First home and 5 lessons
R and I hadn’t slept well in a week worrying about the big responsibility ahead of us!
It was the time we deposited the cheque to book our first home together, around this time, last year.
But that brief butterflies-in-the-stomach period was followed by a huge sense of euphoria and exhilaration and then by anxiety about project delivery, some disappointments, some joys, ups and downs and what not? It’s been a whirlwind!
Now, it’s just a few more months until we get the keys to our apartment but the feeling hasn’t sunk in yet (although my to-do list for decor is piling up by the minute).
However, there are a few things we learnt about dealing with builders (read stubborn people who will pretend to care about you depending on their mood) over the past year. Thought I’ll share:
Schedule follow ups: When you buy a home, make it a point to regularly schedule follow ups with that ‘one guy’ you trust in the builder’s office. In fact, R and I, set up reminders to call this person and take turns to impress upon them our issues/concerns, some time playing good cop, bad cop.
Be best friends with the electrician: The builder usually has a plan for electrical wiring on its assumption of how a room will be laid out. Word of caution here, one fine day, you may realise that all your plug points in a room are falling inside a wall-to-wall wardrobe! So, always make sure you catch your electrician, re-work the wiring for your rooms, as per your decor plans and have the master plan updated. Be best friends with your electrician. He’s your guy!
Get to know some architects: By that I mean architects outside your project. Reach out to that colleague's wife you’ve never met or that cousin’s friend you’ve always heard about. You’ll always want to get changes done to the builder’s plan. Make it a point to cross-reference your suggested changes with an architect outside the project to know if it’s a good idea. Your builder may simply be lazy and not want to do it or may run with a change even if it is harmful for your house in the longer run. Just make sure, you have changes in your plan vetted and verified by someone you trust.
Plan interiors in advance: Now, the above cannot happen unless you plan your interiors. Right from the first moment, you should know where to fit the bed, where the cupboards should go, where you need a lamp, where should the mirror be placed, how can you maximise space and lighting in the room, the list continues. Do not wait for the interiors guys to come in and tell you all this because it’ll be too late by then with your cementing, wiring, tiling work completed already.
Be patient: No matter how much you do all the above with diligence, things will fall apart. Builder will delay the project, people will forget to do what they were told, sometime they’ll leave their jobs (or simply not care) and the tantrums will continue. R and I have really really learnt to be patient from this home-buying experience. Losing sleep over things that are not under your control is not worth it.
I cannot wait to share the pics of my home when it’s completed with all the interiors work, and I promise I will. It’ll have to wait a few more months but as of now. However, you can browse through the pics I keep sharing on Instagram. Oh, and, if any of you are buying homes, do let me know if you found any of my learnings useful. It’d give me great pleasure to know I could help you with your decisions.
My look:
Denim shirt: Vintage
Skirt: Latin Quarters
Choker: Forever 21
Lace-ups: Converse
The eye behind the lens: The images are clicked by Rahul Rout, a strong-headed, tantrum-throwing man-child, who is also the most reliable person when it comes to taking my pictures. We fight every time there is a shoot but I like how he turns up for the next one, all fresh and kicking. When he's not clicking my pics, he's writing codes or playing the keyboard. He also occasionally plays the guitar and sings songs that he randomly makes up from life situations. He whips up the best tea in the world and is a closet electrician and plumber. Oh, and since I thought this one is a total catch, I married him a few years back. It's been great ever since (gulp)!
