So awesome!!!
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Arrgghh, I just filled in some paperwork for subsidies for increasing the energy-efficiency of our home. We signed the paperwork with our contractor last summer, and calculated the expected subsidies back then, and apparantly since Jan 1st some rules have changed. This was positive news regarding our solar panels, but bad news for our heatpump and HR++ window panes. The subsidies on those have gone down significantly. We were so busy doing other things that we missed that news. And we couldn’t have done anything about it, as you can only claim them after they’ve been installed and paid for.
We are financially still afloat, and we will be even after this, but it’s a little setback.Thankfully my yearly review at work was good news, and I’ll be getting a raise in November! Plus a general cost of living-increase in January, but that’s only 1,5%. It’s extra money but of course, it’s not a true compensation for the current inflation rate.
Honestly I’m sort of glad that we’ve already ordered the sofa, because had I known this, we wouldn’t have done it. Just because we’re always very careful. Funny I keep describing ourselves like that, after we’ve just spent a literal fortune on a renovation 
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Instead, to compensate, we’re gathering some tools purchased for this job that we’re already done with, and leftover building materials, and we’ll try and sell those. These things can add up and they take up space. It won’t add up to what we missed out on in subsidies, but I think we can get at least €750 from that. Before the move, Mr. Imma also found a box of some childhood toys that he had wanted to throw out, until a friend recommended looking up the value online. Turns out they’re not worth a fortune, but definitely worth the hassle of putting them on Ebay (maybe €100 for the whole box if we’re lucky).
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Yayyy, I moved my desk into my craft room tonight!! I already set up my Kallax a while ago, but there are also still boxes of random things sitting around. I’ll probably spend the rest of the week settling in.
As part of our adapted budget, we’re postponing finishing the first floor. We have temporary sheet vinyl flooring there and unpainted plastered walls, so it’s not super pretty but completely functional. We’re moving all our bedroom furniture back in and also all my craft room furniture. I’ve already finished the curtains, so at least we’ll have pretty curtains. As soon as I find the time to put up the curtain rods . But it’s a joy to finally sit at my desk in my own room. This space used to be two smaller rooms under the roof, now it’s one bigger room. It has odd angles and corners and the two smaller windows are now one big nice window.
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That’s awesome that you’re finally getting to settle back in to your larger, updated space!
Our builder was finally able to get back and put the final clear coat on our bar and counters. They’re building a couple houses, and the weather dictates a lot of what they can do, so I understand that the finishing work was a bit delayed. It looks so amazing, I really don’t mind that we had some waiting. They even touched up the paint that I managed to scratch off the wall in the stairwell.
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The weather has also put a damper on the workmen finishing our deck…it is so close, but, they had to order special lattice for the underskirt of the deck and they have to build the benches and railings.
I just want them to be done before the end of September because our busiest time for friends and family visiting is Sept-November!
@Immaculata --we are all excited for you and your OWN space. Take your time doing other spaces as time and budget allow. Can’t wait to see pictures…I bet you are happy that you were able to make the space your own with your curtains!
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We’re still working away on the house, little bit by little bit. The anonymous note from the neighbors turned into a huge thing, and we got a visit from the HOA president, who wanted us to pull weeds “before he was forced to report us to the city”. (I’m fairly certain the city has bigger concerns than our weeds, but as he’s a rich guy, I’m also certain he could pull strings if he wants to.) Since there are plenty of other neighbors with weeds, I really have to wonder how much of his push with us, is due to them being annoyed at our house falling into disrepair for several years before we bought it (during the two previous owners), and how much was due to them being forced to see our weeds as they pull into their driveway 30 times a day. (Seriously, where do they GO so many times a day, for such short trips?!?!) So poor Jim had to spend a week outside, doing tons more gardening, that we were just going to hire some landscapers to work on come spring.
We’re hoping that over the fall and winter we can paint the living room and dining rooms ourselves, while saving up to have the outside of the house repainted in the spring, and again, have some landscaping help.
But here’s something purely fun. I hung up the amazing Godzilla cross stitch that @Abbeeroad made me.
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I’m sorry your neigbhours are so awful 
Have you talked to any of the other neighbours with weeds? Do they face the same level of harrassment?? The HOA president threatening you to report you is definitely harrassment, and so is that hate letter you received. Do you think he sent it?
I’m sure people are annoyed that your house has been a bit of an eyesore for them, but that’s not your fault, and they know it. Their meddling might even slow down your process because you’re changing your plans now. If they were worried, they could have invited you for a getting to know you-drink and asked about your plans in a nice way. Also, the more expensive the neighbourhood is, the higher standards people are going to have, maybe if your house was in a different neighbourhood nobody would have batted an eyelid at the state of your house. From the pictures I’ve seen, it looks pretty nice
Honestly, I’m not even sure if the city has anything to do with those weeds. Aside from having more important things to do, there may be something in the HOA’s rules about weeds, but that’s a civil matter between you and the HOA. Would the city really have something to say about what grows on your own property? I’d say there are probably local bylaws about safety and accessability of public roads, pavement etc. But I doubt there’s something about weeds growing on your own property. You also said you guys were mowing regularly. How do they even distinguish the weeds from the grass if it’s all mowed? Are they trespassing on your property or do they have superhero eyesight? If they are trespassing I’d be tempted to call the police. And if they keep nagging I’d be tempted to lose my lawn mower …
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There are actually city laws that don’t allow noxious weeds to get too tall or go to seed because it affects other peoples’ lawn…the height is six inches in our city. They can’t complain about weeds in the grass…our lawn is mostly weeds and some grass, which I am sure those with real, golf course lawns get mad about, but there is nothing they can do. We are not spending money maintaining our landlord’s lawn…we just have to make sure it is neat and tidy and cut short and no weedy vines climb the bushes or house. Fortunately, all of our neighbors work and don’t have time to do a lot of yard work…we have no official HOA…we also got have boats on our lawns unless it is the backyard…
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Everything I have ever heard about HOA makes me really dislike them, fairly or unfairly.
