Long term roommate sought; rent $250 per month.

About me: Intelligent, active, creative, 45 years old, like puttering in the yard and doing personal art-type stuff. Very easy going, sociable, but privacy and alone time are important to me as well. I'm quiet, mostly - not a partier. TV and music are not on all the time.

I've grown used to being a bachelor - I think I am reasonably clean and neat, but will be more so if I have a roommate.

For example: currently, I wash all of the day's dishes after dinner, around 8pm. but with a roommate, I would probably wash them more frequently, maybe after each meal. Perhaps this could be a point of negotiation.

The kitchen you see in the picture is after a relaxed breakfast - I did not clean up for the photo, but I will pull it together and be much less cluttered if I have a roommate. The bottles on the counter are water bottles waiting to be filled for the day.

I am frugal! This winter, the thermostat has generally been at 68º (would you be comfortable with that?), and I turn it down when I go to work. I've worn a hat indoors, though sometimes I like to indulge in some comfortable warmth, too. No cable. Cheapest landline phone service.

About the house: It's quite an old house, and it's seen better days, but it's fully functional and comfy. I like it, at least. It has sort of the style of a small cottage, to my mind. The bedrooms are spread out, which gives it more of a feel of privacy. There is a combined livingroom/dining room, and a moderate sized kitchen. There is the possibility of making a work space for art or other stuff in the dining area. Some storage is available in a small basement.

There is a bunch of furniture in the house. Most of it stays, but several items are negotiable if you have a couple of pieces of furniture that you want to bring with you (...do you?).

The bedroom for rent is about 8.5 x 13 feet, and will be unfurnished. It is green... it can be painted, but I would like to approve the color (since I'd be painting over it when you leave if I didn't like it.) I could help pay for paint, but not for labor (since the paint on there is fine - just maybe not your favorite color.) I place my queen-size bed diagonally, which makes the room look a little smaller in the photo. (To see more pictures, follow link below.)

There is a small yard that needs mowing occasionally, and it would be nice to split this chore.

Laundry: Currently, there is no laundry. There is an old washer, which is displaced during renovation. It's out of commision for now, but I might be able to find a way to set it up in the garage or something. There is no drier - just a clothes drying rack.

About the neighborhood: It's fairly quiet. About 5 miles from the heart of downtown. Within a few blocks of the 72 and 19 buslines.

What I'm looking for: Someone who has a good sense of personal responsibility, is neat and friendly, and able to pay the rent. Solvent yet frugal! People who are local (as opposed to people relocating here) probably have a bit of a leg up in that their references are easier to check, and I will want to interview prospective roommates before they move in.
A single person, not a couple.
No tobacco or hard drugs.
Pets are negotiable, but I have none, and am not really looking to add any to the mix. I'm kind of enjoying birds right now; building houses and feeders and birdbaths.
If it works out that way, fine, but: I'm not looking to share meal preparation, or groceries, with someone, except for some of the very basics like toilet paper and dishsoap, and perhaps a few other items.

Please tell me whatever it is that you think would be helpful for me to know.

Here are some things I'll be curious about:
1. Your philosophy of life. Including as it pertains to living in the same house with someone.
2. Your philosophy of the dish sponge. For instance, have any preferred style? Know what they are? Ever bought one? Uses, abuses, if any, in your mind?
3. What are you looking for in a living situation?
4. What is your means of livelihood. How will you pay the rent and 1/2 utilities?
I will probably ask for references of some sort.
5. Have you lived with roommates before? What were your experiences? Could you live with a messy roommate?

Rent: rent is $250 a month, to be paid on the first of the month. I'll also ask for a deposit of $120. Rent is month-to-month, and I will ask you to draw up a list of agreements with me, forming a contract agreement about how bills are to be paid, etc. The room should be available by August or September, possibly sooner, depending on what work projects or travel plans or other life events intervene. I'm going to renovate the laundry room, which will then be my room, and the current bedroom will be available when I am done. I want to be timely, but I'm not in a great blazing hurry to do this, so if you need a place immediately, we probably won't be on the same page.

Sorry to be so cut-n-dried, honestly, I do have a sense of humor, but I want the business end of this to be as up front as possible.
Thank you.

Application!
Utility Bills.
More info and some pictures.