Welcome to Ashburton

 

Closing Day - December 14, 2023

    Welcome to Ashburton! Drew and I closed on our first house in mid-December 2023 on the outskirts of Columbus. We've both lived in the city since moving here for college in the mid-2010's and had been thinking about trying to buy a house together for years. We finally got the opportunity after saving up and stalking Zillow for something we both liked and could afford. Since we had a good feel for the various neighborhoods in Columbus and what kind of options were out there, when we saw this listing we knew we had to finally take the leap and buy it. We only toured one place and this was it! 

    The house was built in 1952 and was a rental in its most recent years. We could tell it needed some love but the house clearly had at least one set of long-term owners earlier in its life that had taken good care of it and the bones were generally good. Original hardwood floors were a priority for both of us as well as a somewhat charming exterior, room to garden, and office spaces for both of us. We lucked out with all of the above and a sunroom and carport to boot. There were some big initial repairs to do like a new roof and a new electrical panel, but otherwise, it was mostly cosmetic. 

    The first weekend after we closed on the house, we got right to work with the aforementioned new roof and electrical panel, new locks, and new appliances. The house didn't come with a washer and dryer so we bought those and had them delivered. We also determined we needed a new fridge as well as a garbage disposal and dishwasher, which Drew installed for us. He hit a bit of a snafu when he discovered that our kitchen water shutoff valve didn't work but ultimately got everything set up and working by himself! Per Drew, plumbing work is his least favorite thing to work on. We also set to work painting all of the bedrooms with the help of my mom and sister and learned every first-time homeowner's lesson about trying paint samples before committing to a color. Our guest bedroom is currently the color of Velveeta cheese and we'll repaint it eventually, but it's staying that way for a little bit longer.

    Now, in June 2025, we've done lots of small projects and gotten a few rooms completely finished, which I'm excited to share about on here. We're also looking ahead at some big upcoming projects like re-painting the exterior later this summer and a full kitchen reno next spring. More to come!