When we first purchased this house, we didn’t know how we would go with one bathroom. Sure, only two people are living here, but we were used to being a two-bathroom home. And of course, we’ve managed, but with the main bathroom in need of repairs now was our chance. To not just renovate our original bathroom but add an ensuite as well.
No biggie, right? Haha. Totally possible. I set about getting a quote from one fo the guys I used to work with and with a budget in mind (we both know I’m going to spend more than the allowed amounts) we organised to extend our home loan. Once that is finalised we will book in with our builder friend and get going.
From here, we plan to add the ensuite first, so that when they remove the original bathroom to make repairs and renovate we will still have a bathroom here. I’ve been making my lists, checking them twice and thought it was time to share some of my plans with you all including some before pics so when the day comes we will have something to look back on.
Ensuite
Back at the start of April, when we thought we would have a little more time under lockdown, we decided to remove the wardrobe in our bedroom. The plan was to remove the old, large unit and one day replace it with something a little more compact from Ikea. We have decided a spare room for our clothes and that works for us, but we know if we were to sell the house, that wouldn’t work for everyone. Our solution is to put some description of wardrobe back before we put it on the market.
Anyway. When we were taking the cupboard out we found plumbing in the room. And not just cold water either (we knew a former owner had used it as her art studio) but hot AND cold water. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, we decided not to finish repainting the walls and instead make a plan for an ensuite at that end of the room.
The ensuite will go along the same back wall and include a simple shower, vanity and toilet (TBC) combination along the back wall. I can’t wait to have an ensuite again and just know that the big windows in our bedroom will make for some killer bathroom light; something I’ve been missing since we left our Jasmine house. I’m still tossing around ideas on how to give the shower/toilet privacy, while not doing the thing I hated about the wardrobe; cutting off the window and chopping up the room layout.
Main Bathroom
The plan here is to remove everything and make the end of the hallway one big room that will include a toilet, shower, bath, linen press and vanity. I go back and forwards on this all the time as I prefer separate toilets. But here, given the dimensions of the room, I’m leaning the other way.
My builder said removing all the existing internal walls shouldn’t be a problem, opening the entire room up into one space. Still with a shower, bath, toilet, vanity and some description of linen press even though there is room for one downstairs next to the laundry.
For reference, we would just have a cavity slider at the end of the hallway that would open into the room. For us, that would mean it would be rarely closed. So, positioning is vital, especially of the toilet. No one wants to be staring at someone on the loo from the top of the stairs because that certain someone didn’t shut the bathroom door.
I’m thinking of turning the existing bathroom space into more of a wet room bath/shower with the toilet in the same area, but the opposite wall with a linen cupboard/vanity along the back wall. Who knows if you can picture that.
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If you want to see more about the house, including the renovations before we moved in head to the Suger’s Place tag or the House Tour (Living Spaces, technically) video I made in 2018 after the painting was all done.
Lately, I’ve been on the hunt for some low-cost artwork for my office. Artwork? Maybe, calling it something more like decor or wall prints or something would be more accurate. Stuff for the wall, you get the drift. I found a few great, affordable, options during my most recent office makeover and thought I’d share. Plus I’ll share some photos from the office (from before I moved my desk, again).
A gallery wall has always been something that featured pretty heavily in my office.
Back in my first home office in the Jasmine house, I used floating shelves. Since we moved here, it was a million and one plaster puppies (actually name, I believe) in the wall opposite my desk. Which, when I started planning the refresh of the office, I planned to scale back. Which, I have done, but well, I’m not sure how long that will last. What can I say, I love being surrounded by beautiful things people have made, that I love and inspire me. I’m just always going to be a gallery wall kind of girl, I think. Here’s where I got my latest stash from.
Use the things you have
My brother and his partner gave me a Disney calendar from Typo for Christmas last year. The hook was weird and I never really hung it on the wall. But as a Disney fan from way back, I knew I was going to use the images, all of vintage Disney movie posters, as wall art. My first choice was 101 Dalmatians which is my favourite, and I just put the rest of the pages in the frame behind it so I can swap them if I feel like it.
