18 May 2010

Home sweet home

From what I have said in the past about living in a six-storey house, I can imagine some of you think I either live in a lighthouse or a windmill or a huge mansion or am just telling lies. Just to reassure you on all those points, my house is in a terrace of modern houses right in the suburbs of London. It's what is commonly known here as a townhouse. From the back or front it looks like a three-storey house, but the bottom level of the back and front are not aligned, so there are six half-levels. The staircase zigzags through the middle of the house. It looks a bit like this from the side.


The bottom right is the kitchen
The bottom left is the entrance hall, WC and garage.

The middle right is the lounge.
The middle left is the main bedroom and bathroom.

The top right are two smaller bedrooms, one of which is the study.
The top left is Kay's bedroom and another bathroom.


If you forget to take something to the top of the house with you, you have a long way to go to fetch it and vice versa if you forget to take something down with you. It certainly keeps me fit. Now imagine just how much more exercise I get clearing out the chaos in the study on level 5 to take things down to the garage on level 2. Up/down/up/down/up/down. Today I have been working like a navvy, breaking up some old furniture to arrange a different lay-out in the study and hopefully make more room. I've also taken several crates of old magazines, waste paper and general rubbish to the local dump. The study is beginning to change from Cinderella to the beautiful princess. Moreover, I'll sleep well tonight after all that hard work.

19 comments:

AGuidingLife said...

that's cleared things up nicely thank you, for me and hopefully from the sounds of it for you too!

Achelois said...

I would have to have tea making facilities in the lounge I think, how very lazy of me.

If you have a moment it would be fantastic if you could go through the same in my house! Jokes aside - I hope you weren't upset about my last comment. I was really just alluding to my terrible tendency to horde all manner of things. Its a good job I can't get into the loft because I know there is baby stuff plus 20 years of accumulated 'stuff'. My grandson did spend a happy hour though the other day looking through school projects that were done by my children when they were five. There was me thinking it was time to get rid! I have a boxes of magazines that for some reason or other I have kept, presumiably because there is an article that I felt was worth keeping somewhere there - you have inspired me to do the dump run. Actually because of the EDS I have to point and ask others politely to do it but I hope you know what I mean.

Apart from all the clutter clearing how are you doing?

Kindest regards

A Mum said...

oh i hope you did: sleep well. all those stairs must be very good for one? but i am so forgetful i fear i would do nothing but climb stairs and swear all day as i went from kitchen to top of house and back again on perpetual hunt for keys/glasses/that bit of paper i had in my hand just now ... x

DogLover said...

That's an interesting posting. What a curious house. It would really exercise my weak legs!

Well done, sorting everything out. It does require determination, doesn't it.

Anonymous said...

Hi Addy,

It is a fascinating layout. When you mentioned six stories previously I had in my mind a tall thin house of six floors. I do like the layout though I can imagine how knackered you must be going up and down the stairs.

All the best

Nechtan

Monalisa said...

What an interesting house. They don't make them like that any more...
I've left an award for you on my blog.

Nota Bene said...

That's some fitness regime! There's always some clearing up/clearing out at my house if you feel you are slacking!

Millennium Housewife said...

we live in a tall thin house too - we have to keep a set of children's toothbrushes on ever level, or the nightmare of 'forgetting teeth' is just that - a nightmare. xx

Flowerpot said...

We know someone else who lives ina house like that. What a brilliant way of keeping fit - though it must be infuriating if you forget somethign when you're at the top!

grandmamargie said...

I always wanted to live in a two/three story house. But now that I'm older, I'd just have to have and elevator. I'm lazy like that. :)

Furtheron said...

Our first house was a town house - so similar to that... bathroom and two bedrooms on the top floor, lounge, toilet and a bedroom on the middle and kitchen and dining room on the ground - well that is how we used it but some had it as a 4 bed with the lounge on the ground floor.

We moved when my son was little - it was a nightmare all those stairs with a toddler and you couldn't walk away as it was up or down stairs etc. so we now have a two storey semi

Ellen said...

You get a real sense of satisfaction after having a good sort-through. Your town house reminds me of my aunt & uncle's first home which was four-storey town house. My sister and I spent many weekends there and were always keen to be involved with anything they were doing. I have memories of my aunt tying dusters to our feet as we 'skated' on the parquet-flooring in the hall helping to polish the floor. Happy memories!

nuttycow said...

Glad to hear the house-sorting is going well. There's a distinct satisfaction when you see all your hard work pay off.

icecold said...

Thanks for clearing that up, I can picture it better now!

I bet you have a great toned bottom with all that stair climbing Addy :o) xxx

Manchester Lass, Now and Then said...

Thanks for explaining the house set-up. I also had visions of a very tall thin house with a single staircase going up to six floors:) Single storey house for us, I don't miss stairs anymore but they were a good form of exercise. Like many other bloggers I am also trying to declutter but it is very slow going:( Hope you enjoy your weekend♥ xxx

www.retiredandcrazy.com said...

And think of how fit you will be when you've finished Addy.

Anonymous said...

You sound like me; up down, up down, running from one level to another because I am constantly forgetting!!

CJ xx

Anonymous said...
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Working Mum said...

That's a lot of stair carpet, I think, with my house renovation head on!