# New Homeowner
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-homeowner/212430
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [November 10, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-homeowner/212430 "2003-11-10T17:32:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-homeowner/212430/1 "2003-11-10T17:32:33Z")
Tranquilis, myself, daughter and Kitties are now owners of a new house/home. We moved in this weekend, had alot of help packing and moving. Thanks to all who helped / Eppee-Punk, Hedra, Weird-Dave, and Mother-In-Law (who took daughter and 2 nephews from underfoot) and Father and another Mother-In-Law.
Now it is unpacking, putting things back in place and cleaning the old apartment. I am tired but feel really good.
We have visions of upgrades we would like to do to the house, not like it really needs it. Maybe widen the driveway for 2 cars, put a deck on the house maybe in the spring and eventually build on to the second floor (adding a master bedroom and bathroom), maybe lengthening to the garage maybe even to the length of the end of the house.
The house is 4 bedrooms 2 good sizes and 2 smaller, 2 full bathrooms, big kitchen, living room, family room, basement, and garage. All appliances and most of the window treatments were included.
Anyway, I just wanted to share in this new happening.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-homeowner/212430/2 "2003-11-10T17:52:12Z")
Congratulations, **Intaglio** , **Tranquilis** and family!
I’m a new homeowner too. (Although I didn’t expect to be moving into it _quite_ so soon!) I have visions of improvements. I’d really like to erect a garage in place of the 40’x10’ travel trailer that’s been built onto the house. A permit might be a problem since the existing structure rests right on the property line. If I have to set it back five feet, my garage will be 10’x40’; otherwise it will be 15’x40’.
Previous owners had put white tile on the master bedroom fireplace. Pretty damned ugly. The chimney had vines growing on it, so it will need to be rebuilt (no doubt at considerable expense). The living room chimney needs to be 2-1/2 feet taller, and the flue will need to be fixed. $1,200 estimate.
The smallest bedroom is useless as a bedroom, unless I wanted to put a single bed in it. That will be my office.
At least the deck is in good shape! 🙂
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### Author:  [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2003, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-homeowner/212430/3 "2003-11-10T17:59:38Z")
Many people helped out, and really pitched-in. Thank you to all!
I still feel a bit weird in the new place, like I’m an imposter. Maybe I better go find a mirror…
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### Author:  [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-homeowner/212430/4 "2003-11-10T18:05:37Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \*
> \*\*The smallest bedroom is useless as a bedroom, unless I wanted to put a single bed in it. That will be my office.
>
> At least the deck is in good shape! 🙂 \*\*
Ditto on the small bedroom. Our smallest BR isn’t _quite_ too small to be used as such, but makes a much better office.
Deck? One thing we _didn’t_ get was a deck! The original convernience steps placed there 30+ years ago by the builder are still in place. That’s perhaps the _first_ thing we’re changing!
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### Author:  [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-homeowner/212430/5 "2003-11-10T18:20:56Z")
Congrats, **Intaglio**! **Featherlou** and I just bought a house too. We move in on the 28th of this month. Packing is underway, but there’s still tons to do.
Our house is a bit of a fixer-upper, but all the problems are cosmetic. A little paint, some new carpet, baseboards, and a new kitchen countertop (it’s orange – what were they thinking?!?) will make the place look like new. The back yard is going to be the biggest challenge; there are some bushes and trees in odd places, a weird and uneven grade down to the alley and, worst of all, a city eletrical pole with three guy wires running into the yard. All things we need to work around or find ways to remove. We’re planning to xeroscape (sp?) the yard, perhaps terrace it and maybe try to squeeze a parking pad between the wires.
Good luck on your upgrades!
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### Author:  [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-homeowner/212430/6 "2003-11-10T18:53:32Z")
Congrats to everyone
Jimbo - Do as much packing as you can. It will be much easier if all you have to do is move furniture/stuff to the truck and go to new house.
Do you have to lay down new carpet?, Hardwood Floors are so nice, and easier to keep up than carpets. Good luck with your upgrades.
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### Author:  [@tanookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanookie)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-homeowner/212430/7 "2003-11-10T20:19:25Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Tranquilis \*
> \*\*Many people helped out, and really pitched-in. Thank you to all!
>
> I still feel a bit weird in the new place, like I’m an imposter. Maybe I better go find a mirror… \*\*
The first couple of weeks in our new house I felt like I was visiting…
Congrats on the new home!
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### Author:  [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-homeowner/212430/8 "2003-11-10T21:09:00Z")
**Intaglio** : We’re slowly stepping up the packing machine, so we should have everything boxed by the big day.
As for the carpet, what’s in there right now is 30-year-old shag, some dark brown, some kinda orange. It’s not pretty to look at, but, like all shag, virtually indestructible, so it’s in pretty good shape. We do want to replace it with new carpet in the future, rather than hardwood, for two reasons: first, we have cats who would scratch up the finish on a hardwood floor in no time and second, carpet will keep our feet a little warmer in the winter (a real concern up here in the Great White North when the mercury drops below zero). We are looking at converting a bedroom that opens onto the kitchen into our dining room, so we’re planning to remove the carpet in there pretty quickly and put in either lino or hardwood instead.
Thanks for the advice.
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-homeowner/212430/9 "2003-11-11T06:03:35Z")
Moving into a new house is always such a weird experience - the first night you sleep there, it feels like someone is going to come in and catch you in someone else’s house.
We had a really weird experience when we moved into our current house - we’re renting it from Jim’s best friend, so we had visited this house quite often when they lived here. It was a little surreal to be living in the house we used to visit, let me tell you.
As for the packing and moving, I’m sort of in a “paralyzed by too much to do” state right now. Guess I’ll just have to knuckle down and start chucking things in boxes tomorrow.
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### Author:  [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-homeowner/212430/10 "2003-11-11T14:25:00Z")
I was like that, like Oh S\*\*\*, we have alot of stuff, luckily my MIL, FIL and my other MIL came over to pack. Just wrap and put the stuff in boxes, bags, etc.
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### Author:  [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-homeowner/212430/11 "2003-11-11T17:22:53Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by featherlou \*
> **Moving into a new house is always such a weird experience - the first night you sleep there, it feels like someone is going to come in and catch you in someone else’s house.**
Bingo!
That’s the feeling!