House Surprise!

Apparently, we've been unknowing homeowners for the last 48 hours. Oops!

"Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort."
— Jane Austen

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home."
— Edith Sitwell

"Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Then world behind and home ahead,
We'll wander back and home to bed.
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!"
— J.R.R. Tolkien (The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1))

First things first. TAH DAH!!! Our new home. It’s in a little farming community called Glen Huon, 8 kilometers from Huonville and about a 40 minute drive from downtown Hobart.

After initialing the pen and ink changes this past Tuesday, we waited impatiently all Wednesday and Thursday for a phone call that the new final contract was ready for signatures. We wanted to lock it in and make sure it was ours. Finally, we broke on Friday afternoon and called Maree the Real Estate Agent. I was a bit embarrassed to push her so we came up with a tactful approach.

“Maree, we are about to drive into Hobart to run some errands, but didn’t want to go if you think the contract will be finalized today. We’d rather come to Huonville to sign and go to Hobart tomorrow.”

“What are you talking about? You DID sign the contract. It’s yours!”

Oh wow. Wow. And zowie, don’t we look dumb. Unbeknownst to us, we officially bought it when we initialed the handwritten changes to the first offer on Tuesday afternoon. I guess we should have twigged when Maree said Congratulations! And shook both of our hands. We hadn’t factored in the less-intimidating Tassie way of doing things.

Here’s the back story. Enjoy.

After seeing the house last Saturday, we met with Maree the Real Estate Agent at the Hopfields Brewery and Pub in Margate on Sunday to finalize our offer and conditions. It was all very civilized. Maree and I had a glass of wine, while Herr Zen, my designated driver, stuck with water.

No way is he going to have a drink while we’re out until I am much more confident in the new car and on the new side of the road. Smart call.

As we huddled over the low coffee table in the bar area, a group of musicians began to practice in the main room by the beer vats, playing lively Celtic folk music under fairy lights. Talk about the perfect atmosphere! I felt like I was buying a house in the Shire with Bilbo as a neighbor.

Maree pulled me back to reality. We decided to offer the sellers the full asking price with some requests and two conditions. Most of our wish list was an easy sell to the current homeowners. They’re downsizing into Hobart to be near grandchildren, so we figured they might not want the outdoor furniture the no-turn riding mower, the appliances and one of the guest beds.

Then the conditions. We asked them to reseal and re-stain the wood framing on the back of the house above the steps. And remove the hot tub on the deck.

The final item was a sticking point. They absolutely refused. My husband saw red. Men get stubborn. It’s unfortunate.

The view IS spectacular from the hot tub, and you could tell they loved it and considered it a main feature for their house. The little booklet left on the kitchen bar for us to peruse had photos of the couple with wine glasses happily smiling over the bubbling water.

Unfortunately, they’d put the hot tub in AFTER they completed the deck. Without a steel support.

When we toured the house before making our offer, Herr Zen walked the outside first while I waited impatiently to check out the most important part to me - the kitchen. We’d already fallen in love with the view, I was about to fall in love with the house, and before I got stubborn - fair enough - he needed to make sure there weren’t any structural issues. Not my strong suit, people.

He checked the outside AND underneath the verandah. He’d seen the supports in the listing photo and recognized the potential problem. Thank goodness we’re a team. Note the two skinny posts between the white posts to the right of the photo, directly under the end of the deck.

ANYWAY, back to the hot tub. My husband hadn’t told the showing agent that he was worried about the deck buckling or collapsing - he’d told the agent that he hated hot tubs, they were just big puddles of piss. That might have been the sticking point for the owners if the agent let that slip. (Ya THINK?!?)

So I composed a polite text for the seller’s agent about what we’d noticed and that Herr Zen was an engineer and concerned about the placement of the hot tub at the highest part of the wooden deck, as well as the temporary supports we could see jammed under it - indicating that someone had noticed the possible problem but the fix was not a permanent one.

