Most of the time, I wouldn't say that I *do* all that much in a given day. Except, of course, when I'm very pregnant and want to finish all sorts of home projects.
But my super-secret weapon is the attic on the 3rd story of our house. It's a mostly finished space measuring 20x40', plus a 5th bedroom and walk-in closet.
The previous owners left the pool table. I don't blame them--I'd hate to try to move it down two flights of stairs. You can see Eric's foosball table, made by the French company Bonzini. He found it used on Craigslist a few years ago and we negotiated a deal: he could buy it if he gave up bottled beverages for two years: juice, flavored waters, pop, sports drinks, etc.
Turning counter-clockwise, you can see the "jumping couch" and the "jumping bed." Kids love to jump and climb on furniture, so we have a designated space just for doing that. The rope ladder, rings, and swing are from Ikea.
A view from the far corner.
The previous occupants painted the chalkboard wall. (They had 5 kids.) The little door on the wall leads into the knee wall area of the attic. All the kids' toys are on these two sets of shelves. I cut, planed, sanded, and varnished the shelves before Dio was born and finally assembled them last year. One is made from cherry, the other from walnut.
On the other side of the staircase is my sewing area. We have a few walls that still need to be finished. My dad ran wire for a light to go above the sewing desk.
You can see the 5th bedroom that is behind the sewing area. Right now Eric has his weight bench in that room. Eventually we'll move that out and put a bed in the room.
Having this space lets me get so much stuff done--reading, sewing, grading, blogging, or even napping. The kids mostly occupy themselves while I do my own projects. We just had the attic insulated, so now it remains cozy even in the winter. There are no heat radiators on the 3rd floor, but we do have central air conditioning to keep the upper two floors liveable during the hottest summer weeks.
As much as I love the idea of the not-so-big-house, I LOVE our huge old house. Love it. I love having space for everything. I love not having the kids' toys in the living room or in their bedrooms.
To compensate for the size of the house, we invested in a super high-efficiency boiler when we bought the house, which cut the gas bill in half. We also had storm windows made for the whole house and insulated the basement and attic.
Oh, and don't worry--the attic doesn't usually look this tidy! My mom did lots of cleaning while she was here, so I took pictures before the kids messed it up again :)
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this is my gameroom and I can't recommend indoor swings enough.. yet I still don't accomplish as much as you. but I'm lazy. http://rubyslippersx3.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-game-room-aka-emerald-city-is-done.html
ReplyDeleteWow, where'd you find that big "Oz" thing? Pretty fun!
Deletewow you're inspiring me for when we own a place. We need a jumping couch for sure!
DeleteCould you provide a link for boiler you have?
DeleteI think we have a Burnham 95% efficient natural gas boiler. We got a few quotes ranging from $8k-13k for various brands of boilers. It was a big investment but the payback was immediate. Our monthly average gas bill fell from $400 to just under $200 (winter peak bills used to be $800+, now they are around $400 for the coldest months). It sounds like a lot, but we have 3,600 square feet on our first 2 floors that have radiators, plus our attic that has about 1,000 sq ft (no radiators, but it gets warm from the heat that rises through the 2nd floor ceilings and staircase).
DeleteIf you're going to get a new boiler, get the highest efficiency possible. It's not that much more money and it will pay itself back.
Actually maybe it's a Dunkirk boiler that we have.
DeleteJust asked for it from the local theater, My husband thought I was insane but we love it now that its up.
DeleteWe are moving soon and I am determined to buy a house with a basement to dedicate as a playroom. Right now we don't have a basement, attic or even a spare bedroom to do that with. All the kids' toys are in the living room and they play well, but there is still too much stuff the toddler can get into that I have to constantly redirect him from.
ReplyDeleteRixa, Do you use a gate to prevent the littlest ones from crawling up the stairs? Altough Ivy won't be crawling for a few months, they get so far so fast! I'm asking for my daughter who's crawler snuck all the way to the top of their steep stairs recently. If you use a gate, is there one you recommend? My DD has two stairways and needs to purchase another gate. I'm betting you have a creative remedy. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteRosie, I've never used baby gates. Just never bothered with them, I guess; instead, we'd just teach crawling babies how to go up and down the right way. And keep a watchful eye out!
DeleteThanks Rixa, somehow I knew that would be your answer. :)
DeleteI'm jealous. Much. I wish I had a solution for our house!
ReplyDeleteYeah, me too. We're living in 1038 sq feet now. But the weather is unbeatable! ;)
ReplyDelete