Announcements, Studio Business

Moving Adventures

My husband and I have been happily renting this house for the past three years:

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This Spring, we decided we were interested in buying our own house.  We were pre-approved for a mortgage and started shopping.

Finding a house with a good space for my studio was a priority.  We found a great house in Perrysburg, Ohio, which is 20 minutes north of where we currently live.  It is not as charming on the outside as the rental house, but we hope to be able to increase the curb appeal.

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We made an offer which was accepted, and then our closing date was scheduled for April 30th.  Getting the mortgage was quite a process (proving self-employed income does complicate things somewhat!).  But the closing went smoothly on the 30th.  My husband and I are officially homeowners!  Date of possession is Tuesday, May 20 and our big moving date is Saturday, May 24.

So, I’m sure you are curious about the studio space.  🙂

The house is in great condition with lots of updates throughout…except for the room that will be my studio.  It has great tile flooring (gray), but the walls are wood paneling.  It is a long, narrow room (14′ x 24′).  Here is a photo of one end of the room (shown with the previous owner’s furniture):

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And here is a photo of the other end of the room:

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It has a lot of potential!  I plan to paint the paneling and put some new light fixtures in.  I am also shopping for a large rug to put under the piano.  I have been pinning ideas and inspiration on this Pinterest board.

I have already planned out the floor plan, too.  I was having trouble picturing how much space I would have and where the piano would go, so I downloaded a neat app called Room Planner.  Using the app, I created this:

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Image-1 I’m going to miss teaching in this space…

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…but I am looking forward to many more adventures in the new house.  🙂

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37 thoughts on “Moving Adventures”

  1. Congratulations on your new home! I’m looking forward to seeing how your new studio comes along. I know it will be terrific when it’s all done the way you want it. In the meantime enjoy the process! 😉

  2. Hi Joy, I painted dark wood panelling in my studio a bright white (CC20 Benjamin Moore) and it turned out nicely. I’m sure yours will look great once you’re done.

    1. Thanks, Keisha. I’m hoping that paint will brighten up the room quite a bit! I’m thinking about painting the trim white and the paneling a very light gray/cream.

  3. Congratulations Joy! With a long narrow room like that you might have room for some mini recitals? or workshops? lots of room for games too!

  4. Just curious, will your students be making the move to you, or are you starting over, (or a combination)? Best wishes in your new space!!

    1. Almost all of my students have decided to follow me. For a few of them, depending on where they live, the drive is too far. I’m glad I won’t have to completely start over! (I’ve already done that a couple of times in the past!)

  5. Congratulations! That’s going to be a terrific studio space! My studio area also had some dark paneling on two of the walls. I painted the whole room Honey Harbour (Benjamin Moore) a warm creamy/pale yellow and it made for a light, warm and spacious feel!

    1. Michelle, I just googled Honey Harbour, and it looks lovely! I’m hopeful that paint will make a big difference in brightening up my paneled studio, too!

  6. Congrats on buying your first house! I can’t wait till my husband and I do the same, though who knows when it’ll be 🙂 I hope your new studio space turns out fantastically well.

  7. Joy, congratulations on your new home-to-be. Moving itself can be a pain, but it’s so exciting to start somewhere fresh — so exciting. Plus becoming ‘homeowners’ — I bet that feels good, to be putting down deeper roots. After looking at the ‘before’ photos, I was really hoping you would be putting the piano at the end with the french doors. And I see from your plan that you are. Painting the paneling should help to brighten things up quite a bit. I’m wondering if this is a downstairs space? If not, you might think about installing one or two Solatubes for additional light in the middle of the room. I am looking forward to sharing the fun with you in these next months, as you make the big move and settle in. Good luck!

    1. Thanks, Kathy! It does feel good to be able to put down deeper roots. Yes, the studio space is a downstairs room, so I wouldn’t be able to do Solatubes. But I plan to replace those ceiling fans with 3-light fixtures that will give off a lot more light! I’m sure I will be blogging plenty of photos to document the room transformation. 🙂

  8. Hey Joy,
    WOW! Congrats to you both–very exciting!
    I went thru the same thing with getting my first mortgage, and only prevailed with the help of a friend, thank heaven.
    I love your new space! I wondered too, if the piano placement next to the French doors might be more pleasing (more natural light). I have not had good luck with painting paneling, so you may want to consider replacing with sheetrock that you can paint yourself.
    Thanks for sharing; really looking forward to hearing all about it!

    1. Thanks, Maryjane! My sister has experience with painting paneling and has advised me to use a deglosser before painting, to ensure that it will stick well. Someday, I would like to put up drywall (aka sheetrock), but for now, I am hoping that some paint will do the job! 🙂

  9. Joy, I know you said you were moving 20 minutes away from your current location and losing some of your students. I have a family of 4 that took lessons from me and moved 2 hours away. They didn’t want to stop taking from me but weren’t happy with any of the teachers in their area SO…we Skype 3 times a month and they travel down to lessons once a month. Yes, they travel 4 hours once a week to see me! I’m humbled! And it actually works really well. Just something to consider if some of those parents want to stay with you. I’m excited for you! I remember the excitement when buying our first house!

    1. That’s so great, Sheryl! I’m doing something similar with one of my students as well — we will likely Skype half the time. It’s a great option!

  10. Best of good luck to your family in making the move. I bet the previous neighbours will miss the the symphonic sounds flowing from the house. It looks as if you might have windows to look out of while playing in the new house. That would bring inspiration from the colours of the changing sunlight as it beams into the room. Being from Oz, it is amazing to me how you don’t have fences surrounding properties like we do. Guess we are a bit more protective of our patch of land. It will be an exciting new start with an opportunity for other students to join your program. Best Wishes to your Family, (Adore your piano – jealous!!!) 🙂

  11. My fiancé and I just closed and moved into a new house two weeks ago!! As we are both full time musicians, we can completely relate to the pain of proving income!!! 🙂 Enjoy every ounce of settling into your new home, Joy…all the highs and lows of moving! CONGRATS!!!

  12. How exciting to have your own house and a new studio! If you paint over the paneling don’t forget to paint a coat of Zinsser Cover Stain first, or you might have dark timber stain bleeding through your light paint forever! I wonder how loud your piano will be with the tiles and wood floors? Hope your move goes smoothly.

  13. Congrats, Joy! What a great space – such awesome lighting from the glass doors! My hubby and I close on our very first house next week, and it was quite a hunt to find a house suitable for a studio as well as our “everyday” lives! Thanks for the “before” photos…looking forward to seeing your progress as you make it your own. (At least there’s no wallpaper! I’ll be scraping this summer!)

  14. Sorry – I just have to post again because I just checked out your Pinterest board and we have many of the same paint colors pinned! I love the way Revere Pewter looks…are you planning on going with that? Such fun decisions get we get to make, huh?! 🙂

    1. Revere Pewter was my top color choice until I we sampled a bit of it on the wall! It turned out to be too yellow-y for my taste, so I ended up going with Stonington Gray instead. I’m so glad the hardware store sells those test-sized pots!

  15. Hi there!

    I just wondered, as a music teacher, what your thoughts are supporting local producers that are hiring musicians by attending yourself and encouraging your students to attend. Is there any emphasis on this?

    Thanks and great blog!

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