We moved in officially on Monday. Things are quite basic to put it mildly, but we’ve made it. We’re still short on a few things that many would consider fundamental (like flooring), but the roof is sound, there’s electricity, the stove works, and we haven’t run the well dry (yet).
The first night’s attempt at sleep didn’t go so well – the futon mattress isn’t the same as a proper sprung one, especially when you’re dealing with aches and pains from moving stuff around. After that experience, we added the Bongo cushions to the mix and it’s bearable now.
Due to cash flow issues (it’s pumping out a lot faster than the well water is), we’re on a real economy drive for the foreseeable future. There’s a shop called Home Store & More where we picked up a couple of fabric wardrobes for about €8 apiece, and we’ll be attempting to fit our bedroom’s laminate flooring ourselves. How hard could that be?
I installed a couple of security cameras to keep track of what goes on when we’re out/away – so far the answer is: nothing much at all, at least human-related. The cameras trigger recording on motion and sound, so I’ve had to tweak them to avoid them going off all the time with birdsong for a start. The camera I put in a tree is especially prone to this.
Last night the camera I put under cover of the well roof triggered from a local cat (I’m guessing the one that signed its name in the cement all those months ago):
This morning it decided to inspect the security a bit more closely (which the camera didn’t cope well with):
Hopefully it’s happy with everything now, as otherwise it could get a bit annoying having my phone buzz at all hours.
Lots of things to do, and a long snag list for the builder to consider. Apparently the reason we don’t have a new bathroom window to replace the one he broke last year is because he needs to order one and it takes time. Another impossible-to-foresee situation, I suppose.
We can’t really use the kitchen sink much at the moment without a bowl in it as the sink’s drain pipe just goes outside and straight onto the juncture of wall and muddy ground. We need a French drain all around the house, but I might rig up something until then. At least the bathroom sink/shower/bath drain down into the ‘proper’ drainage pipe (which goes under the driveway and into a special grey water treatment appliance known as the D.I.T.C.H. We still haven’t found the septic tank, but at least it looks like the toilet’s output isn’t into that same ditch.