Storage of All Our Worldy Possessions Under the House
When we were planning to convert our house into two units we had to leave access to the wiring and plumbing under the house. The existing access was through "the little red door" which led to a great workshop (man space). Most of the space was going to be transformed into a bathroom for the downstairs unit, but we were able to leave a shelved corridor with access to the rest of the under house. It was a shame to lose that space, but it was mostly filled up with junk anyway. Now that junk would have to go further under the house.
We have travelled a fair bit, so we needed the storage for our "junk"(that is an affectionate but accurate term for all our worldly possessions that won't fit in a suitcase). When we first went to China, we rented out the house fully furnished and we didn't need much storage. Later on, we definitely needed that space. It's like the Tardis down there (For non Dr Who fans, a Tardis is a kind of time machine that on the outside appears to be a small old box but on the inside is a vast spaceship. Is that clear?). We have been able to store fridges, washing machines, all our beds, clothes, kitchen stuff and other assorted "junk". It's deceptively large. Thankfully most of the unnecessary plurals have been culled!
Each time I bring out the "junk", I think we should get rid of most of it (well I think I should get rid of Mrs Cossack's stuff). At least it is good exercise moving those heavy boxes. We used to hoard everything. But then we realised there were some things we could live without (there are only so many times you can use an old plastic bag). If it was up to me most of it would be dumped. Mrs Cossack has some sentimental items that must be preserved. Things like her eraser collection (I have to admit, it is pretty impressive - although you could probably replicate it cheaply from a department store these days). She has a box full of confetti (you never know when you are going to need it) and don't get me started on the jigsaw collection! I guess I have held onto a few amazing ornaments myself. I've got my old bottle collection. I've kept all my shoes from the last 20 years (okay, I've had a little bit of a cull). I'm not sure what we would have done without that storage.
We had a pipe burst a few weeks ago. Luckily we had our friend/property manager/Mr. fixit/jack of all trades there at the time. He was able to catch and fix it before it became an under house pool. It did cause damage to some of our junk though. What a shame.
We now have an issue with all that "junk", because we need to rewire the whole house. The place was built in the 1940s and probably has some old wiring from that era. It's best to get it sorted now. The problem is that all our junk is blocking the access for the electricians to do their thing. Luckily the tenant has agreed to let us temporarily use the garage to store some of our junk. I'm off to New Zealand today to sort that out. I'll let you know how that goes.