Saturday, January 12, 2008

what shade of green is that?

I am suffering terribly from house envy these days.

We left a larger house in Luxembourg - I was not sorry to leave it really, it was an awkward house - and moved back into our townhouse that we built in 1996. The one that I love dearly, but that is the smallest model the builder made. Even with the bit of extra space that we've gained in the basement, it is still quite.... well wee.

Marc has suggested I view it as if it were an apartment in Paris - at about 1300 square feet it would be enormous. Unfortunately I reasoned back that I would have the Seine, delicious croissants and - well - PARIS to make up for it.

It's not that I don't love my house, I do. Really. If there was any way that I could just enlarge it by say - oh 30% - then all would be well.

I seem to have fallen right back into the whole North American mentality of MORE IS MORE, feeling I need a bigger house (or again, just for this one to be bigger).

And my case of house envy is running rampant.

It happens most places I go. My neighbour's house is nearly twice the size of ours. It doesn't feel cramped like ours. My girlfriend's house - with her two teenage boys and granny suite for her mum - also spacious. My friend's house in an older neighborhood - great huge yard and rooms that feel like real rooms. Like houses we grew up in. Wait, make that two friends in older neighborhoods. Two of Stuart's friends from school... the list goes on. Seems like I can't walk into someone's house without comparing mine.

Tonight we had dinner with some lovely friends who live a short way out of town (Ottawa has grown since we left). They have an ENORMOUS house - one with a lovely cosy family room off the kitchen. With a fireplace. My ideal place for a family room - the one I had in Luxembourg was close to being right, but not quite.

Ugh. This envy leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I am trying to cull it here and now, but I am not managing very well. It's silly and self-serving - there are people out there with nothing and I am concerned about square footage. I am not impressed with myself.

4 comments:

Traveller said...

Hey! I like the new look of your blog. And how nice to see a photo of you up there. It all looks rather professional now.

I don't blame you for having house envy. A bigger house is nice, especially when the kids get bigger. Kevin and Christine are finding that they left their big rental in Gasperich for a smaller house (that they bought) in Goeblange and it's a bit tough with two growing teenage boys and all the Wiis and X-boxes that come with them. Maybe it's time to start looking??? But then I'm a real estate junkie and am always encouraging people to go house shopping, just so I can live vicariously through them. Let's see, I suppose the Glebe is too close to downtown for you? As is Sandy Hill? How about the area east of Brittania? Westboro? Oh gosh. I'm tingling with real estate excitement. I'd best go now into a quiet space and try and calm down.

lapoflux said...

Why thank you for your kind words!
I think the plan is... for us to try and stay put for another couple of years (2 1/2) until Julia starts Grade 1 so that I can stay home with her.
Sigh. But it's what we really think is best as a family (and it's me pushing it)
Westboro would be a top choice but it's gone and gotten all trendy (like uber trendy, Westboro village is full of yoga studios, Farrow & Ball, Starbucks, enviro shops) so the prices are astronomical. We also like Alta Vista which isn't too badly priced... the whole thing comes down to schools though with the little ones.
So we're trying to get a grip on areas and prices... there is also a townhouse 3 down that we would like and the couple are thinking of moving in the next couple of years - that would be ideal too, no change to schools, possibly still a cottage one day...?
I just want everything NOW ;-)

Lisa Wheeler Milton said...

It's easy to want it now. I went to a beautiful, mansion-ish house yesterday and felt terrible about my own until I remembered that I struggle to keep my house clean as is. I can't imagine being in charge of all those rooms with the help of Cinderelly, but of course, she married her prince and is unavailable for slave labor.

Nora said...

Hello! I can identify with the house envy, living in the smallest house in all of Seattle that we bought before baby. I even have dreams of "discovering" a dining room. Yes, it's terrible, but it's real experience too.