Living arrangements

Basically, I don't need a lot of space in which to live. I need a lot of storage space for the junk I've accumulated, but for me personally, a couple of rooms are adequate.

I've been living, for all intents and purposes, in my den and dining room for two or three years. That's been plenty of space.

But the changes Ms. HRP is making will shift my daily living to the den, front bedroom and back bedroom. I will still rarely, if ever, use the living room.

We've talked about changes to the other, lesser-used rooms. The dining room especially needs work, and she's suggested changes to the living room as well.

But for what I've spent on this house over the past year, including the work outside, I could have almost bought a new house. Nothing I've done is extravagant, but none of it has been done on the cheap, either.

I have to think about costs for the rest of these projects, and I'm not sure if I can afford to do much more.

Ms. HRP has raised the issue of me hosting social gatherings at my home. I have done that twice in my entire life - once in 1998 and once in about 1979. I have no need to plan for an active social life, because I would still be mostly a recluse even if I were a billionaire living in the Nichols mansion.

iTunes: Raga Alahya Bilaval, G S Sachdev

What I want and need is a home that supports one adult male, one cat and one basset hound, with some room for a few hangaround cats. It needs to facilitate some semi-artistic doodling, plus reading, sleep and some not very disciplined meditation.