Random thoughts about our house
So, as a way of not dealing with the fact that we are unemployed, I've been looking at ways to improve the house. Okay, really, I also spend about 3-4 hours a day searching for a job. Oh, and I hate UGA. They pay so horribly which lowers the pay for everything in Athens because it is such a large employer.
On to home ideas - this got super long...but at least I'll have a record of everything!
So, for those of you who don't know, our house is teeny tiny. Seriously. It has 996 square feet. We are dealing with it, and I'm not totally opposed to the smallness...I'm kind of not into the "bigger is better" camp, in fact, I'm trying to downsize on life and not have unnecessary stuff. All said and done though, 996sqft is pretty freakin' small. The biggest problem is that we only have 2 closets, and they are both small. The house is a 1930's Cape Cod style cottage. It's cute. We have a shed out back, but Kevin isn't comfortable storing things that will get mildew and mold out there, so we have serious storage issues. But, at least the horse tack can live in the shed.
So, our living room is probably the smallest room in the house. The real estate agent called it "the parlor". Currently it has two bookcases, an armor box (not particularly happy about that), an antique end table, and a keyboard in it. Oh, and we keep the stroller in it so that we can put the car seat in the stroller when we come in. And that takes up most of the room. There is a fireplace, which we took advantage of this winter when we went 3 days without electricity due to the snow storm.
The bedrooms are on either side of the living room. Our bedroom has a queen size bed, chester drawers, small dresser and a crib. There is just enough space to walk around the bed. Oh, and we have the bigger or the two tiny closets.
Miriam's room is on the other side of the living room and quite a bit smaller. Currently, she has a PacknPlay and a dresser, along with a bench my mom and grandpa made for me when I was a little girl. Her closet actually comes put into the room, taking up space. But, it's big enough for a small child. I don't think anything bigger than a twin bed will ever fit in there.
The office has Kevin's corner desk as well as the extra kitchen table we have with my computer on it. We also have 3 small bookshelves and a sewing machine (the kind that stores in the table). The bathroom has normal bathroom stuffage. A sink (the kind that is in the cabinet, so we have storage there plus a couple of drawers). We bought a set of shelves for towels and then a shelf to store stuff. Those have helped.
The eat in kitchen is a long and relatively narrow room. Not narrow enough to call the kitchen a galley kitchen, but not wide enough to get an island in there and still have decent space. We did get a pot rack, which has helped significantly with storage. We have to get bottled water...something in the well doesn't sit right if you drink lots of it (we had it tested and everything came back okay though...). We have the giant 5 gallon jug that we refill at Wally World for $1.75. The stand for it cost $30. It sits on top of the fridge along with a myriad of other items. The washer and dryer are also in the kitchen, under a set of cabinets. The dog crate and dog bed are by the kitchen table.
The den (last room of the house) if probably the biggest room. It used to be a screened porch but was closed in sometime in the late 70s. It doesn't have a heater vent, so it gets chilly and we have to put a pretty hefty space heater in there for the winter. Oh, and the floor is linoleum that has been painted a dull red color. It's kind of weird and is occasionally sticky. My mom says it's because they used "porch paint". I'm not sure that this is an official type of paint, but mom knows best, right? There are 3 windows across the back of the room, a door to go outside on the side as well as a window. On the opposite side is a built in bookcase that surrounds the window on that wall. The room gets a lot of light and we spend more time in it than anywhere else in the house. Oh, and quirkyness of the room: since it was originally a porch, the door into the den is still the original exterior panel door with 6 window panes at the top and there is a window over the kitchen sink that looks into the den. It's kind of fun to pass things between the window, plus if you are in the den you can just throw something that needs to go in the sink through the window!
