Renovating Without Money: A Story of Resourcefulness and Determination in Transforming an Old House!
When you enter this house, you realize that it is full of different aromas, but collectively it all smells very nice. There is a spruce aroma in the hallway and living room, a mixture of coffee and orange in the bedrooms, the smell of fresh baked goods in the kitchen, and the crackling firewood in the fireplace, and all this beckons you to fly into the fire.
This interesting story took place in Finland, in an ordinary low-income family consisting of two adults, two children and one cat. They live like this every day, but this situation seemed like a miracle to me.
The married couple is modest enough to boast about their life. They had been renting a house all their lives without having their own, but in 2020 their dream came true, and the treasured house of their own was finally purchased, although the building turned out to be quite old, built in 1920, that is, it is already 100 years old. Accordingly, all the savings were spent on the house, so I had to do the repairs myself.
Furniture and household items had to be bought at sales, with big discounts. And some things were even bought at a thrift store and restored by Sofia, the owner of the house. Relatives also contributed and shared furniture for the children’s rooms, since their own children had already grown up. All this together made the house very comfortable to live in, with a cozy environment where you want to be. Or maybe this is what happiness looks like?
The village house is located near the town of Turku, so children can go to school by bus. Around the house there is an old forest with powerful trees. The couple did not take out a loan for repairs, so the repairs are going slowly, and all with the modest funds that they manage to save from their salaries.
There is a canopy attached to the house, where you can take off your shoes and undress without dragging dirt into the living space.
Thanks to the proximity to the forest, the owners have no shortage of material, that is, pine branches with which the house is decorated. They exude a wonderful aroma, creating a magical Christmas atmosphere all year round.
For example, I decorate my apartment for the New Year holidays in about three weeks, but my niece starts decorating the house already at the beginning of November, and her kids insist on this, who are always looking forward to the holiday.
Our Finnish family decorates the house in about a month, they love Christmas very much and always celebrate it.
Sofia talks about her family:
“Both our children and we adults love Christmas very much.” And although we don’t have much money, we still decorate our house for Christmas in advance. We arrange pine branches, make garlands from citrus fruits, and make toys from paper and cardboard with our own hands. Our family can do a lot with our own hands, including decorations.
The total area of the house is 145 m2. And, although it is a large house, the living part in it was not large. Therefore, the couple insulated the attic, renovated it, and placed theirs and their children’s bedrooms there.
The common room is the living room, where the whole family often gathers around the fireplace. They play games and charades, talk and have fun. The furniture there includes armchairs, a sofa and a coffee table. And although when they were bought, they were in decent condition, they will soon have to be re-upholstered, because the cat has already scratched the furniture and made puffs on it.
There is a beautifully decorated fir tree in the middle of the living room. And although the family decorates the tree in advance, the spruce still remains fresh. But the secret is very simple, and you can solve it by looking under the tree. It turns out that it is growing in a flowerpot, and after the holidays it will be taken out into the yard again.
The couple left the fireplace without repair, and it has been preserved in its original form and looks very colorful. The entire room is beautifully decorated with candles and this adds a cozy feel to the ambience.
Some furniture was brought from rented housing, for example, a kitchen set. The couple bought it at the very beginning of their family life.
In the office of Mark, the owner of the house, and in the kitchen there are old wood stoves. But to heat the house, the family installed electric heaters, and now all rooms, as well as the bedrooms, are quite warm.
All beds and sofas are decorated with elaborate bedspreads. Hostess Sofia is simply a needlewoman, so there are lace models, patchwork knitted ones, and patchwork items.
And what a beautiful lampshade on the floor sconce installed in the adult bedroom. Sofia saw this idea on the Internet and decorated the lampshade with paper flowers.
The house has a workshop, an antique sewing machine and even a loom left over from the previous owners, all in working order. But the owners are in no hurry to get rid of this equipment, and plan to use it in the future.
Would you trade your comfortable city life for a rural one? Write
