Anonymous wrote:The layout is really bad. They should flip this house and buy something else (something bigger! with an open plan layout) in the same area if they like it so much.

I truly believe that’s their plan.

They bought a small house focusing only on location. This allows them to try out downsizing and creates a ton of content while they remodel everything. They’re definitely going to fix it up, sell it and buy a more functional house in a few years — they can’t say that otherwise people will tune out for this renovation...

I would seriously bet MY house this is what ends up happening!

I think it's nice as a vacation house but they'll get tired of the layout. That's fine. Their job is redoing houses and then moving on. I just think they over-corrected from their very large Richmond house. In a few years I bet they sell this and buy something a bit bigger/better layout but still at the beach.

Part of making the original living room the master, as I understand it, is that there is an adjacent porch that provides space to add a master bath. That's a big master and can accommodate space for a desk too if they want that workspace. I d!o think they are overly optimistic about the kitchen/entry as a living space!

I wouldn't have wanted to move away from family as they are but I think they've said most of their siblings don't live nearby, it's just John's parents in the area? Anyway, they have friends in the area in FL who'd encouraged the move, their parents were supportive, and they are adding a guest house so people can visit easily. Good for them for trying an adventure. They can always move back to Richmond if it doesn't work out.

I love her justification of that tiny dining table--- we can sit here and read magazines!! we can do crafts!! SO MUCH better than an island!

Anonymous wrote:Hard to understand why they moved. They say they love the beach. Do they have parents, cousins, friends? I know they lived in NYC for awhile, but can’t remember where they were raised. They will undoubtably make this Florida house lovely and then probably move on. That’s the blogger lifestyle.

Agree - they love the beach, they had a beach house. A few of them in fact.

None of it makes sense to me.

Hard to understand why they moved. They say they love the beach. Do they have parents, cousins, friends? I know they lived in NYC for awhile, but can’t remember where they were raised. They will undoubtably make this Florida house lovely and then probably move on. That’s the blogger lifestyle.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did they downsize? Are they living on the beach now?

A block from the beach. They house cost around 700k. They sold their house in Richmond and the two beach houses and rolled all of their accumulated equity into the new house plus the renovation. They own the FL free and clear.

Wow that's excellent to have no mortgage at their age.

I wouldn't read too deeply into it. They'll live in this house for a couple years, flip it for a great profit and buy something that makes more sense.

The layout is really bad. They should flip this house and buy something else (something bigger! with an open plan layout) in the same area if they like it so much.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She sounds super defensive in that video of there being enough space to entertain. Almost like she's trying to convince herself? It's uncomfortable to watch.

I still don't understand why they didn't open up the downstairs so that they had the living room open to the kitchen and the master bedroom upstairs.

this

I think it's related to the kids' bedrooms being downstairs but her kids are not babies (the oldest is going into middle school I think?) and are getting older all the time. Perfectly fine to have the master a staircase away. It's not like she wouldn't hear them if they had a nightmare or something.

They said they wanted the upstairs space to be a family space because it's big and bright.

Personally I can't get over the lack of a downstairs living space. You walk into a narrow dark kitchen that functions as a hallway between the two halves of the house. It's a terrible layout. The complete lack of storage and separate living spaces would have also been deal breakers for me. They work from home--shouldnt they at least have an office? They recorded their last podcast from their son's room because of a lack of another private space. That's crazy.

Anonymous wrote:She sounds super defensive in that video of there being enough space to entertain. Almost like she's trying to convince herself? It's uncomfortable to watch.

I still don't understand why they didn't open up the downstairs so that they had the living room open to the kitchen and the master bedroom upstairs.

this

I think it's related to the kids' bedrooms being downstairs but her kids are not babies (the oldest is going into middle school I think?) and are getting older all the time. Perfectly fine to have the master a staircase away. It's not like she wouldn't hear them if they had a nightmare or something.

Anonymous wrote:Why did they downsize? Are they living on the beach now?

A block from the beach. They house cost around 700k. They sold their house in Richmond and the two beach houses and rolled all of their accumulated equity into the new house plus the renovation. They own the FL free and clear.

It’s unfinished, so who knows.

She sounds super defensive in that video of there being enough space to entertain. Almost like she's trying to convince herself? It's uncomfortable to watch.

I still don't understand why they didn't open up the downstairs so that they had the living room open to the kitchen and the master bedroom upstairs.

Why did they downsize? Are they living on the beach now?

They posted a video showing the downstairs.

https://www.younghouselove.com/florida-kitchen-three-weeks-in/