The Golf House Exterior - BEFORE PICTURES

Below, you can rent Selma Hyak's Hollywood Hills home for a measly $9,500 month...I mean, The Golf House could be sisters with this sprawling California Ranch! (Click on the link below if you're interested!)

http://www.extravaganzi.com/rent-salma-hayeks-hollywood-hills-home-just-9500-a-month/

I'll have to post more photos later of our interior, but you will definitely see the similarities :)  The photo above is very similar to the rear of our home...so cool (minus the pool) but the windows and the super cool L-shape! 

http://www.extravaganzi.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Rent-Salma-Hayek’s-Hollywood-Hills-Home4.jpg

Here we are. This was taken the morning of April 29, 2012. We had moved our belongings into the house the two or three days leading up to this morning, and Bo had stayed a couple of nights on his own, but this was our official first memory in the house: Garrity's 2nd Birthday Party! We had stayed been staying at my parents (hence Bo being antsy and staying at the new home alone the first few nights :) But I was determined to celebrate Garrity's Birthday at our new house! 

http://babygarritybishop.blogspot.com/2012/04/2-years-ago.html 

I got up at the crack of dawn to head out to our new home and create the most Wonderful Wizard of Oz party! It was a great idea...but the house hadn't been lived in for two or more years... and it was musty and stinky and dirty and dingy and I could go on forever! Odd, I never remember it being THAT bad when we toured the home (upwards of a dozen times...). 

The shrubs and decorative grass/weeds were totally overgrown! There are windows hiding behind those shrubs! 

We didn't know at the time, but the entire front of the house would have to be replaced! 

The rock and the siding was entirely taken off and replaced. The super cool roof is still going strong. Our first night at The Golf House, there was a terrible storm. Bo and I were placing bowls and buckets all over the great room! After a quick visit from the repair man, and we've never had a problem since!

All of the windows had to be replaced. We went with more large picture windows and  less with grids/ panes. The windows in the pictures are the original windows! 

This is the view from the front of the house...regardless of how much "love" The Golf House would require, we knew it was a wonderful place to live...we were just certain!

I feel like this picture represents so much. Bo is eyeing the foundation. You probably can't tell, but the earth had totally washed up and was over the wood siding (read: rot and mold) his shoulders are slumped, and he looks both concerned and almost defeated. We just KNEW though, it would be worth it in the end. 

On the flip side...doesn't this kitschy hacienda simply oooooooze character and charm!? 

Looking back, I had forgotten the draperies and window treatments. They look perfectly in place, but they were full of spiders and dead bugs....ughhhhhhh those are the things they typically leave out of the glamorous episodes of all those DIY shows.  

The little saplings, shrubs, ivy, ferns, etc. were among the first to go. there was even a tree growing into the house?!

The overgrown shrubs and ivy were removed too and are now just part of the yard...less is more.

The wooden bench around the tree was gone when we moved in. 

The swing broke when Garrity was swinging with Bo one afternoon when she was three. No injuries, but Garrtiy had just recovered from a broken elbow... I feared the worst. 

Here is Bo, dreaming of a chainsaw :)

Ughhh more rot and old windows!

Bo also tore down this little shed. He replaced it with a gorgeous garage that matches the house. 

Such gorgeous views. Bo and his dad have worked countless hours clearing out the brush. The view is much more simple and beautiful without all of the overgrowth. 

The History of the Golf House

Almost four years ago, we embarked on one of the biggest adventures of our lives. We purchased, THE GOLF HOUSE. We knew this was to become our home. We also knew this would be a labor of love that would consume our lives for years to come. We were unsure of just how much of our young married lives, and the lives of our young family would be dedicated to this love-child.

April 29th will mark the three year anniversary of our lives in The Golf House. I thought it only appropriate to devote some time reminiscing. 

I've always been a huge history buff! Nevada is known as the Bushwhacker capital of the world...and because of that distinctive title, many people in the community take pride in the historical value of their homes. I was elated to find, tucked away in a drawer, several photos and clippings from days gone by! 

Lake Springs Park: Our home is situated on golf course. Adjacent to the golf course, is one of our many local parks: Radio Springs Park. Apparently, just behind our home, there was another spring and park: Iron Springs (Park?) I'm not sure if it was in fact a park, or if just the springs alone enticed visitors. Above are the newspaper clippings and photos of people actually visiting the springs behind our house. 

 Below: Along with the clippings, there were several yellow photo books documenting the erection of our home from start to finish! The birth date of The Golf House was 1949!

There is now a cart path that runs down between the trees to the left hand side of the above photo! This is the view from the front of our house. While I'm not sure exactly when the golf course was born, I believe our house came prior to the course. 

I especially love the vehicles and the vintage attire in these photos! Our home is not lacking in the character department, but these photos seem to give it an added dash of soulfulness that most homes lack.

August 15, 1950, these must have been printed after the house was finished. I can't help but wonder if the owners or the construction company documented the process. Regardless, I love to flip through the photos. I think of these little yellow gems as the baby book for The Golf House.  

Above: This is what our house looks like today if you are standing across the street looking to the northwest. The bones/structure of this 1949 masterpiece have really and truly stood the test of time!