This is the case too with all the magazines I have around. I collect magazines for beautiful covers and to tear ‘inspo’ images out of sometimes. And, that makes them perfect for hanging on your wall. I use a clipboard so I can keep the magazine intact. But you could rip the covers off and frame them or something. Or go full Gigi and blu-tak them to your million dollar apartment bathroom wall. If that’s your thing.
Print free images
Something I did this time that I’ve been saving photos for forever, was print from my collections on Unsplash. The main A3 photo (the chalkboard print) and the smaller prints you’ll see below (in the box and on the wall) are Unsplash images I loved and had printed online. I won’t say too much about where because the quality isn’t that great. But I wanted to feel okay about replacing them in the future, so it’s good enough. In the end, I printed two posters (for the large frame) and six A5 sized so I’ve got plenty of options now. Not to mention I have heaps more saved that if I wanted to, I could print on my home printer anytime.
Shop the Big Guys
I picked up this storm print from Kmart but it could have easily come from any of the big home decor stores with larger scale prints and canvases. Places like Target or Ikea. Sure, every man and their dog will own them, but when you want big you can’t go past it. This one is meant to hang vertically, but because I was covering a bunch of existing holes in the wall from my previous setup, after some fiddling around, I rather it horizontal. There’s a very good chance that if I put a gallery shelf on the brick wall, it will end up there. But for now, I’m happy with where this is situated and the stormy background it now gives me while I work.
Support the Little Guys
There is an endless supply of talented artists online, and when I asked for some suggestions on Instagram you guys came through. I purchased the stunning print you see in the featured image of this post from Jess Hutchison Art. I have two of the Native Floral Prints called the Follow your Heart and In Full Bloom, and Swifty the Swift Parrot. The one in the image is here. Originally I purchased them for the office, but the longer I have them here, the more I want to use them in the house. So, they’re on the move. After I get them some frames.
My recommendation? Ask people you know for suggestions of artists or makers they know. If you don’t see any you like, many artists use community-based platforms to print and sell their work. So, if you’re looking for work from smaller-scale businesses and artists try places like Etsy, Redbubble and Society6. The Do Something Today print in the image is from an Etsy seller YEARS ago. I have stickers from RedBubble on everything I own. And Society6 was the home for some test products back in the day involving a Suger Tee. Don’t ask.
Take a look at my office (sort of)
Now for a sneak peek into my office makeover including some of the other options I have for prints, wall decor and artwork. As I mentioned, I’ve already moved the desk (despite the power points being on that wall). The sun coming in from the top windows was too much. I’m back working under the camera shelves but who knows how long that will last. Watch this space. Maybe I’m finally at the stage where I need to get some kind of blind. But all that natural light, it’s almost too good to give up. Anyway, this post isn’t about the refresh, it’s about the wall art, let’s take a look, shall we?
There we go, team. I hope you found an option that you haven’t considered before. What do you use in your home or office to decorate the walls? Are you a prints kind of person? A wall art, canvas print, photos of the fam type? Want to know more about any of the other items you see here, let me know. Most are one-off buys or things I’ve made ages ago; but if I can help, I will. Until then, happy decorating.
The plan is to keep this short and sweet. This draft has been in my inbox since late LAST week and its time has come. It’s an update. It’s a catch you up on all the things happening around the old homestead kind of post. If you missed my last update, about the construction of the timber slat privacy screens and such, head over to this blog post, it will bring you up to speed.
Everyone else, let’s get started, shall we?
As work continued, we had some repair work done to the roof, replacing damaged sections and getting quotes to resurface the entire thing (I SO want to do that now). The roofline above my office was the worse affected by water damage, and even when they had a look, some old termite damage. This damage was repaired, and the tiles returned to their former homes. Which, you can see, of so elegantly demonstrated, below.
