The best thing about getting so close to ‘occupancy’ is realising the number of first times and last times that we are experiencing…

Over the past few months I have been thinking about first and last times for so many things… In November, we sprayed water around the ‘utility’ room for the last time as the final coat of render went on the walls. Later that month I cleaned up dropped render for the last time in that room. The last time ever!

And it was only a few weeks later that we did the same for the master bedroom and finally my study. All internal rendering completely completed in the main pavilion! Woo-bloody-hoo!

Then, when the stove plumber came back later that month, to fit off the radiators and bleed our hydronic system (for the last time), we lit the combustion stove for the first time. Yes, it’s true the plumber lit it when he installed the flue, just to test there were no leaks, but this time I lit it, just to warm the house (yes, in November!) and have some warmth tick around the radiators… for the first time.

In January, with the floor finally laid, sanded and polished, we wiped down kitchen benches and vacuumed up red sanding dust for the last time. Oh, okay, we probably will be cleaning up sanding dust for months to come…

But the biggest first and last time, would have to be just over a week ago… Massive thank you to Matt (our building inspector) and Lorna (our ‘permit liaison person’ and very dear friend) for their support in us getting here! We achieved occupancy! Okay, we don’t have the actual piece of paper yet, and we’ve still got a way to go to be completely finished, but we got verbal approval to inhabit our main pavilion!

So, last weekend, Richard and I slept in the shedudio for the last time and on the Sunday we moved our bed over to the master bedroom. After celebratory pizza and champagne at P and K’s house, we came home to sleep in our new bedroom for the first time!

It’s just our big old bed in a spanking new, almost empty room, but we are loving it. I must admit it took the first few nights to really settle in and be able to actually sleep and when the rain hit in the middle of the week we almost regretted doing it as we trekked across in the mud to go to bed… but no, I refuse to feel remorseful – this is a huge step forward and the best possible way to make it all start feeling so much more real.

Waking up in that beautiful room (for the first time) has got to be one of the best moments I have ever had.