When Did your HOUSE Become "HOME"?

[AKL_Megs]

We moved into this house almost 3 months ago to the day, and today was probably the first time I've driven up the driveway, into the garage, and walked into the house and actually felt "normal" and "at home". I don't know what triggered it, but today was the day! It's hard to explain, but it's a really great feeling!

How about you?

 

[emma'smom]

It took a long time for me. I mean, like, six years. This wasn't my "dream house"...but not much was available when we were looking---so we took it.

It is a nice house in very good condition in a great neighborhood. However, the family before us had lost a child while living in the house (at a hospital, but still...there seemed to be so much sadness for them here). It just didn't feel like a "happy house".

We changed some flooring and paint colors, finished the basement, changed the shutters/door color. However, it didn't really feel like it was our HOME until we had lived here longer than the previous owners. Also, when we first moved here, we would always go away for the major holidays (to visit my parents for Christmas and Easter). They moved to our town a few years ago and now we celebrate holidays in our home. Also, as our kids get older, they have their own little friends running in and out all of the time.

I think building these memories also have helped make it feel like HOME.

 

[puffkin]

Ours was new construction, so when we moved in it was big and empty and white and cavernous. The drywall warranty was voided if you painted in one year, so we lived in a a white house for almost a year. I literally couldn't stand it and we painted the powder room just for a little color after 3 months. I am a color girl. Over the next 2 years we added landscaping, patio, shed, painted every room, hung some artwork and then had our son. When we did the nursery and had all the baby stuff out I realized that all of a sudden it became our home and not just a house.

 

[Cinerbelle]

Every time I move I feel at "home" as soon as everything is unpacked. I have never been attached to a house...my family and pics have always made it feel like home so as long as I have that I am comfy/homey. It has never taken me over 3 days to unpack...I can't sleep until it is done.

 

[MOMTOCUTESTDOGEVER]

Probably sounds corny, but it wasn't home until we got our dog. There was just something about coming home and seeing her there wagging her tail.

 

[newholidayx2]

not sure yet - bought this 5th wheel back in August - still waiting for it to feel like "home"

 

[ilovejack02]

Been here 4 years and it is just starting to feel like home.
I miss our little house and neighborhood so much. I dont know my neighbors very well and all are much older. No children nearby.

It is an old home that needed lots of updating. Spent about 15 k just on floors before we moved in and another 5 k to remove all the paneling and sheetrock work. We are now just getting to where we can afford to replace all the light fixtures, ceiling fans and going to redo the ceiling in the den.

As all of the improvements happen, it is becoming more and more ours.

Funny thing is my friends adore our home, they love spending time with us here!

 

[clh2]

About 3 months...and 3 days...I was 6 months pregnant when we moved in to our house. It became a home when we brought DD home from the hospital!

She is almost 16 now...

 

[NMAmy]

Every time I move I feel at "home" as soon as everything is unpacked. I have never been attached to a house...my family and pics have always made it feel like home so as long as I have that I am comfy/homey. It has never taken me over 3 days to unpack...I can't sleep until it is done.

Same here. My ex was in the military and I've moved many times over the course of my life. As soon as I get unpacked, then the house is home to me.

 

[supercarrie]

We moved in on Dec 18 - well, my husband did, as I was in the hospital

It doesn't feel quite like home yet, but we had our sofa delivered on Monday morning and that helped! We were sitting on dining chairs for the first month. We are re-doing the master bedroom first, and that should be done in a couple more weeks. Once that is done and decorated, I think it will feel a lot more like home.

 

[Sleepy]

I have moved so many times in my life that the feeling of home is immediate once all my stuff is there.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

This is house #4 and I felt it was "ours" before we even signed the papers. It was a model home, story and half, exactly what we wanted. It has been 1yr and 4mons and we still love it.

The first house was a fixer upper so it took a bit of elbow grease to get it to be mine.

Second we had built so it was "ours" on paper before it was built.

Third house was in TX and I miss that kitchen.

