I am going to write what’s on my heart during this process of building a home in a world that isn’t my home.

I’ve been feeling really underserving as I see my “dreams” start to happen. Building a house has always been a dream of mine since I was a little girl!

In fact, when Tyler & I dated long distance, we would stay up all night on the phone dreaming & planning our house that we would build some day & raise babies in.

We had a joint Pinterest board & would pin & talk & just dream.

I can’t believe we are building a house that is exactly what we dreamed up all those years ago (I can’t believe we never changed our mind lol) Tyler & I are similar in that we don’t care about “fads” or “trends”. Our house plan stems from our love & appreciation for history. Traditional, classic, timeless.

We don’t care about style or design rules. We pray & do what we feel led to do even if it goes against the grain.

When I think about our house, I imagine something like “The Burrow”, The Weasley’s house in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Or a Hobbit House inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s books.

When I read these books as a child, I felt so much warmth & wonder.

The Burrow is a lopsided house with wonky chimney stacks, a red roof and a jumble of gnomes, chickens and wellington boots in the front garden. Although it looks rickety and put together randomly, it was built with magic and is, therefore, quite strong. It is very cluttered inside, but very welcoming at the same time. It is as homey as it is chaotic.

“The garden was large, and in Harry’s eyes, exactly what a garden should be. The Dursley’s wouldn’t have liked it — there were plenty of weeds, and the grass needed cutting — but there were gnarled trees all around the walls, plants Harry had never seen spilling from every flower bed, and a big green pond full of frogs.”— Description of the garden

The Weasleys also have an orchard behind their garden, contained within a paddock.

The kitchen opens out on the front yard, through the front door and opens up on the back garden, through the back door surrounded by old Wellington boots, old pipes, a ladder, and rusted cauldrons.

The kitchen is filled with a lot of things and is also one of the most frequent gathering places for the Weasleys & is my absolute dream kitchen.

“The clock on the wall opposite him had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens, and You’re late. Books were stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchantment in Baking, and One Minute Feasts — It’s Magic!”— Description of the Burrow’s kitchen

The kitchen contains a large wooden table with room enough for eight mismatched chairs. All of the furniture in the kitchen was salvaged. Sometimes, due to large numbers of house guests, the kitchen table could not seat enough people, so meals were eaten outside at a table instead. There is a large fireplace in the room which also operates as the Weasleys’ connection to the Floo Network.

On the morning Harry arrives at the Burrow after escaping the Dursley house in the flying Ford Anglia, Ron’s mom flicked her wand, and the dishes started cleaning themselves in the sink. If only it were that easy! Oh! I suppose a dishwasher will do the same trick!

The living room of the Weasley home is a cozy room, with a sofa and armchairs. There is a large fireplace, & a clock that, rather than telling the time, indicates the status of each member of the Weasley family. Instead of numbers, there are various phrases such as “home,” “school,” “work,” “travelling,” telling where each member of the family is at.

When Harry visits the house for the first time in the books He tells Ron, “This is the best house I’ve ever been in” & it becomes a second home to him.

& my other inspiration is Hobbit Houses.

Hobbit houses are a unique blend of fantasy and function, inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s books and movies.

“In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a Hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”

-Opening lines of The Hobbit

A Hobbit house design emphasizes simplicity, harmony with nature, and cozy interiors. They are built using sustainable materials like wood, stone, and straw.

The landscape and geography of the Shire influence the design of Hobbit houses, embedding them into hillsides for natural insulation.

The interior design is a symphony of circular rooms, cozy fireplaces, and quaint furnishings that echo the hobbits’ love for comfort and simplicity & is a testament to the hobbit architecture’s ingenuity, where every inch is utilized to create a warm, inviting space.

Imagine stepping into the living room: the heart of hobbit home design. A roaring fire crackles in the hearth, casting a warm, flickering glow on the polished wood furniture and rich, earth-toned upholstery. The walls, curved as if shaped by nature itself, are lined with bookshelves brimming with ancient tomes and cherished trinkets. Can you smell the aroma of freshly baked bread wafting from the kitchen? – Maxwell Kutch

So, there you have it! Our build is inspired by many different things most important being, The Holy Spirit.

Put all this together, who knows what the outcome will be lol!

But I’m excited to find out!

In love,

-kortney sue

additional journal entry:

Building a house from scratch is an amazing thing. I feel excitement, gratitude, inspiration, humility, & joy.

But, behind it all, I also feel a little off about it. I’ve been trying to pin point the feeling…is it guilt? Why do I long to have a place here in this world that we can make our own…when it is so fleeting…

I should be content with being “homeless” (most days I am) after all, isn’t that what we are during our time here, just passing through, heaven bound to eternity (if you believe like I do).

These are just the thoughts/feelings I’m praying through right now!

Why do I obsess over a temporary home? Why do I long to have a home here in this fallen world which is not my home. Is it wrong for me to be excited about building a house?

I just keep praying that God will teach me in this & show me Himself. I pray that He takes over this build & makes it what He needs it to be. I’ve journaled here in this space time & time again about surrendering our build & I truly mean it. I don’t want to build something just for us. I want to build something that reflects Him & shows Him to others. I pray for a supernatural love to come over every inch of this house so that even those that drive by & lay eyes on it will come to feel & know the love of God. & I pray that everyone who walks through these doors feels the presence of God!

There are so many steps to take in the beginning of a new build before you can ever even break ground & get the building process started.

You have to pick out a house plan or in our case have one drawn up & engineered.

You have to have many permits submitted and approved & get your finances in order & so many other things I can’t remember.

When we sold our house over a year & ½ ago I never imagined it would take this long to get things started, but here we are!

I’ve learned to surrender my hopes, dreams & plans to God & trust that His timing & ways are greater than anything I could ever attempt to do.