We got married in late 2013 and were living in an amazing mid-century home up on what's known as the East Bench – perched at the base of the Wasatch with stunning views of the entire valley. We had been renting since we moved to Salt Lake from San Francisco and debated buying the stunner on the hill, but it needed a full gutting to get it to our liking. It also lacked much of a yard which the dogs (and we) really wanted.

The night we decided it was time to look for a place to buy we made a ridiculous list of everything we had to have, wanted to have, and absolutely didn't want in our first home. We knew the neighborhoods we liked, the size we wanted, what era, and how much land we wished we could get. We hopped online to see what was available, and after drooling over countless mid-century gems that were outside of our price range we saw a listing for a house on an acre, right within our budget.

We clicked the link and to our delight it was an enormous a-frame – with an addition to the original build, a big garage, and a yard that would make any city dog jealous. The photos were, well, a little worrisome, but forever the optimist I suggested we go see it anyways. With 48 hours we went from staring at these photos to seeing the house in person – our FIRST house viewing.

The realtor was a family friend of the sellers who typically sold multimillion dollar homes and was hesitant to join us in the house. She warned us it was a bit like an episode of hoarders, needed a lot of work, and that if we were interested, to make ANY offer. What on Earth were we about to walk into?

Our dream house, of course.

Here are the original photos from the listing – the rest is history...