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About Me : Homes : Condo I Want..
When I first lived in Austin in April and May of 2001 I the Hoover's offices had moved, so I was looking for a new place to live. I really wanted to live somewhere near downtown. While driving around I noticed a few different condo high-rise buildings, but always throught they would have cost too much to buy. So I ended up thinking about an apartment of Enfield Road (15th Street, just west of downtown, up the hill across Lamar), but then ended up getting a place up north closer to work with laundry machine hookups at High Oaks. I later wished I would have gotten the apartment on Enfield.
In late 2003 my ex-girlfriend and I ended up hanging out with some her friends at their condo in the Penthouse Condos building. It was a really cool little 1-bedroom unit they had recently rennovated with hardwood floors and a galley kitchen with stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops. I found out the condos here didn't cost nearly as much as I had originally thought, and it turns out I easily could have afforded one while I was making good money at my previous job. Had I known this I might not have quit my good job even though I was so burnt out. :(
Penthouse Condominiums
My goal is to eventually get my shit together again and buy a 1-bedroom condo at the Penthouse Condominiums building at 13th Street and Guadalupe [map]. I'm not sure how long it will take, but that's the goal. :)
Since 2004 or so I've been checking the listings at http://uptowncondos.net every once in a while to see what units are for sale and for how much. They used to sell for the high $90k's, but are now up around $125k for a 1-bedroom. The building maintenance fees are pretty reasonable too at $183/month last I checked.
Furnishing Ideas and Stuff..
Floors:
If I am ever able to buy one I'd like to rennovate it and put wood floors through the main area, from the entry back to the windows in the living room area. Then put some shaggy carpeting in the bedroom and stone tile in the bathroom.
Kitchen:
I would love to do a galley style kitchen, with a small bar island, granite counter tops, and a stainless steel sink and appliances. I would especially dig having a Viking stove/range, and a Sub-Zero refrigerator.
Bathroom:
The shower stall would be as big as the room would allow, with some kind of real stone tiling and a glass door. I also thought it might be cool to have an old fashioned toilet, and a stone sink/counter top.
Living Room:
In the living room I'd like to keep it simple with something like a simple IKEA Klippan sofa, a long low T.V. stand (like the OPPLI they used to sell), a HÖRUP floor lamp, and maybe a rug in the middle of the room.
Bedroom:
I've always wanted to get a simple platform bed, so I'd like to get an IKEA MALM bed with a foam mattress, with one or two attached night stands, and a simple clothes chest with a T.V. on top in front of the bed.
Other / Misc:
In the area across from the galley kitchen I would probably put a book case, like the IKEA ENETRI shelving unit (but with blond wood shelves), to keep my books and miscellaneous stuff. Then maybe a cool track lighting fixture over the island bar (like the IKEA CITTRA light) and some comfy stools.
