Monday, September 24, 2012

List #44: My Love-Hate Relationship with My Home, or First World Problems

Okay, so the Listicles topic this week was technically Ten things IN my home, but I'm just changing the tiny little preposition in there. I'm also doing 20 things, technically. Ten things I adore about my home & ten things I despise about it because it truly is a love-hate relationship.
Just after I painted the door--we've since added a lot more plants in the front

Let's get the bad out of the way first, shall we? Sadly, this place has seen what our home inspector termed "Years of marginal renovations" so there are far more than ten things that drive me nuts about it. Even if we were super organized & highly ambitions do-it-yourselfers, I doubt we'd ever get to all of them. Here are the ten that I think annoy me most. Ten things I hate about my home:
'Before'. No 'After' yet: still looks the same. :(
  1. The kitchen. From what little research we've done on the place, we think the kitchen was renovated in 1969, when they built what was probably a back porch into an enclosed addition. Other than some terrible paint jobs & a couple of appliances maybe ten years ago, it hasn't been changed since.
  2. The loo. Notice the singular: the fact that there is only one is a problem; the pink & white tiles with hideously stained grout are another issue. Also: it's only about 30 feet square, which is honestly the size a closet should be.
  3. The flooring. Who in their right mind installs WHITE flooring in a bathroom, entryway & kitchen? Seriously? How in the world can it ever look clean? Also, to the 'handy' do-it-yourselfer that installed the hardwood in the 1/3 of the living room that probably used to be the dining room: you suck. The lovely straight lines of the rest of the narrow oak planks contrast ever so well with the off-kilter ones you put in. Sigh.
  4. Our rotting deck. Who decided that a thin layer of battleship grey paint was going to hold off the elements here in Raincouver, particularly when the roof over half the deck has no gutter? Also, this deck used to be the roof of a carport that was enclosed to a garage. For some reason I can't fathom, the deck is about four inches higher than the floor of the house, making for an awkward tiny step in the threshold of the doorway. Lastly, the 66-year-old wrought iron railings are horribly unsafe because any child under about 12 could fit through the bars.
  5. The moulding around the front door. To the genius who thought he'd save money by using some interior MDF moulding he had sitting around: you also suck. Also, could you not have just mitred the ends off at 45 degrees to make the top corners properly?
  6. Carcinogenic neighbours. How is it that BC has a smoking rate of 15%, yet 100% of the homes surrounding us are peopled with smokers? It drives me nuts that I have to breathe their smoke during the summer when our windows are open.
  7. A dearth of closets. The place was marketed as a four-bedroom home. However two of the 'bedrooms' are tiny & do not have closets. There's no entry way closet or pantry. We've got a tiny one in Sprout's room, an okay sized one in our room & a skinny linen closet. That's IT for the whole upstairs.
  8. Ridiculous plumbing. For some reason, the pipes that supply the upstairs bathroom seem to take a scenic route around the house, meaning that we have to wait at least two full minutes to get warm water in there. We also have constant issues with sinks backing up downstairs.
  9. The lack of natural light. One window in one (the tiniest at about 7'x8.5') room faces South. The living room has no windows along the longest wall & the one there is faces North. As a result, we need to have the lights on in there even during the day or it's too dim to read.
  10. Cheap 'wood' panelling. Gawd I hate that stuff & it doesn't look that much better when painted.
I probably shouldn't whine, as were lucky enough to get into the market early enough to own a home in Vancouver proper, unlike so many people who are priced right out of the market here. & while we're comparing ourselves to others, lots of people live in far worse conditions than our little bungalow & I could probably have just entitled the previous list, 'First World Problems'. But anyway, on to the things I'm thankful for. Ten things I love about my home:
Tomato harvest! Top: front garden. Bottom: sun deck 'garden'.
  1. Our garden. I use 'our' very loosely here, as I do none of the maintenance work in it. I helped shovel most of the dirt into it & I built the wooden part of the raised bed in the long veggie garden in the back yard, but pretty much everything since then has been Oliver's domain. Anyway, I do love making dinner with things we grew ourselves. I also love it when Sprout snacks on a tomato or two when we're on our way in from putting the bikes back in the garage.
  2. The original fir floors in two of the bedrooms. I'm a major sucker for softwood flooring & this stuff is in great condition considering it was likely original to the 1946 house.
  3. No wasted space. We don't have any long hallways or awkward corners (well, except in the kitchen cabinets). 
  4. Colours. The outside of the house was an olive green when we bought it, which I like. Then I painted all the exterior doors a bright cherry red to contrast. 
  5. Location, location, location. We live in the neighbourhood we want to live in. We don't need to own a car & can easily walk or bike to tons of great shops, cafes, restaurants, or three of Vancouver's newest community centres. There are tons of fabulous services & amenities in the area for young families, like the Mount Pleasant Family Centre. Here's our WalkScore, if you don't believe me.
  6. The ol' mortgage helpers. We couldn't afford this place without having two basement suites. Gotta love Vancouver real estate. Yes, we could have saved ourselves a quarter million by moving out to the 'burbs, but see #4 on this list for why we didn't do that.
  7. Our skookum hot water heater & furnace. (I know, sexy, eh?) We took advantage of the Eco-Energy Retrofit grants to do green upgrades, replacing our super-sketchy furnace & lame hot water tank with shiny new super-efficient versions that use much less gas & electricity.
  8. No carpets. Okay, I know I've talked about floors a lot & complained about the white tiles & the wonky hardwood, but they are easy to clean. Our floors have survived a numerous er, 'protein spills' from babies, cats & drunk adults at a kegger.
    Using the 'solar dryer' on the diapers & airing out the tent.
  9. Our large sun deck. Yes, it was on the hate list too, but I have to admit, it's pretty awesome to have over 300 square feet of outdoor space just off the kitchen in the summers. We've got our big ol' chest freezer out there; we use it to barbeque; Sprout has half his ride-on toy collection, a swing, water table, pool & sandbox out there.
  10. The fact that it's mine. Okay, ours. Well, more than half of it is, anyway. & eventually we'll pay back Vancity for the rest... 

