The Gift of Presence

This summer Sarah Cunningham and the team at Ethos Design+Build | Remodel & Ethos Real Estate helped our family sell a home and move to a “new to us space” across town. We traded what seems now a massive 3,000-square-foot home for an itty-bitty farmhouse on a GIGANTIC lot that has a woodworking shop, a garage, and a small horse barn. The yard is so huge we've been busy as a family planning an urban farm that’s complete with a farm-themed Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) that we can rent to help offset our mortgage. We have also been working with the local USDA office for National Resources Conservation and the University of Idaho Extension in Ada County to establish a conservation plan to reduce stormwater runoff in the adjacent canals and grow food and a pollinator garden with less water than traditional farming operations.

Our big 1960’s home served us well, and we poured a lot of time and energy into making it comfortable–the Ethos Design+Build | Remodel & Ethos Real Estate team helped spruce it up too, replacing a tired kitchen floor before the home was listed for sale, hosting fun open houses–one with live music and a fabulous catered spread, and assisting with other items that came up during the contract phase of the sale. I couldn't think of a better team to work with, selling a home can be so stressful but they made it so easy and my family had a good time bonding with the whole Ethos team along the way.

In the old house, our younger boys would disappear into the basement for days if we weren't diligent in keeping tabs on them. They were basement dwellers rarely seeing the light of day! While moving and downsizing at the same time has not been easy, there are certainly some share-worthy benefits of the smaller home.

We spend more time together

While this may seem obvious to most I was really surprised with how much closer our family has grown just by eliminating a few rooms–I do miss that second bathroom though! We are spending much more time together as a family. We no longer have two living rooms with separate TVs so on the rare occasion we have time to watch a movie, it's together. Just this last week we watched Halloween classics Poltergeist and Lost Boys–we all had a good laugh about how cheesy these old movies are even without all the CGI they were great.??

We are outside more

Going on walks, bicycle rides along the Greenbelt, and doing farm chores are now regular things. Yes, having a tractor makes doing outside chores more exciting but there is something to be said for having a home in the right location. Our proximity to the foothills and Boise River draws us to the outdoors more and we have fewer barriers keeping us from enjoying these beautiful spaces than we did in our previous neighborhood.

We drive so much less

Our new place is adjacent to bus route #9, the State Street bus which is used 4-6 times a day mainly by our kids. Because they can hop on the bus with less than a 15-minute wait, my husband and I are doing 4-6 trips less than we did before the move! Bingo! Gotta love public transportation. We are big fans of Valley Regional Transit , and our team members all have passes to use whenever they need a lift. This not only saves gas, is better for the planet, AND also gives us more time to do the things we like because we are not commuting from 5 am to 9 pm every day.

When I think of the thing I’m so very thankful for about this recent move, it's the amount and quality of time our family has reclaimed to spend together simply by having a simpler space to live in. It takes less time to clean, we are closer and way more connected than we were living in a big home. It has reminded me the most important gift we have is our time and how it's used. In this month of November, I’m encouraging folks to reflect on last year's hidden gifts and find ways to give more presence.

With gratitude,?

Erin Sorensen

VP Engineering and Construction?

Ethos Development?

Upcoming Events:

Customer Appreciation

Nov 19, 2022 holiday pie pick up at Esther Simplot White Water Park and Family Photos, pick your favorite pie by Wednesday, November 16 to take home and enjoy.

Rake Up Boise

It's not too late to join our team! Calling all volunteers! We need folks to help our team at the 37th Annual Rake Up Boise? 2022 on December 3rd. Thousands of volunteers rake yards for veteran, disabled, and senior neighbors each November. Rake Up Boise? is a beloved fall tradition for many families and one of the largest volunteer events in the Northwest. Join us for hot cocoa, raking our hearts out, and good cheer!?