T +10

The big move occurred 10 days ago so The Shadow and I are now firmly ensconced in our new home.

I suppose I should catch up, let's do it in two logical phases, pre- and post-move:

Pre-Move:
The weeks before the move were hectic. We had to get the house in a position that we could move in, and then actually move in. Packing, cleaning, building and cleaning. SO much cleaning.

We found the bathroom accessories we wanted, we finally selected them from Roger Seller. We picked out a glass shower shelf, rather than the typical glass-y colour this is black with chrome fittings.

We struggled to find a suitable light for above the bathroom mirror. With so much polished chrome in the bathroom the usual assortment from commercial companies just was not up the scratch. We found a light shop in Armadale, Custom Lighting. They had a wonderful selection and we eventually chose a non-chrome led fixture. The material is hard to describe, it is probably a type of plastic, but a modern one. It looks great and the light it throws down the mirror is amplified very nicely.

The carpets were installed two weeks ago. When we headed to the house after work to see them I was quite nervous about how they would look: the colour, the pile... I was a bundle of nerves. Thankfully they look great! And they feel great. We're very pleased with how they came out. It was also incredible just how transformative the carpets were: they really made the rooms feel like rooms, rather than just being spaces.

The cupboard doors were put on the cupboard in the front bedroom and the cupboard above the laundry bench. These, along with the carpets, made the rooms feel complete.

Finally, the oven and stove-top were installed and the hot-water service was installed. The blinds were supposed to have been measured and installed but the blinds-guy suffered a loss in the family.

And then the move happened. Boxes, sweat, labour: I hate moving house.

Selecting a removalist is not easy. There are a lot of companies and very little to aid in the selection process. I called a couple and the prices were quite varied. I had though to hire Man with a Van, but their rates were just too high. Instead I hired Transcorp Removals. I used them last time we moved and they were good. This time, also good. I would like to say they were great or excellent but it was a two man gig, one man was excellent, the other was average. Thankfully, the lead man was the excellent man and his instructions and packing skills were high.

I also had to select cleaners for the old place. Selecting cleaners is probably worse than selecting movers. I figure that the cleaning industry has fairly low barriers to entry, which means there a lot of them. They need to differentiate themselves somehow, but on the web that is not easy with so many competitors, and the prices are all similar. In the end I took a punt with Tydii. They had probably the best rates. The two guys they sent did a very good job. Our townhouse was large, larger than a standard 2-bedroom, so it took marginally longer than the base time, but not much. The additional time was well within a margin, so I was happy.

Post move:
After the move our hall lights were installed. The three lights all look great and we are very happy with them. They give the look that we were going for. For some reason the oyster globe covers do not fit on two of the three lights so we will need to head back to the light store and figure that out. For the time being the two lights have exposed candle globes, which still look ace.

It has taken some time to sort things out, move things around, unpack what is needed. As we still have the extension to build before the house is complete there is still a lot of work to be done.

The house, too, feels like two houses. The four rooms, the three bedrooms one of which is our lounge) and the bathroom, are all finished, polished and perfect. But the hallway has not had its flooring laid yet, it is just the core building floor. So you step out of the plush pile onto the rough floor. The kitchen, being a temporary kitchen, is surprisingly useful and easy to use - but it is not quite right. Again, the flooring makes it feel a little off, but so too do the inconsistencies. The cabinet that was built for the stove and oven is different to the rest of the kitchen. That is entirely fine in the short term, but because the finished rooms have consistency it does feel weird. A perfectly-acceptable-in-the-short-term-until-the-extension-is-built weird.

But that weird feeling pales in comparison to how good it feels walking into our home each night.

Sadly no photos, I will post new photos shortly.