What do you love or hate about your home? I'd love to hear it in the comments below...


While I'm at it: if you've read this far, could you possibly head over to Circle of Moms & vote for The Sprog in the Top 25 Canadian Blogs? Just click on the badge over there → 

You can vote daily, by the way. ;) 


Why Monday lists? Reading the lovely Chloe's blog, Tea Swamp Park, I found an idea I had to 'steal': a list of all her Halloween costumes, with quite a few photos. She got the idea from Hula Seventy's List Project. I've decided to do the weekly lists for a year that Hula Seventy is doing. 

Tea Swamp Park & Hula Seventy are not the only ones doing lists, however. Click on the Listicles badge to the left to check out NorthWestMommy's list & 'assignment' for next week.

30 comments:

  1. I love, love, love the color of your house. I think, when it comes to houses - the outdoor space always wins. Yours looks lovely.

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    1. I can't take any credit for the green, just the doors. I love red with olive green--it's a nice contrast, but not quite Christmassy.

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  2. The trade offs of living urban are an interesting one aren't they?

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    1. Other than the exorbitant cost of real estate in this city, where we live is pretty perfect for us--our street is mostly houses & duplexes with a few low-rise condos here & here a block or two away. It feels human-scale & has the look of suburban right here, but walk a block or three & you've got all the city stuff right there. :)

      If we moved to the burbs, we could afford a nicer house, but we'd also have to have one or two cars, which would eventually cost as much as the difference in real estate prices.

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  3. There are always compromises with houses, I think. We put up with the stuff we don't like so we can have the stuff we do. Love that you have a swing on your sun deck!

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    1. Sprout loves his swing & can use it in all weather. Definitely worth the $15 I spent on it & a couple of eye bolts. :)

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  4. I agree with Bridget 100%. I would go for the outdoor space and location any day!

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    1. The whole 'Location, location, location' thing is really true...

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  5. I really like your house paint as well as kitchen style. i also like your house cleanness outside , its amazing ....

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  6. You deserve that outdoor space with the closet and window situation you have going on! But how weird about the step up. We have a couple of things in my house, too, where you just shake your head and think, "Seriously?"

    Being able to walk everywhere is intoxicating. I stayed with my SIL in the upper west side of NYC to help her bridge her childcare for 4 days. It is SO great to be able to walk out of your door for everything. And to be able to live in a house with a yard instead of in a tiny apartment would just be fantastic.

    Ellen

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    1. Walkability was an essential when we picked our house. Being able to walk to everything you need is so much more sustainable environmentally, but also when people age. Eventually, most people can't drive themselves around anymore, so how do they get out if they live in a car-dependent area? The seniors around here can use their little walkers or scooters & get groceries or go to the library.

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  7. I love to hate on my house too. But, what a beauty you have! Those colors you painted shown in the first pic are gorgeous. I'm beginning to realize for the majority of us, our homes are works in progress. And that's okay!

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    1. Work in progress is a good way to describe it. Though progress has been incremental... That's what bugs me. It was a huge project we took on & there's so much left to do!

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  8. Love the red door! I think the outdoor space is such a selling point. I miss that in CA you can hangout outside a lot more of the year. I have a nice yard in NJ but it's not used at all in the winter! And, how great to be able to walk/bike everywhere!

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    1. Yeah, I guess you guys get actual winters over there, hey? Here we have a cool & rainy season that's annoying, but you can still bike & walk places easily. You can barbeque in all seasons, especially if you have a roof over the deck. I sort of miss the snow at Christmas though.

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  9. I definitely have a love/hate relationship with my house too. But it looks like for you the love outweighs the hate.

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  10. I love the red door in contrast to the olive green - genius!

    I'm jealous of your garden. I live in an apartment on the 27th floor, with nary a green plant near us (unless we head downstairs to the communal areas - and hello mosquitoes!).

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    1. Do you have a deck, at least? You can do a lot with container gardening...

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  11. I love your door! See, the house I live in isn't one I picked, my husband bought it before we got married, and so I had no say in the location. I try to embrace it for all it is, but some days it's tough, so I just don't think about that!

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  12. I love the olive green exterior with cherry red door! Super cute. I also love that you hang dry your clothes outside!

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    1. I wish we hung more clothes out, but to be honest it's just the diapers on the really warm days of summer, so maybe for three months? I could try the rest of the year, but I doubt they'd dry out there!

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  13. As a Vancouver resident, I have to say that I don't think is a first world problem the cost of a house here. I was in the US (Chicago and Dallas) in August and for the amount of $ I paid for my townhouse in Vancouver, I could live in a mansion down there close to city. Anyway, your house sounds like a cozy place. I love the fact that you 'can' hang things outside for drying. That is a luxury not everyone has here - I could have a fine if I do that in my Strata managed place, gah.

    www.mamaandthecity.com

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    1. Yeah, having bylaws (whether strata or municipal) against drying clothes outside is stupid. How on earth will we cut down on energy consumption when laws make it difficult to hang dry clothes? Stratas & bikes is another issue that drives me nuts--if you live in a condo, most make it near impossible to securely store a bicycle.

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  14. Whoa that is an awesome back deck! And location is everything!

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  15. Love the outdoor space, and Raincouver - so funny!

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  16. Such a great way to look at things--as first-world problems. I feel the same way about my house. We are lucky to have such concerns!!

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