Our New House (well apartment in a converted house)
Well you would think that we would be so excited about our first abode not renting that we would write about it sooner - but you assumed wrong. Just because we have moved into a new place does not make us any less slack. (We moved in early January between the rain spells).
We had decided that despite the fact we are not going to live in London, renting for 12 years was just not cutting the mustard and I would hate to think how much money we have wasted. But as we are not going to stay here, we had decided to buy a place that we could rent out to people such as ourselves when we do flee this city - so hence why we have bought an apartment which was constructed by a developer buying a Victorian terrace really cheap in comparison, adding an extension to the downstairs and splitting the flat into three. We have got the first floor flat which means there are people who are above and below us. It is a two bedroom about 648 sq feet (just under 70 square meters) which is reasonably spacious for a place like this. This is because the house is double fronted (meaning it has 4 windows in the bay window area instead of 3 like many of the other houses in the street).
So these flats come almost decked out completely - with kitchen, appliances and running water, but they don't come with curtains or storage in the way of wardrobes or cabinets. The former is OK, but the latter can be a little more tricky. Although it is nice to know we can figure out the layout of the rooms in our own way, realistically in these small rooms can really be implemented in one or two layouts. We discovered today that the developer had put the burglar alarm sensor and built in speakers in the ceiling right where we need to put the wardrobes.
Which brings me to another point - why would you put in a built in speaker system into these places where sound-proofing is a big issue. Proof is, when the neighbour turns on her music (which is actually quite rare thankfully) it is like it is in the next room. Need I say that the developer is about 24 years old, and probably doesn't quite have the grasp of peaceful neighbourly living in mind yet.
But otherwise, the place is quite lovely - being Victorian it is quite charming - even down to the uneven flooring in the hallway. The developer has put in these beautiful wooden sash windows which we keep seeing people stopping and staring at them when they go past on the street. In fact, another developer has copied them down the road - he has even copied the front door. I find this a bit annoying - but as Craig says - imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery.
We also have a balcony out the back which is on top of downstairs extension. The council had given permission for this when the developer had put in the extension as part of the whole house, and then withdrew permission to use it once he converted it to three flats on the issue of privacy - like it ever made any difference!!! They couldn't remove the doors leading onto the terrace as this is a fire escape. The council also did not give us any permission to apply for parking on the street, yet the person on the first flat can apply for as many parking permits as she likes. So I believe that the council is badly run by a bunch of killjoys who don't actually think about the implications of what they are permitting and not permitting.
So having said this, we are ignoring what the council says and it DOES make a huge difference to the place - we have been stuck inside small apartments without much outside space for the last three years and so getting out there is bliss. We have just got our benchseats out there and were enjoying the sun in it today. All of the gardens are full of trees, birds, insects and squirrels so I am happy. I have also got a wormery to compost all of our food scraps out there.
The flat is also in Brixton - once home of the likes of Sharon Osbourne and David Bowie. It was pretty bohemian in the 70s and it still is with a lot of Caribbeans and other ethnic minorities thrown in the pot - so it is quite colourful. You get people trying to sell you weed at the tube station - where else. But it is a great location - zone 2 at the end of the Victoria Line so I get a seat on the tube every day. There is a beautiful park nearby with loads of facilities such as tennis courts, and an outdoor lido (swimming pool to those outside of the UK) which is currently being refurbished. All the area needs are a few better shops and restaurants - Craig and I are happy to bankroll.
So all that is left is trying slowly to furnish this place. This is quite a daunting task given that a) we had nothing in the first place; b) I am trying to be as eco-friendly as possible (without substituting style); and c) we can't go all out given that we are going to rent the place out in a couple of years. Yep quite tough when it is your first house and you can do what you want with it. Never mind, I have been leaving Craig in charge of taking deliveries of orders since he hasn't had a contract for the last three months.
So I am not providing any after photos until we have a little more done - but here are the befores which we got from the real estate website!!
We had decided that despite the fact we are not going to live in London, renting for 12 years was just not cutting the mustard and I would hate to think how much money we have wasted. But as we are not going to stay here, we had decided to buy a place that we could rent out to people such as ourselves when we do flee this city - so hence why we have bought an apartment which was constructed by a developer buying a Victorian terrace really cheap in comparison, adding an extension to the downstairs and splitting the flat into three. We have got the first floor flat which means there are people who are above and below us. It is a two bedroom about 648 sq feet (just under 70 square meters) which is reasonably spacious for a place like this. This is because the house is double fronted (meaning it has 4 windows in the bay window area instead of 3 like many of the other houses in the street).
So these flats come almost decked out completely - with kitchen, appliances and running water, but they don't come with curtains or storage in the way of wardrobes or cabinets. The former is OK, but the latter can be a little more tricky. Although it is nice to know we can figure out the layout of the rooms in our own way, realistically in these small rooms can really be implemented in one or two layouts. We discovered today that the developer had put the burglar alarm sensor and built in speakers in the ceiling right where we need to put the wardrobes.
Which brings me to another point - why would you put in a built in speaker system into these places where sound-proofing is a big issue. Proof is, when the neighbour turns on her music (which is actually quite rare thankfully) it is like it is in the next room. Need I say that the developer is about 24 years old, and probably doesn't quite have the grasp of peaceful neighbourly living in mind yet.
But otherwise, the place is quite lovely - being Victorian it is quite charming - even down to the uneven flooring in the hallway. The developer has put in these beautiful wooden sash windows which we keep seeing people stopping and staring at them when they go past on the street. In fact, another developer has copied them down the road - he has even copied the front door. I find this a bit annoying - but as Craig says - imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery.
We also have a balcony out the back which is on top of downstairs extension. The council had given permission for this when the developer had put in the extension as part of the whole house, and then withdrew permission to use it once he converted it to three flats on the issue of privacy - like it ever made any difference!!! They couldn't remove the doors leading onto the terrace as this is a fire escape. The council also did not give us any permission to apply for parking on the street, yet the person on the first flat can apply for as many parking permits as she likes. So I believe that the council is badly run by a bunch of killjoys who don't actually think about the implications of what they are permitting and not permitting.
So having said this, we are ignoring what the council says and it DOES make a huge difference to the place - we have been stuck inside small apartments without much outside space for the last three years and so getting out there is bliss. We have just got our benchseats out there and were enjoying the sun in it today. All of the gardens are full of trees, birds, insects and squirrels so I am happy. I have also got a wormery to compost all of our food scraps out there.
The flat is also in Brixton - once home of the likes of Sharon Osbourne and David Bowie. It was pretty bohemian in the 70s and it still is with a lot of Caribbeans and other ethnic minorities thrown in the pot - so it is quite colourful. You get people trying to sell you weed at the tube station - where else. But it is a great location - zone 2 at the end of the Victoria Line so I get a seat on the tube every day. There is a beautiful park nearby with loads of facilities such as tennis courts, and an outdoor lido (swimming pool to those outside of the UK) which is currently being refurbished. All the area needs are a few better shops and restaurants - Craig and I are happy to bankroll.
So all that is left is trying slowly to furnish this place. This is quite a daunting task given that a) we had nothing in the first place; b) I am trying to be as eco-friendly as possible (without substituting style); and c) we can't go all out given that we are going to rent the place out in a couple of years. Yep quite tough when it is your first house and you can do what you want with it. Never mind, I have been leaving Craig in charge of taking deliveries of orders since he hasn't had a contract for the last three months.
So I am not providing any after photos until we have a little more done - but here are the befores which we got from the real estate website!!
posted by CarenT at
6:38 pm
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