008 WOW! JUST WOW!

FIRST CLOSE UP OF MY FRONT DOOR

Wow!  Just Wow!  Today is the big day.  It’s final inspection of my new house which will coincidentally be my first time inside my place.  Up to this point I have been able to see the house from behind a construction fence, but was not permitted to get close to it, or to enter it in any way.  This is all to do with safety with all of the big machines running around the complex, and workers working inside.

LOOK UP, LOOK WAY UP

The BC Government even did me a favour yesterday by tabling their budget and eliminating the property transfer tax for homes under $700,000.  It takes effect today, February 17, 2016 and because I don’t close on the deal until the end of the month, I get to have the property transfer tax taken out of my purchase price.  Awesome, anytime you don’t have to give money to the government and having them give some back is a bonus.

WHAT WILL BE MY BACK YARD

My appointment was 9:00 AM, so I took Toby out for his run in the park early.  Neil met me at the old house at 8:00 AM and we went out together.  We arrived early, despite being forced into a wrong turn by traffic.  We didn’t have long to wait though, as our escort met us there.  He is the “warranty specialist” for the construction company.  He was there to go through the house, look for flaws and explain the various points of operation that need to be explained.

MY FIRST ENTRY

I was shivering with excitement as I walked up to my front door for the first time.  Then it was time.  A rule I had already implemented, of no shoes in the house, was already in effect with a sign on the door stating that.  So off went the shoes and in I went.  There’s a smell to a new house, I would say akin to that “new car smell” and I just stood there for a few seconds drinking that in.

First stop was the garage and as I stepped inside, it was like stepping inside a cavern.  It is huge!  It seems bigger even than the display suite one.  Wall to door lengthwise it measures 36 feet 6 inches and 15 feet wide at its widest point.  11 feet 10 inches at its narrowest.  Certainly big enough to hold my boat and for good measure my pickup truck as well.

LOOKS LIKE THE BAT CAVE

Up the carpeted stairs we went to the main floor and I’m overwhelmed by the counter space, cupboards and drawers in my new kitchen.  The brand new high end Whirlpool appliances gleamed in their stainless steel coverings.  When you compare it to the tiny little kitchen space I have lived with for twenty years, it’s fantastic.  There is my new 5 burner gas stove with a gas convection oven.  Just amazing thinking of the meals I will be able to prepare.  Also considering I have had no stove for twenty years, it will be quite a change.  To be fair, using what tools I have had, I have been able to prepare some pretty tasty meals if I do say so myself.

LIVING ROOM LOOKING TOWARD KITCHEN

NEXT TO MY NEW STOVE

My dining room has a great view facing roughly south, right down the main road of our complex.  The living room has a great view up the road in the other direction.  There are lots of windows, and I don’t think I have a view looking into another building in any of them.

VIEW FROM THE DINING ROOM

Then it was up to the bedroom level.  My laundry closet, I won’t call it a room as the front loading washer and dryer sit in their own little closet in the hall.  I’m going to need some extensive studying to be able to use these and for that matter all of my new appliances.  Down the hall to the “master bathroom” which is right outside the 2 spare bedrooms.  Personally, I think of the bathroom in the master bedroom as that, but they say it’s called an en-suite.  More on that later.  It’s standard with a bathtub, toilet and a one sink counter.

FLOOR PLAN WITH MEASUREMENTS

The two spare bedrooms are well appointed with nice windows.  One is slightly larger than the other and it will become my computer room/office.  The other will be a spare bedroom/storage.  Not that I need any more storage.  Each room is complete with cable and internet plugs and each has its own baseboard heater and thermostat.  That was something else I noticed.  It was warm.  I was able to walk around in my t-shirt.  In my basement home, even when I had a furnace, I had to wear a sweatshirt during fall, winter and even spring.  Ever since November though, I haven’t even had a furnace, just a couple of space heaters.

The final stop was the master bedroom.  It is big enough to comfortably hold a king size bed, but I think to give more space for moving around, I’ll go queen size.  This is another awesome thing as I have been sleeping on various hide-a-beds for the last twenty years, and it’s no wonder my back is screwed up.  It will be great to sleep in a real bed.

MASTER BEDROOM, WALK IN CLOSET ON RIGHT

There is a neat walk-in closet that is literally bigger than one of the bedrooms in a townhouse in White Rock that I looked at.  It is equipped with its own outside window for Pete’s sake.  Again, more storage than I know what to do with, because the tiny little closet I have had here is overflowing.  I’m not even what one would call a clothes horse either.

WALK IN SHOWER

VANITY WITH DOUBLE SINKS

Into the en-suite bathroom and it has a counter with twin sinks, the usual toilet and a huge walk in shower that is almost big enough to be a room on its own.  Lots of room to enjoy a hot relaxing shower after a tough hockey game.  I opted for hardwood (laminate) floors throughout the house, instead of having carpet upstairs.  In fact, the only place with carpet is the stairs and that is a safety requirement.

Stepping back downstairs, there is a powder room right there and also the sliding door out onto my deck.  The deck is equipped with a gas fitting for my BBQ, so I won’t have to buy and lug propane bottles anymore.  It’s a 10 foot by 10-foot deck, so plenty of room for entertaining.  Then there are 5 short steps down to the fenced in yard.  Small, yes, but I don’t have to do any work on it if I don’t choose to.  The yard is not finished yet as the six weeks of rain has dampened (pardon the pun) putting in the grass.

10'X10' DECK

The fence is not finished yet and the boardwalk pathway between the houses is not yet finished, but they will come soon enough.  We went through the place with a fine tooth comb and could not find a single defect or questionable workmanship.  Neil said “this is the best townhouse/condo I have seen in all of my years in real estate.  I fully agree.

GAS CONVECTION OVEN

5 BURNER GAS RANGE

Finally, before leaving we went through and took measurements of each of the rooms, so I can start with planning how to do my finishing décor.  I am so amazed by this place (did I say that before?) and it already feels like home.  I’m still a couple of weeks from taking possession, but I can say without question that I have made the absolute right choice.

BUILT IN MICROWAVE

DOUBLE DOOR FRIDGE

BOTTOM FREEZER WITH AUTO ICE MAKER

The warranty technician seemed almost disappointed that we could not find anything wrong, so we put down that there is tape residue along the edge of the counter on the island, which by the way has a double sink and Moen faucet and a garburator.  I am so impressed and felt so at home and at ease there, I didn’t want to leave.

UNDER THE DOUBLE SINK WITH GARBURATOR