Sunday, August 23, 2015

House Hunting and Renovation

The deadline is drawing closer - we expect to have the house ready for putting on the market in late September, early October. In the meantime we are still trying to decide where our next life will be.
We have friends that made the BIG MOVE from their birth country to another country -France.

For us, the move is not so dramatic but still the choices are just as important. This Friday we took another trip to the location that seems to be calling us. It goes by several titles - The Macedon Ranges, The Goldfields Region but it all comes down to the area of Woodend, Kyneton, Trentham and Daylesford.

We had tickets to see a Viennese recital at Kyneton at 11.30 am. Sue enjoys the waltzes but without meaning to, I could a few doze-offs until Sue poked me in the ribs. The Kyneton Town Hall has  marvelous theatre and there's always something on more than once a month. We took the opportunity to check out a house that is on the market while there.

Kyneton Town Hall where many live shows during the course of the year are held.
This day was the Viennese Masterpieces. Next month will be a tribute to Dave Brubeck.
No longer in use but great to see that the old movie projector has been saved.
Our next stop was Trentham for lunch - just a share plate, an entree each and a glass of wine before moving on to Daylesford to pop in on a real estate agent, look at some land and a house. The town has a really nice feel to it and its growing on us with each visit.
Lunch at the Plough Hotel Trentham.

We looked at a block of land at Daylesford but found that the current residents were checking us out.

We had organised to meet with friends from our MG Car Club days who had made their Tree-Change not that long ago and we wanted to get their feedback on the life style they had chosen after being inner city dwellers for many years. It was a great night and interesting to get their perspective on moving from the city.

Below are two properties that meet our budget - new in design and comfortable for our lifestyle with no work required - just move in and start living. Coming from a 1929 Californian Bungalow with a heap of charm, could we cope with modern - Hmmm, we wonder.

Quite modern with no work to do - after what I've done on our house, I have an open mind on modern!!
Great out door entertainment area.
We actually like the floor plan.

This one is at Daylesford and has a great view overlooking the township.
Sue tells me it has a kitchen she could work with and it has high ceilings which we have with our current home.
Again it also has a very livable floor plan.

We left around 9.30 pm after dinner and finished the day by jumping under the doona by 11.00pm.
All in all -a great day.

Saturday and Sunday saw us getting stuck into the house with renewed enthusiasm. Paint brushes were whipped into a frenzy, giving a fresh look to the outside of the house.

Next weekend we are laying new turf in the front yard and planting the garden beds with I don't now what yet.

8 comments:

  1. You cannot really go wrong in the Goldfields part of Victoria. I know and love Woodend, Kyneton and Daylesford, my stamping ground for a few years based in Bendigo. And don't let me forget gorgeous Castlemaine. Enjoy enjoy!.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are certainly warming (even though its bloody cold up there) to the area.
      Like Bendigo and Castlemaine as well but Sue thinks it gets too hot.

      Delete
  2. Hi both, just back from a month on the water with our friends from Maleny.
    I find it is easier to identify what I do not like rather than describe what I do like. Your location is the primary consideration taking into account budget. At this stage of our lives it is great to leave home for longer periods with not too many worries about
    maintenance .
    Have fun, soon all your hard work will be behind you and you will be in a new exciting stage.
    Regards Janine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your thoughts Janine. We never know what is ahead of us but that's the exciting part.

      Delete
  3. Australia in general is like the best place in the world. My husband and I recently went on holiday to Sydney and we fell in love with the place. People are awesome and all the history it has is truly amazing, what great plans you have for renovations. Look forward to reading about it more in the future. Thank you.

    Margaret @ Boston North Shore Real Estate

    ReplyDelete
  4. It doesn't matter if it's from one country to another, or just from neighbouring districts. Moving out of the place where you are settled can be both exciting and really unsettling. It' surprising though just how quickly you start to feel at home wherever you end up - it's just the uncertainty while you're still looking that's hard, I guess.

    Eddy Clemmons @ No Mortgages Ltd

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Moving to a new place is always stressful, regardless of how far you go. Leaving all of those who need you at home is never fun. Anywhere in Australia is warm and inviting and has the ability to put your mind at ease. Not to mention meals in that lovely kitchen will have you feeling at home in no time.

    Daryl @ NU World Title

    ReplyDelete

Love to get feedback so no reason to be shy - have your say.