New House

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

I recently made the decision to purchase a house. It's old and small, but all I need right now. It'll just be Bella and I living there. I'm just so gushy-excited about it all that I want to share with the Gaia-Pets-People that are becoming my friends.


decor plan:
Paint - a beige-ey-gray for most of the walls (kitchen, hall, living-dining room, top half of bedroom); sage-ey green accent wall in living-dining room and bottom half of bedroom; light green in bathroom; a couple shades darker than the b.g. for the trim; not painting the laundry room at present.
Pink, black and white for accent/accessory pieces in the main part of the house; bright orange (think Tigger/tiger type) in the bedroom; purple in the bathroom.

In the kitchen, I'm going to put a little desk over the crawlspace door for extra storage and 'counter space' (microwave may be going there). We're replacing the current shelves because they're rather greasy-grimy from age; I'm probably going to stick with shelves there, but could end up with cupboards (more storage space?). The coat rack in the closet is getting trimmed and put on the back wall, so it'll be easier to access all the coats.

I'll have my dining table under the window in the dining room. My big/main desk further along that wall, and a tv stand in the corner.
The couch will go on the wall opposite. My bookshelves will go on the wall with the laundry room door.
Bella will have a little fabric 'doghouse' in the room somewhere.

The mirror from the kitchen will be painted with one of the leftover paints (not light green), and hung in the bathroom in replacement of the old thing currently there. I'm going to put a table/shelf/stand thing in the corner between the sink and wall.

I'm going to put my bed on the wall with the window, with a nightstand in the corner (to the left of the bed). Closet doors (mirrors) are gone, not being replaced. The organizer currently there will be replaced with just a curtain rod. In the space underneath will go my cubes. I might put a small bookshelf on the wall behind the door. Bella's bed will be under the window - I'm thinking of finding some way to make it raised/have some sort of 'platform' underneath, so she can have a window she's allowed to look out of; this may be a winter or just "when it happens" project.

Upon Possession
-the fence in the yard is old horizontal boards; the little miss is able to walk right through the gaps without even realizing she's doing so. Obviously problematic. Grandpa promised to fix it. The yard is huge. A few older trees, lots of space for critters to run, a really big shed. I'll probably think about putting in a small garden next spring.-
Kitchen:






Dining Room:



Living Room:



Laundry Room: -I was not expecting such fancy-like machines.



Bedroom:




Bathroom:



Progress report:
The yard is chicken-wired, so as long as the gate is shut tight the monster can't get out. Still no outside pictures.

Accent wall is painted (first and second coat). Top half of Bedroom, the hall, and most of the main room walls have the first coat applied. Still need to do the ones adjoining the green, bottom half of bedroom, the bathroom, and the kitchen. But they have to wait until paint dries and walls are scrubbed (so this week, evenings will be devoted to wall scrubbing).







-the green looks much prettier when it's dry, and the pattern underneath really pops (it's a sort of wallpaper with a palm tree sort of raised pattern); the pictures were just after the second coat was applied. The bedroom best shows the beige-ey-gray (because the other wall shown it was freshly applied)


And, the kitchen looks like a disaster has struck right now (it's the entrance, it'll probably be the last room painted, and it's just convenient for keeping everything in). Laundry room's also facing a minor disaster, on account of it's not getting painted at present (too much hassel with the machines in there), so it's basically a store-room for the extra equipment.  

[Cowgirl-with-heart]

it looks like it needs just a little bit of TLC and then it will be amazing!! congrats biggrin (also, I for one would love finished product pics!)  

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

Definitely just needs some TLC. And really just in the form of paint on the wall - the floors are in really good shape. Some of the baseboards/window frames are cracked, but we're not going to worry about those - as it is there's already more expenses than planned with changing the bathroom mirror (mirror's free, but going to put in a new light fixture there, because the mirror had one) and kitchen shelves.

Finished product pictures will definitely be posted when I get to that point (aiming for end of the month, but it kind of depends when I'm able to go couch-shopping [another unplanned expense, somewhat, because my father'd made it sound like he was going to buy the one I wanted for me and then changed his mind]).  

[Shanna66]

it looks nice. and look at all that storage space!!! thats something my house is lacking. i have no linen closet and my coat closet is so far away from the front door. curse you open floor plan!  

[pompoennetje]

Exciting! Looks like you still need a lot of things to do, but on the picture it looks pretty good, in my opinion. You have a much bigger kitchen(AND BATHROOM) than mine, I'm so jealous!  

[Vanilla eXee]

Awesome! How exciting for you biggrin ANd you're so brave to live alone.  

[Whiskey On A Sunday]

Congrats!  

[Cowgirl-with-heart]

~ Aki - Fairy ~

Definitely just needs some TLC. And really just in the form of paint on the wall - the floors are in really good shape. Some of the baseboards/window frames are cracked, but we're not going to worry about those - as it is there's already more expenses than planned with changing the bathroom mirror (mirror's free, but going to put in a new light fixture there, because the mirror had one) and kitchen shelves.

