It's been a few weeks since I've given any updates on our house remodel, but it's not because nothing has been happening. In fact a lot has been happening over there, and I'm finally ready to share a bit of the progress I've made. Before I do that, let's do a quick recap. Basically, I bought a house that I can remodel, live in for a year, and tear down. For the full details, check out my last post.

Bucket list item #1. Build a new home. 

It's been on my list for a long time now, and I'm finally one step closer. Building a new home is a bit like eating an elephant. It's a seemingly impossible task, from finding where you want to live, understanding the ins and outs of the various different financing options, finding an architect, designing building and on and on and on. While it seems overwhelming, especially if finances are limited, where there is a will there is a way. The path I'm leveraging is all about baby steps. 

First, I knew I wanted to live in East Austin, so the next big issue is where I can actually afford to build. High home prices in Austin make finding affordable lots nearly impossible. On top of that financing a lot is quite a bit more difficult than financing a home, you typically need 20% - 30% down. My solution was to buy a house. More specifically the cheapest, must undesirable house I could find. An that's exactly what I did.