Friday, December 19, 2014

A House is What YOU Make of it.

On October 12, 2013, Clint and I moved into our very first house...OUR home! We became home owners...sooooooo exciting. No more landlords, we can do whatever we want, paint any colour, hang up tons of art, have as many animals as we choose (I can't stand THAT much fur, so 2-3 is plenty! lol) and of course tear the ground out and build a veggie/flower garden. Hooray!! Oh wait...the fridge died ugh, the pipes are freezing ugh, oh man the floor is sooooo freezing when it's -30 outside (uninsulated crawlspace) and so many other things....ah, the homeowners responsibility! ha ha ha! And still...I am super stoked to be a homeowner.

Our house was built in 1919. It is amazing. Much of the original beauty inside is gone...covered up with drywall and layers upon layers of flooring. But it is exactly what we were looking for. It takes me under a minute to walk to the beach...VERY important to me! ;o) And, it is located in the downtown core and in the commercial zone. This will eventually make our dream of an in home art gallery/shop come true. When the previous owner showed the place to us everything seemed like it had been done. Well...everything had been covered up to make it look like it was done! lol Make-up, as we all know, can do wonders! Ay yi yi!

For the most part...when you are looking at homes for purchase, you will never find exactly what you are looking for. But I feel that is because most people can not see beyond what the present owners have done with the place. It could be as simple as wallpaper and gross carpet...that can turn a person right off. But remember, you will OWN the place...you can do whatever you want to it. I would go as far as to even say that most people can be handy with a bucket of paint, strength to tear carpet out and the will to make it look like your home. It's amazing what a coat of paint can do to transform a room. That has to be the easiest renovation ever. :o) Look beyond what you are seeing with your eyes and use your imagination when checking out homes. I would suggest getting an inspection done on ones that you are REALLY hungry for. With this place we didn't do that...I regret it, in a way. But, also, this home, location and ability for great change made me want it so bad. Even though I could feel the uneven floor beneath the carpet...I didn't even say anything about that when looking. duh!! My bad. But still, I am stoked to have this home. And even more stoked because Clint knows how to do the renovation repairs himself. Saving us thousands of dollars in labour.

The first completion we have done already is on the outside. Being in downtown and our backyard facing a big open field that is used a giant parking lot in the summer, puts us right in the middle of some of the action. (this is a resort town and summers are very busy. Clint calls it Daytona Beach! lol) Our backyard was open to it all...no fence. I LOVE my privacy. Nothing like sitting in the sun, relaxing with a corona and all the beach goers watching you as they pull all of their gear out of their cars to spend the day at the Beach. Seriously...stop starting at me!!! ba ha ha! Anyways...because we also have pets, I wanted a fenced yard to allow them outside and not have to be out there with them if I don't want to be at the moment. But, of course I LOVE being outside. So, this past summer, Clint built me a beautiful fence. (a family day at the house and my brother and brother in law helping Clint dig the post holes. you can make fun out of any kind of work day!) Even placed my painted stained glass window in the gate. Soooo pretty!!





Privacy at last!!!!! Thanks Clint! xoxo
 Now that it is winter at the Beach...we are indoors working on stuff. Our front living room will be transformed into a gallery space...oh yeah. So far Clint has ripped out three layers of flooring...plywood, 60's carpet and more plywood. Tons of labour...and tons of dust. Our living room is unlivable...a plastic sheeted wall encloses the "work area" and we have moved most of our belongings upstairs. Like as if we live in an apartment. Cozy and nice actually. And all good stories for after the hardest part is over. "Honey...remember when we lived in dust and wood chips and everything was upstairs?" It is a long process but one that will leave us smiling and happy with exactly what we have...what we have made!

Just as life evolves, so can our homes...but with our homes we are the evolution creator! Have fun...get some paint for your walls, build shelves for your walls, tear out some gross old carpet...make your house your home, exactly how you dreamed! Even if you don't know how to do something...you can find tutorials of everything on YouTube!! ;o) (I wouldn't recommend touching electrical though! yikes!) 

And when you are looking for a home to buy...there are many ways to do it. You don't always have to go through an agent...there are always listings through sites like kijiji or craigslist or individual sites all across North America. Like, I can imagine finding your right home is a tough one in the big awesome city of New York...that place is immense. And, also has incredibly cool homes with much character. Imagine owning a Brownstone?! Oh, the things you could do in that place! Well, for all you who want to be in the city that never sleeps...here is 'Compass', a "NYC neighbourhood guide"to find the right area for you to live and then find the perfect house...and then make it your home!

Good luck finding a home, renovating your home or yard and just making your home yours! 


Most importantly though...Have a ton of fun! :o)




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