So we went back to get the Munch, found that my sweet friend had made little containers of confetti with the girls for us to celebrate with, received some delicious chocolate cake from her, and headed back to our apartment...we didn't even go to see OUR house until the next day. Instead, I called my brother to congratulate him on his 30th birthday (Yes, I bought a house on his birthday, but at least I called *him* first, and not the other way around! I barely beat him to it, actually...his finger was hovering over my name on his phone when I called!), and we talked for nearly the entirety of the Munch's 2-hour nap. Then Daddy, Munch and I headed out to the burbs for another go at Ikea, got stuff for Daddy's new desk, then enjoyed a tasty Red Robin dinner as celebration.
Friday I took the Munch to the house after her nap, and started measuring...I measured just about everything...the size of the rooms, how far the outlets are from corners or windows, how big the windows are, etc. When we moved into our current apartment, I'd had the luxury of time to do the same here, and had made a to-scale map of the place using those measurements, and to-scale shapes to represent the various items of furniture we had. I plan to do the same with this place, since we again have the time. :) The map is done by now...I just have to make more shapes to represent new furniture...and it's kinda frightening to realize just how many things we've acquired or exchanged in these last 3 years...
Friday evening we had a 'just us' celebration while the Munch was cared for by another friend. There happened to be scheduled a tribute to Benny Goodman at an outdoor concert place to the north of us that evening. Being the Big Band lovers that we are, we felt it was the perfect way to celebrate...and we were delighted upon arrival to realize that we wouldn't even have to lindy-bomb the music...there was a dance floor already set up, and dancing friends already there! It was most, most excellent, and we danced the evening away, in between toasts of sparkling cider, and spoonfuls of a lentil dish I'd made. :)
We both finally made it out to the house together a few days later, and finally got our 'before' pictures. There will be many changes before we move in, for sure!! And plenty more afterward...there is much to be done in this home, but at least we have a good grasp of where the first steps lie. So without further ado...Our House!
The front...this will be repainted entirely after the stucco is repaired. We're keeping it white, but going with a dark blue trim. The porch will be grey, but it might not get painted as soon as the rest, as we'll do that part on our own.
The back. Yes, that's a sliding glass door that leads to nowhere. We're hoping to attach a deck by next summer, but can't immediately.
The big backyard. Hey, it's big for the city, alright? ;) Hidden under all that verge is a garden area...and the seller left me about a dozen tomato cages. :) We'll reclaim the space this summer, and ready it for planting next spring.
The back addition. You can see the line where the old floor and new floor meet. This will be a dining and craft space...None of the walls in the house will stay the color they are--we can't STAND pale-pasty yellows, but we haven't quite decided what color this space will be yet.
The kitchen. I can't wait to get rid of those cabinet doors!!!! But unfortunately...I *must* wait. There are other things that will have to come first...at least there's space on the side I'm standing on for more counter space, which we will add right off. :) But the walls will be lime green. :D Or at least a color akin to it. I don't know why, but I love lime green kitchens.
This will be the Munch's bedroom. Do you spy a problem? ;) This is project #1. I just met with our contractor today to get measurements to rebuild the wall our seller tore out when he put in the addition...also, you can see the wall where more kitchen counters will go to the left in this pic.
A view from the kitchen, through a small hallway space, the 'formal' dining room, living room, and front sun room. Typical long city house...
The bathroom. We'll be moving that brown upper cabinet to the other wall, putting in a tall linen cabinet, and *definitely* getting rid of that cheap-o blue toilet lid! And the walls with be blue with some gold, to match our shower curtain that we've had all these years, and that's never really matched any of our bathrooms before...
Our room. Can you tell where the seller kept his bed? Wish we could redo the floors, but on our budget, that will have to wait a long while...
This. Is the ONLY closet in the entire house. Yep. You read that right. It's in our room, and isn't it sad that that's also where the only stain glass is? Buy hey, at least we have a closet, and it doesn't actually need a lightbulb all the time...but the rest of our storage needs will be a bit more creative...
The formal dining room. The light will be changed out for something a little less dangly, the room will be painted, though we haven't decided if it will be blue, grey, or burgandy yet...also, this room will be repurposed as a study-type area, where my desk will be...since we already have dining space in that lovely addition.
The living room. Awkward space for the furniture we have, since most sides have openings, but we'll figure it out. Again, paint color will be one of the three listed above.
Entry space. We already have the coat hooks to put in...we just need something for shoes and we'll be set. This room will likely be light blue. :)
The sunroom. Lovely, big space to put all of the Munch's toys. YAY for a separate play area where she can still enjoy her toys in a supervised place. We haven't figured out what to do with that paneling, but we do want to lighten the color somehow.
And now the house takes a decided turn for the uglier...This is the upstairs space. It's got GREAT head-room, though of course pictures make that hard to see. The shortest walls are about 4 feet. Eventually, many years from now, we hope to turn this area into a master bedroom, and open up part of the roof to make dormers over the stairs and a new bathroom. For now, we'll be happy to just get the space cleaned up a bit, and the fallen insulation rehung. We don't plan to use this space for much of anything for quite a while--it doesn't have any AC or heat, making it a true attic--even if it so desperately screams to be usable space.
This will be Daddy's office space. Also obviously in great need of some work before he can use it, but it is among the first things on the list...He's gotta have an office, and what a blessing to find a house with an extra room, even if it does need a bit of work...including a temporary way to heat and cool it until we have enough to finish the whole attic space.
The spacious basement. :D Lots of storage space down here, and we already know it's VERY unlikely to flood! Yay!
I do believe that I am going to love, love, love my new washing machine... :D The length of that dryer vent is a bit scary though. That will change before it gets used again, fear not.
So now we are in another waiting stage. This time waiting on our contractor to get moving on the work. We've already lost a week since closing, and nothing has happened until today, when I finally met with him to go over some simpler interior carpentry (that wall). But next week, I expect to see a marked uptick in the activity...the stucco workers should be getting started, and I'll be handing over a set of keys so our contractor can get the interior stuff going as well. We're currently expecting the big move to happen sometime mid to late July.
But beyond this, my nanny family is so incredibly generous, and the timing is also perfect for them and us in regards to needs. As they redo their bathroom a little and move a few things around in their house, they're giving us their still-like-new towel racks, a set of simple but pretty curtains, a child's wall coat rack, AND a large,heavy-duty desk. I'll be replacing my old press-board desk, which was damaged in our last move and is literally being held together with duct tape and superglue in a couple spots, and will also gain storage space for our games, so we won't have to keep them in the basement. This makes me very happy, and very grateful. :D
What a summer this is about to become! And at the end of it...I get a birthday, and the Munch and all her little friends turn 3. WHEEEEE!
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