“THE CHILDREN WERE so excited exploring every part of the house, seeing other kids outside playing on the green and going to sleep in their new bedroom for the first time.”
When Louise Roche moved into her new house in Co Meath with her husband and two children last year, making it feel like home was a top priority.
Louise, her husband Jamie and kids James (5) and Juliet (4) made the move from Dublin to Dunboyne just before Christmas, meaning there was even more on their to-do list than usual.
“For years we had hoped to move to a bigger house in a more country setting, having been living in Dublin for 14 years,” says Louise. “Our children were getting bigger and we really wanted to have more outside space for them.
“We moved from a three-storey townhouse to a four-bed detached house in a lovely cul de sac facing onto a green. Safety for our children was paramount for us and we had lived facing onto a busy road with no drive for our car. The new house ticked all the boxes for us.”
With Christmas just around the corner, Louise and Jamie focused on putting up the tree and decorations in the first few days after moving in to make the experience special for the kids. “The first thing we did before unpacking any of our boxes was put up the Christmas tree and all the decorations,” she says.
It was important to me that the children remembered this time as a happy time and could look forward to Christmas in our new home.
The next task on the list was setting up the family’s broadband, which they organised in advance.
“Moving in a pandemic was stressful,” says Louise. “I am a super organised person and always like to have everything organised down to the last detail. But with moving house, especially when selling and buying, this isn’t always possible.
“With both myself and my husband working from home on a full time basis one of the key things we needed to plan for upon moving was internet access,” she says. “This became my husband’s job. He researched the best internet providers in the area and arranged for them to install internet and TV for us the week we moved in.”
This service is offered by providers including Sky, where movers can book in for an engineer to install Sky TV and Ultrafast Broadband as early as moving day.
While there were some elements of the move that went to plan, there were also a few setbacks along the way. “With all of our family living in the west of Ireland and travel restrictions due to Covid, we decided to take on the services of a removal company – which I would highly recommend,” says Louise.
“We also had a week’s delay between moving out of our old home and moving to our new home due to a delay with paperwork. With no hotels opened, we had to divide up and stay with different friends for a week until we got to our new home.”
Although moving house can be stressful at the best of times – never mind during a pandemic and with Santa on the way – Louise says everything came together to make the house feel like home just in time for Christmas.
“The month of December was a very busy time with unpacking all of our belongings, working full time and preparing for Christmas. But on Christmas Day as I cooked the dinner and the children flew around the house on their scooters, it finally felt like home. We had the space we had craved for so long and we are so happy in our new home.”
Tick one big thing off your list before you move in with Sky’s exclusive new home offers and get your Sky TV and Ultrafast Broadband setup for your move in day. Find out more here. Terms and conditions apply.
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