Drum roll please! Our next PMQ will be option #1. If you missed it, click here to read about our House Hunting Trip to CFB Gagetown to find our next home. We opted to do a PMQ instead of an apartment “on the economy” since all the newly renovated Qs has such fantastic features.
Here are the details on the PMQ we chose:
- 2 Bedrooms
- 1.5 Baths
- Paved driveway
- Garage
- Air Conditioning
- Tankless Water Heater
- Newly renovated
So why did we pick this one? A lot of you guys thought Option 4 was a shoo-in, while others thought Option 3 was our sure bet.
It boils down to three things: the garage, the size and layout of the backyard, and the siding of this PMQ.
The garage will serve as our workshop so a lot of the tools and items in storage around the basement and backyard will move into the garage, thus liberating the basement for DH’s true man cave.
Ladies, I spent no less than three – almost four- hours listening to him talk about the layout of the basement and the table he’s going to build for his games. I’ve never spent so much time talking about joints, wood types and overall construction.
I was totally engaged for the first 20 minutes, but then he kept changing the design and I lost track and then just gave up after the 10th revision. I did not talk to him about plans for the house on end, but mainly because we’re on the same page and I’d rather show him than try and explain it to him.
Entryway as seen from the family room
family room as soon from the hallway
family room as seen from the kitchen
wall colours for the main floor
dining room as seen from the family room
potential wall colour for the dining room
The backyard was a huge plus for us: Bruce (the dog) needs space to roam on his lead, and if we’ve learned anything from our row house life, it’s that people are particular about which poop belongs to who, so we’d rather avoid those issues entirely. This yard also gives us the space for our table and the entertaining that goes along with it. Expect grand ole’ soirees outside under the stars.
backyard and garage as seen from the back door
that sweet AC
The plastic siding on this PMQ means that the insulation has been re-done. This is big news and an important thing to consider when looking at heating the place this winter. Every item in the house could be energy efficient and the windows could be brand new, but if the walls are seeping heat then it was all for nothing. The brick on Option 4 meant that the insulation hadn’t necessarily been touched, and that was a risk we didn’t want to take.
Kitchen
kitchen
kitchen
I still have reservations about this place, but the negatives are things I can look past and deal with:
- I’ll make the colour in the kitchen work with the rest of the house and the direction we’re hoping to take it in;
- The dining room will be paired-down to the table, chairs and a buffet/bar;
- The siting room and TV room will merge into a family room
- The guest bedroom will become an air mattress in the basement – we don’t get enough visitors to warrant a third bedroom right now.
- My office will be on the second floor and our master bedroom across the hall.
stairs to the second floor
full bathroom as seen coming down the stairs
potential wall colours for the bathroom
In case I hadn’t said it already, I’ll be transitioning to blogging full time with the move! That’s right, no more office jobs for terrible people, I’ll be working for myself! I’ve got so many plans that have been on simmer for the past year, and now I can finally turn the heat up! Watch-out world!
master bedroom
master bedroom
master bedroom
powder room as seen from the master
my office
check out those ceilings/walls!Fun story that I think you would all appreciate (I shared it snapchat as it happened) DH was taking measurements in the basement when he noticed some writing on the wood posts. Turns out a girl named Heather had lived in this PMQ in the 90s, and inscriber her name plus that of each of her boyfriends on the posts. Heather had a lot of boyfriends, what can I say?!
We got a kick out of it. I feel like our future basement was once the local spot for horny teenagers! Glad they’ve been cleaned since 😉
Heather, if you’re out there, don’t hate me.
Becky with the good hair & Magoo
Becky with the good hair & Robert
What do you think of our choice?
Username: PMQfortwo
Living & Dining Room New Mover Essentials
 Mid- Century Modern Soda Moving into the first living room that’s really yours, chances are good you’ll want to upgrade from that couch someone had in their parents’ basement. Opting for a sleek mid-century piece with solid construction in a compact form will give you more versatility than you think. |
 Brooklyn Floor Lamp Depending on the footprint you have available in your living room, I’d go for this tripod lamp. The wood legs mirror those on the chair and the couch, while bringing an interesting visual element to eye level. |
 Harlan Square Glass Coffee Table If you’re moving and now have space for a nice table, simple and sturdy does the trick for me. |
 Murfreesboro 2 Piece Arm Chair & Ottoman Set The two tones play off the rug, and the tufted style complements the couch’s design. Can’t go wrong with a foot stool either! |
 Barcelona Area Rug I love the bold colours and weathered look for this carpet. A well-chosen area rug will help frame a space from the ground up. |
 Sputnik 18 Light Chandelier The retro sputnik is definitely enjoying a comeback, and in your dining room/eating area it will provide the perfect balance of ambiance and style. Swap the lightbulbs for frosted white ones for more light! |
 Artisan Splendour 20 Piece Flatware Set the gold cutlery is perfect in so many ways. Not only do we find the brushed look in the chandelier, but in the warm wood tones of the living room. |
 Brist 12 Piece Dinnerware Set I bought my first real set of dishes when I moved out on my own. Although they weren’t as colourful, these would look great in this dining room, or even in the living room while watching TV. |
 Florence Arm Chair Two sets of these and you’re in business! I like chairs that can be brought into other rooms for extra seating, and that don’t look out of place. The clean, uncompromising lines of these chairs are really amped-up by the high gloss red. |
 Kateri Dining Table This dining table will see you through many homes and many uses. The circular nature allows for greater seating, even in a tight space! |
Looks great!
Thanks Virginia XO
Where are you guys posted? Lol ive never seen a pmq that nice before!
