"In this sticky web that we're all in, behaving decently is no small task." -- Novelist Stacey D'Erasmo

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

The New Condo

     We moved into a new condo in July. Actually, it's not new at all; it was built in the early 1970s, which is why we had to do some renovations, focused mainly on the kitchen and the bathroom.

     This is what the kitchen looked like before we moved in ...


     Then we came along and made it look even worse ...


     But now we've fixed it up ...


     This is what the bathroom looked like originally


     Then we did this ...


     And now it looks a little better ...
 

     But what I'm most proud of is that there was no washer/dryer in the unit; but we managed to squeeze a washer/dryer into the hall closet ...


     So now we can do wash without having to go down to basement laundry room, which looks like a setting from an Edgar Allen Poe story. And if you're not impressed, well then, you try to shoehorn two people from a four-bedroom house into a one-bedroom condominium, and make life reasonably comfortable.

     Honestly, I admit, things are still a little tight. But there's one consolation (besides the fact that our monthly housing expense has gone down by about two-thirds -- the savings that will finance our travels). I'm walking over to the condo pool this afternoon. The water temperature is an even 80 degrees!

15 comments:

Madeline Kasian said...

Looks awesome,Tom! Did you simply repaint the kitchen cabinets?What a difference!! I admire your adventurous spirit in trying out new ways to be retired..will follow your blog to see what's next!

Anonymous said...

Nice renovations. I like your shower curtains, which are better than glass doors.

DJan said...

Wow, you did a GREAT job at renovating that kitchen and bathroom. I am very impressed. :-)

Carole said...

Renovations look great! It will be interesting to see how you and B adjust to the smaller living space. I think a key factor would be lots of opportunities to be outdoors, travel etc. Especially in the winter. We'll be glad to follow along on your next great adventure:-)

Kathy @ SMART Living 365.com said...

Hi Tom! Congratulations to you both for your new rightsized home. And don't worry about the size. You'll get used to it and wonder why you ever needed that former big house at all! And whoo hoo saving over 2/3rds on your monthly expenses. That will DEFINITELY be worth the trade off. ~Kathy

Celia said...

Wow! You two did a great job. Looks wonderful.

MaryAnn said...

Having a difficult time getting my husband to give up the big house for smaller. We lived in a two bedroom apartment for Two years when he changed to his last job. Not sure he is willing to do it again. I guess he will move when he is ready to give up the stairs. The renovations look wonderful.

Still the Lucky Few said...

It's amazing how readily we can adapt to a smaller space! We live in a condo with 1150 sq.ft of space. We are on the ground floor and have a very roomy patio, which helps. Both Bob and I lived in large houses before we got together and made this move. 10 years have passed, and once we got over our longing for more space, it has been great!

Bob Lowry said...

I love looking at before and after photos. Enjoy that pool.

Olga said...

Having the freedom and means to travel and taking your time to figure out where you want to settle is a great plan. The condo seems like a temporary place to park once in a while but it's still important to make it as comfy/homey as possible.

Pam said...

What a big difference it made to lighten up your cabinetry!! Nice and bright. Bet you're glad to have it behind you, tho. Hub and I just finished helping our daughter and son-in-law fix up a farmhouse, and it was fun but so exhausting. Hope you and B enjoy the fruits of your labors.

tahoegirl.blog said...

It looks great what you did. You'll adjust to the size, plus you'll be traveling so..
And yes, enjoy the pool.

stephen Hayes said...

That might be the biggest hall closet I've ever seen.

Linda Myers said...

We've done similar stuff to our park model (trailer) in Tucson, where we spend the winter. A smaller space is just fine without all the THINGS we've accumulated at our place near Seattle. My husband isn't yet willing to give up the house and all his treasures, but as has been said, he will probably change his mind when the stairs get to be too much.

Enjoy your lightened-up life!

Doyle Hunt said...

Everything looks worse before it can look better. You have changed the rooms for the better and they look fantastic. Plus you can always squeeze everything you want to into a house. Finances reduced, you will feel much better so it is all worth it. Plus tight equals cosy in my mind.