I Have Always Wanted To Live In My Own House
By John McLachlan
In my post Ten Romantic Reasons For Living Out Beyond the seventh reason I gave was that I’d always wanted my own house.
I grew up in a house in the suburbs. I liked it. It had a great back yard that included a creek and a forested area. I would play for hours there. When I grew up I started living in condos which have been, in general, quite good but my fondness for them is coming to an end.
One thing I don’t like about living in a condominium is the communal aspect. Even in nicer buildings it’s amazing to see how some people treat their (our) property. Also, it seems like eventually, things get run down and it’s not so easy to get consensus for repair. Other issues include sound from other suites and the general din of living in an urban setting.
This may sound like I’m contradicting my headline for this post, but for years, I’ve never had the desire to have a house of my own. The primary reasons have been that I didn’t want to care for a house (a lot more is involved than in an apartment) and I didn’t want to live in a suburb where most houses are. Additional reasons are that it is extremely difficult to get a house design I like in a neighbourhood I like in a price range that I like.
I have however, always wanted to have a house designed with custom features and built from scratch. I’ve rolled this idea around in my head for years but always gave up on it due to cost and location.
The situation has changed. Due to a shift in priorities as a result of age, for one thing, and the ability to now work from a more remote area—for both me and my partner, Darren—and the gift my parents gave to us of a piece of property they bought back in 1969, it’s now possible.
Essentially, we’re ready.
We will be building a small but unique house designed by local architect Michael McNamara that will fit in with the landscape, be quite “green” and be built by his building partner, Tim Wyndham whom I’ve known since I was a child.
Once we’ve moved in, it will be an adjustment for us to be looking after a house. We won’t be able to simply shut the door and go away, but I think it’s going to be worth having something we love living in as we are living out beyond.
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Image above is of Darren Bond looking at a doll’s house designed by our architect, Michael McNamara for a fundraiser on Hornby Island, British Columbia in 2010.
