Searching for the house 1: 42 Winchester St. Lyttelton

Have just been to see this house. It has 4 bedrooms and a seesaw in the garden!! It is between two churches on Winchester St. right where the bus stops.

It is very old and completely falling down. The owner has bought it to knock it down and build 2 2-storey townhouses there. He plans to do this "in a year or two."

The good things about this house:

• big rooms
• weird factor (or "character")
• garden/yard (small)
• in Lyttelton
• near bus stop
• cheap (they're asking $235/week but I think it could definitely be less)
• we could do anything we want to it - paint, pull up carpets, whatever

The bad things abut this house:

• only available for a limited period
• very hard to heat and cold and miserable in winter

I can imagine having a plan to test this whole project out on this house and then find out

a) whether I really want to own the house that becomes Laverne Laverne

b) whether this is really want I want to do

c) if Lyttelton is the right place

I would take the house from September 1st (the date I have in mind to begin the whole Laverne project), for $200/week, until May next year (with a guarantee that he won't ask us to leave before then). I would make one or two pieces in the house, not amass too much stuff (further costumes, wardrobes, lights etc.).

It is very attractive because of the sieze and price (and the fact that we can do what we want), but I think I will take a look around at some others.