Grass lawns are a waste of space, but there is money to be made in encouraging people to have grass lawns. Okay - not entirely. They can be good for certain lawn games, but I definitely think they are over rated.
According to my son (who collects all manners of interesting information that I would never think to research)hundreds of years ago grass lawns were a status symbol of the very rich. Only they could afford to just let land be put to no real use.
We’re out in the country so we pass by fields that are wildflowers and weeds and they’re gorgeous! And so much better for bees and butterflies!!
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I’ve had bad experiences with HOAs…the one time I lived in a neighborhood with one, they wanted to make it against the rules to park in your own driveway. We had four adults in the house who had their own cars, but only a 3-stall garage. Never again. 
There are reasons for keeping the foliage near your house trimmed back. Pest control. Field and forest are great places for obnoxious insects and vermin to live and breed. Fleas, ticks, rodents, snakes…you don’t need those things living where your kids and pets play. That being said, grass isn’t always the best choice for ground cover (I’m partial to moss and clover). I do have a field full of wildflowers right now, and it’s beautiful.
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A lot of HOAs require that cars be parked IN the garage…glad we don’t have that rule here…multiple cars are a fact of life for most families and the garage has become another “room”, even if it is just for storage…yeah…I don’t want any surprises in the yard…I already literally beat the bushes to make snakes move on before I start trimming or weeding…
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Not the greatest picture, but I’m in the house. We mow the areas between the barns and the house, and around the house, but… there’s 7 or 8 untouched acres of field and forest, and it’s so peaceful.
Side note: basement construction is officially done. The clear coat was finished this week, and the drips were sanded off. And, as soon as DH cleans up all the dust, we can use the space again. 
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In our last neighborhood, every house had a 2-car garage, but nearly every single person parked on the street. They had all filled the garages, to the fricken ceiling, with stuff. Boxes, bins, piles and piles of stuff. Meanwhile every house seemed to have 4 or more cars, so they’d park 2 in the driveway, and the rest on the street. Since the cars were all giant SUV’s, but the street was created before SUVs became popular, they were so crowded that two cars couldn’t pass each other. One had to pull over, and let the other go by. 
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Friends are in a neighborhood like that. To make it worse, we meet there on trash day, so you have to be careful not to block trash cans or mailboxes when you park.
I wish I had a garage, just have a single carport. I could add a garage, but then I would fill it with junk, so it’s probably just as well.
We have a manufactured home, and stopped by “Mobile Home Depot” today to see if they have siding to match what was damaged in a storm. Nope, but there was a cute shower insert that may inspire a much needed bathroom remodel.
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The bar top is finally done and cured enough to use (not heat-safe for a few more weeks, but that’s not a big deal). All the little pinholes that were created by air bubbles coming out of the concrete on that first coat have been filled in. All the sticky spots are covered. It’s as smooth as glass. The basement remodel is finally complete. Still decorating a bit…hanging art, looking for a couple small side tables for the sitting area, need to finish setting up the electronics, etc.
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It looks amazing!
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Thank you!
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It looks amazing! Especially if you scroll back to the before-pictures. It was definitely worth the effort, I’m sure it has made your home a much more enjoyable place to live. The worktops look great. I had no idea concrete could look like this!!
I’m a bit jealous of all the land surrounding your house. You can just walk straight from the house into the forest, I’m sure you get to see a lot of animals. I live in a super urban country, so urban that even the farm my family owned would have been in an urban location by American standards We had 2,5 acres around the farm and we rented fields in other places, so twice a year all the cows had to be herded through the village.
It makes sense to have a lawn area for easy access of a barn or shed, a place where kids can play ball games, a place where you can dry your quilts after washing or do other messy crafts. My house sits on 120 m2 = 0,03 acres of land and that’s pretty much standard here. We don’t have a front yard, and our backyard was destroyed by all the work we did. This week we’ll have good weather so I hope to be able to do some work on it. We have a patch of gravel right outside of the backdoor where we can put a table and chairs, and potted plants, and then there’s a gravel path to the shed. On one side of the shed we’ll have grass and on the other side I’m planning small fruit trees and berry bushes. Our lawn is not golfcourse type lawn, we keep it trimmed but there are all sorts of flowers in it. I think dandelions, buttercups and Roberts geranium are pretty and not weeds! I just remove the nettles. I know nettles are great for biodiversity but my neighbour has enough nettles for both of us
I can see the point of city bylaws for noxious weeds. Our house as well as our neighbours on both side struggle with Japanese knotweed. And while 2 out of 3 neighbours do everything they can to get rid of it (because it can actually damage the foundations of your house) 1 just lets it grow because he doesn’t care. It’s very annoying but there’s nothing we can do about it.
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Quite the space!!! Complete with one arm bandit!! 
I’m sure it will see a lot of great use!
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All the time and hard work and $ sure paid off! Looks fabulous! I know there will be many memories created there for your family and friends!
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