As I mentioned, we had some storm damage from a HUGE storm in 2018, and part of that was damage to the garage roof and door. Thanks to our insurance, both have been replaced. You might notice, instead of the original cream, I’ve gone with a modern shade of black. I’m sure those of you who watch any makeover shows or know your colorbond colours will recognise it as Monument. It was this that REALLY got me excited to one day (soon!) to replace the trims and recoat the roof in the same colour.
Don’t you think that will be awesome?
Then it was back inside to replace the large side door that no longer worked (without serious force and a metal rod). Replacing this old door will not only repair an issue with water getting under the floorboards of the house but give us access to the back and side yards that isn’t via the laundry. Replacing this door has been on my wishlist for AGES, and I’m so glad we finally did it. Not only does it improve airflow through the house, but it makes my plans for a pool area off the side of the house one step closer.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though!
While trying to remove the old, very stubborn and I’m sure stuck, door, the builders managed to smash the top panel of glass, landing it on one of their heads. Not ideal! I was in the kitchen (see my view in the first image below) when it happened. I jumped out of my skin. Not half as bad as the dude who got glassed did though — poor bastard.
To their credit, they both seemed more concerned with cleaning up than with one of them potentially being impaled, so work continued quickly from that stage. Soon it was installed, the painter came and tidied things up and hey presto, side yard! And again, how good does the Monument colour look against the house both inside and outside…
I’m on to something, right?
During all this, we also replaced our lounge room air-conditioning unit (thank goodness for that, this Queensland weather, man. It’s a whole thing right now). We went with a larger unit than what was in there before to ensure some efficiency. But let’s be real, replacing a unit installed in the ’90s is a move towards energy efficiency no matter what. Right? Anyway, it is quality approved; I can see the couch office being reinstated sometime very, very soon!
Then, just like that, we are only days away from having our house back to normal.
I’ll be able to remove the drop cloth from the table, and but the shelves/display thingies back in place. Restore some order to the place. I’m not sure how long it will be until our next house update. We need to regroup a little, save some more cash, and then get back into it. My next more is the painting of the roof and the ‘red’ accents on the exterior, I think. After that, hopefully, by my birthday (I’ve said this before) I’ll be ordering a pool and organising the boys in the construction of a deck and alfresco area.
I have big plans for this little old house, let me tell you. And so what if it took me over five years to get to this stage. Look back at the archives and see where we came from. I’m pretty happy with the progress. I’d be happier sipping my beverages from a pool deck, but the spa will do for now. She’s served me well. A faithful steed of the aqua variety. Haha. How’s THAT for a tangent. I’ll rein it back in.
So, what do you think? It’s coming along nicely, don’t you think? WE LOVE IT.
If you want to see more about the house, including the renovations before we moved in head to the Suger’s Place tag or the House Tour (Living Spaces, technically) video I made in 2018 after the painting was all done.
After a storm left us with some damage to the main roof, garage roof and sheds, we have been working with our insurance to do repairs. Along the way, a few maintenance items were added to the list. Which, having lived here for five years’ ish, it was about time we tackled some of the things. Up first was the front/side patio. Front because it faces our driveway, side because it’s technically at the side of the house. The one where the spa lives and pretty much everyone that visits our house enters through. That one.
It started with the removal of the old broken lattice around the perimeter.
This is something Kel and Dad have had on their list to tackle for me since Kel took down the gate not long after we moved in. Given it’s what they do for work, I understood being left until last. Until I didn’t and demanded that the job be done next. It’s crazy what a difference it makes to this whole space. I was looking back and I don’t have a lot of before images (there is one below), mostly it’s just blurred background when I was desperate. But now it proudly sits centre stage. I’m so proud of the work they did, and me for doing a heap fo the sanding and finishing. Like. A. Boss.
From there we refinished the timber on the wooden table (a gift from my Uncle and his family for my 21st, hand made by them from wood they milled themselves) and the spa surrounds. It was about this time that we found out that the spa heat pump was cactus and had to be replaced. Sigh. With a pool still on the wish list, and probably remaining there for a little while yet, repairs were in order making this the perfect time to sand it all down and refinish it.
