When I was looking for a house to buy in the Fall of 2012, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted: Cute little early to mid century bungalow, with tons of charm but not a maintenance nightmare (been there, done that.) But the problem with that house description in Portland, Ore., I discovered is that if the updates are done and done well, you are paying for them and the houses worth having were not in my budget. Then I found one that was almost affordable and a good location for another tenant but none of my furniture would fit into the rooms. There is a reason people say house hunting is discouraging.

One sunny summer morning my awesome realtor, Claire, and I were looking a properties that I thought had potential. I had tagged a 1960s ranch whose only appeal for me was that it was red (I have always liked red houses) and since we were the neighborhood, Claire convinced me that we should swing by and look at it. All of my preconceived notions about my dream house fell away. The 3-bedroom 1964 ranch with an updated kitchen and tidy floorplan was perfect. And better yet, it was blank slate: Inside the walls and ceilings were all taupe and the yard was huge with basically no landscaping other that some old roses and iris.  I knew that I could turn this house into whatever I wanted. So my adventure began.

Remodeled kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

Front door seen from the door to the garage

The bathroom with some upgrades, including new sink and toilet, and small granite shelf.

Realtor Claire takes me to check out the Kimball house. A few iris and annuals in a small strip across the front.

The back patio as seen from the middle of the yard