Our pack day is June 13th!
gees. I wish our “birdhouse” Q had looked like that back in 2008! Looks awesome.
These are not the standard PMQs that’s for sure 😉
LOVE your choice! It will totally work for you guys. And having a garage for storage will be so NICE!!!! I’m so excited to watch you make it your own! <3
Stephanie @ Mommyzoid
Thanks 🙂 I couldn’t be more excited! Now it’s time to run the sprint to the finish line i.e the last 6 weeks before a posting
Love love the choice. The pmq looks amazing
I wish you lived close to me lol I’d be getting you to help me redecorate ????
ha! There’s always e-design! Rates are very affordable 🙂 and I think you qualify for a discount since you completed my reader survey! Think about it 😉
Looks great! Can’t wait to see the transformation 🙂
Thanks lovely 🙂
Looks so cute! And will look even cuter once you decorate. I hope you like Gagetown. Even though the military rolls their eyes at Gagetown I think it’s a lovely spot – the rolling hills are really beautiful.
I’m in a Q that was renovated last year and a cabinet fell off the wall on to me … full of dishes! Before you put any dishes into the cabinets use a stud finder to make sure they put the screws into studs. After it fell off it was clear that the screws were in the totally wrong spots – they were just into drywall! Apparently it’s not uncommon for it to happen in military reno’s because the contract goes to the lowest bidder.
Goodness! I’ll do a quick check with the stud finder before we start loading the cupboards. The lowest bidder part really grinds my gears some times, but you can end up with great work nonetheless!
I hated Gagetown the first time around and I left on a sour note. I ate a lot of humble pie before getting behind the idea of returning, and now I’m so glad we did. I can’t wait to go back to a place I know. Sure, the pace of life is a heck of a lot slower (or at least it will be for me!) but that’s the nice thing- we move so often that you get a nice mix between postings and lifestyles.
Great Bones! Don’t you just love a blank canvas? I’m excited for you, I know you’ll make it amazing.
The “blank canvas” stage is my favourite! It’s when everything is fresh and the possibilities are endless! if only the bank account was too 😉
Hi, it looks very nice! I am shocked at the material they used on the stairs…what are they thinking? It looks so institutional. This is too bad bc they could have done some sort of hardwood type flooring or even carpet (a q I was just in they just replaced the stairs carpet every few tenants). Other than that, the place seems great!
My sister had hardwood on her stairs and they were sooo slippery when you wore socks, she got them to put some gritty strips on the stairs so her toddler didn’t fall down them, I almost bought it a few times. I think the flooring choice was a smart one, if not they could use carpet, hardwood is just too slippery. But that is just my opinion, to each his own. Just saying I could understand why.
Congrats on your choice, I am very excited to see what you do with the place. :))))
Overall I am very happy that I found your blog, I was sure that there must be other military wifes out there worrying about and dealing with the same issues as I do. 😉 we are moving this summer too. 🙂 xo
Krisztina @homefromeasttowest
Thank you Krisztina!
I thought you guys might be a service family when I creeped your instagram profile! Where are you guys off to this year?
And thanks for sharing my blog with any other spouses you meet along the way who might be interested in the same things! X0
They let you paint in your pmq in gagetown ? We went in to ask and they said no because to many people haven’t been painting them back before they leave
Looks unreal girl! Can wait to see u brighten it up with your colour choices and style it! I’ll be checking back in for sure
Thanks girl 😉 Wait till you see what we’ve already done! Hope all is well 🙂
It looks so nice! It really puts 99 % of CFB Esquimalt’s PMQ’s to shame. Just out of curiousity, how much is the rent?
Our new place comes to about 800$ a month. I think about 50$ of that is for the garage, most of the time you’re paying extra for those. I hear they’re putting money into several bases, but not all of them right away.
Hey! Wondering what you do for that horrible entryway area. Moving into my first 2 bedroom Q and I cannot think of what to do on that wall. The door front door swings open just 3″ from the wall. Love your stuff!
OMG I love it!!! We are waiting on our first posting message ( change of trade) and have decided when we sell our current house well go to a ‘q’ I can only hope and pray we get something half this nice!! It’s beautiful !
I can’t wait till we get into one and decorate I’m just finishing my design and staging certifications and already bought some removable wallpaper in anticipation of the ‘q’ lol gotta have something to do since I won’t be able to actually renovate lol I’m on my second house and we have completely renovated and remodeled both lol
Oh cool! p.s sorry for the late reply. I try and do comments one day a week lol
Well that’s cool! where did you do your design and staging certifications? Where are you guys posted to?
I am so excited to eventually own a home and do all the thingsI’ve been dying to do, but can’t, because we’re in a PMQ.
Hi! I came across your blog while searching for PMQ’s in gagetown as we have decided to opt for one instead of buying because of the hell we are going through trying to sell our home here in Edmonton! How long did you get a response after applying for one? I am worried we won’t be able to move together as a family if there is a long waiting list! Thanks so much and I absolutly love your pmq! So lucky to get a fresh new one 🙂
Hi Lori! So sorry for the delayed response – crazy days over here recently.
We got our posting message early and applied as soon as we had (like February/early March) and then had our move date pushed as early as possible so that they could action our file ASAP while being within the 60 day window for them to look at it.
Hope that helps! Good luck this APS
Thanks so much for the information! 🙂 we ended up getting a duplex (1.5 story), not renovated but hoping it isn’t too bad! Hubby will get to go check it out so hopefully he will take lots of pictures for me. I love decorating (not even close to your talents tho!) so I am sure we will be able to make it feel like home 🙂