Soon, the last shift for the day will begin - I calculate that we should be able to do one room a day with two coats of paint on it. This is working in the evenings after Smallsteps hits the hay, since my wife and I both work the days.
We spent the first part of the day clearing trash and most of the dust, so that we don't have to climb over the clutter while we edge and then roll the walls. We actually have only been able to paint a couple hours so far, but I am liking the colour we have chosen. It takes on the ambient light bouncing off surfaces, so it will change again once the floors are painted and since they will be white, it will be a more true feel to it.
I have to admit though, I am pretty tired and my body aches, yet I am feeling pretty good about the work we have done, as it definitely has connected us more to the house. Some people prefer the "move in ready" houses, which is great in many ways - but it is a bit soulless for me for some reason, there is nothing personal.
One of the benefits of renovating a home is that we are part of the story, we are characters in the history of the house and both the decisions made and a lot of the work done is our own.
I have talked about how houses change usage over time due to the people who live in them and the styles and cultures of the day. This house was built in the 60s and there are parts of it that are created for that time, like smaller windows to keep the heat in. But, the space has shifted as different families have lived here and now it is our time to add to the story of the house.
There is a trend in Finland to restore houses to their past, including having the 1950s and 60s kitchens, even if impractical. While I understand this, I also think that houses can evolve to represent the culture of the family too, which is more our style.
We want to have spaces that are right for us, not right for a 1960s family. This is why we are opening up spaces, cleaning up lines, bringing in more light and hiding away clutter where we can. What I hope is that it gives us the space to become more creative, more relaxed and more of a family.
The upstairs of the house is built for us, a place where we will spend most of the time when we are home and especially as a family. Yet, it gives room for everyone to have their own space to get away and section off from the world. I am looking forward to observing how we start to use it once ready and how Smallsteps makes it her own.
I wonder how much of an effect the home has on a child's development. Not the family, the actual home. I grew up in a large and old farm house that allowed us the space and privacy to be as loud as we wanted, as there were no neighbours within earshot. I think that this has made a difference to the way I interact later in life too, where I am not concerned with who overhears a conversation I might be having. Has the childhood home made me less careful in some way?
Maybe, it is impossible to tell, but I think that since we have moved here from an apartment that was a little cramped in some sense, Smallsteps has blossomed and has become more confident and independent. It could of course be a natural part of her maturing, but the timing indicates there has been influence from her physical surroundings.
I hope that one day, more attention is given to not only looking after the environment, but building spaces where we as a community can flourish. More green space in a city for example, more opportunity to interact with unknowns, a little more random and freedom. Would it affect the way we live by improving the way we think and feel?
I think our surrounding have to have some influence on our mood, which means the thoughts we have are going to be nudged also. I wonder if we work out where we feel the best and then build spaces that provide some of that, will we become better versions of ourselves?
Which spaces relax you the most, where do you feel the most creative? And, when you are in those spaces, what is the sound like - is there silence, music, the hum of traffic in the distance? Where do you feel that you are at your best?
Does the space matter at all, or just the walls in our head?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
I think where an individual grows up has a lot to do with life as an adult. Being in the Army at basic training it was pretty easy to see the city verse the rural vs the country people. On the bivouacs the city people did not sleep very well at all. The country people rarely left the base to enjoy a little bit of town or city life.
Of course my perception is a bit jaded as I grew up in a rural almost suburb area. Town was only a couple miles away on bike, the city was only an hour away by car. So I don't have the "it's to quiet" or it's to noisy issues of many people. I can sleep through cars honking sirens going off, and snap of tree branches, the buzz of insects, leaves being rustled by the wind.
Housing in the sixties was for a different type of family, in many cases families were larger and grand ma or grand pa may have lived there or lived real close. A home gets its character from the past and the present. There will always be a history to a house and that history is added to paint layer by paint layer. (wall paper layers). In sixty years it will be a totally different home.
What do you think caused the difference?
I know a few people who have moved from the country to the city and then can't sleep, because it is too noisy. I sleep through anything at all.. Luckily, my daughter is pretty much the same :)
Our house had two families living in it at some point and there were two kitchens as well, but only one place to shower. It was also home to a music composer/producer and some famous Finnish singers used to stop by from time to time. The neighbors (been here just as long as the house) told us about it :)
It is interesting what it will become in 60 years - will it still be standing?
I think a lot of city people have Agoraphobia, in a city there is always somewhere to duck in when you hear an unusual noise, not so when sleeping under the stars with no tent. There is no where to get away from the unusual, to them sounds.
When it comes to country people in a city it is all the closed in feelings, the lack of openness, and the strange sounds that permeate a city but not the country.
Like you I can pretty much sleep anywhere, and through almost any noise.
The space were you live matters a lot. Your environment influences your overall life and it begins with the home where you stay.
The paint, the decorations, the arrangement matter a lot.
Cramped up spaces tend to stress me a lot, I love staying alone in big rooms and can hardly stay with someone else in a room. All of which is influenced by my childhood, I was an only child for a long time.
Being an only child would change things definitely! I never had that luxury - I am from a big family.
Do you think you are a better version of yourself when you are alone?
Yes, I am the best version of myself whenever I am left alone.
I see myself as an extrovert but I am beginning to see myself as an extroverted inttovert- that is if that is a thing😂. I like to be in control of my space hence the ENTJ personality.
I think that everybody that moves into a house leaves a mark on it (Maybe not. Those people that put plastic runners down and plastic on their furniture might not) but those that renovate start with a fundamental change.
Some people are footnotes to houses, some are chapters. Houses need footnotes and chapters.
Space matters, of course it does. Even more, is our perception of the space. If the space is truly ours and matches our vision of it, then it's a happy place. I predict that your house and your space are going to be happy.
I think anybody can do anything in anyplace. I also think that everybody can do better in a friendly environment. So why not have the place you want?
Dear @tarazkp, Are you going to rent a part of your home to someone else to solve your financial difficulties?
No.
The financial difficulties I have are not going to be enduring, they are due to the schedule of the renovation. At some point, it will be okay. Even if we did want to rent some of it out, it is under renovation and no one would want to live in sawdust and the noise of hammering and circular saws.
I occasionally wonder if growing up on my island made me too trusting/assuming that people will say what they mean and that they generally won't lie, but it seems that's just a me problem, as apparently there was some small town syndrome that happened to some other people that completely went over my head XD
I also thought that growing up on said island is what makes me partial to the beach and open spaces with an overwhelming aversion to apartment living (visiting the cbd is fine), but at least one of my friends from that selfsame island thrives in cities, "the bigger the better" in their words.
When we moved to our current house my older kids were 2 and 4 and aside from the adjustments and getting used to being in a different house after moving, there wasn't a lot of difference in how they'd been in the past house and in the current house. I think there would have been a vast difference in how they are now if we'd had to stay in the duplex unit though XD
Anyway I think the space does matter but like with everything else how much is going to depend on the person.