House Journal Part 6

There has been a break in the action at the house site, and my blog has suffered, but activity has resumed as of the last few days. Behind the scenes a flurry of activity has been taking place, however, with the finalizing of plans for the house. Between the architect and Frits there has been much conversation to determine exactly how the foundation must be built and figuring out the weight loads. Finally the plans are ready to go out for bids and that is where they are now.

From my earlier blogs you will have seen the massive pile of rocks lying in what is to be the cellar hole. I was losing sleep worrying about how it could be possible to move and place all these rocks and still have room to pour a foundation.

Well, three days with the excavator of all excavators and my husband's strong back and good eye we now have a retaining wall that is going nowhere in the next century or two.

To get some perspective on the size, the arm of the excavator from the angle to the bottom of the bucket is about 17 feet. This photo shows it about half way done with still two more layers to go.

Loads of fill has been brought in and now we can see roughly the footprint of the house. One moment I think we must be crazy for taking on this project and the next I am almost overcome with excitement. For the next 12 months or so, decisions will need to be made day by day and minute by minute. Each one will be double and triple guessed and not until we are all done will we know how we did.

The most recent decision we had to make concerned a very large rock that we felt needed a place of honor. The thing is more that 10 feet tall and about the same distance across and about 3 feet thick at the base. By Frits' calculation it weighs about 13 tons. It was moved once when the original blasting took place and now we had to see if it could move it again. The chances of moving it three times were slim so we had better decide on its ultimate resting place once and for all. With very little else to go on we picked the place close to where the corner of the house meets the driveway. It could be the corner stone to the front steps, I thought.

By the time I returned home from work that evening the rock was standing magnificently at attention exactly where we planned. The excavator driver had had his doubts that he could roll it with the bucket and actually stand it up but there it was, the 'Rock of Gibralter', so enormous yet quite beautiful, and I hope, in the right place!

There will be many opportunities to make mistakes, and I have seen plenty in my real estate career, but we are not ones to shy away from taking a few chances. So onward we go.

 

House Journal Part 5

The cabin, although not complete, is very livable. The details will come in time, such as flooring in the main living space, tile in the bathroom and a few doors on the cabinets. Throughout my married life and even growing up, unfinished houses were the norm. It used to bother me a lot more than it does now. Sure, I am impatient to see the finished product and I think once I reach 70, living in flux, not to mention dust, will hold little appeal. On the other hand, is 70 that much different from 65?

For at least the next 12 months or so there will be a flurry of activity as we begin work on the new house. The 900 sq ft that we currently live in feels fine as long as we have another 2,000 sq ft of storage. Entertaining more than one other couple at a time is all we can manage but children, spouses and grandchildren have to camp outside for now. Probably not the best set up to encourage visits, especially at Christmas!

Over the winter we have been tweaking the plans, consulting with the architect and now it is almost time to break ground. Just a note about our architect: we needed to find someone willing to work with our ideas and guide us when necessary but not dominate the project. We found just the right team. They visited our site and could see how we envisioned nestling the house into the natural surroundings, preserving the rock ledges and distinctive features of this particular building site and have supported us all along the way.

Once the foundation plans are finalized it will be time to get bids on the concrete work. Frits has been in the building business for many years and he wouldn't be able to stand not having a hand in it. He will be the general contractor and each stage will be subtracted out.

The weather has been very favorably this spring allowing for an earlier start than usual to most projects. The ground is dry which has given Frits a head start on moving firewood and beginning the preparation of the site. The cabin and the barn are just a stone's throw away and so most of our systems are already in place. The well, septic system and driveway will serve all but there is still one rather large stumbling block, so to speak. Massive rocks were blasted out and even more were dug out to make room for the barn and now they are all lying right where the foundation will be.

They all will need to be relocated temporarily to allow for footings and basement walls to be poured and then many will be moved yet again to serve as retaining walls, patio stones and foundation facing stones. A daunting task indeed. In an earlier post I described them as the size of Volkswagens but now they look more like Hummers. For me this all looks impossible but fortunately Frits takes it all is stride. I must say I will be relieved when this particular phase is over and the foundation is in. Seeing the footprint of our new home will make it all real and not just a dream. I can hardly wait.

The Stowe house - still up for grabs

Happily ensconced in our cabin in Waterbury Center but feeling the pressure of maintaining the Stowe house and guest house as well as pushing on with the new property, our life was very much in flux. The tenants had vacated the main house on June 1, 2011 but still the farmhouse was booked steadily all through the summer.

