We think we have a house!
The Linguist and I spent yesterday pouring over House #3 and House #7. We started in House #3 (a.k.a. The Mansion). I liked it even more than the first time we looked at time. We found out that all the furniture stays. There are some really cool pieces in there and all the books in the library stay, too...We also found that the heating runs on a combo of gas and oil. Oil heating here is quite a bit more expensive and not as reliable as gas. The house has been empty for 3 years and was rented previously, so the owner has no idea how much utilities might be. We also noticed that there is tons of broken glass and broken tile all around the 2 garage buildings. I don't know if that's supposed to discourage intruders or what. And all the plants in the pots are oleanders -- beautiful... and poisonous...and right at toddler level.
Next we went to House #7 (Willow House). Since we move so often (and The Linguist really hates moving furniture), I have a computer file with all of our furniture drawn to scale. It allows me to rearrange to my heart's content and saves the Linguist's back! I had guessed at room sizes in Willow House and tentatively arranged things to see if we could make it work space wise. But after falling in love again with Mansion House I wasn't sure whether I wanted it to be big enough or way too small.
We measured and measured...every space, every empty wall, the length of radiators, inside closets. I'm sure the interpreter and the realtor both thought we were nuts! The end result is that everything was slightly larger than what I'd estimated would be enough. But one of the critical parts of my plan was moving the washer and dryer. The narrow closet designed for laundry is so narrow that once a washer and dryer are installed, you'd have to vault the dryer to reach the washer -- without hitting your head on the low ceiling! Yvonne first told me just to line dry everything. I'm okay with that during the summer, but I can't picture myself line drying clothing for 7 in the middle of winter! Her next suggestion was to put the dryer in the bathroom or the kitchen. Either way, it becomes pretty painful to do laundry that way, and we do a LOT of laundry!
So my brilliant plan was to ask the owner to add connections in the upstairs closet that borders the bathroom. Then, figuring it'd be less work (and preserve the closet space), I decided instead to ask if they could remove the bidet in the upstairs bathroom and put the washer and dyer in there. It's not like the bidet is something we'll be using! Our interpreter was seriously scandalized at my bidet suggestion. "You can't just MOVE a bidet!" she exclaimed. I told her I was no expert, but since it looked like it drained out the back through the wall and it had both hot and cold water, I didn't think it was a big deal. It looks like it's caulked in just like a toilet...
After suggesting it, we just continued with our measuring, and a few minutes later, she came back and suggested that we plumb the upstairs closet for washer and dryer! I told her that was brilliant! Mission accomplished! We'll lose a little storage space, but she had a great suggestion for dividing the bedroom that will make up the difference. She also said she thought we could get air conditioning, water and garbage included at our allowance, in addition to the wall that will divide one of the large bedrooms -- making it a 4-bedroom home.
So we're going with Willow House. It will be cozy and it has great light and great living spaces. It's within walking distance of Fossonova San Marcos, which will be our village. There are several little cafes there and a place where they sell produce. There's also an old church that looks interesting, and we're not horribly far from the big grocery store, the Autostrada and some things like that.
I feel good about it, although a part of me is mourning the loss of Mansion House -- especially because it sounded as if we could've talked them down some on the rent. However, Willow House will undoubtedly be less expensive, which means more money for traveling. We certainly didn't come to Italy to sit inside the house -- even if it is a mansion! Right? I'm still trying to talk convince my materialistic side that we're doing the right thing....poisonous plants in pots on the porch, million dollar heating bills, sweating to death in the summer with no AC, tons and tons of rooms -- but no money to buy beds for the guests to sleep in...
This reminds me a little of Tear Water Tea. (If you haven't read it, it's part of a children's book called Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel. Owl thinks about all of the sad things he can -- like mashed potatoes left on a plate that nobody wants to eat, pencils that are too short to use, and spoons that fall behind the stove -- all the while crying into his tea kettle!) Just so you know, I'm not crying.
Now our interpreter and realtor will contact the owner, and we'll see where we are...
We also learned that there are 2 kinds of buses in Ferrara -- blue buses service outside the city and orange buses service inside the city. Apparently, that was our problem Sunday -- although the bus we were on was silver. So maybe there are 3 lines with #11 buses?
