If you had told me, five years ago today, as I unlocked the door to a small condo for the first time, that I'd come to love this little home, I might have laughed.
By this point in the proceedings, I'd had my share of anxiety and minor panic attacks about becoming a homeowner, especially this particular home. I knew going in that it needed a lot of love, and after a month of escrow and the act of signing over the entirety of my savings account to make this place mine, I was having...not buyer's remorse, but definite feelings of, "What the hell am I doing?!"
You know the story by now. The place was a mess. In five years I have:
- Scrubbed years' of hard water stains and dirt away
- Cleaned guinea pig poops out of various corners
- Scooped heaps of crap and petrified food bits out from underneath the stove
- Re-painted every wall (with some professional help)
- Had the floors replaced
- Replaced the oven/stove (DOA and also filthy)
All of the above BEFORE I could even move in. Then...
- Replaced the dishwasher (died after a year)
- Replaced the refrigerator (died about two or so years in?)
- Replaced the washer and dryer (washer died this year, dryer was probably close)
- Had a ton of straw cleaned out of the dryer vent (Dude: "Bird nest?!" Me: "No, guinea pigs.")
- Replaced the faucet on the kitchen sink (really fun when it broke and sprayed water across the kitchen)
- Had a microwave installed over the stove (replacing a very ugly/stained stove hood that never worked)
- Had the kitchen counters and sink resurfaced to fix massive chips.
- Had one new toilet installed (the other is coming soon)
- Had my bedroom closet professionally done by California Closets
- Same for the laundry closet
- Fixed or had fixed myriad plumbing and A/C issues (I will likely replace the A/C in another year)
Things on my current wish list:
- Resurface the counters/sinks in both bathrooms (same process as the kitchen)
- Have all cabinets, doors, and door frames sanded/painted
- Replace A/C unit for newer, more efficient model (current is 20 years old)
- Replace the second toilet
- Replace sink hardware in both bathrooms
But as it stands, Casa Meg, as it was christened five years ago today, is not too shabby. Most important, it's HOME. I walk in the door and know that it is my haven. I have comfy furniture, a pretty garden, and two sweet cats waiting for me.
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| Morning in Casa Meg--my window faces south so it's well-lit, but not sunshine-in-the-face. |
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| I have a piano in my dining nook. And a cat. |
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| Getting the counters resurfaced this year was the BEST. They look so nice now. |
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| The guest room/craft room/gym/office is pretty busy but it gets its many jobs done. A lot of Zoom teaching went down in here last year. |
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| I love the layout, where the bedrooms are on opposite sides of the house. My bedroom and bath are behind the kitchen. (Hi Popcorn!) |
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| Tons of comfy pillows and pretty colors. I love my bed and bedroom. |
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| Of course, home is best experienced from the comfort of the sofa, wrapped in your favorite blanket with a cup of tea. |
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| A favorite addition--a vintage chair that was my maternal grandmother's, and a stool that Dad's uncle Matt made for Mom and Dad as a wedding gift. Mom would love that I have made them my own. |
