Carrying on the tradition

This is what family time looks like for us right now. The three of us at the new renovation property with Mark scraping windows, me inside painting and both of us supervising Lottie in the puddle below the porch.

It’s not for everyone, I know that, but it is for us. It is our choice to invest in property that needs work rather than property that is brand new.

Aside from enjoying satisfaction from completing a project and being creative at heart, it’s how we want our daughter to grow up.

As children we were both brought up near buckets of paint, stacks of wood and minefields of tools.

We both share memories of living in houses under construction, with unpainted rooms and unfinished kitchens.

We both value having spent time with our parents watching them create something out of nothing, drive machinery and have paint on their hands. It’s what we know and what we value.

So here, at this little property, we are proudly carrying on the tradition. However, this hasn’t come about easily.

We have worked hard to be in a position to expand our property portfolio. It meant many long nights behind a paintbrush at our first property with full time jobs and me with an ever expanding tummy during my pregnancy with Lottie.

Our vision for this new property requires the same. It also doesn’t come without sacrifice.

During the week I stay here with Lottie to work on the property. Mark works at home which is a fair distance away to pay for the project . During the weekends we all sleep in the only room that has been finished, do not have a fridge, washing machine or a tv. We don’t have the play dates, the coffee groups or the Saturday night drinks.

It’s just the three of us, making sacrifices to learn and grow as a family. For now that’s what we need. We will get the other things back eventually but we are in no rush. We want to continue showing our daughter the childhood we both so fondly remember.