Happy camper :)

[Tradd]

I've been renting the same small one-bedroom condo (privately owned) since September 2008. My rent has always been the same - $800. It's good for my area, safe and relatively quiet. My landlords have begged me in previous years to stay, but this year I beat them to the punch and told them several months ago I wanted to renew. We just did that today.

When I'd been here less than a year, they replaced the fridge, washer and dryer. All were original to when the place was built in the mid-80s. They've always been very good at proactive stuff, like having the furnace and a/c checked before the season began. The husband of the couple is pretty handy and has done small things himself. They've always been very responsive when I've had heat or a/c issues.

This evening they told me they would repaint the entire place if I wanted them to. I happen to like the cream-colored walls. Then they said I could have the bathroom painted a color I wanted. Yes! Purple or lavender (which happens to be what they have at home). I went to Home Depot and chose my color tonight - Behr's June Berry. This is the color:

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/paint/paint-samples-posters-fan-decks/behr-ultra/8-oz-june-berry-interiorexterior-paint-tester-640d5-58122.html

They're also going to replace the original vinyl flooring in the bathroom, plus a few other small things, like a new toilet seat and shower curtain rod (it's rusting at the edges).

I'm away for two-three days twice this month, so they'll get it done then.

This location is perfect for me, close to church (3 miles), work (7.5 miles), shopping (everything but major mall within 3 miles). Plus my dentist, doctor, and hair stylist are in the same town. Moving here really improved my quality of life, not spending 2+ hours a day on the freeway. So I'm staying for as long as I can. :D

Just had to share!

[iris lily]

I love that color! I call it "French Blue" and it's the only color in the cool range that I like, but I like it extraordinarily. At least I like the version that shows up on my monitor. Not a fan of the blues.

I have always wanted a bedroom in this color with white woodwork, with Flow blue china on the walls (which I suppose is odd in a bedroom) and with touches of a lemony yellow.

[Tradd]

It's more of a purple, darker lavender on the paint chip.

[Zoebird]

it's very pretty. :) nice when you can work with a landlord.

i'm hoping to convince mine to let us paint, put up some shelves, and so on. :D

[Polliwog]

Sounds like you have lovely landlords. And they are letting you really make the condo your home. I love the color you picked, even though I'm not a blue fan, per se. I tend towards the Autumn colors. Anyway, happy that you are happy!

[cdttmm]

Love the color choice! But then, I painted our mudroom/laundry room a vibrant purple color after we bought our house, so maybe I'm a little biased! :)

Isn't it wonderful to love where you live? And to have such fabulous landlords to boot is clearly a blessing.

It makes me wonder if our renters rave about us the same way. I suspect not, so we have something to aspire to!

[Rogar]

From my experience, a good landlord is usually repaid wtih good renters. A fact that landlords seem to miss out on a lot. I rented a little house for 17 years, partially due to the landlord, and though I am now a home owner, I have few regrets about renting for such a long time.

[Gardenarian]

I love the purple - it is just the same color as the shirt I'm am wearing today.
It's so nice to hear from someone who is satisfied with life - I'm grateful for your gratitude.
:)

[Mrs-M]

You Tradd are in what I refer to as "the zone"! :) I am so happy for you! And that lovely hint of blueberry colour is very refreshing. Isn't it funny how certain colours conjure up images and even scents of certain things. Like after seeing the colour I cannot get Huckleberries out of my head! At any rate you deserve the best Tradd! Please post again just to let us know how everything turned out for you. P.S. I'm already jealous, because I remember you posting pictures of your place before and how super clean and organized and clutter-free it was! Totally neat as a pin.

[Tradd]

Mrs-M, I'll be sure to take pictures once it's done!

[Mrs-M]

Mrs-M, I'll be sure to take pictures once it's done!Enthusiastically rubbing hands together in anticipation of the end result! :)

[Tradd]

My landlords originally told me they were going to paint while I was gone later this month for a few days, as they had a family reunion this weekend while I was out of town visiting friends. Well, I got an email yesterday saying they were painting this weekend. It's done! I just came home to my newly purple bathroom. Looks GOOD! :D

First pic, you can see the shower curtain I was coordinating with:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LfP5l6vQWTM/TiOgNgg5EJI/AAAAAAAAEG4/idvvSr3fGFk/s640/2011-07-17_21-49-20_981.jpg

Second pic, view of big mirror over sink, lights, and more purple. It's a small bathroom and difficult to take pics of:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rjIM2y90rWE/TiOgcTSdPpI/AAAAAAAAEG8/tBM04viqWs4/s640/2011-07-17_21-49-48_357.jpg

[Mrs-M]

Spectacular Tradd!!! Love the shower curtain, too! And, you know, there are a lot of people who can't stand the smell of fresh paint, but I sort of like. For me it says (and smells) clean and fresh! Do enjoy! :) And thanks a bunch for the snaps!

Oh and Tradd, love your avatar!

[Tradd]

You're welcome!

Mrs-M, believe it or not, it doesn't smell like fresh paint at all! I think it's one of those low-VOC paints, and I wonder if that lessens the smell, too! And the painting was only finished this afternoon.

[Mrs-M]

Holy smokes, Tradd! Now that's cutting things close isn't it. :) So happy you're happy. Does your bathroom have a tile floor? As in an actual ceramic tile floor?

[Tradd]

Floor will be done later. It's currently about 25 year old sheet vinyl that definitely needs to be replaced. But the small things you can ignore for rent that hasn't changed! :)

[Mrs-M]

You're right Tradd, pretty hard to complain. :) Just going to grab my laundry basket and make my way outside, pull down the laundry off the line, have a quick bath, and call it a night.

[sweetana3]

Good landlords are worth their weight in gold.

[Selah]

What great landlords, and what a great tenant you must be to have such goodwill directed towards you! Enjoy it! :)

[iris lily]

That IS a pretty color! I like it a lot.

[Tenngal]

fantastic color and I love the smell of new paint!

[crunchycon]

I love the color with your shower curtain...really pulls it all together. Enjoy -- and thank you for sharing.

[Simpler at Fifty]

I agree you have great landlords Tradd but I think they also think you are pretty great. I bet they pray for tenants like you. Clean, neat, organized, quiet and pays the rent on time..... I am glad you found a nice apt after the last place. Does the landlord have a single brother? Had to do it, always have to look out for you...