We Won't Be Homeless.

No, "we won't be homeless" isn't just the mantra I've been repeating to myself for the last month. Now it's actually a fact. We found a new place, which fits most of my oh so picky criteria. (You know, things like "safe" and "quiet" and "under $5k/month".)

Except for all the stress, it's actually awesome that we found our new spot when we did. There will be no rent overlap, Scott and I have most of next weekend off work to move, and our buddy with a massive van is out of town and lending it to us while he is gone. We're pretty stoked.

So last time we moved, I posted pictures of how basically every single room in the house was an upgrade. This time, I've just snapped a few pictures of the new house to highlight my favorite parts...

These are phone quality photos, by the way. In real life, everything ins't so... grainy.

Anyways, below is the kitchen. Which is neat. Its big enough (with gas hobs and a full size oven!), bright and cheerful with a nice view of the hills, but get serious- what is awesome this photo is that heat stove!!!! It's a pellet stove, so no bothering with starting and stoking fires. Just flick it on and its churning out magic economy priced heat in no-time.

Also, I like the open plan of the living room, which is where I'm standing. Stairs go up to the right to the bedrooms and bathroom, and stairs go down to the left to the garage and bike room.

Next up, the bathroom. Our last two places have had the oh-so-kiwi bathroom (the one with the bath) and then toilet room. The one with the... well, you get it. This is definitely handy when guests are staying, but on the other hand can be a bit of a pain. I like washing my hands immediately... etc. and basically just enjoy the American-ness of an all-inclusive bathroom.

 But even better- the shower. The water pressure. It's. Devine.

The garage is twice as large as the one we have now, as is the bike room- but I thought pictures of these things are a bit boring. The yard is small like our old one- but so much more useful. Mainly because now we have a deck! It's over the garage, providing a neat view of the neighborhood.

The thing is, I was too lazy to get a good picture of the patio because it was raining outside and I didn't want to get my feet wet. So there's a mediocre phone picture of the entertaining space from an awkward angle taken out the living room window.

Last but not least, we have a bit of the view. No, it's not the old one.

That's the old one...

Ya'll may think we're certifiable, but we traded that in for a view of the hills. Maybe only something a couple of mountain bikers would find just as beautiful.

View from the kitchen window

So there you have it. I met all the critical criteria and a few of the bonuses. We have: 

a) A good location- heck there's mountain bike trails that start out the door and its on a quiet street. 

b) An affordable price. It's $40/week more than our old house... but just the amount of money we save in petrol will cover this cost increase.

c) A garage. It's a double.

d) A heat source. Refer to picture #1! Plus there's heaters in each bedroom!!!

e) A decent kitchen. Check.

f) The extras... Nooo, there's not double pane windows or insulation. This is still NZ! But, private outdoor space, yes! Sunny, not really. Dishwasher, well it's broken but might get fixed. Internal access garage, yes! Laundry away from living space, yes! Off street parking, yes! Nice neighbors, we think so! Decent water pressure, YES! Earthquake repairs done... NO. This is yet another property that has a clause in the lease basically stating we will have to go when it's their turn for repairs. Lucky for us, they're nowhere close yet.

So we are happy with our decision. We can both commute to work via bike, and are much closer to friends and great mountain bike trails. Now, we have 8 days to make this happen (oh, and work full time) (oh, and celebrate my birthday) (and pack) before we leave for the States!

Shifting

At the end of last year, we moved a lot. We lived out of suit-cases and ate a lot of take-aways. Then we settled into our flat on the hill and thought, Damn it feels good not to be moving. We unpacked, settled in... bought a couch. And, well... that didn't last long. 6 months to be exact. We've shifted again. And we're about to shift again. And we're eating a lot of take-aways again (ok, we kind of never stopped. We really like eating out.) Let me explain...

The Earthquake Commission (EQC) needs to do repairs on our old house. That is really no big deal usually, but this particular house had structural issues and we were needing to move out for at least 8 weeks. This fact, coupled with some insurance issues (apparently), made for a looming homelessness without an actual timeframe. Talk about stressful. Our lease happened to be up on June 20th though, and we decided to grasp the opportunity and just take a look at what else is out there.