There was much to do. The lawn, which had grown considerably in size over the years needed constant mowing. The gardens needed weeding and the flower pots on the back porch and around the front entry had to be planted. With the property actively back on the market it had to be in showing-ready mode at all times. Indoors was fairly ship-shape with just some additional cleaning and polishing needed. The house plants had suffered but with a little care, sprang back to life in no time. Once again we were ready for our buyers to come along.

Within just a couple of weeks a local family appeared on the scene. Their house, much larger than ours but without the land, was under contract and due to close in August. Suddenly, everything changed. They loved our house and were ready to make an offer. As cautious as I knew we must be (I tell my clients all the time about the bumps in the road they will have to navigate before a closing can occur) the adrenaline surged and we were planning for our future.

The first offer was disappointingly low. It seemed their funds were limited but their dreams, were not. After several rounds of negotiation we came to an agreement that included the sale of the main house, rental of the farmhouse and we would keep the extra lot. Not ideal for us but it would relieve us of the burden of the care and maintenance of both houses and give us some money to get started on the new project.

We sailed through our building inspection with only a radon mitigation to take care of. Very minor on the scale of things. Our buyers, however, were running into snags with their house. We sat tight and held our breath. Sure enough with only two weeks left before closing our buyers' deal fell through and we were once again back on the market.

I work with sellers on a daily basis and am now even more sympathetic to the frustration they feel. The emotional ups and downs are wearing and the feeling of helplessness can be overwhelming. Buyers can find it hard to make decisions in such a volatile economic time. What if the stock market crashes, what if the perfect house comes on the market next week, am I paying too much, what if my financial situation takes a turn for the worse? All valid questions.

We were now into August and beginning to think about winter rentals again. Should we wait a little longer? Maybe the Stowe family will find a buyer for their house and they will be back. Maybe not.

A single phone call changed everything! It came from the husband of a young woman who had been a school friend of one of our daughters but had since moved to Europe with her Swiss husband. Her ties to Stowe are strong and especially Sterling Valley. The next week was a wild ride of many visits to the property with their five daughters and the grandmother. They came to see the sun rise, the sun set and every hour in between. Yes, it was the perfect place to come for the summers so by the end of the week we had a deal. They were ready to buy the whole property as soon as possible and we were thrilled to have this wonderful family enjoying what our family had enjoyed for so many years.

It took a little longer than we all expected and there were still some unexpected, fearful moments but on November 3, 2011 we handed over the keys and said goodbye. There are always some mixed emotions but as we look back, no regrets.

With winter still ahead of us we would have time to finalize the plans for the new house while still finishing the cabin and be ready to break ground as soon a the weather allows.
The next adventure was about to begin.

House Building Journal - Part 4

The title for this episode should be 'Surviving our first winter in the cabin'. Make no mistake, I was as gung-ho as Frits to 'camp', with just four walls, a roof and a wood stove and not much else. It was challenging but not overwhelming and we have no regrets, but a year later I'm glad that time is past.

The cabin when we first moved in, had an open loft with no railing and just some plywood sheets to walk on. The air bed took up about half of the covered area. Our few clothes were in bags on the floor and what cooking facilities we had took up the rest of the space. Beyond that were gaping holes straight down to the room below. Sleep walking was not an option. The two dogs soon became accustomed to walking cautiously although Lily, my Yorkie, hated the stairs. They are steep and open along one side and it took a couple of weeks before she would go up them and a couple of months before she would go down.

Bathing was creative. The sun shower was designed for outdoor camping in warm weather. The vinyl bag is filled with water and left in the sun until it is warm enough to be bearable and then it is hung from a tree branch so that the spray nozzle is at sufficient height to drench the showeree. We applied the same principle but used water heated on the wood stove and then using a clamp, secured it to a beam. This is where the creative part comes in. First we spread a sheet of plastic on the remaining 4 square feet of plywood. Then the green plastic bucket was positioned under the nozzle. The bucket was a little larger than your average pail but not much. By squatting in the bucket you could have a pretty decent shower and keep most of the water contained. Any water that escaped onto the plastic was easily funneled back into the bucket once we were done. One bag for two people. No photo necessary here!

Our 'kitchen', a table and a couple of shelves allowed room for only 2 plates, 2 bowls, 2 cups and a few paper items. If I had to choose just one cooking appliance, in the absence of a stove, the electric skillet wins, hands down. In addition to the obvious frying capabilities, you can cook pasta, roast and even bake cakes. The microwave, another essential, makes short work of most things and some vegetables, especially green beans are even better this way. The third important appliance is the crockpot. There are zillions of good recipes on-line for more than just pot roast and beef stew. I have done rice pudding, chili and mac and cheese, all delicious. We ate out very little during this time, preferring to stay home although dinner invitations from friends were much appreciated.