Which I did. Go me.
A couple of weeks later it was time for roof repairs to start, so down came the old shade sail. What was probably a red’ ish colour back in the day, has now faded to a pinkish hue that transforms my office, daily, into a wash of pink light. The day they took it down though, I noticed just how much direct sun it was blocking. And despite enjoying the flood of natural, not pink light, it will be going back up when all the work is done.
I documented all this action on my Instagram story, which I’ve since highlighted so you can check out now – if you’re into such things.
And so, despite the shade sail still being down for a little bit more work on the roofline above my office, I want to share with you a bit of a look at how far we’ve come! Are you ready for that? I’m sure you are, we all know we’re here for the photos. Gosh. Here goes.
Our patio renovation!
What do you think? We still want to do something about the painted concrete in this area. If you have any suggestions about that, let me know. If you’ve been following along since we moved in, you’ll know the story. We love it, she’s old and totally unique, and we continue to have big plans for her. At the moment, we are doing some work in the living room, sort of. They are working on the door to the other side of the yard, so when I get all that back in place, I’ll do an update.
If you want to see more about the house, including the renovations before we moved in? Head to the Suger’s Place tag or the House Tour (Living Spaces, technically) video I made a little while ago.
Heading into this post about how to own your own home sooner I checked in with some of the people around me. Some are homeowners. Some give advice on borrowing money or purchasing property for a living. BUT, you should consider your own personal situation before taking on any of this advice. This is general information at best and does not form any sort of financial plan. Got that? Awesome, let’s talk owning your own home sooner.
There has been a lot of talk in the media in Australia about how hard it is to save for your first home and how it’s an endless struggle. As someone who purchased their first home really young, my personal experience of this is certainly different to those in major cities or without the privileges of being raised by real estate agency owners… I mean, politicians with millions of dollars in family money and pensions telling us to lay off the avocado toast is laughable.
Come oooonnnnn. *facepalm*
This fascination with real estate, the great Australian dream, has pushed prices up and up for decades. My first home was $115,000. You can still buy a generous home in my town for $300,000. But, that’s a long way from where we started, right? Some people pay one hundred thousand dollars for a car. Not me, but some people. Buying your own home, having something to show for your hard work (post-loan payments) is one of those tick the box, living the grown-up life boxes; for most people. And if that’s the case for you, I decided to put together a few ideas for ways to move your savings/deposit amounts forward to get you there sooner.
Simple ways to own your first home sooner.
State-based Grants.
Most states have some incentive to help first home buyers get into the market and being state-based they all differ slightly. The one that catches my eye the most (given I live in the state, relevant) is the Queensland government one.
Currently named Queensland First Home Owners Grant you may be eligible to receive up to $20,000 from the State government towards buying a brand new home or building one. This is particularly interesting to keep in mind if you compare the purchase price of 2 different properties one old and one new for the similar price you would be crazy not to do some extra sums to see if you’re better off with a brand new house potentially you designed yourself to suit your exact needs.
Are you currently renting and struggling to save the deposit you need. Have a happy parent gift you a 5% deposit or use their property as additional security? It may be worth talking to a Mortgage Broker about which banks have a Rental History policy to get around the need to show genuine savings. Just because your bank requires you to save a 5% deposit (or more) before considering you for lending doesn’t mean all bank have the same requirement.
I had a friend recently who was told by their bank a specific “in house” rule was a government rule when clearly to an experienced investor that just wasn’t the case. Remember you are the customer when it comes to loans. YOU are buying their services. Shop around. Don’t give loyalty to your bank for free. Expect more from them.
Consider your options.
For me, owning my first home was possible because I lived in a rural area where my income was pretty in line with what I was going to have to pay for my house repayments. It was also around 2001, grain of salt. When you’re considering your options for buying a property for you to live in, it might require you to downsize your essentials list a little. And I’m not saying you’re unreasonable, there is no millennial bashing here. Take a look at your wish list, are there things there you could live without? Or is there a less ‘trendy/expensive’ area you could live your life in that doesn’t cost as much?