Here's the thing about Christchurch though. There are heaps of people here on a temporary basis. Construction workers for 6 months, engineers for 6 weeks, architects and designers for a month here and a month there. Many of them either get a hefty stipend to spend on housing, or they can flat out afford a fancy spot, and that drives the prices up. Then there are also heaps of people who are displaced whilst the EQC is fixing their house, and they need a temporary place to stay. Now add all of those people together, and subtract the number of houses that were destroyed by the earthquake. You'll find a deficit. (The hotels are always full, even.) Now divide the number of landlords who are keeping their rates reasonable by the number of landlords who are seizing a huge financial opportunity from the aforementioned deficit. The result? Lots of expensive, crappy houses. In all seriousness, a 2 bed/1 bath house in a bad neighborhood is at least $325/week. A 3 bed/2 bath house with all the amenities (like a dishwasher and washing machine, not a tennis court and cabana boy) is seriously $550/week or more. I know this is unimpressive for San Francisco. But this is not San Francisco, people.

Anyways... we didn't have a ton of requirements for the new house, but we had a few:

- Secure Garage
- 2+ Bedrooms
- Dishwasher
- Safe Neighborhood
- Bike Friendly Location
- No more than $400/week

In the end, I looked at two houses. Thats how many made the cut. And actually, we veto-ed one in the end because it was up a ridiculously steep hill, which is quite bike-unfriendly. So there was one house left. But it ticks all the boxes, and more.

Moving in was a bit of a drama: the storm of the century hit New Zealand and lasted exactly the 4 days we had to move, I apparently have bronchitis, the couch didn't fit through the door, etc. etc. But now it's done, and I'm ecstatic.

It turns out we're only paying 6% more than what we were paying at the old spot, yet everything is better. Our list of nags and niggles at the old house was pretty long (from a super sticky front door key, to horrible hot water pressure, to a tiny kitchen, and on....) and pretty much every single one of them has been resolved. So anyways, here's what you actually care about: pictures!

I decided to do a comparison of the old and new, mostly so we can look back in a few years and laugh about that first place we lived in. But it did have a great view!

Full disclosure: All photos of the old house are after we moved out and cleaned it; and so it looks dismal and empty. All photos of the new house are after we moved in and I cleaned it, so it looks homey and nice. It's my blog and I can do what I want.

Entryway:

EQ damage to the front of the old house

Old
Ok, the front door to our old house was possibly cooler. But the key stuck.

New
Ok, maybe not as cool. But the shiny numbers are neat. And I have plans for those dead plants...

Living Space

Old
Freezing cold, and those sliding doors always stuck.

New
Low ceilings, recessed lighting, warm...

New
(Like our camp chairs?)

Kitchen

Old
No dishwasher, average storage space, small fridge

New
There is no comparison.... its just all better

Bathroom

Old
Was all good and fine except for the hot water pressure. Which was awful.

New
Not pictured: Shower that is actually warm when you use it!

Bedrooms

Old
Guest Room

New
Guest Bed, see below for view from window. I couldn't get a good photo of the two together.

Old
Master Bedroom

New
Scott chose this as the master because he said it felt like a castle!
Yeah, we've got some work to do in here on the EQ damage. That's just Christchurch housing.

Bonus Room

Yep, we now have a 3rd bedroom, and it's a dedicated bike room!

Yard

Old
Front Yard. 32 stairs, in case you were trying to count.

Old
Back Yard. Pretty sweet, huh?

New
Back Yard (Ok, we don't have any front yard- it's just a driveway. Whatevs.)

New
Backyard Planters, can't wait to grow some summer crops!

The View

Old
As you all know, the view from the old place was not too shabby. Especially for morning sunrise shots.

New
Obviously, we've not sacrificed my favorite thing about living up on the hill!

We have a view of the ocean (above) and down on Christchurch city

And of the southern alps

And the city lights at night. Love!

So I am one very happy girl, let me tell you!

But if you'll recall... we're moving again. On Friday. It's almost like a cruel joke... but it's not that bad. We're house sitting for a friend for the month of July, and caring for their wonderful dog, Sally. The house is lovely, has a fireplace, and a TV (which is only exciting because our timing is perfect and the Tour de France will be on!) We'll get a taste of what it's like to live on the flat land (pictured above... we'll be one of those lights), closer to work, stores, and the gym. Although I'm really looking forward to having a pup for a month, I'm pretty sure we'll be stoked to be back up on the hill come August!