Finished product pictures will definitely be posted when I get to that point (aiming for end of the month, but it kind of depends when I'm able to go couch-shopping [another unplanned expense, somewhat, because my father'd made it sound like he was going to buy the one I wanted for me and then changed his mind]).

you could check on craigslist, they often have cheap/free good condition couches, OR you could check big lots if you have them, I went there once, and they had good furniture for like 300$ which I think is decent for a couch, specifically a leather or imitation leather one, for cracks you could shove some of that clay that dries up, in there, wait for it to dry, and then paint over it, might work!  

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

Thanks everybody. The bathroom being as big as it is was definitely a nice surprise - I figured small house would have a small bathroom, but obviously not.
The kitchen will be the biggest adjustment - I'm used to having twice as much counter/cupboard space. However, less space = less clutter.

Living alone will be an adjustment, but it's about time for it, I think. I managed okay in college (10 months), when I was truly alone (didn't know anybody around me, family was a couple hours away, kind of burned a few friendship bridges at the end of high school). This time, at least, I'll have my family close (a block away at the least). Plus, it's a small town where I've always lived, so I'm not really afraid of break-ins and such so much.

As for a couch, I'm definitely meaning to check craigslist and kijiji. May be slightly harder though, as I'm looking for a sofa-bed type instead of just a regular one (so I'll have a bed should I have company).

Already using the clay stuff on the walls. I don't know if it'd work on wood, though.  

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

Walls adjoining the accent are first-coated. Top half of bedroom is second-coated, bottom half is first coated. Mirror has a coat of paint on it (may get a second). Second coats of the first-coated stuff will probably be applied on Wednesday. Bathroom and kitchen are still unpainted.















My colours: Root, Species, Loop, Traffic


And, at long last, outside pictures








I'm going to plant some sweet peas and poppies about the place next spring (peas beside the rhubarb plant [pile of dirt at corner of shed], poppies along the front/under the laundry room window, probably)


Living Room ceiling fan is going to be replaced (yay another expense) on account of the light being kind of finicky and me not being willing to risk my fingers (it's not hooked up to a light switch, so far as I can figure; I don't appreciate burning my fingers when I'm trying to turn it off).

And my aunt has offered (the cheap sale of) her couch and chair set on account of she's interested in getting something new. Memory (and aunt) says that the couch is comfy. I'm definitely considering it, but also going to check out what's available at furniture stores. Aunt brought up a good point about the bed feature of sofas rarely being used, so I'm thinking I may go regular couch route (plus, regular couches are lighter/easier to move about).  

[Cowgirl-with-heart]

hidabeds are SUPER heavy, and, unless you end up with couples spending the night, its easier (and comfier) to just sleep on the couch, you could get an air mattress for when you have multiple guests.  

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

That's what I'm figuring. I'm not likely to have guests very often, especially multiples at once, so there's not a lot of point in having an extra bed.  

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

I forgot my camera when I went over tonight, but have to gush anyhow..

Mum painted the bathroom (first coat) today. To say I love it is a major understatement. It's considerably brighter than I was expecting, but not over-bearingly bright (in my opinion).

I've also painted the living room curtain rod holders (you can kind of see them in the before picture, all blah and boring and antique-beige-ey type) to match the dark green (accent wall, mirror, bottom of bedroom).

I'm going to put wire shelves in (like the ones in the old closet organizer) in the kitchen instead of keeping the wood, as well as bringing them around the corner/over the sink wall a bit (no further than the 'middle' of the sink).

I'm getting to the point where I can't wait to move in, now that it's coming together more (and not feeling like it's never going to be done). I just want to furnish it and fill the cupboards with my stuff and groceries and have it be truly mine.  

[Cielarina]

Long-overdue update:
Painting's done. Still need to tile and shelve the kitchen. Most of the furniture is in. My aunt and uncle are giving me chairs (or a gift certificate to the furniture store) as a house-warming gift. Living room fan has been replaced with something newer/more modern; I got my couch a couple weeks ago; Mum gave me a TV for a birthday/Christmas present. Also started moving random crap in yesterday. Still need to hang a light fixture and mirror in the bathroom.

Curtain rod holders, post-painting; you can kind of see the old colour on the backs:




Living Room:



(pillow close-up)

(Bella's indoor doghouse/bed)

Bedroom (the bed takes up pretty much the whole space, but for me that's okay.. I won't be putting a dresser in (clothes will go on the shelves in the laundry room), and I'm not going to use it for much more than sleeping in, so I don't see a need for anything large; still need Bella's bed in the corner beside the vent, and I've got a small bookshelf that I'll put on the wall "behind the door"):


Dining Room:

With the trim colour on them, those little windows to the laundry room don't look so church-ey and old now

Bathroom:


Kitchen (I got the little pink stand from liquidation world.. I think it'll work well beside the door for Bella's gear, outside clothes, etc.. The pockets on the side will be great for extras and mail):



 

[Celestial Fireflies]

What a cute little starter home! 4laugh Green is my favorite color, so I definitely approve.