Okay, now that that describes the house I'm going to write down the things I want to get/do. The first big thing I want to do is move our bedroom to the den, which is actually a 3 stage process that involves the current bedroom, the den and the living room. Since the den has no closet, we'd need some closet space. We are also just in serious need of storage space. I was thinking small scale, but Kevin suggested we just get one of the biggish take-up-your-whole-wall wardrobes from IKEA. One of my other goals is to have matching furniture. I think you just hit a point in your life when you want the furniture to at least look like it doesn't clash and that you haven't had it since college. That's what IKEA is for. The built in bookcases are oak as well as the trim in the room...and with 5 windows with 12 panes each, that's a lot of oak. Also because of where we'll have to put the bed, if we want to add a wardrobe, we'll need a low profile headboard (I haven't had a headboard or footboard since 2001, I'd like one now, thank you). So, with my requirements of low profile headboard and oak, I came up with the Malm line from IKEA. We would get the queen size bed, the 6 drawer chester drawers, and the PAX warbrobe. We could also get the shorter 3 drawer chester drawer to put under the window where the bookcases are, but Kevin is talking about building a bench seat with storage space there and I think that would be better - linen storage! So, we can get all of this for less than $900, not too shabby. Other things we would like to add are rugs for the weird painted floor...at least my side of it.
The plan is to get the wardrobe first. It will actually fit in our current bedroom once the crib is out of the bedroom. It'll still be crowded, but will give us the storage space we really need.
The next step before the move to the den is to redo the living room, since it is next to unusable...which will really happen concurrently with the move to the den. I did some measuring, and even though it is small, we can get a sofa and chair in there. I'd like to get the Ektorp sofa from IKEA, but I'm also looking at the Lillberg line as they have a neat sofabed (almost like a futon). I like that the Ektorp has padded armrests, that's really the only bonus on it for me. We also really need to go test them out. Oh, and I want a Poang so that Miriam and I can have matching Paongs.
We have a small space to put the TV. We really need a new TV stand. Our is u-g-l-y. It's an old bookshelf that a roommate gave me. What we've decided that we really need to do to save space is to get a flat screen TV (really, that's just me justifying the desire for a new technological gadget).
We do currently have furniture in the den, but the loveseat and the armchair are both tired and worn out and need to go to a retirement home, so they won't be moving to the living room.
Okay, so when we buy the living room furniture (or at least the sofa) we'll move the bedroom to the den. Woohoo!
The next room after that will be the bedroom. For a while it may become a sewing room or something along those lines. The bookcases from the living room will need to move in there. I'd like to get a fulll size bed for the room and let that be Miriam's room when she gets a little older. I'm looking at Leirvik, Lillesand, Manger, and Tingvoll. I worry about doing a white though because all of the trim is white, and it is stark white. The bookcases are black/brown (that's what IKEA calls the color...looks kinda black to me) so I was thinking of doing a black bedframe with black/brown furniture, most likely the Hemnes dresser (which is my favorite dresser by far). I'm leaning towards the Lillesand bedframe but am afraid it might look to "institutional". I like the Manger, but you have to mount it to the wall and that seems more permanent than I like. We'll see. Anyway, this room can serve as a guest room at least for a couple of year until Miriam grows out of her room (and bed).
Miriam's current bedroom has her crib and dresser, which do match. If we have two children the second kid will end up with this room, and I guess we might try a loft bed to give more space, but haven't really looked into it yet. Kevin's mom may be getting her a matching toy chest for her birthday. I actually expect her to stay in her current room for at least a couple of years. So the stuff for the bigger bedroom is no big rush.
Maybe before the bedroom is complete we will work on the office. I'd like to replace the bookshelves in here, I've had them for probably 8-10 years (well, maybe 5-8, but they came from Walmart and Target and they are on their last legs). We talked about putting up shelves to increase storage space, but I know that it'd just look messy. So, I'd like to put up cabinets, at least on one wall, maybe two. Kevin has the Mikael corner desk for his computer, I'd like to get something smaller for mine, probably from the same line, and clear up a little more space for the sewing machine - what I am using now is twice the size of what I need, at least.
In the bathroom, well, we can't do too much more. We'd like to take out the current shower/bathtub and put in a larger one, but that will probably be a very last thing we ever do, and after we purchase the house (uh, unless we find a display model at Lowe's that only costs $200 or less because I like deals).
The only things I'd like to do in the kitchen are get a new table, move the dog crate, and find some way to cover the washer/dryer. I've thought about having a curtain, but since they poke out just a little more than the cabinets about them do I think it would look silly...and just be irritating in the long run. Oh, and when we put the wardrobe up in the den which will be the bedroom, we'll need to cover the window over the sink somehow. I'm not sure how to accomplish that.
