Living in a Barn/Guest House

Back in 2013, Ryan and I moved to Washington State. Ryan accepted his dream job as a RAM Advocate (a marketing rep) with Chrysler/Ram trucks. His territory was from Bellingham, WA all the way to Medford, OR. I lived in Redmond, WA from 18 months to 16 years of age so I was pretty excited to go back! We weren't sure where to live though as we could have lived in Seattle area OR Portland. We got word that there was a "studio" barn/loft apartment available in Hollywood Hill (east-side of Seattle in the suburbs) on the backside of the property of a family friend's house. We figured it would be best to stay there whether it was 3 weeks or 3 months until we could figure out a more solid plan. Long story short ... we fell in love with the Hollywood Hill neighborhood and decided the small, comfy, cozy barn could make do!

 This is what the majority of Hollywood Hill looks like in Woodinville, WA. Large yards , big homes, with lots of horse properties. Very gorgeous and very expensive. Hence ... why we lived in the Barn!

In this photo you can see the main house and the barn on the other side of the sports court. 

 The barn. Super typical cold and deary rainy Seattle day. But when this place is sunny there is no place prettier. Like you can see here!

Guys ... it was SO small. Our boys slept in a CLOSET! Seriously, along with other coats hanging above them!

And the room upstairs was just ONE big room. On one end was a balcony with a sliding glass door and on the other was a sink with hookups for a washer and dryer. The rent was so cheap and affordable, month to month and the location was prime so we decided to stay put!

Although I was SUPER limited with decorating I tried my best. The biggest makeover/remodel was in the kitchen. Here's a few before and and afters.

 

  Before

After

 Before

 After

You can see lots more of the barn pictures here.

I have VERY fond memories living in the barn for 18 months. My boys often bathed in the sink!

In April of 2014 Ryan accepted a promotion with Chrysler in Dallas, TX. Stay tuned to read about purchasing our first home in another post. 

I'm headed to Woodinville, WA today to stay with my good friend Cherron who lived down the street from me. She has adorable twin girls who are 6 months younger than my boys. They are going to have a blast playing together again! This picture was taken on our favorite walk we took almost daily. They have grown up a lot since then!

.