House Design: The Good Parts
The things that are working well right now.
[This is part three of a three-part series on good house design. See parts one and two.]
Finishing the trio of posts about houses - let me practice some gratitude and be humble and grateful for the amazing things that I have.
I have a warm place to live. Not everyone does. So let me be thankful.
Great Things About Our House
We have it. We can live in it. It's not paid off and technically not "mine". But I am currently employed and I am able to earn money and make payments toward it. I am very fortunate.
A friend once said "Currently I am renting my house from both the bank and the government. It will be great when I am only renting it from the government". (i.e. property tax)The veranda faces south. It's a nice place to hang out in the summer time to watch out into the world, while getting some nice sunshine. It's also a cover over the door to keep out wind and rain. "Pretty Good House" would approve.
We can keep cool with wind in the summer. We replaced an old, broken upstairs window with one that opens. It's a casement-style cranking window that sticks out from the house at an angle. This is really nice. Now we can open the window to 'catch' the wind and pull it into the house. Combined with opening an exit window in the far side of the house - this gets us a cross breeze to cool things during the hot summer. Wrathofgnon might be happy.
Upgraded bathroom fans. These were really noisy, but we have quieter ones now. It makes a nice difference. And they are hopefully easy to replace by removing just three screws; shouldn't have to touch any of the fan housing.
Big laundry room. It's great. Our last house was quite small and we never had enough space to dry or put anything.
Bathroom counter space. I've lived in houses and apartments that have neither. It's great to be able to put things down.
We can customize. Unlike previous apartments where I have rented, we are free to improve and upgrade the house as much as we have the energy and budget for. That’s luxury.
Much more greenery. Since we moved in I have planted dozens and dozens of trees, shrubs, plants, and perennial fruit. I love seeing green plants. They really liven up the yard and the space, and make me happy to look at.
I wish the same for everyone.