So, that is my home improvement list. I was going to post pictures of the house, but can't get them to upload. Oh well. For those of you who are SCA friends you can come and visit when there is an event at Hard Labor Creek - we are only 12 miles from there.
On to home ideas - this got super long...but at least I'll have a record of everything!
So, for those of you who don't know, our house is teeny tiny. Seriously. It has 996 square feet. We are dealing with it, and I'm not totally opposed to the smallness...I'm kind of not into the "bigger is better" camp, in fact, I'm trying to downsize on life and not have unnecessary stuff. All said and done though, 996sqft is pretty freakin' small. The biggest problem is that we only have 2 closets, and they are both small. The house is a 1930's Cape Cod style cottage. It's cute. We have a shed out back, but Kevin isn't comfortable storing things that will get mildew and mold out there, so we have serious storage issues. But, at least the horse tack can live in the shed.
So, our living room is probably the smallest room in the house. The real estate agent called it "the parlor". Currently it has two bookcases, an armor box (not particularly happy about that), an antique end table, and a keyboard in it. Oh, and we keep the stroller in it so that we can put the car seat in the stroller when we come in. And that takes up most of the room. There is a fireplace, which we took advantage of this winter when we went 3 days without electricity due to the snow storm.
The bedrooms are on either side of the living room. Our bedroom has a queen size bed, chester drawers, small dresser and a crib. There is just enough space to walk around the bed. Oh, and we have the bigger or the two tiny closets.
Miriam's room is on the other side of the living room and quite a bit smaller. Currently, she has a PacknPlay and a dresser, along with a bench my mom and grandpa made for me when I was a little girl. Her closet actually comes put into the room, taking up space. But, it's big enough for a small child. I don't think anything bigger than a twin bed will ever fit in there.
The office has Kevin's corner desk as well as the extra kitchen table we have with my computer on it. We also have 3 small bookshelves and a sewing machine (the kind that stores in the table). The bathroom has normal bathroom stuffage. A sink (the kind that is in the cabinet, so we have storage there plus a couple of drawers). We bought a set of shelves for towels and then a shelf to store stuff. Those have helped.
The eat in kitchen is a long and relatively narrow room. Not narrow enough to call the kitchen a galley kitchen, but not wide enough to get an island in there and still have decent space. We did get a pot rack, which has helped significantly with storage. We have to get bottled water...something in the well doesn't sit right if you drink lots of it (we had it tested and everything came back okay though...). We have the giant 5 gallon jug that we refill at Wally World for $1.75. The stand for it cost $30. It sits on top of the fridge along with a myriad of other items. The washer and dryer are also in the kitchen, under a set of cabinets. The dog crate and dog bed are by the kitchen table.
The den (last room of the house) if probably the biggest room. It used to be a screened porch but was closed in sometime in the late 70s. It doesn't have a heater vent, so it gets chilly and we have to put a pretty hefty space heater in there for the winter. Oh, and the floor is linoleum that has been painted a dull red color. It's kind of weird and is occasionally sticky. My mom says it's because they used "porch paint". I'm not sure that this is an official type of paint, but mom knows best, right? There are 3 windows across the back of the room, a door to go outside on the side as well as a window. On the opposite side is a built in bookcase that surrounds the window on that wall. The room gets a lot of light and we spend more time in it than anywhere else in the house. Oh, and quirkyness of the room: since it was originally a porch, the door into the den is still the original exterior panel door with 6 window panes at the top and there is a window over the kitchen sink that looks into the den. It's kind of fun to pass things between the window, plus if you are in the den you can just throw something that needs to go in the sink through the window!
Okay, now that that describes the house I'm going to write down the things I want to get/do. The first big thing I want to do is move our bedroom to the den, which is actually a 3 stage process that involves the current bedroom, the den and the living room. Since the den has no closet, we'd need some closet space. We are also just in serious need of storage space. I was thinking small scale, but Kevin suggested we just get one of the biggish take-up-your-whole-wall wardrobes from IKEA. One of my other goals is to have matching furniture. I think you just hit a point in your life when you want the furniture to at least look like it doesn't clash and that you haven't had it since college. That's what IKEA is for. The built in bookcases are oak as well as the trim in the room...and with 5 windows with 12 panes each, that's a lot of oak. Also because of where we'll have to put the bed, if we want to add a wardrobe, we'll need a low profile headboard (I haven't had a headboard or footboard since 2001, I'd like one now, thank you). So, with my requirements of low profile headboard and oak, I came up with the Malm line from IKEA. We would get the queen size bed, the 6 drawer chester drawers, and the PAX warbrobe. We could also get the shorter 3 drawer chester drawer to put under the window where the bookcases are, but Kevin is talking about building a bench seat with storage space there and I think that would be better - linen storage! So, we can get all of this for less than $900, not too shabby. Other things we would like to add are rugs for the weird painted floor...at least my side of it.