Superannuation savings scheme
This was first flagged in the budget last year, and it has finally come into effect (or at least more info now provided). From the 1st July 2017, You now can add extra to your super (on top of what your employer must put in) as a way to save money for your first home deposit. You can put a maximum of $30,000 (maximum $15,000 per year) into your superannuation towards your first home.
After 1st July 2018 withdraw this money as well as the “shortfall interest” (which is a not too shabby, currently 4.72%) it has earned to put towards the purchase of your first home. Obviously, there are rules around this and best to talk to a financial planner about your specific situation. But this may be a way to save for your first home and lower the amount of tax you pay at the same time. Win-win.What a great place to save your deposit rather than in a bank account. Especially if you’re like me and prone to spending ALL the monies.
Bonus for the kids.
Plus, a person under 18 can start to make the superannuation contributions too. They can’t apply for the money to be released until they are 18 years of age but that works, right? I bought my first home not long after my 18th birthday, with a savings plan and my parent’s connections. Not something that everyone has access to, obviously. But THIS savings scheme is a great way to get your kids interested in saving for their first property, their super and what is happening to it long before they’ll even miss that money.
There you go, team. Obviously, all of this is just to bring you some great options for owning your own home sooner. You should take into account your own personal financial situation before committing to any sort of savings or financial plan. I’m here to direct you towards something you might not know, not provide a one size fits all answer. Got it? Awesome. I’d love to hear from you how you’re going about saving for your first home? Or if you’re in there, what was it like for you? What did it take?
Office tour, here we go! I took an Instagram poll {which is a remarkably awkward thing to do} and it came back that 88% of those who voted wanted to see it. I’m not going to spend my days wondering WHY some people voted no. Really. I’m not. *sobs*
But the yes vote has it {please let that be a sign for all things marriage equality} so today, let’s take a look inside my office. As I mentioned in the Instagram story, there really isn’t much to see, so I shared some of the books I’m reading. Let’s get started.
Want to see more from my house? Check out the Suger’s Place tag for everything I’ve shared on the blog so far.
Where should we take a look next? I was thinking our bedroom, but it needs a lot of work. We didn’t want to do too much up there as we are hoping to put in an ensuite ONE DAY, but well, that could be a little while away yet. But I’m happy to show you where it’s at now if you’d be into it. Otherwise, I was thinking I’d make Mr Suger clean up the yard and show you around the outside? Let me know. Don’t make me do another Insta poll. Clearly, they annoy some people. {wink wink}
We’ve been in our home for over two years now. It’s about time to show you guys around. A few of you have asked for this. Anytime I share a video to my story taken inside the house, you’re like, show us more! Well, you asked and I’m obliging. I started recording video, from every angle imaginable and soon I had way more footage than I needed. Not to mention so truly rubbish footage. Haha. But I’ve cut together a video that gives you the gist of what it’s all about.
Take a look at our living areas including the ridiculously good looking hallway. Which, probably shouldn’t be a thing, but it is. Don’t you just love a house with charm and character? When I first walked into this house I knew I could be very happy there. I’d been looking for something unique. Something with style. After years in spec houses, I wanted something with heart. When I found this house, I knew straight away it could be the one.
But, for some people, it looked like too much work.
I heard them talking it over on their way out of the inspection. It’ll cost thousands, they said. It’s so worn out. But, old real estate brat me, well, I knew better. Even if the painting would cost an arm and a leg. After taking Kel through the house, finalising a reasonable time frame for settlement, we were the proud owners of a piece of our town’s history.
Our project began before we moved in. We started with a few minor renovations in the form of a cut through from the kitchen and ripping out the carpets. Then we applied some paint (loads of paint and about 6 weeks) to cover the faded green and salmon walls. As this progressed we ditched the old curtains and blinds; never replacing them. This house was made to let light in. We wanted to let it in.
Soon this 1970’s beauty looked as good as new.
Take a look for yourself.
