On July 3, 2023, Jack and I realized that the time had come for us to move from our beloved 3 Squares Cottage on Coatsville Ave. in SLC. It’s hard to dig out after 24 years— to leave the peace and place our life together had begun, but the call was too strong to ignore for another day. My parents, then 94, needed us to be closer. My hometown of Bountiful, Utah was calling.

We had many false starts between July and December. Prospective buyers chaotically lined up. 3 deals fell through. Interest rates nearly doubled. Our dedicated and heroic realtor, Heather Wood (Keller Williams, SLC), pushed, pulled, ran, lugged, packed, showed, shared, encouraged, and inspired us throughout the arduous process. On January 31, 2024, against the odds of timing, Covid, health, and logistics, the stars finally aligned and we were able to close a deal on THE house that had been waiting for the right time — a century old farmhouse, rife with character and potential.

Integral to the miraculously timed alignment was the fact that my son, Ian and his dad, Curt (Cutler Construction and Remodeling) made themselves available to share their vision, actualize their talent, skill, and jump “all in” for long days and nights, hard work and unbelievably heavy lifting, transforming dilapidated spaces into solid, beautiful, innovative rooms in order to bring our dream of “Old Orchard House” into being.

Built by the Riley family in 1910, the home on the lower east bench of Bountiful and was originally centered with orchards sprawling to the north and south. Over time, much of the property was sold, a quarter-acre remaining. The house itself had its last major update in the 1980’s, and previous owners had DIY’d various projects through the years.

Our renovation began in February and was fast-tracked to completion in late July. Because we had such a tight connection with our renovators, they allowed us to draw, dream, and design-build all throughout the expedited process. Below are before and after photos—some taken just days and weeks ago, showing our first winter holidays in our new happy, heart-centered, home.

I hope you’ll enjoy taking a look in the photo galleries below.

In peace, Kari

January 6, 2025