The last wall went in upstairs today, and while it needs some more filler and sanding, it is nice to have all the surfaces in place so that the painting can continue in earnest. This means that there is the painting of the walls and then the cornices will go on, before the floor will be painted, after which the skirting boards will go on - and then we will have to paint the stairs and then... we will have to wait five days before we can do the second coat on the floors, but then... we will have to wait two weeks until the floor paint is hard enough to put furniture on... but after that, we can move upstairs!
While it feels like it is not far away, everything takes time and money and we don't have much of either at the moment. With a little bit of good news though, we got the confirmation that we can delay the evaluation of the house until June 2021, which means that we can get a summery evaluation instead of a wintery one, which I think should be better. We need the evaluation in order to roll the renovation loan (which was very difficult to get) into the main house loan, which is important, because the interest rates are quite different on the two portions.
It should be okay though, as we have done a lot to the house in the 8 months we have been here, including several large things that we weren't budgeting for this year - the windows were changed, the outside of the house was painted and the garden was partially landscaped to neaten it up, plus add a gravel driveway. This took a lot of our budget, which would have been fine as we have been frugal and have also been adding a lot from our salaries in, but then post-summer, we had some budget blowouts on labor and a surprise or two.
The breathing room for time is a welcome relief though, as we were getting worried that we were going to fall short of our target and not have what we wanted ready. The plan was to get the upstairs done including the bathroom as well as the entrance area and ground-floor toilet, but we would have run out of time with the January evaluation. We are also now cutting out the toilet renovation as well as delaying part of the heating system (air-conditioning) a little in order to save some money. The six months means that we should be able to collect over Q1 and get it done well in time for the summer inspection.
I don't know if you can see from the pictures that it is nearing the end of this phase, but it feels like it has been going forever for us, while at the same time deadlines are rushing in. I think that this is the reverse of the anticipation of going somewhere, where the "to" journey takes forever, and the "from" trip seems to blink by. As is said, time is relative depending on circumstance and the dread of upcoming deadlines for inspections and bills makes time fly - though the pain seems very drawn out.
One little thing that I asked for, is something I have wanted since I was a kid - A "hidden" door. Okay, while it isn't exactly hidden completely, it does blend nicely into the wall and once the edges are cleaned and it is painted, won't be immediately noticeable when entering into the master bedroom.
Besides not being completely hidden, the difference from how I imagined it as a child is that it opens into a wardrobe, rather than a secret sex dungeon playroom. We will build the closet out of modular shelving so that we can adjust it over time as our needs change. Since it is hidden away, it doesn't really matter what it looks like, as long as it functions well. As you can see from the sloping roof, it is where the attic was opened up and there isn't a huge amount of width in there, but it is about 4 meters long so should be plenty. There will also be a strip LED light that runs the length of the roof to light it.
At the first apartment I bought in Finland which only had one bedroom, I built a walk in wardrobe as well and it became a key selling point of the apartment, as they are rare here or, are very cramped. A lot of the residential apartments and houses in Finland do not value storage space and it is getting worse now, with apartments that look nice, but have almost no built in storage, which means filling an apartment with cupboards. The other place where they save on space is in bathrooms and often in kitchens too. It is pretty much the opposite in Australia where "well-appointed" is a must.
I like a home to feel lived in, but I don't like clutter and all kinds of stuff on display all the time and I am a little bit of a minimalist in my tastes. I am hoping that when we finally get to move upstairs, we will be able to build the cozy feeling through texture and lighting, while keeping all of the clutter out of sight. Since we can't afford to furnish it much, we will make do with what we currently have, so it will be a little eclectic in style, but I think that in an old house it is possible to get away with it, without diminishing the feel.
What I am really looking forward to the most, is giving my daughter an awesome space for her to play and grow in. She has been incredibly mature during this time of renovation, as well as through the challenges of this year and of course, everything she has faced over her short life so far. I am hoping that things get much easier for her later in life, so that she can access more of her potential without having to put so much energy into her health. At the very least, I hope she will benefit from all the work being put in now.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]