Saturday, September 29, 2018

Done and Dusted?


Well, not quite...

We have finally settled into our new home, somewhat. All of the papers have been signed, we closed on the old house, October mortgage payment has been made on the new house, but there are several things we want to change, update or replace. However, after twelve years of renovating our last home, we just don't know where to start. One small renovation project begins another, begins another, and so on.

The previous owners were young newlyweds with a small child, and they weren't the best at preventative maintenance, let alone cleaning. So we've spent the last month cleaning sticky handprints off of walls, windows, and whatever else a sticky two year old can get his sticky paws on. Upgrading all the CFL lights in the house to LEDs revealed much of the grime. The dirt and grime on everything needed to be scrubbed with magic erasers, steel wool, soap, water, and a lot of elbow grease. We have yet to get it all, but we started the "to-do" list of several minor repairs around the house needing attention. New toilet seats, furnace filter replacement, light switches replaced, faulty GFCI plug replaced, pressure washing both the front and back patio, installing cat doors to keep Basil Kitteh from wailing all night wanting out, and deterring the neighbor kittehs from coming in.

Trobairitz is cursing the new kitchen, we had designed and installed the Ikea kitchen in the old house to maximize storage with an abundance of drawers, ceiling height cabinets, corner cabinets with a lazy susan, and a huge porcelain farmer sink. The new house with contractor special kitchen cabinets are short, shallow, and lack any innovative thought into efficiency whatsoever. Something we've both had to adapt to is finding a place for everything and then remembering where that was when we need it.



The bathrooms are also contractor specials with budget toilets, sinks, faucets, and one piece tub and shower surrounds. Ack! How do people live like this? I won't even get started on the carpet and linoleum throughout the house.

I jest really.

It is a nice house and much better than the 16 other houses we viewed previously. It is a 2007, so it has all modern plumbing, wiring, windows, insulation, siding, roof and underground irrigation. It doesn't "need" anything per say, and we've settled in just fine. The neighborhood is quiet, exactly what we were looking for; I am sitting here on a Saturday afternoon enjoying the silence.



We hear a small private plane fly overhead once in awhile as we live near the airpark, and a train horn off in the distance, but we don't mind it at all, nor the light traffic going by on the road behind us. Those sounds come, and then they're gone. There's a rooster down the way, and the cows moo in the distance, just what you'd expect living in the country. No kids screaming, no dogs barking, or chickens squawking, nor pigs grunting like we tolerated in the city.











We'll get to the updates and renovations, once we prioritize the list, in due time and on our schedule.

I have one more loose end to tidy up in the next couple of weeks, but in the meantime it's good to be home.



Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. 

~Melody Beattie






13 comments:

  1. Good to hear you are in Brad. I can’t understand how people don’t look after their houses. We basically followed our dirt magnets around when they were little, cleaning their grubby prints and reminding them not to touch things with food on their hands. I think it paid off!
    The renovations will come in due course. Sounds like the kitchen might be a priority? Any pics of the house for us?
    How about a ride in the meant time? ;) Its been quiet here in the blogsphere without Brandy’s touch. Say hi and congrats on getting settled in.

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    1. Thanks Dave. I've seen how people treat their cars and why we don't buy used, but you'd think they'd at least take care of their home. Kids these days don't seem to be the DIY repair type unless it involves computers. Good job on raising your kids right.
      The first project will probably be a deck cover out back before the winter rains come, then appliances, then either a bathtub/soaking tub upgrade or a kitchen remodel. (It's just a cookie cutter, tract style house but I'll see if I can post some photos today).
      We are hoping to get out for some rides now that the dust has settled.
      I keep showing Brandy everyone's comments and telling her that you all say 'hi', she appreciates all the sentiments and is trying to find time to blog again.

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  2. I was worried at first but seems you've arrived at a good attitude point re the house, will it ever be perfect? Probably not...in the meantime though, it keeps you off the streets! ;)

    Just don't let the motorcycles gather too much dust you know....

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    1. We don't do change well, and after all the stress of looking and dealing with the bank, we were just wore out. We were tired of looking for the perfect house, never enamored with any of them and we were simply running out of time. We don't shop houses with emotion, more so as an investment so this one best fit the bill. Without the stress and finally a chance to relax we're appreciating the neighborhood, the house, and its amenities.
      We are happy with our decision, and it's starting to feel like home. Now to get the bikes out for a ride before the rains come.

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  3. You found a nice home in a really nice area. I like the rural setting. Pretty nice. There is that empty space in the garage that is just looking to be filled!

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    1. Thank you Richard, you are our first guests and we appreciate you stopping by.
      And yes, that space does need to be filled.... soon.

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  4. I dunno who Melody Beattie is but she needs to get over here and rub my unused feet.

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  5. Congratulations guys! What you're going through has our sympathy as we went through most of those things with our last two house purchases. Location was paramount with both of them and we bought with eyes wide open knowing we had some work to do. Still gets overwhelming though, doesn't it?

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    1. Thanks Geoff, it is overwhelming, but now that the dust has settled we know we made the right choice.

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  6. Ha, this kitchen looks very much like the one we took over when we moved into our new apartment. It took us only five years to decide it was high time for an upgrade. Well, this new home looks like it has a lot of potential, just give it time, love and a little make over, and it will be good for the next twelve years... or whenever you guys decide that it's time to move on... good luck, don't forget to put fun in the works. All will be well and well worth it, Brad.

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    1. Thanks Sonja, fun was one of the main reasons for buying this house, as it requires minimal yard work and it is "lock up and go". We are delaying starting any projects to get an idea of what works and what doesn't first.

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  7. Ah a fellow IKEA kitchen installer! I've done 5 in my life and nobody can reach the wall cupboards except me! (I'm 6 6 tall). A Lazy Susan? I'll need to Google that. TTFN.

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    1. Hi Nikos, I do appreciate Ikea's design and built in features despite stretching to reach the top of the cabinets. You may know the lazy susan as a cabinet carousel.

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