Want to see more about this house, the renovations and things like that? You’re in luck. Here’s one {some} I prepared earlier. There are even a couple in there from our old house. I miss that place sometimes, but I’ve got to say, this new place feels like home. And didn’t I say that we have a pretty cool looking hallway? I wasn’t lying, right?
There you go team, I hope you enjoyed this look into our house, I can’t wait to share more. In the future, I want to do a walk through how I have my office set up right now, so that’s on the list. Plus, I have some work coming up with Sheridan, so I’ll have to take you into our bedroom. Watch this space. More to come!
Oh yeah, it happened. Or IS happening. It was office makeover time. If you follow me on snapchat (sugercoatit, derr) you would have seen progress as we went through the first day. On Instagram, I shared a before and after of the floor. But what you didn’t see is the transformation of this once single garage turned 90’s bedroom into the home of my business Suger Social.
I mean before, it was bad.
Smelly bad.
Old blinds and stinky carpets bad.
This bad.
And yes, my entire house prior to her recent paint job was that lovely shade of 90’s green with white and salmon trims. Like. A. Boss. Haha. Matching forest green carpet to ice that cake and about 20 or so years of wear and tear. An inspiration to work, it was not. And when I say it wasn’t inspiring, I don’t mean a little bit, I mean it smelt so bad in there and was so dusty and musty that I think if I worked in there I would’ve probably passed out.
BUT.
Nothing a bit of scrubbing, some paint and the removal of anything fabric that was holding damp smells wouldn’t fix. So that’s what we did next. We being the thing here, Mr Suger was heavily involved and I’d hired a painter. After that, it looked a little bit more like the next photos and I set up shop with plans to figure out what the heck to do with the floors later.
But during the recent long weekend, after a few too many hours on Pinterest, I decided that for the time being I wanted to either clean and gloss the concrete or paint it… And a project was born. Mr Suger begrudgingly became my slave again as we moved the furniture out and around. I swept and mopped and scrubbed and scraped the floors. Then he hit them with a pressure wash and all sorts of force.
There may be acid involved.
After a day to dry, and a reunion to attend, the Monday morning we reviewed how it was coming up (badly, so badly, 1970’s concrete for garages, not so fancy apparently). I quickly decided we’d paint. The floor had a lot of variation in texture and even a bunch of pocket holes, but I was ready to go so we proceeded as it was. While it was wet you could REALLY see all that, but I’m not worried, I lived with it how it was before. This was a major improvement.
And so, this week after giving it a bunch of time to dry (and three coats in the end and 4L of black, self-priming paint) I started moving my items back in. I’d decided to keep only a bookshelf and we had constructed a desk from an internal door and two 1200mm saw horses with metal legs. I started putting some items back in, I even grabbed my first daily instagram outfits.
And yes, there’s a long way to go.
My new minimalist furniture choices leave a lot to be desired in terms of housing the legitimate items that a business requires (papers, soooo many papers). So the other night, under the light of the fluro I snapped one last pic for this post. So even though I’m not done and even though there’s a pile of stuff in the corner that needs a home, I’m happy we did it! My business’s new home is looking good. And it feels like home.
This week I had the opportunity to share my recently finished dining area (ok, so these things are never finished but close enough) over at Nicole’s blog The Builder’s Wife. The new Todd Dining Table from Freedom sat front and centre being all awesome as it does. And I thought I need to let the blog folks know about these developments because someone out there might care.
And here we are.
Here I am.
Begging someone to care about my dining table and chairs. About the rug, I NEEDED to find. The recycled boxes that are coming together as a shelving system. All of it, because it’s our home here now and I want you to like it. Love it actually, but I’ll start with like. Let’s check it out!
Cool right? Want to hear more about this spot? Pop over and check out my interview on Nicole’s blog. And if you have any questions about where stuff came from, let me know in the comments. I’ll have to check my Visa statements… Haha.