The negotiations were still at a hot tub impasse on Monday, but we broke through by letting the realtors know that we’d scheduled a viewing for the Megalith with the incredible overlook of the valley and a huge garage for Tuesday afternoon. And NO hot tub. We have options, hear us roar! (Apparently, nothing gets realtors in Tasmania moving faster than seeing a cash buyer and a commission disappearing into the ether. )

Next thing you know, they’ve agreed to take out the hot tub and check the integrity of the deck. We agreed to cross out the condition on resealing the wood eave area under the roof. And then we initialed the changes.

THANK THE LORD!! Because this is our house. I walked into the kitchen, spotted the sink and stove, and then twigged that there was a walk in pantry to the right of the refrigerator - large enough for a standing freezer and tons of shelving for staples and kitchen appliances. Come to Mama.

And the blue stove - what’s not to love? It’s just a friendly, happy space.

There are four bedrooms - although one is small, so they use it as a study.

- and the guest rooms are on the opposite side from the master bedroom suite. Here’s the one we’ll leave as a full bedroom, I think.

And this is the other one. They’re across from each other and I’m already excited about creating a guest suite. (I’m making plans! As you do.)

We’ll put a bed in one, and a super comfortable, nice futon sofa with an ottoman in the room across the hall so there’s a private space to sit with coffee and an Ipad in the morning. OR open the sofa and you have enough bed space for four guests at a time.

I found the perfect one in Hobart last week. A bit pricey, but I’m worth it. Oops! I mean our GUESTS are worth it. (Although I can see me here with a blanket, a book and a cup of tea when I don’t want to watch rugby on the weekend. Flexible space, people. It’s the future.)

I mean, I’D sleep on the thing unfolded- and I’m picky! I just need to choose the right color and order it. And I love how it goes from a snuggly sofa to a firm bed. Much better than my first sofa bed with that nasty metal bar in the exact center of your back. (Yes, I am impatient to get the rooms ready. I want visitors - soon!)

All of my blood relatives require their first cup of coffee without a lot of chatter. Sometimes TWO cups. At least. It’s coded in our genes. And a separate sitting room means they can hide out until brunch. (And I can hide out on the verandah.) But I digress. Back to the house.

Here’s the money shot. WOW. The main living area is beautiful. Instead of the huge plate window or folding panels all the way across, they savvily opted for a center picture window, with two standard doors on either side.

The hills and mountains are impressive, but I can also see the farm houses, bright greens of the pastures and the deep blue of the river. Dramatic and restful at the same time. Bonus points to the builder for adding that top window for extra light.

The wrap around verandah is very Australian. The sellers moved to Tasmania from Sydney and, like us, we think they wanted a view without a working farm or a lot of responsibilities. There’s a couple of lemon trees, a firepit, some native shrubs, a rose garden and a few raised beds for vegetables.

The master bedroom is a tad larger than the others.

The master bath doesn’t have windows, which is perfect, since we might add a garage behind the house and you’d hate to block the view. That possibility is down the road, but it’s good to have options.

And there’s another bathroom with shower and bathtub at the guest end of the house.

And a separate toilet and vanity area across the hall from the guest bath. They thought of EVERYTHING. It’s a tight, well built house with loads of charm. And traditional enough that the furniture we shipped should work.

The drone shot that shows where they’ve fenced some of the property around the house. Can you see the fence to the right? The two grasses are different greens if that helps. And you can see the Huon River in the valley.

It’s on top of a ridge, but there are still wallabies around. And apparently, loads of rabbits. The house sits on four hectares, which translates to almost ten acres. But some of the sides are too steep for a mower. We might have to get a sheep or two to keep the grass down on the steeper sections. Or goats. (Be still my Disney child heart!)

The formal inspection is THIS Tuesday, but it’s almost a brand new house. Knock wood everything is as good as it looks and there are no surprises.

Finally. We have arrived! Like the Clampetts in The Beverly Hillbillies. ;)