 

[livie1205]

I felt at home right away...we built our house so I had months of picking everything out like the colors and floors...we had a say in every single thing put in even the color of the door hinges lol I HATE brass and we wanted nickel hardwear everywear (even the fireplace insert) but they put brass hinges on the door and a brass fireplace insert...I had them come in and change all the hinges and they ordered a new fireplace! This is my home and we wanted everything just right , I was also pregnant so I was going nuts trying to nest!
My DH is always talking about building another house in a few years (a final home he says lol) but I do not want to move...this is our home and this is our kids home...I keep telling him we should just build on if he wants a bigger house! He wants a all brick home but I know we can just pay to have ours bricked in.We have 3 sides brick already.I dont think we need more room...we have a 4 bed/2bath with 2 car garage already and the boys will be gone in 6 yrs to college.He doesnt want my dd4 to have to share a bathroom lol

 

[NHdisneylover]

Every time I move I feel at "home" as soon as everything is unpacked. I have never been attached to a house...my family and pics have always made it feel like home so as long as I have that I am comfy/homey. It has never taken me over 3 days to unpack...I can't sleep until it is done.

Count me in as another who is home when the unplacking (or, in the case of our last move--buying and assembling of furniture) is done. The family photos go up at the end (I don't want tp risk knocking them off the wall while we carry furniture) and then is is HOME

It took a long time for me. I mean, like, six years. This wasn't my "dream house"...but not much was available when we were looking---so we took it.

Wow! I am in no way cricital of your post, I think it is awesome that you are buliding memories now and I can see where it took a long while to get past the sadness in your home I cannot imagine not feeling at home for 6 years. I am in my mid thirties and have actaully never in my life lived in the same house for 6 years. We stayed 5 years twice (once when I was a kid and once since I have been grown). I guess we are all just wired differently. I truly am happy for you that you are able to stay put long term since you need that time to feel secure

 

[disfan07]

We moved cross country into a new house about 1 1/2 years ago. To me, it still does not feel like a home. It still feels like just a house and that I should be going back to my home in virginia soon.

I spent 18 years in the same neighborhood. Almost my entire life. We lived in the first house from when I was 2 until I was 9 and in the second house from when I was 9 until I was 19.

I mean, I love where we live. I think its great. But absolutely nothing about this place (the house, the neighborhood, our city) feels like home.

Whats worse is that im transferring to a 4 year school in the fall so no matter what, starting in august I wont be living here. So if it doesnt feel like home by then...it probably never will. Its very very hard for me somedays.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Same here. My ex was in the military and I've moved many times over the course of my life. As soon as I get unpacked, then the house is home to me.

See I'm the opposite. We're at our first duty station and have been here almost a year and it still doesn't feel like "home".

I've been on my own for 6 years now and the only place I have ever had that feeling was at my parents' house. I think it has to do with the fact that when I lived at home I didn't have a care in the world...no kids, no bills....it was just EASY...

 

[Momvic5]

Every time I move I feel at "home" as soon as everything is unpacked. I have never been attached to a house...my family and pics have always made it feel like home so as long as I have that I am comfy/homey. It has never taken me over 3 days to unpack...I can't sleep until it is done.

I am the same way - no sleep until we are unpacked! We moved into our home about 6yrs ago, and I felt like it was home as soon as all of our things were in place and life was going on in it - kids playing, dogs barking, meals being made, husband mowing, etc....but I also love our home and have loved it from the day we found it.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

See I'm the opposite. We're at our first duty station and have been here almost a year and it still doesn't feel like "home".

I've been on my own for 6 years now and the only place I have ever had that feeling was at my parents' house. I think it has to do with the fact that when I lived at home I didn't have a care in the world...no kids, no bills....it was just EASY...

Well see there you go. I never felt at home growing up. I could not wait to move out.

 

[MickeyCrazedMom]

When we built our house 10 years ago it was big, very empty, and lonely because we were the first house on the block. It was 30 minutes from where we grew up and we knew no one. I realized it was home when I went back to my old neighborhood and it "didn't" feel like home anymore. That was about a year after moving. Now we have kids, friends and are very involved in the school and community. I can't imagine being any more at home

 

[FayeW]

We moved in to this house 2 yrs and 3 months ago. It was new construction and didn't start to feel like home until we painted. One wall looked like The Partridge Family bus because I kept trying tester pots of paint on it. The main floor is painted now, except for the powder room, and we just finished putting in hardwood floor (did it ourselves because the builder wanted a ridiculous amount of money to do it). Now at least the main floor feels like home.(Floor is gorgeous...we put chocolate ash in the family room, and oak with a chocolate ash border in the living room/dining room).The family room and living room do not "meet" anywhere, but you can see both floors from the kitchen so we wanted to tie them together. The living room with two colours is stunning.