House built on old golf course - yes or no ?

@Dechi congratulations! I hope you’ll share some of your experiences with moving and what helps make it easier!

I’m very envious of you for already finding and buying a new house! We’re hopefully moving this fall and I’m already low key planning it all out so I can manage

 

Ha Ha Ha ! I’ll have to think about that. Champagne would be a good start...

 

Here is how I’ve managed things so far.

Decluttering : I used my cleaning lady (she’s from an agency that helps people with disabilities) to declutter, throw away and recycle. We put the stuff in her car and the first time I went with her, then she went by herself. It took us about 8-9 hours to do most rooms, on 3 different days over 6 weeks.

My adult kids did their own rooms.

Before moving : I am hiring a contractor to renovate whatever needs to be done. This will get done before I move, so I don’t have to hear the noise or smell paint.

Packing, moving and unpacking : I will be paying movers to pack and unpack also. All I’ll have to do is direct them to where the stuff goes, and they will put everything in cupboards, closet and so forth. Besides having to make my bed and plug the tv and internet, I will have very minimal stuff to do.

The few days after moving, I will get help from friends and family for whatever little nick nacks left to do.

Of course this will cost money, but my health is more important.

 

How are you getting on, @Dechi ? Only a few weeks left before the move if I remember correctly

We bought a house yesterday, so I’ll be reviewing all the helpful tips I got in this thread and start planning.

We were going to spend at least six months looking before we bought, so obviously we found the perfect property before we had really started looking at all! I can’t wait to have a garden and to be on the ground floor, with no stairs between me and the world

 

Two house warming parties!

Best wishes to both of you with moving.

 

I’m glad you found a house. Congratulations ! It’s exciting, isn’t it ?

I am doing ok but really fatigued with the project management aspect of moving, but mostly of organizing all the renovating and work we have to do before I move. I’ve had to hire at least 10-15 different suppliers : painters, movers, landscaping, stair remodeling, floor sanding and so forth. It’s high season, so these guys are really busy and I need to be very organized and do many follow-ups. Everything is planned in my calendar but even then, there is a risk that I miss a deadline. This has taken a toll on me and today I had flu symptoms, nausea and dizziness on top of the usual fatigue, which I don’t usually have when I am careful.

I knew this was going to happen though and I think it’s for the best. I will be better off when it’s all finished.

The work at the new house will be starting in about 3 weeks (so fast!) and this means everything has to be finished in this house prior. I’ve already done 90% of the work with help from my cleaning lady but still a little bit to either give away, throw out or recycle.

Then 14 days to do all the work. I won’t be lifting a finger but I will have to make all the decisions and tell everyone what to do. This will be exhausting.

Then, in 6 weeks, moving day ! Yeahhhhh ! Hopefully the movers will do a splendid job at unpacking and putting everything in it’s place and (all) I’ll have to do is plug the tv, router, printer, home cinema and so forth.

You’re all invited to my house warming party !

@andypants do you have a post for your moving adventures ?

 

No, not yet this week has been crazy, with buying a house and seeing a neurologist, some issues after the biopsy last week and now negotiating with realtors for the sale of my apartment. I’ll set one up later today if I can manage!

 

Make sure you tag me, I want to follow you !

 

The renos at the new house started two days ago. It is going well and according to schedule. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

I had a scare when the contractor told me he didn’t know how to modify the staircase to adapt to my new chairlift, to be installed at the end of the renovations. I put a lot of pressure on him, saying I wouldn’t have bought the house if I had known the staircase couldn’t be made right for the chair.

I had talked to him previously many times, he had came to the house, talked to the guy who’s selling me the chair, so there was no reason for this. After a few minutes, he found a way. It’s not the most spectacular look in the world, but it will be safe and practical. I still don’t know 100% how it’s going to be with the chair on, I’ll just have to wait for that part.

Here is a picture of the stairs after being made more solid and modified. They are being sanded and varnished tomorrow. This will be a complete transformation !

Before : It’s hard to see but notice the steps at the top are triangular shape, and narrow at the end.



After : again, hard to see but notice the triangular shaped steps are gone and there is a square platform replacing them (that’s where the chair needs to stop to let me off). There is also a sideways step to go up. This is what I don’t really like, and the contractor isn’t satisfied either, esthetically speaking, but we didn’t have a choice, it was the only way.



More to come !