White Elephant

 Suffice to say, the abode that Azmondeus and I are moving into is, well, quirky. The building was erected in the early 1900s, but that is fine. It has been updated several times since and is certainly livable. Its only major issue is plumbing. Its former owner was an electrician, and as a result the wiring is superb! But he does not understand plumbing, and that is fine. One of the main pipe stacks needs a full replacement - it is rusty and cracked. But we'll probably take care of the entire system, one of which is older than myself. It will also need a bit more foundation. The building was a large house converted into two apartments - so has two of everything. We will have our own bills, with only the mortgage split between the two tenants. 

What makes our arrangement better is that my in-laws are taking the bottom apartment. I actually enjoy my in-laws' company, so I look forward to this. This means we are not going to be swindled on our rent, we know who our neighbors are going to be (no fighting or screaming that can be heard from the other floor, thankfully), and it's a nice area.

The home has a massive, mostly fenced yard (which we intend to finish) for the dogs; a large, partially finished basement; and enough room for us. Unlike this place, of course. 

Our apartment is reached by going up the stairs to a lovely porch with a roof on it. The porch is somewhat slanted to help with water drainage, but we intend to level it out just slightly - as it is slanted a bit more than we would like thanks to the foundation sinking. The living room is the largest of the two apartments - and longer than it is wide. Our front door is on the shorter wall, while the entryway to the kitchen is across from us. The kitchen was clearly not a kitchen prior to being renovated (obviously, of course) - and will eventually be renovated. It has a sink and a very old, retro countertop with round, metal edges. But our in-laws mentioned replacing all the cabinets. I'm not worried either way. 

The bathroom is the strangest part of the house. It is actually separated - a water closet is on the other side of the kitchen (which we aptly named "the shitter closet"), and is a very narrow and short room with a window and a toilet. The actual bathroom is before the kitchen, and is quite long and narrow. The tub is built into the wall, with a very small sink and mirror by the door. The space between the tub and wall is about two feet. It's almost claustrophobic, but once I paint I believe it will look a little more open. Both rooms are small, strange, and quirky - and I love them for it. 

Our master bedroom is just off the living room, and big enough for a bed, end tables, and dresser. We intend to remove the door and hopefully widen out the doorway itself. Now, the second bedroom is very tiny. That will be our "cat room" and will house some cat furniture and well, that's about it. We do not intend to reproduce, so our cats will take the place of the children we aren't having. 

The living room will have a very loose "Star Wars" theme, with steel gray walls, dark carpet, a red loveseat, and black furniture. Some accents will be Star Wars-related, but I don't intend to overwhelm any room with one thing. 
Az has told me the kitchen is entirely up to me, but I intend to keep it bright and open. If possible, I would like white cabinets with wooden counters, a vinyl wood floor, and a gold/coral red/turquoise theme. It will make sense, I believe, as I'm putting it together, but I've found plenty of decorations and appliances that will serve me well.
Our bedroom will be black, turquoise, and white. I look forward to it. The bathroom is going to stay white, with a solid, bold color as its secondary. I don't want to crowd the room at all. The cat room will have no major decor, just a carpet replacement perhaps. If we find we use the room more often, I may do something with it. Our "shitter closet" will be somewhat multi-colored and relaxing. It may be an offshoot of the kitchen.

Our closing date is less than 30 days from now. It may even been sooner than the first of March. That will be interesting. 

So, a quick, non-survey update. Heh.