[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by geetrue

I like your new home, however the curtains need a lot of help

All the curtains will go eventually, as soon as I get blinds or something in place. The first time we looked at the place my best friend was with me and she walked in, looked at the window treatments, and said, "Well... somebody's grandma lived here."

The funny part is that it turned out the current owner is a lady who is a year or two younger than her.

the kitchen floor needs a cleaner surface, easy to take care of I mean, perhaps large white tiles with a non skid throw rug

I like the flooring there, in fact if it had been my decision I would have put it down all the way into the dining room and not had carpet in there at all, I'm not crazy about carpet in a room where the primary activity is eating and drinking. Altho TBH I do most of that in front of the TV or computer when I'm alone and those rooms will likely stay carpeted even if I replace what's currently there.

The only rugs I'd put down in a kitchen are the rugs/mats for providing comfort in front of the sink or other places where I'm likely to stand for any length of time. I have no idea how difficult the current kitchen flooring will be to take care of so I guess I'll see once I get in there. My brother in law did carpet and flooring for most of his adult life until he started working at Lowe's and if I want to make a change he knows where to get stuff at a discount and how to install it - or where to find an installer who'll do it as a side job for a fraction of what it would cost to go through the usual retailers.

the dinning area looks too small ... how about a u-shaped bar add on to the present kitchen bar with a flip up counter top to get to the inside area, if it's just you that is.

It is a bit small but since the only thing going in there will probably be a table for 4 (maybe six with an extension) and some small decor type stuff, it's not too bad. I thought at first I might use it for a small TV room but it's too small to put any decent amount of seating in for that. If I use it for the dining table I can put counter stools or chairs up along the outside of the counter separating the kitchen from the dinette and eat there if I want something more casual just for myself.

The rest of that space... I don't know. Probably some kind of nice kitchen storage, like a casual hutch for good dishes (I have a set of china I've never been able to display since the day I got it). It will likely be full of unpacked boxes for a while.

The flip-up countertop - no. Any spaces designed to be moved through, I like them to obstacle-free. I'm more likely to take doors down than to add more stuff that I have to push, pull, or lift out of my way just to walk from room to room. I'm already considering removing the door to the master bathroom because right now the only way to sit comfortably on the toilet or get into the tub/shower is to go in and completely close the door behind you, which I can tell you will quickly become a PITA when I'm going in and out of there trying to get ready for work in the morning.

The only access to it is through the walk-in closet and "dressing area" of the master BR, so I see no reason to have a door like that when all it does is get in the way. Obviously I'd like to replace it with something that allows for privacy in that room if necessary but ME NO LIKE THAT DOOR.

the outside is nice ... I like the second story look especially if you add a fake or real security camera

I'm not sure security cameras are included in the small list of things you're allowed to attach to the exterior. Also nothing outside the walls belongs to me, so there might be an issue with recording the activities of people who are going about their own business on common property.

saftey rail on those steps going up

I like to live dangerously, lol.

At any rate, not until after all upstairs furniture gets moved in.

end unit with a garage is a big plus

Yep, the fact that it was an end unit was a big selling point. If the interior of the next unit is like mine, there's a good chance that most of the shared wall in my master bedroom is up against their walk-in closet and not the bedroom proper. An extra layer of "insulation" against noise intrusion (in either direction).

And honestly in my apartment, the chief problems with noise come from neighbors living above and occasionally those below, the ones to the side might as well not even be there as far as I can tell. Not having anyone else living above or below me was one of my must-haves. After 18 years of apartment living, I've had enough of that.