Work continued on the upstairs while the downstairs remained as the workshop. We moved out briefly while the floor was laid and a rail installed. Our king-sized bed could then be permanently installed and utilized as the only seating we had. By now we had a small TV with an antenna and a wireless router for our Internet connection.

The day running cold water arrived was cause for celebration. Frits had been carrying buckets of water from the barn across the ice and snow at great peril to his health and welfare. I am not sure if I mentioned that Frits is our entire work force. He is the plumber, the electrician, the carpenter and the wood splitter. If he doesn't do it, it is not happening. Once we had running water, everything became easier. We had rigged up a temporary toilet in the to-be-bathroom downstairs (beats using the portalet) that we could flush with a bucket of water but now we could have a fully functioning toilet tucked away in a closet in the loft.

An on-demand water heater came next and then a vanity with hot and cold running water! Yippee...not exactly the Ritz but getting closer.

By the time summer arrived, the makeshift kitchen had been moved out of our bedroom, the bathroom with tub and shower was functioning, the loft with walk-in closet was about finished and the focus was on the downstairs.

We installed a slate floor in the entry, added a coat closet and finished the remaining wall by using an old sliding door from the original barn. Over the past 35 years or so, Frits had saved many, many old hinges, bolts, square headed nails, boards, planks, doors, plumbing fixtures, not to mention tools, just in case. My support of this habit has not always been wholehearted, I admit, but now finally it was paying off. Whenever just the right board, hinge or hook was needed, Frits would head off to his stash and return with a twinkle in his eye and a treasure. It became very satisfying to be using age-appropriate, reclaimed materials and doing our small part to save the planet.

In the meantime our renters had purchased another house and on June 1st, 2011, vacated our Stowe house. More decisions to be made. What if it isn't sold by winter? Do we move back or do we rent again. Each time the economy seemed to be improving another dire, world event hit the news, the stock market slumped and buyers clutched tight to their wallets. The summer was to bring many more moments of guarded enthusiasm followed by disappointment.

House Building Journal - Part 3

Now, well into November 2010 the weather was closing in on us and only a few days remained before we had to vacate the house in Stowe. Most of our personal items had been packed and stored leaving all furnishings, linens, dishes etc for the new tenants. It was clear that the cabin, even in it's roughest state was not going to be ready in time.

The structure, an old barn, had to be reconstructed from the inside out. Two young, strong men stepped in to help. Sandy and Scott, taking a break from their stair building business willingly worked long hours with Frits, to get it done. First the posts and beams were fitted back together and then the original barn boards were nailed in place just as they had been when first this barn was built in the 1860's.

We then added a small section to one side to allow room for an entry, utility room and a bathroom.

Once the interior structure was done we needed to be able to insulate the building from the outside to preserve the look of the old barn on the inside. Time was running out.

Our good friends and neighbors in Waterbury Center offered us a roof over our heads for the month of December, and for this, we were very grateful. Fortunately our two dogs were welcomed too.

Snow was falling by the time the roof went on. By now we had the help of Ernie and his sons, some of the hardest workers you'll ever come across. Day after day they worked outdoors in freezing temperatures and all kinds of precipitation to make sure our cabin was protected from the elements, so we could move in.

January 1st, 2011 was our target date but even that was optimistic. The guest house at our Stowe property was rented through December but a two week period after New Year's was open. One more temporary move was necessary and then on January 15 we lugged our few possessions that had not been boxed up, through the snow to our new home.

We felt like the early settlers in our primitive conditions. We had no plumbing at all, just a portalet in the yard. Our only water came from the barn in a bucket. An extension cord ran from the barn to provide us with a few drop lights but best of all we had a wood stove and we were toasty warm.

The sleeping loft did not yet have a floor so sheets of plywood were laid over the joists so we could at least have our air bed in a somewhat private place. Ernie and the boys were still arriving at 7:00 to finish the outside siding but by then we had been up for a couple of hours. The downstairs was still the workshop, full of beam parts, sawdust and lots of tools. Our makeshift kitchen was also in the loft and consisted of a sheet of plywood on saw horses with an old shelving unit attached to the wall. We had a microwave, a crock pot and an electric skillet. The refrigerator was in the barn so we had to run out in the snow every time for all perishables and to go to the loo. Surprisingly, we didn't mind it at all. It was temporary and each day we were to be a little better off than the day before.

Once the outside was complete and Ernie and the boys had moved on, Frits and I settled in for a very snowy winter.

