Although I am still very much in love with my old apartment, I bought this house anyway. It's very similar in style, but is bigger, and is a minimal amount more a month. And, it's mine, all mine. The boys get to live there. I'm not the greedy type, but I didn't want to be in a 30-year contract with either of them! Anyway, here it is, warts (and it has plenty) and all.

Updates and photos of our progress on it are here...

Not yet pictured: the back yard, the garage, Anthony's room, Anthony's lair, the basement, my room properly, and the studio (master bedroom) properly.

In some ways, it's not quite as gothic as the House of the Setting Sun, but it'll do. It's going to need a name, too, but that can wait. Like the other, it faces west, although its view is not as nice.

As some of you know, this house will be purple as soon as possible.

The back was obviously added later. I am hoping to remove that cement "patio" thing and replace it.
Right now, i have in mind either a wood deck or at least a brick arbored patio. Although you can barely see the
wall on the left of the photo, it runs the full length of the property and hides the storage place next door.
I want to have someone paint a tromp l'oeil on one section, and then I am going to run lattice
along the rest of it and plant a climber. Not Virginia Creeper, however. English Ivy is high on the list, or maybe
clematis. Silverlace sounded good, but it seems like it might be more vigorous than the
VA creeper, and I don't want to be in a constant fight with a plant.

Ah... the neighborhood. Yes, well. Did I mention I got a good deal? The ample cars in the back yard
next door may be part of why. Well, I grew up with cars in the yard, so I'm used to it.

Among the first things to go will be that light-fixture. Ugh. Also, the carpet, if at all
possible. This is the dining room, which is attached to the living room. (See the new light fixture...)

The opposite side of the dining area includes this, uh, lovely bookshelf. The wall is not load bearing.
It should consider itself warned, and as soon I get my hands on a sledge hammer...but that's low
priority right now. The wall lives for another day.

The fireplace. Probably why I bought the place. Fireplaces are a rare thing in houses,
it seems, and I LOVE them. That carpet is going to have to go before it catches on fire.
Unfortunately, the floor underneath will have to be completely redone. The fireplace isn't as cool
as the main on in the gray house, but it is pretty nice. Paul has promised to show me how to build
a mantle piece, so while that's a low-priority job, it's on the list.

Some idiot put laundry hook-ups in the kitchen. This is first on the list of things to fix / get fixed, especially
as there's an OBVIOUS laundry room behind the kitchen.

It should be needless to say, but I'll say it anyway: that flowery stuff is gone, as of 01/09. Yay!
The whole kitchen is ugly, but it'll do for now. High on my list of things to do is to paint the cabinets
for now, and replace them later. At least if they're white, it won't be so hideous! (See our progress...)

My bedroom has, mysteriously, 2 closets. This is the newer one, with sliding doors that don't actually slide and
obscure some small shelves that run up the center of the closet. . They are gone as of 01/09.
Oh, and the door at the back of the closet, to the left, is a sealed-up door to the bathroom.

The second closet has pipes in it. I think the toilet may be relocating to this closet.
This is a mid-range plan. The bathroom really is too small, but this is going to be some
work and some more money to re-do.

La-la-la-la-linoleum. In the back hall.

The OBVIOUS laundry room, unless we are planning to plug in a Godzilla-sized
Defibrillator or something. Eurydice will probably live in here with the washer and dryer..

The door to the basement / Anthony's lair. That flowery stuff is history!

The too-small bathroom. The flowery stuff is kaput! Gone! Banished!

The entire upstairs is supposed to be a Master Bedroom, but Paul will live in this nook, and will use the rest of the room
as a recording studio until we can convert the garage into a better studio; then the room will remain as the control / mixdown room.

And here it is with boxes everywhere, and ME. Moving day or soon thereafter.
I HATE MOVING.