Sometimes, everything just falls into place when you move. Although every move is stressful and full of change, for Tim Simeone and Simi Botic, moving to Columbus from Chicago went pretty smoothly.
“We were super scared moving to Columbus,” says Simeone.
Finding Columbus Underground and seeing everything happening here alleviated those fears.
“Everything is as good as it is in Chicago and takes less time to get to,” he says.
A job offer for Botic spurred their move. She was finishing law school in Chicago and knew she did not wish to practice law there.
The couple worked with Marilyn Vutech to find their new home.
“We looked at about ten spaces before finding this one,” says Simeone.
Hoping to find a home close to Downtown, they centered their search on the surrounding neighborhoods. Things they wanted the home to have included hardwood floors and some space outside to grow some food, but not so much they had to mow a lawn. They had been living in a one bedroom apartment in a Chicago high-rise and did not want to jump into a lot of maintenance.
The home they loved is a non-conventional condo in German Village that is about 1300 square feet. With two bedrooms and two and a half baths, it offers plenty of space.
“We walked in here, saw the kitchen and thought ‘This is perfect’, says Botic. “Tim and I both love to cook and we wanted enough space for both of us to be in the kitchen.”
Not much needed to be done to the home when they moved in. “We painted the family room and the master bedroom,” says Botic.
The fact the house did not need a lot of immediate updates was great because on top of planning their move, the couple also planned their wedding. The Greek Orthodox Church was where they exchanged vows, and their reception was held at Dock 580.
Botic’s family lives in Columbus while Simeone’s is based in Chicago. Their new home provides plenty of space to host everyone for large dinners around the beautiful dining table they received as a wedding gift. Simeone thrifted the chairs and reupholstered them himself.
With a basement tall enough for Simeone to stand upright -a rare find in German Village- he has been able to start woodworking again.
In addition to working on projects around the house, Simeone has been developing some of his own designs he hopes to sell some day. He also documents some of his projects on The Micro Harvest, a website Botic developed to promote her holistic wellness coaching, as well as encourage small and simple changes people can make to inspire conscious living in an urban environment.
Some of the choices they are making themselves include using a rain barrel, composting, and growing vegetables in a raised garden bed.
For future changes to their home, they would like to add an all-seasons room to the front entry with a balcony off of the master bedroom, add a bathtub, and add a ventilation system to the basement.
The couple loves the location of their German Village home. Simeone used to guide climbing trips and enjoys have the climbing wall at the Scioto Audubon Metropark so close. They also both enjoy riding their bicycles.
“Tim rode his bike in Chicago but I had a lot of traffic anxiety,” says Botic, “but here I love it.”
At Home is a monthly column on Columbus Underground focused on urban home remodeling and style as well as older home renovations and unique homes in Columbus. If you would like to have your home featured in the At Home series, please send an email to me at [email protected].