A BREAKTHROUGH (or two)!!!

I finally found the architect's son; he's an architect/designer as well. His father passed away a few years ago. I told S, the architect, what we wanted to do, and asked if he had the plans. He's not sure, because they "cleaned house" some time back and got rid of a bunch of things. However, he has a cabinet the size of a refrigerator that contains some of his dad's work; his mother has a similar container at her house. This awesome guy is actually going to dig through these cabinets to see if he still has the plans. He can't do it this week, because he has some personal business to attend to, but he hopes to have news for me in a couple of weeks. :)

If he can find the plans, he will tweak them for us, so we can have the changes we want. On the other hand, if they no longer exist, we can Start. From. Scratch. And his prices are VERY reasonable. He and I would collaborate with D, the builder, to recreate them from photos, memory, etc. D is offering this part of his services, as well as advice, for free. We feel truly blessed for this generosity.

S and I talked for over 30 minutes today, discussing some of the things Wonderful Husband (henceforth referred to as WH) and I would like. Keeping the front elevation as is (I emailed a picture)? Yes, please, although we want stone instead of brick. Basement? Not a good idea, due to the high water table in the area. I was a little bummed about this, because we really want a media room and wine room. Solution? Apparently, a current trend is to put a media room above the garage. Wine room? Under the stairs. Of course, that's where I want the (small) library/reading nook. Ohhh, the possibilities... I am giddy!

I emailed back and forth with D, and explained that we wanted to get plans squared away before purchasing a lot, so we could get HOA approval before making an offer--some neighborhoods might not want a 1980s style house. D said to get the lot first, and adapt the house, because it would be less expensive. I asked him how would that work? I explained my concern that we'd get stuck with a lot we couldn't build on if they ended up not approving the design, and he asked me to call him this Friday so we could discuss. He also recommended another builder, due to the size of the house. I asked him if he would be able to help us-- even though what we want isn't as "grand" as the custom homes his company builds, I really like their green building concepts, values, and vision. He said he may be able to, and we'll discuss. :)

I'm feeling quite positive about all of this, and would like to ask my readers to put their positive thoughts and prayers out there for this to work. