We’ve moved in – house isn’t ready
December 13th, 2012
Based on the silence over in these parts you’d think that we fell off the planet and we did – we moved into the house, the unfinished house. Our move in date came and without any recourse we needed to get all of our stuff into the house.
So we did and we have been dealing with it ever since, mostly because we haven’t had much choice, but at the same time our little one has thought of this as one big adventure.
The reno’s continue to progress, in the meantime here are some pics from move in day.
Trying to reach something
The ‘Pile’
What Happened to the floor?
The Kitchen on Move in Day
Posted in Home Improvement, Misc/News, Renovation | No Comments
House Vs Condo
October 26th, 2009
Depending on where you live to tell someone that you’re a homeowner brings images of a physical building and some property to mind. What this means to you will probably depend on where you live. In some parts of the country this translates to a house with a nice big yard, a driveway and a garage. This is a very nice image and there have been a couple times where I too wished I had a garage. But this isn’t the end of what home ownership can mean, if you live in a large city like New York or Miami then owning a Condominium maybe the first thing that pops to mind when you think about owning your own place.
Now for me, personally there is a physical building with property, what the details of that are will change over time. I am a home owner and the home I own is a small house with a bit of land but because I live in a large city its not the same as what it would be in the suburbs. I like my house but I have also lived in a condo and after living in both for a couple years I have to say that there are some tradeoffs and benefits to both. For example there is a lot less maintenance that needs to be done with a condo, I never once had to clean the gutters, shovel the snow or worry about the garbage when I lived in a condo. But I also had to live with hearing people in the hallway and not having as much space as I would like.
For me personally the stage I’m in, in my life a house is the way to go. I am fairly young and I can take care of the maintenance work without any problems. I’ve got more space and the privacy that I wanted. When I’m older then a condo might end up being the way to go because of the maintenance items (though we’ll see about that). When you’re looking to purchase a house keep in mind what it is exactly that you’re looking for. Condos have a lot of benefits if you really don’t want to bother with having to worry about the house or do anything about it. While houses take more effort they appreciate in value more, the property itself has value and you get more space and privacy.
If you’re really not sure which one is best for you come up with a list of things that you’d like in your home, sit down with your real estate agent and walk them through it between your budget and the list of things you’d like they’ll have an idea what is realistic. Then when you see the places you’ll have a better idea if you’re more of a house person or a condo person (or like me a bit of both).
Posted in Misc/News, Tips and Hacks | No Comments
House projects done – Time to start blogging
April 21st, 2009
It has been quite a while since I’ve written on this site and I considering all of the stuff happening around the house I thought now would be a good time to get back to writing again. We bought our house last June and I have to say it has been a rollercoaster ride getting feeling like a home. We’ve had work done and a few unexpected issues and now we’re starting to change it to really make it our home.
One of the biggest things we’ve got coming up is a massive kitchen renovation that I have already learned a lot from and I am sure I will continue to learn a lot from the experience. Along with the massive job its been an effort getting the house to be our home and at the same time a simple house. In addition to the house we’ve had a lot to learn when it came to the yard.
I may have started this blog with the intention of cataloging all of the effort that it was going to take to get the house in order but when the little one arrived all spare time went out the window. I think that now with some house experience added under my belt I am more ready to get this blog moving again. Are you a new home owner trying to get a grip on all of the things around a new house? Got ideas for topics you’d like to cover – send me an email at matt@mysimplehouse.com or leave me a comment.
Posted in Misc/News | 1 Comment
Keeping Trash
October 2nd, 2008
One of the most absurd things that you can do is to keep trash yet this is exactly what most of us end up doing. The first thing most people will do is deny the fact they keep trash but they do, I know I do from time to time. Now before I go any further I should quantify what I mean by keeping trash, I’m not refering to actual garbage that ends up in the dump (though some of it should). What I’m referring to are items that are no longer useful; they’re broken and should be taken out with the trash.
What kind of trash people keep around?
When an appliance like a toaster stops working as well as we would like it too or worse still breaks we get a new one to replace it. A lot of the time that appliance or item gets put into the basement or tucked away somewhere just in case. This stuff is now junk that clutters up our lives and it doesn’t just include toasters but pretty much everything. For years I kept an old printer around that still worked but I never used it because it wasn’t very good. I had gotten a replacement and was using that.
Take a good look at your stuff and pick out the trash
Next time you’re in the process of cleaning out your garage or basement look at all the stuff you’ve kept just in case. When a new piece of furniture comes into the house the old one gets kept for emergencies that never come up. Granted some of the trash we keep has potential value but for the most part these items are nothing more than trash.
Trash forces us to buy bigger homes.
My wife and I recently moved into a larger home and I’m starting to notice a lot of items are being kept around even though they have no real purpose anymore. These items are trash or they will be soon enough. Once our house becomes overly cluttered we’ll start thinking we need a bigger home when in reality we need to get rid of stuff.
Getting rid of the trash
We become attached to our possessions for some reason and we have difficulty throwing them out. How many people keep their old cell phones just because there’s a ring tone we used to have on it or a phone number we’ll never call? You have to be ruthless with your trash, if there is no reason to keep an item get rid of it; don’t let it clutter up your life.
Posted in Decluttering, Misc/News, Organizing | 1 Comment
A clean slate
July 3rd, 2008
The main reason that I wanted to start this blog was to write about my experiences in simplifying our new house. I started this site before we got into our new house in hopes that I would be able to get a jump start on the process. Unfortunately life doesn’t always give us the time to do what we would like. We’re in our new house now and we’re starting to get things organized.
We, my wife and I, have a clean slate for the simplified house and a great deal of stuff that we need to do. There are more things to do than I would like but the most important part is that we’ve got a fresh start and some extra space to get ourselves organized. The first project that we’ll be undertaking before we unpack everything is painting the walls – though this will have to be done around working schedules. A significant chunk of this will happen over the weekend and I’ll post about our experiences early next week.
Keeping a house simple shouldn’t be hard but I find that our lives are inundated with stuff and clutter that are totally unnecessary. We buy all sorts of new things and when it comes down to it there’s no reason to spend all that extra money or keep all that stuff. I tried to declutter as I packed but inevitably a lot of stuff came along for the move. After the paining it will be time for another round of decluttering.
Posted in Misc/News, Organizing | No Comments
Welcome to My Simple House
April 27th, 2008
Welcome to My Simple House, a blog about simplifying your home and keeping it that way. We all live in a world of more more more and we’re inundated with information and a glut of stuff. This blog will show you hints for decluttering and keeping things simple. From simple cleaning techniques to ways of getting rid of all of our junk this sites focus is simplicity.
Don’t let the name of this site fool you its not just for house owners but for anyone who has a place to live and wants to keep it simple, neat and organized. By keeping our living spaces organized we have one less thing to worry about as we go about our days.
Posted in Misc/News | No Comments