The plan is to get the wardrobe first. It will actually fit in our current bedroom once the crib is out of the bedroom. It'll still be crowded, but will give us the storage space we really need.
The next step before the move to the den is to redo the living room, since it is next to unusable...which will really happen concurrently with the move to the den. I did some measuring, and even though it is small, we can get a sofa and chair in there. I'd like to get the Ektorp sofa from IKEA, but I'm also looking at the Lillberg line as they have a neat sofabed (almost like a futon). I like that the Ektorp has padded armrests, that's really the only bonus on it for me. We also really need to go test them out. Oh, and I want a Poang so that Miriam and I can have matching Paongs.
We have a small space to put the TV. We really need a new TV stand. Our is u-g-l-y. It's an old bookshelf that a roommate gave me. What we've decided that we really need to do to save space is to get a flat screen TV (really, that's just me justifying the desire for a new technological gadget).
We do currently have furniture in the den, but the loveseat and the armchair are both tired and worn out and need to go to a retirement home, so they won't be moving to the living room.
Okay, so when we buy the living room furniture (or at least the sofa) we'll move the bedroom to the den. Woohoo!
The next room after that will be the bedroom. For a while it may become a sewing room or something along those lines. The bookcases from the living room will need to move in there. I'd like to get a fulll size bed for the room and let that be Miriam's room when she gets a little older. I'm looking at Leirvik, Lillesand, Manger, and Tingvoll. I worry about doing a white though because all of the trim is white, and it is stark white. The bookcases are black/brown (that's what IKEA calls the color...looks kinda black to me) so I was thinking of doing a black bedframe with black/brown furniture, most likely the Hemnes dresser (which is my favorite dresser by far). I'm leaning towards the Lillesand bedframe but am afraid it might look to "institutional". I like the Manger, but you have to mount it to the wall and that seems more permanent than I like. We'll see. Anyway, this room can serve as a guest room at least for a couple of year until Miriam grows out of her room (and bed).
Miriam's current bedroom has her crib and dresser, which do match. If we have two children the second kid will end up with this room, and I guess we might try a loft bed to give more space, but haven't really looked into it yet. Kevin's mom may be getting her a matching toy chest for her birthday. I actually expect her to stay in her current room for at least a couple of years. So the stuff for the bigger bedroom is no big rush.
Maybe before the bedroom is complete we will work on the office. I'd like to replace the bookshelves in here, I've had them for probably 8-10 years (well, maybe 5-8, but they came from Walmart and Target and they are on their last legs). We talked about putting up shelves to increase storage space, but I know that it'd just look messy. So, I'd like to put up cabinets, at least on one wall, maybe two. Kevin has the Mikael corner desk for his computer, I'd like to get something smaller for mine, probably from the same line, and clear up a little more space for the sewing machine - what I am using now is twice the size of what I need, at least.
In the bathroom, well, we can't do too much more. We'd like to take out the current shower/bathtub and put in a larger one, but that will probably be a very last thing we ever do, and after we purchase the house (uh, unless we find a display model at Lowe's that only costs $200 or less because I like deals).
The only things I'd like to do in the kitchen are get a new table, move the dog crate, and find some way to cover the washer/dryer. I've thought about having a curtain, but since they poke out just a little more than the cabinets about them do I think it would look silly...and just be irritating in the long run. Oh, and when we put the wardrobe up in the den which will be the bedroom, we'll need to cover the window over the sink somehow. I'm not sure how to accomplish that.
So, that is my home improvement list. I was going to post pictures of the house, but can't get them to upload. Oh well. For those of you who are SCA friends you can come and visit when there is an event at Hard Labor Creek - we are only 12 miles from there.