Two parts of the home that I definitely took for granted as a kid were the laundry and bathroom. I never realised how important it was for these to be functional spaces. I learnt very quickly the importance of a good laundry and bathroom when I purchased my first one bedroom, one bathroom unit two years ago. I’m not a materialistic person and so I thought a small bathroom would be enough for me. I also thought that I wouldn’t be bothered by the fact that I had to share a laundry with everyone in my apartment building. I was absolutely wrong.

Ever since moving in, I’ve been desperately trying to talk to the body corporate about laundry renovations. Melbourne apartment buildings all have their own body corporates, which means that everyone with a stake in the building must agree before anything can go ahead. I’ve been trying to get the body corporate to agree for so long now that I’m seriously considering just selling my unit and leaving. I’d love to stay here because I really like the location, but I’m absolutely sick of washing my clothes in a communal space.

At the beginning of this post, I also mentioned taking a functional bathroom for granted. My current bathroom has been terribly designed. I’d love to be able to talk to someone about bathroom renovations so that my apartment could be as liveable as possible, but seeing as I can’t even get a small laundry passed, I don’t think they’d agree to a new bathroom.

It’s really a bit ridiculous if you think about it. I own the apartment and therefore I should be able to do whatever I want in it. No one would say anything if I renovated my bathroom inside a house, but because it’s a building with others – it’s a problem. I just want to be able to wash my clothes in private.