I became aware of Michelle through Flickr.com. She takes amazingly insightful pictures of our area and the small towns that dot the landscape. When she started including mention of a new home purchase in her photo stream I knew I wanted to get her impressions and experiences while it was still brand new. Once she started making it her own it would be more difficult for her to see it as she did the first time she walked through the door. That first impression can lead a person into a whole new creative realm so changes in the house start to happen quickly and weak points are viewed with much more lenience.

Why did you buy a house?
Why not? (She smiles slyly) Actually I've been renting apartments for years on end and
with no real rent prospects here in Small Town, I decided it was time to take it up a notch and settle in.

Did you have any fears?
Not particularly. I went into the decision knowing it was going to take some work and that it was work I wanted to do. I also had a lot of information available about the house so things like will this roof cave in on me never got a chance to cross my mind.

Do you have any specific questions about systems?
Electrical systems, for example? For the most part I know enough to be dangerous, that is to say, I have a cursory
knowledge of how things work. When it's time for me to tackle something specific and manageable, I will ask someone
with some experience and just give it a go. But say, if I decide I want a complete overhaul, I'll probably pay
someone who knows what they're doing (if and when I can afford to do so).

What do you know you can do alone?
I've never been a homeowner before, so I'm finding this out as I go along!

What do you need from a professional?
Mostly help with things that will cause irreparable damage if I attempt them myself...I'm thinking of extending a bit of the house over an existing carport and turning the carport into a full-fledge garage.
Something like that is a project that's probably a bit out of my scope of Things I Can Do and is an instance where I'd
seek some outside assistance.

What are your plans for the house?
To make it cozy and efficient. As it stands it's small but not in a cozy way. And there's space, but not an
efficient use of it, nor are many of the materials in it very energy efficient either.
So...some walls will be built and others just torn right down to make it all flow effortlessly from one room to the
next. I could tell when I walked through it that there was a lot of potential character that the house was hiding in its current condition (icky red shag peel-and-stick carpet hides a lot, I'm finding...).

Do you have a theme or feeling you’re going to highlight?

Just a general easy feeling, I guess would be the word I'd use. Something that feels calm...and not in that New Age way. Just somewhere I want to be at the end of the day and somewhere I won't feel guilty being. I really want
to try and get some Green in my house They have photovoltaic shingles now, fercryinoutloud!
I want it to be a place people walk into and say, oh yeah, this is totally Michelle.

What kinds of projects did you investigate?
I bought the house knowing that the roof is going to have to be redone in a few years, so along my Green theme I have
been investigating some materials to use for that which will help either actually light the house or just make it consume
less energy to keep it warm/cool.
Thus far that's about as long-range as I've gotten with my research.

What room is the most important to function well?
This may seem contrary to popular belief, but I'm actually big on bathrooms. Some people say the kitchen is the heart
of the home, but really....where would we be without a bathroom?

Which room has priority for renovation?
Oh definitely the bathroom. This is without a doubt going to be my biggest hurdle as the current bathroom is smaller
than a postage stamp and doesn't function well at all. Fortunately there is a spare non-bedroom room next door
that I have my eye on for expansion.

Are you going to paint with color?
Well the color I'm planning for my kitchen is called Quite Red so I know at least one room in that house is going to
give people a wee bit of a shock. (she jumps with a look surprise on her face)

Were there any suprises?
Oh yes, loads of little things that I'm still getting updated before I can even begin the actual updating.
I think the biggest one was the bypassing of the water softener system which was a direct result of the discovery of what a water softener system does to an empty hot water heater which namely is something really really gross (though if anyone wants a water softener system...).

Were there any disappointmets?
So far most of the little surprises have been good ones and are to be expected with a 70 year old house.

What discoveries did you find the most charming after moving into the house?
I think the last interior remodel was done some time in the 70's, because I am finding some wicked fun features of the
house which, while they will have to be replaced, have become a source of entertainment for me with each new
discovery. I totally love my retro thermometers, which are everywhere. Disco lives!

Is there any advise you could offer to a woman entertaining ideas of a future purchase?
Just be realistic with your expectations.
I know a lot of the changes I have planned aren't going to be happening for a long, long time. This means I will have
to endure my teeny tiny toilet enclosure for months (if not years) to come, but it's something I have chosen to deal
with.
When you're looking at a house, you need to ask yourself, is this something I can live with if it can't be addressed
immediately?

Do you have a wish list of services or goods?
Updating and relocating the wiring and tweaking the plumbing are probably the two things I think will help make
the rest of the work go more quickly, so they're two ever-present blips on my radar.
Mostly I just really really want to get the back yard fenced so I can let my wee puppy run and run and run and not have
to keep her on the leash when we go outside.

Are you glad you bought a house alone?
Absolutely! My parent's have a lot of knowledge that I plan to draw from, but I really want this to be something I
can say look, I did this!

What would you have done differently?
I haven't felt a twinge of regret yet, so I don't think have an answer to this one.