Never had we thought we would be roughing it like this in our 60's. Our friends all thought us crazy but we were having an adventure. More to come.

Missing snake

A few weeks back I wrote about mice under the hood of my car. So far so good on that front. Either the dryer sheets that I stuffed into every nook and cranny, are discouraging my visitors, or I did, in fact, kill off every member of the family. I don't need to know more than that they are gone for good. They did, however, jog my memory of an earlier experience.

Back in the late sixties when my travels took me to California, I stayed with a family in Portola Valley for a few weeks, between house sitting jobs. They had a camper in the back yard where I slept but I often spent time in the house with them in the evenings. Their son's name was Rocky, because at the time they said he had rocks in his head!! (not very PC). Well Rocky had a pet snake, a 9 ft long python that he kept in his room.

Every 3 weeks the python would need to eat. The rest of the time it just hung out in it's cage or lay draped around Rocky's neck or across his lap. When feeding time came, 3 white mice had to be purchased from the local pet shop. If it had been a few decades later I could have provided him with mice for free! The best place to feed the snake was in the shower stall, I learned. You can't just hand a python a mouse on a plate. He has to catch it himself and squeeze it to death. They also have to have water to wash it down.

When feeding day arrived the live mice were tossed into the shower stall together with Monty. Luckily the shower stall was all glass so the next few minutes were like watching an episode of Planet Earth. I have a minor fascination with snakes and a strong aversion to mice so I could watch knowing who was going to win this one.

The mice were duly dispatched, swallowed whole and one very contented snake was ready for a long nap. Rocky being a typical 12 year old, settled into the couch with a bag of Doritos and a 9ft snake across his lap and flicked on the TV. Not until the TV show ended did Rocky notice that the python was gone. Panic ensued while the whole family, included me, searched the entire house. There were no open doors or windows, no obvious holes in which to hide and no snake. Up until this point I was OK with the snake. That is, before it went missing. Now, not knowing where it was and where it might suddenly appear was a little unsettling. At least I wasn't sleeping in the house and likely to find it in my bed.

Several days passed, and then a week, and then two weeks and still no snake. Either the snake was dead or starting to get hungry. Going into the third week the family was gathered in the living room watching the nightly news. I had joined them on the couch and my bare foot was tucked up under the cushion when I felt a movement. You can believe I shot off that couch pretty fast. Quickly the cushions were stripped off and there to our surprise was the python outlined in the upholstery. He must have slithered into the innards of the couch and was now trying to find his way out. It took a sharp knife to slit the fabric in order to extricate him, alive and well.

The only one who was thrilled was Rocky who wrapped him around his neck for a quick hug and headed off to the pet shop in search of dinner.

House building journal - Part 2

As we neared the end of our second year with our house on the market and wanting to get going on our new project, we made the decision to start construction of the new barn/workshop and the little guesthouse. Should our buyer suddenly appear we might have only 6 weeks or so to move and with 2 dogs and a cat, a lot of stuff and a workshop full of tools, finding a temporary place would not be easy. This seemed like the perfect solution.

The plans for the barn/workshop were dusted off and we began lining up good people to work alongside Frits. Finally we were moving forward, and it felt good. First the barn and then the cabin.

Several years prior, Frits had removed an old barn from another property we owned and had painstakingly numbered every board and beam before storing it. Our son had thoughts of reconstructing it as a cabin but it had never happened. Now we had the basic structure for a guesthouse that could serve us well as accommodations until the new house could be built.

We began the barn in May of that year. The site had been cleared of large rocks but there was still grading to do. Time to bring in the big equipment. Big was an understatement! Frits stands just under 6'4" and I'm no small fry but we were both overshadowed by this digger.

The foundation was poured and construction begun.

Almost finished on the outside but still work to be done on the inside.

In the meantime interest was heating up for the Stowe house. One family had been back multiple times but were not quite ready to pull the trigger. Now that we were committed to building the cabin, why not plan to move in early and offer the other house for rent? It seemed like a practical plan at the time. If our potential buyers tried it out for the winter surely they would love it and a sale would ensue. The papers were signed for a 6 month lease beginning December 1.

All of a sudden time was of the essence. It was now October and we had been cruising all summer keeping up the care and maintenance of the Stowe house, handling rentals and cleaning the current guesthouse, working full-time in real estate for me and the building at the new property for Frits. The cabin foundation was just about ready so now we were going to need a roof over our head before the winter snow arrived.

Always optimistic, we pushed on knowing that even if we were going to have to 'rough it' for a while it was our choice. We were soon to find out just how much 'roughing it' we were going to do.