The Linguist and I spent yesterday pouring over House #3 and House #7. We started in House #3 (a.k.a. The Mansion). I liked it even more than the first time we looked at time. We found out that all the furniture stays. There are some really cool pieces in there and all the books in the library stay, too...We also found that the heating runs on a combo of gas and oil. Oil heating here is quite a bit more expensive and not as reliable as gas. The house has been empty for 3 years and was rented previously, so the owner has no idea how much utilities might be. We also noticed that there is tons of broken glass and broken tile all around the 2 garage buildings. I don't know if that's supposed to discourage intruders or what. And all the plants in the pots are oleanders -- beautiful... and poisonous...and right at toddler level.
Next we went to House #7 (Willow House). Since we move so often (and The Linguist really hates moving furniture), I have a computer file with all of our furniture drawn to scale. It allows me to rearrange to my heart's content and saves the Linguist's back! I had guessed at room sizes in Willow House and tentatively arranged things to see if we could make it work space wise. But after falling in love again with Mansion House I wasn't sure whether I wanted it to be big enough or way too small.
We measured and measured...every space, every empty wall, the length of radiators, inside closets. I'm sure the interpreter and the realtor both thought we were nuts! The end result is that everything was slightly larger than what I'd estimated would be enough. But one of the critical parts of my plan was moving the washer and dryer. The narrow closet designed for laundry is so narrow that once a washer and dryer are installed, you'd have to vault the dryer to reach the washer -- without hitting your head on the low ceiling! Yvonne first told me just to line dry everything. I'm okay with that during the summer, but I can't picture myself line drying clothing for 7 in the middle of winter! Her next suggestion was to put the dryer in the bathroom or the kitchen. Either way, it becomes pretty painful to do laundry that way, and we do a LOT of laundry!
So my brilliant plan was to ask the owner to add connections in the upstairs closet that borders the bathroom. Then, figuring it'd be less work (and preserve the closet space), I decided instead to ask if they could remove the bidet in the upstairs bathroom and put the washer and dyer in there. It's not like the bidet is something we'll be using! Our interpreter was seriously scandalized at my bidet suggestion. "You can't just MOVE a bidet!" she exclaimed. I told her I was no expert, but since it looked like it drained out the back through the wall and it had both hot and cold water, I didn't think it was a big deal. It looks like it's caulked in just like a toilet...
After suggesting it, we just continued with our measuring, and a few minutes later, she came back and suggested that we plumb the upstairs closet for washer and dryer! I told her that was brilliant! Mission accomplished! We'll lose a little storage space, but she had a great suggestion for dividing the bedroom that will make up the difference. She also said she thought we could get air conditioning, water and garbage included at our allowance, in addition to the wall that will divide one of the large bedrooms -- making it a 4-bedroom home.
So we're going with Willow House. It will be cozy and it has great light and great living spaces. It's within walking distance of Fossonova San Marcos, which will be our village. There are several little cafes there and a place where they sell produce. There's also an old church that looks interesting, and we're not horribly far from the big grocery store, the Autostrada and some things like that.
I feel good about it, although a part of me is mourning the loss of Mansion House -- especially because it sounded as if we could've talked them down some on the rent. However, Willow House will undoubtedly be less expensive, which means more money for traveling. We certainly didn't come to Italy to sit inside the house -- even if it is a mansion! Right? I'm still trying to talk convince my materialistic side that we're doing the right thing....poisonous plants in pots on the porch, million dollar heating bills, sweating to death in the summer with no AC, tons and tons of rooms -- but no money to buy beds for the guests to sleep in...
This reminds me a little of Tear Water Tea. (If you haven't read it, it's part of a children's book called Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel. Owl thinks about all of the sad things he can -- like mashed potatoes left on a plate that nobody wants to eat, pencils that are too short to use, and spoons that fall behind the stove -- all the while crying into his tea kettle!) Just so you know, I'm not crying.
Now our interpreter and realtor will contact the owner, and we'll see where we are...
We also learned that there are 2 kinds of buses in Ferrara -- blue buses service outside the city and orange buses service inside the city. Apparently, that was our problem Sunday -- although the bus we were on was silver. So maybe there are 3 lines with #11 buses?
Can you post pics of the Willow house after you move your things in? I can't remember which one it is! btw...you look fantastic!
ReplyDeleteSure we will! Probably more than you care to see! It's house #7, if you want to look back...although I don't think the pictures are all that great.
ReplyDelete