What I Love About the House

So we've been living in the rental house for 6 months now.  It's very contemporary, clean (stark) lines, tile floors, high ceilings.  I was reflecting today, as I got ready for Chili Night, that there are a lot of things I like about this house - and a few things I don't.

I find that I really like the "great room."  Essentially, the kitchen, dining room, and main living area are all open and one room.  The kitchen is just part of the living space, with a long benchtop where we put stools for informal eating.  The huge glass windows open up to the backyard, which I also really, really like.  If I were to do anything to improve, I would add electric outlets.  Living in the US, you take for granted the building code that requires outlets every 10-12 feet.  In this kitchen, there are only two outlets.  All mixing, toasting, blending must be done within about 2 feet of the "appliance garage" (I like the appliance garage).

I'd also add a fireplace.

We've been using the heating system, since the temperature has been dropping overnight.  I like that the thermostat has a timer - unfortunately it's not a timer where you can set a specific time for the heat to click on or click off.  Instead, if the heat is on, you can set it to go off in a certain number of hours.  If the heat is off, you can set it to go on.  My new approach is to really heat up the bedrooms before going to bed, then turn off the heat and set it to go back on at 5:30 or so.  I'm the only one who has bought into this approach, though...

I like that you can turn off the electricity at the source.  Every outlet has a little button.  Even if something is plugged in, it won't work unless you flip the little switch at the outlet.  This cuts down on the "vampire" effect of appliances.  It's also fun to play tricks on family members.

The master bedroom closet is a walk in - no door - and it is California Closet designed. I really, really like having the shelves and drawers and the double rung hanging areas.  I find that I'm neater and put my clothes away in Australia than I was in the US.  I attribute that to the closet.  Also, I wear a lot fewer clothes.  I don't think I've "dressed up" at all since arriving.  One of the benefits of working from home for a company 10,000 miles away!

I'm not thrilled with the all-tile floors in the house. Makes everything seem colder. And the lighting in the bathrooms is DARK.  And there's no heating vents in the bathrooms, so they never seem to warm up.  But I love the shower - it's a dream shower.

In 6 months we have to move house because the house's owners will return from Hong Kong.  I hope to find a place we like as much or more than this house.  It's been a great first home in Australia.