Desperately trying not to count my chickens before they are hatched, but we are seconds away from taking possession of our own pile of WA sand and our own double-brick 'n' tile, alu window, 3x1 with auto retic, side access, evap aircon, solar HW, powered shed and alfresco. Like how I've mastered the local lingo?
Basically that means we have bought a cheap, tired little puppy of a house in the city that a few years back was deemed to have some of the least affordable housing in the world. Our new house is certainly no mid-century modernist dream-home; soon after starting the househunt here I realised that that simply wasn't going to happen in Mandurah. So we have formulated a new plan: we have bought a house that is well located (walking distance to school, beaches, shops etc), ripe for a style makeover (it has every shade of brown decor you could ever hope for) but structurally sound. However the main attraction of the house is that it is also an ideal candidate for a sustainability makeover as it has a good basic layout - and that took some finding.
My job over the next few months will be completing the first phase of turning this sow's ear of a house into a silk purse - and with the sort of budget that some folks round here use to cover the carseats in their his 'n' hers Hummers.
I've already been weighing up the priorities and making lots of decisions: water-saving toilet vs a few more metres of marmoleum, Bosch Activewater dishwasher vs Cloth fabric curtains, roof space ventilation vs Featherston chair, induction cooktop vs custom-built hoop pine ply bookshelves, PV solar panels vs Trippen shoes from Ricarda (OK, that last one is a fib but I'm still allowed my dreams). Then the big decision will choosing an architect to help us achieve the next phase of the plan (recommendations gratefully accepted).
But there is one decision we are all happy not to have to make. When the four of us head to Perth for a grand day out and get peckish, two people inevitably suggest "sushi!" and the other two suggest "dim sum!" Thankfully we don't need to arm wrestle over it as we have found a place that serves both. On a conveyor belt. Yes, robo sushi on the high road and robo dim sum on the low road, trundling past with no tricky decisions required. Edo Shiki, we love you.
If only all my decisions were that easy.
How exciting. All the best for you and your family in your new home. We are currently in the same dilemma that you guys were facing over the past several months and are hunting for our own home. Not sure I am brave enough to face the kind of renovation project that may bring these homes into our budget but we shall see. Looking forward to seeing some before and after shots from you. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks. It took us a year to work through this decision and I still sometimes have "what have we done!" moments. Good luck with your hunt. Met a great woman in the weekend who is a real estate agent in Perth (25 yrs exp) and she reckons the market won't bottom out for a year, so keep looking.
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