to just chill and enjoy it for a while first.
When you walk in the front door this is what you see, with the hall to your right and living room to your left.
This is the first time we’ve ever had a fireplace and we are so excited to get to use it!
Can you see those beautiful views of the woods? It’s on an acre and a half, but it’s so wooded that it feels even bigger!
Then from the living room you can go through to the dining room. 
This is the view from the dining room into the kitchen. This kitchen is gorgeous and for once I might actually NOT paint the cabinets! Only time will tell on that one though!
Everything about this kitchen is amazing.
Off the hall in the entry is this half bath, and we’ve also got a mud room for the first time in our lives!
When you walk up the stairs we’ve got this little nook that we’re going to use as a reading nook. 
Right at the top of the stairs is this bathroom.
We’ve got the “purple room”, which will be our daughter’s room… hopefully one she’ll actually get to see!
Then there’s the “pink room”, otherwise known as the boys room! Jack actually said he didn’t think he could sleep in there until it was a “boy color”! So painting this room is probably on my to-do list for this week!
This is the master bedroom. It looks purple but is actually more light blue. This room is also going to get painted.
This picture is a better representation of the color of the master.
We’ve got this tiny master bathroom, with a shower tucked around the corner. Even though it’s little I’m excited to have a bathroom of our own.
Now down to the basement. When you walk down the stairs you enter into this living room, we’ll probably just use it as a play room though. 
It’s got a basement mudroom as a walk-out to the backyard, and a small office behind there.
We’ve also got a basement laundry room, it’s nothing special but it’s functional!
This is one of the pictures I took the week we put the offer in on the house. Isn’t the backyard amazing?!
For a girl who loves tiny houses, this is FAR from a tiny house! It’s definitely the biggest, and probably the nicest home we’ve ever owned. I’m looking forward to getting unpacked, painting a few rooms, and sharing our Marquette house with you all!
**2/1/17 update** After living in this house for one year, I shared a home tour including everything that we accomplished in our first year! To see that tour head here.
I look forward to seeing all of the changes you will make so the house is truly yours.
Thank you so much! I’m so excited about all the potential!
What a wonderful house and an amazing way to start the new year – hoping it’s terrific!!
Thank you so much! Two days in it’s still like a dream!
Beautiful! Can’t wait to see once you’ve decorated! The outdoors is absolutely amazing, probably my favorite part!
Thank you so much. It’s my favorite part too! I’m so excited to get decorating in here! I’ll be sure to share the progress!
Are you going to paint that oak trim? This is my delema so curious to see what you decide.
I’m going to start by painting all of the oak paneling in the living room. I’m also thinking of doing the stair spindles white like this: http://www.designsponge.com/2015/10/a-modernized-charmer-for-creatives-in-pennsylvania.html. I’m not positive if I’ll do the wood trim or not. In our last house I painted all of the oak trim and it looked beautiful: https://www.brightgreendoor.com/retro-ranch-reno-home-tour/
The house is amazing! The property is beautful. I’m having some major house envy over here. We would love a two story house like that on some property someday. Have fun making it your own! 🙂
Thank you! It sort of feels like a dream! It will be fun to make it my own… hopefully we can afford to! Otherwise I’ll just enjoy the yard until then.
I like your house and I don’t think leaving some of the 70s wood is so bad as long as it is decent qualify. I’m a subscriber to RetroRenovation and it has helped me to appreciate vintage features and oddities. Toned down 70s can be fun and even elegant.
I grew up in Marquette in a small Victorian, my grandmother lived in Shiras Hills, and I hope your family loves Marquette as much as we did. I think that basement mud room is going to get a lot of use!
Thank you so much for your comment! I agree on leaving some of the wood, I’m thinking I’m going to stick with all wood trim. That is so cool that you grew up in Marquette! I am so excited to get to raise our boys here! YES! The boys are out playing in the snow right now and will be coming into that mudroom soon!
BTW my vote is for Non Fixer in the Upper, although maybe only a Yooper would get that one! And I really like the stairs as they are, with maybe a different wall color. If you paint the spindles or risers, the kids could chip the paint.
I totally agree on the Non-Fixer in the Upper… but am afraid EVERYONE outside of the UP wouldn’t get it. I’m still torn on what to do with the fireplace, so far now I’m leaving it alone. Well, I did just paint the green walls to a more neutral color.
I love a home tour!!!! Your house has a ton of a potential! I will be watching!
Thank you so much! It does have CRAZY amounts of potential, I only wish our budget allowed for me to go nuts with it! Over time though it will take shape! Thanks for following along!
I just discovered your blog and have been captivated and amazed. You have sooo much energy. I really love that you have frugal DIY solutions mixed in with more expensive updates. I look forward to seeing what you do with your new home.
Thank you so much for your sweet and encouraging comment. It’s definitely a balancing act between the expensive options that I love, and the budget that keeps me in check! I’m excited to have you following along with our progress.
Your house is beautiful!! You’ve done a wonderful job. You’ll love living in Marquette. It’s a beautiful place. I grew up not far from there. Say yah to the U.P. eh!!
Thank you so much! It’s been a full year now and we are SO thankful we got the opportunity to move back. How lucky to grow up in such a wonderful place!