House Hunting

The on-going discussion about where we may be moving next October has given rise to something I really dread. House hunting. The very words make me want to hide in bed with a good book or possibly a computer game. They conjure up memories of trudging through Birmingham in the rain, trying to find a student house that isn't too mouldy, too expensive, too small, or has a landlord that is insane, neglectful, or an arsehole. This is a challenge at the best of times, but when the entire student population of the city is doing the same thing, it's near impossible. I have always hated house hunting. This time, though, it looks like it might be different.

For starters, we looking for family homes rather than student pits. We have significantly more money at our disposal, even without knowing how much I'll have in terms of a living stipend. And somehow, even the slightly-gross, cheap places are amazing compared to what I've seen and lived in as a student. Looking at places last night, we made the AMAZING discovery that we can actually afford to BUY somewhere. We can afford to buy somewhere and the mortgage would be so low that Hermit could stop working and concentrate on his PhD full-time.

That has got me thinking about my perfect house. Not one we'll ever own, but one that is a lot of fun to day-dream about. There'd have to be 4 bedrooms - one for me, one for the child, and one for Hermit and Minx. Preferably mine would be an attic room...even more preferably, it'd have a secret staircase leading to H & M's room. With doors hidden by bookcases, naturally. The last bedroom would be a study/guest room so Hermit and I could work in peace, and without distrupting the entire house with our research. A large kitchen is essential with people who like to cook especially when there are 3 adults. The kitchen would be open-plan, combined with the dining room and living room. I like being able to see everyone :)
Of course, a nice, large garden would be awesome. Not just for the dog and child, but because Minx and I both really want a vegetable patch. My mum has the most awesome vegetable garden imaginable and I would LOVE to have a similar one. There's something very satisfying about growing your own food.
A basement would also be cool - for a washer/dryer and somewhere to do craft stuff. Or at least store craft stuff. Between us, the child and I could probably stock a small store...