Moving Update: Making It Happen

So we found a place, applied, and got approved all within the past 48 hours! It's in the same neighborhood, has about the same amount of space, and allows the cats without any issues. It even has hookups for my washer and dryer!

It is a bit smaller, and doesn't have a dishwasher, but for the price ($695/month) and location, it couldn't be beat. They're finishing up the renovations and cleaning so bear with me on these pictures....

Here is the living room. Definitely similar in size/set up as my last place. There's a nice big window to the right that the kitties can watch the outdoors through, and a coat closet (where I'm standing to take the picture).

view through to the kitchen/dining area

coat closet and front door are over to the left from here

Now onto the kitchen/dining area. The tiles are brand new (they're actually sealing them and replacing the baseboards today), and I believe that the ceiling fan shown on the floor in the living room pictures may be replacing this outdated fixture.

Now, the kitchen is a mess. There are cleaning supplies everywhere, door handles missing (though I may temporarily switch them out once we're in), and the cabinets are in line to be scrubbed down from the grease and such from the previous tenant. But there's a double sink, plenty of cabinet space, a pantry closet, and the new tile from the dining room continues into here. Once this place is finished and ready for move in, it'll look great!

On to the basement... Now I know that this flooring is way out of style, but I actually like it. It's got a funky design, and looks like it'd be pretty durable. Now, that door on the left hand side? That I could definitely do without. And the office style ceiling isn't my favorite, but ultimately, we won't be spending much time down here to just hang out.

I might have this be my project/elliptical space, along with extra storage. If we can get a couch down the stairs (the ceiling is really low on the way down), I can set up my smaller TV and use it as a smaller hang out spot for when Aaron is playing video games on the big TV upstairs. I might be better about staying on top of the laundry if I'm downstairs with it!

But one second. Let's talk about that door on the left hand side. Or the non-door, as it actually is. It looks like maybe it used to be the original entrance into the washroom, as there is a sliding track in the laundry room (see pictures below).

And I hate it.

Why is it still there? It's so incredibly awkward, you can't open or close it, it takes up a good chunk of the wall.... It just weirds me out. I'm trying to figure out a way to change it. Maybe figure out a way to cover it with some curtains? But the problem there would be how to hang them. I couldn't do your traditional curtain rod (or could I?), and I certainly can't use the kind that hangs from the ceiling.

I'm going to have to dig around the internet to see what I can find. Once the wall is covered, I could put the couch in front of it, and it wouldn't look as weird. Plus the laundry room doorway would be covered, so there wouldn't be a gaping hole in the wall.

Speaking of the laundry room.....these things are never particularly pretty, but you can take a look at ours anyways.

The back of the weirdo fake door

Now let's take a look at the rest of the place- upstairs! So let's go, shall we?

Here's the bathroom. A little outdated, but 100% functional. The landlord did mention that they were planning on updating the vanity, and she guaranteed that we'd have a shower head by the time we moved in. The shower is brand new, and though it looks tiled, it totally isn't- talk about easy cleaning! Spray some cleaner in there, and just wipe it down. Makes cleaning the bathroom sound like less of a chore... ;)

Here's where I'll be blogging once we're moved in- my office/sewing room! It has plenty of room for my new desk (it's still in the box waiting for a place of its own), a bookcase or two, and a closet full of sterilite bins (working at a fabric store in the past did not suit my wallet well... I have a lot of fabric and half finished projects).

And here's the master bedroom. It has a closet for each of us, a lot of natural light, and is a good size for my bed, dresser, and a few other furniture pieces.

Oh, and we have a linen closet as well upstairs, which will be nice for towels and whatnot. The contact paper (shelf liner?) on these boards is way outdated, crusty, and cracked, but that is a really easy fix. I can peel it right off and put a new layer on of a solid color or more modern print, and we'd be set.

Okay, so there's our new place. I'll take better pictures once we're about to move in and everything is clean and finished, but this is what we've got right now!

The walls are super smooth, so Command adhesive nails will be a must have; hanging things up will be a lot easier knowing that I can simply un-stick them instead of worrying about the holes in the walls (because there won't be any!). And since I change my mind a lot, that is perfect.

Another advantage of smooth walls is the option to use removable wallpaper (which I conveniently have a roll of that I had originally bought for the hobby cabinet, but never ended up using).

Removable wallpaper might be one of the coolest things ever invented for renters. You can put it up to personalize your walls without painting, and remove it without any trouble when you move. That way you can vamp up a wall or two in your place, but still get your security deposit back!

I'll keep you updated on the move, but I can finally start thinking about what my next project will be (who am I kidding, arranging the furniture, decorating the walls, etc. will keep me busy for a while).

If you have any other suggestions for personalizing rental properties, please feel free to let me know! I'd be open to any advice/suggestions.

See you around!