In love with a house
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In love with a house
| Thu, 07-10-2008 - 6:10pm |
Oh lordy. Today I was going into houses and feeling nothing and then went into the last one and damn near peed my pants. it was so lovely and it was old but semi renovated victorian and with all wood stained crown moldings and vintage touches everywhere like mirrors built into the walls and redone and stain glass on the tops of door frames and and and.....oh god I could go broke. But I am smiling so big around here. I would love to go broke and live there. Peanut butter sandwiches here we come. It needs SOME work but it is totally livable and SYB got all teary eyed because it looks like his old house from the UK. It really has a lot of character with the rooms in very distinct shapes and a claw foot tub in the bath. They must have kept a lot of the house original when they redid it years ago. It needs a good clean and the owner is a slob but I didnt care a whit about that. I wish wish wish I had taken pics so I could show on here but alas I cant. We would be buying in a transitional neighborhood in DC which means I would have to reread all of your recent posts so I could be down with the lingo if you know what I mean. But it also means it is a fine investment and that we would be putting our money somewhere where it is bound to grow. The market is a buyers market right now and this neighborhood is moving up for sure. It is full of old victorians and you can see that 60-70% are al in new ownership and being renovated now. The street we would be on in particular is treelined and less in the hood then a street down for example so that is good. Also, there is a HUGE deck, a very large unfinished basement I could make into a studio with a separate entrance already there and ....wait for it......an original antique mirror with new glass RIGHT in front of the master bed, LOL. I saw the mirror before SYB and I just looked at him and winked and yes, rubbed up against him as I walked past him before he saw it. He had the biggest grin on his face. I plan on being the naughtiest home owner on the block....that is, IF he accepts my bid which is going to be a bit on the low side but my fingers are crossed. I think the house is up for too much based on comps and he has already rejected one offer months ago but mine will be significantly higher than that. The house has been up for over 90 days so my feeling is he might have been right at the cusp of reducing the price anyhow. Here's hoping!!! Send big positive thoughts!!
Also, I am being reviewed for one of my performances ( last night) by a major newspaper tomorrow so send good thoughts for that too. The thing was in a huge hall but for some reason VERY poorly run and I dont know really what the reviewer is going to say exactly. It was a tough circumstance even though I was proud of myself.
Aw screw it - save all of your good thoughts for the house, screw the review!
Can you tell I am excited?
Also, I am being reviewed for one of my performances ( last night) by a major newspaper tomorrow so send good thoughts for that too. The thing was in a huge hall but for some reason VERY poorly run and I dont know really what the reviewer is going to say exactly. It was a tough circumstance even though I was proud of myself.
Aw screw it - save all of your good thoughts for the house, screw the review!
Can you tell I am excited?



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Cool!
A lot of folks were grandfathered in when ASID tightened up the certification process in response to states passing certification requirements for those that call themselves Interior Designers. Now, to get ASID initials after one's name, one must have 2-4 yrs formal education and 2 years practice in the field before sitting for the 2 day NCIDQ. If you pass that cert test you can add ASID or IIDA (International Interior Designers Assoc) after your name in your advertising. For the public, the initials ASID should mean something. Texas may be one of the states that does not have requirements for these professions. AZ and CA do require certification.
In Europe, it is still common for Interior Designers to be called Interior Architects, which is a more accurate description. Here, the AIA (Architects prof org) fought hard against that so we are Interior Designers in the states.
City, you have a good plan- cover the costs to make the place livable then save up while living in the space before making remodeling plans. If you do get a property in this particular neighborhood, visit those gentlemen with the fabulous homes. Take note of how they solved the kitchen issue. Find out creative ideas for the storage issues, people had far less clothing and just stuff than we do these days so those homes were not built with much in the way of closets. SYB is right, doing the kitchen bath alterations while the pipes are exposed is a huge benefit and will save you tons of headaches and money for those projects. Every wall that has to cut open will have to be closed up again. Drywall dust is evil.
QB
I think Interior Architect would be more accurate.
Great ideas QB!
City- I would also wait before remodeling, just for ONE simple fact: what if you just don't LIKE the house once you're in it? You want to spend some time there, getting a feel for the house, the neighbourhood, the neighbours, the commute, the schools, the grocery stores, etc. before putting any money into the place.
Plus, it gives you the time to figure out what the house REALLY needs. :)
Thanks!
Hah! until I actually graduate and work 2 years before getting my NCIDQ I will be dirt cheap. And my design skills come from all those years of Illustration/Graphic Design experience. I am so old school in that field. Looney is young enough to have gotten the computer training with her basics. I was pen and ink and rubylith with an exacto knife. But the foundation one got then, especially from a school like Pratt Institute, was totally worth it. I use that education in all that I do in Interior Design. And the little school I'm in now is nothing to sneer at. They are FIDER accredited ( the accreditation for Interior Design programs) and they count a 97% and higher as an A, a 96.5% or lower is an A-. An A- is worth 3.7 for your grade point not 4.0. My kids and M think I am totally nuts for the amount of effort I put in to get those A's, but I really push myself to learn all I can. I am doing this because it is fun, interesting, and very rewarding for me. I can't do things without doing my best. Otherwise, it is a waste of time and money I paid for the class. I'll be nearly 50 and lucky to get hired when I graduate in spite of being a top student now, in spite of being a top student when I went to the big name school. Good thing I know how to run my own business. Running PB's medical practice was worth something to me.
QB
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