Back before we had finished painting the house I received an email from The Canvas Factory asking if I’d be interested in reviewing their products on the blog. After a bit of back and forward we reached an agreement and my photos from the photoshoot last year were winging their way to me on canvas for my very own Canvas Factory review!
When they arrived I tagged our photographer Bambi in a photo and she was excited to see them printed. Photos are for printing, she said, and I couldn’t agree more. These photos are beautiful, I love them, I’ve shared them online and on social media, but they really came alive after they were printed. Now they exist. I highly recommend you print more of your photos too. Which also happens to be a really nice tie into the fact that The Canvas Factory review was the reason behind this post. Win.
I’ve printed online and via kiosks before, with varying results. Some majorly varying results. So bad has been my experience that I was worried that too much post production will be done and ruin the quality of the images. That had happened to me before. I was worried that the images would be blurred. Also happened. Or that the colours would be off. Happened, we were almost green.
Then they arrived and I was really, really, really happy. I mean look at the photos, the canvases from The Canvas Factory are amazing. I feel like they are a little more saturated than the original images, but I like the impact of the bright blues against my creamy coloured walls.
The process to get me to delivery was smooth too. I ordered above the agreed amount on my gift certificate and had my pop portrait by Marie O’Neill printed too. I’m glad I did. It’s the best. So fun and vibrant and cool. I’ll share some pics when my office is set up. I guess I just wanted to let you know we are settling in. There are things on the walls. The house is coming together. It’s funny how a few family photos on the wall will do that, right?
Want to try out The Canvas Factory for yourself? I’ve got a link that will give you 70% off your first purchase. Click here and take a look. I hope if you order you share your canvas prints with me when they arrive. I’d love to see them. Enjoy!
Home is where the heart is, right? Tell that to someone who has relied on the kindness of their sister and her family for almost six months and see what they say. They’d probably say, despite missing your sister, your BFF and your adorable nephew desperately, that having your space is awesome. Being settled in is the best. And I’m happy to report that it’s pretty much all systems go here.
Sure there are boxes yet to be unpacked.
Rooms with no furniture to speak of.
My office is still half filled with items we plan to garage sale.
But we are here. The painter is not. It’s our place, and we are settling in just fine. We curl up on the couch, lie in bed at night and shower in our house. We complain about the stairs, and the glass cook-top and laugh because finally, we have the opportunity to because they are ours. This is our fifth house together. The second renovation.
This is our fifth house together. The second renovation. And the 6th time my name has appeared on the title of a property. I feel lucky. There is a chance some in my generation won’t know the satisfaction of owing a bank shitloads of money for your home. But I do, we do, and I couldn’t be happier to do it.
I’m sure there’s more to say on that topic, isn’t there always especially at the moment, but I’m going to leave it there. Let you know that we are doing ok. That we are getting there. That the new couch was worth the fifty-billion years wait to get. Stay tuned, there will be more updates as each of the room are finished off. I mean, I promised to bore you to tears. I plan on honoring that.
Welcome back to another Suger’s Place update! Last time we talked about the house, the glossy for sale pics (from 3 years ago) and the style of the design, now cozy industrial. The renovation is in full swing, the pieces are falling together. The painting is almost done, the servery window through to the kitchen is finished and we have cleaned, sanded and prepared the house to within an inch of its life. We have removed some carpets and old blinds, repaired a few broken doors and changed the locks. And that doesn’t count the work to come outside. And as proof, here’s an iPhone pic collage of our adventures so far. We are totally Block worthy, don’t you think?
So it is with fingers firmly crossed that we say that we hope for it all to be done this week. In theory. Probably. We’ll see how it goes. If you’ve got any magical wishing dust or spare prayers, throw them our way behind our very first world problem. Thanks muchly. And now for some photos taken yesterday afternoon. The latest and greatest update. I call this update, ladders for days.
Eeeep. So close now. And for those playing at home, we move in this weekend fully and officially. So if you had plans to set up camp in my yard, you missed your chance. Oh shucks. Haha. This is me, signing off. I’ll update you all when we move in. If I can pry my eyeballs apart.
