Where? Killavullen, Co Cork
What type of home? Semi detached house, built between 2006-2007
How many bedrooms and bathrooms? 3 bedrooms originally, converted to 4; 3 bathrooms originally, converted to 2
Name: Magda Watroba
Age: 36
Occupation: Stay at home mum
Who else lives there? I live here with my husband, our three kids and two dogs
1. What made you choose this home over others?
My husband found this house and I remember when we first came to have a look at it. The garden was overgrown and it looked so small. The house from the outside didn’t impress me at all. So we started our house search again and again ended up with nothing. My husband asked me then if we could have a second look at this house but with the agent to see how the inside looked.
The minute we stepped into the house I knew that this was the one! It looked so spacious and bright. It was a builder’s finish — something I was looking for. The master bedroom was huge, so we knew we could convert it in the future into two bedrooms (we had two kids moving in and always wanted to have a third). And the two remaining bedrooms were really good sizes and they were identical, which is something you won’t see very often as most houses will have a box room.
2. Which place in your home do you love the most?
The kitchen is where all the family and friend gatherings happen, and it’s where we eat our meals together as a family as often as we can. We also play board games at the table or just sit down, having a chat.
There was no access to the garden from the kitchen when we bought it, only through the utility room. So my husband fitted the doors and now we can walk out straight into the decking and it’s just so much easier. And the amount of natural light coming into the kitchen is another bonus.
3. Which place in your home do you love the least?
That would be the second living room that works as a guest room and a game room for the kids. It’s great to have it, even though it’s very small – it is just not done yet the way I see it and I spend the least time in there.
4. Take us through a day in your house, room by room.
Our weekdays are pretty much the same. My husband is an early bird and before we get up, he’s already gone to work.
7am: My alarm will go off. Sometimes I will snooze it for a few more minutes.
7:30-8am: The kids will be up and it’s time for our morning routine.
While the older kids are getting ready upstairs, I will be downstairs preparing their lunches for school and for the smallest to playschool (three times a week, as Mondays and Fridays he’s home with me). The little one will be watching telly or playing in the living room.
8:30am: The older kids are downstairs, they will all have breakfast and watch some cartoons
9:20am: We’re leaving for school.
10am: When I’m back home after school drop-off, I will do whatever needs to be done, like emptying the dishwasher, sort out the washing, hoovering or any other housework, prepare the dinner and sit down with a cup of coffee and try to do as much as I can for my online course as I’m studying to be an interior stylist. That’s just something I always wanted to do. Even though I’m happy I can be with kids at home, there’s a time when you have to start thinking about yourself and it’s better to do it later than never!
12:30pm: Playschool pick-up on Tuesday through Thursday.
3:15pm: The big kids are back from school. It’s homework time and then we will have a late lunch
6:00pm: My husband will be back from work most days and we will have dinner.
After dinner it’s family time. Depending on weather, we might go for a walk with the dogs, go into the garden or just play or watch TV.
8:30-9:00pm: It’s bath time for the kids and a bedtime story.
After that, TV or a good book for my husband and myself.
5. Is there anything you’d do differently if you were doing it again?
I like change, it’s just in my nature, so I’ll be changing accessories or furniture layouts from time to time, but there’s nothing major that I would totally different. I think there’s always something to do in the house or garden, it’s like a never ending story but we enjoy it.
We love DIY projects. Everything that needed to be done in the house my husband did himself which is a great advantage when your budget is limited. I have painted nearly every wall in this house with my own hands and I’m sure I’ll do it good few times more.
Even though we couldn’t afford to buy our dream house, we created one. We love living here, the people here are amazing and we are happy, simple as that.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say