Dear Family and Friends,
I always thought that the moment when you get the keys to your first house should be full of emotion. Soap-opera worthy performances of tears and laughter by each person shoud be accompanyed by a deep and comforting voice narrating in the background, informing everyone present about the struggles and triumphs of each party .
An orchestra should be playing themed music in the background, underscoring every step of the way. A world-class professional videographer should be making a masterpiece worthy of Cannes.
The walk-through should be done with care and intention. Every room should be a masterpiece of theater—the drama of one unruly room melding seamlessly with the peace and tranquility of the well-proportioned room following it creating a tension rivalled only in A-list movies or great literary works of art.
At the same time, it should encompass the passions and impetuousness of a modern reality show proving that ANYTHING can be accomplished in 45 minutes if you only have enough paint, four major contractors on-call with no wait time and a budget of $5 plus the 50 cents you found in the sofa cushions on your way out the door.
Reality rarely reaches such pinnacles of success nor such depths of desperation.
Today was our date to join the swelling ranks of the “house-poor” masses.
At 2pm we met the previous owner at the house for the “final walk-through” and the transfer of deeds. We have been the owners of the house on paper for over 6 months and were just taking physical possession of the house and grounds.
It was all very anti-climactic… and perfect.
The owner, an older gentleman, took us around the house explaining in detail every switch and button. He worked as an electrical engineer and developer for BMW—and you can tell by the house.
I am sure I will need a special circuit diagram just to figure out how NOT to shut the blinds when I want to turn on the lights. There is a definite amount of fear of turning up the heat on accident in summer or forgetting to turn off a switch in a remote room until our electric bill shocks us into submission.
Thomas said we will install an emergency-off switch at all exits. I think he is kidding.
We also finally had a chance to see what we had purchased without all the stuff. For the first time we saw the house without furniture or decoration (for the most part). Both of us was waiting for the moment of truth—that dramatic climax reveal where a major renovation throws a wrench into our plans (and budget). That comes from listening to too many horror stories and watching too much HGTV (kind of the same thing, when it comes to home renovation).
Spoiler: there was none.
Yes, there is a lot to do to bring this house into the 2020s and our styles. Yes, it is (much) more than paint. Yes, we did see things we had at least hoped would be non-issues but will need to be dealt with. Yes, a few of our apprehensions were confirmed. And yes, some of our (my) ideas are not even to be considered (we are not tearing down a chimney to enlarge anything, thank-you-very-much).
But we are thrilled. We love the house. We are looking forward to making it our own. Hopefully this time next year will be bringing a conclusion to this monumental project. Just in time for the next monumental projects to be started.
We are home owners. We now live for the projects—forever more.
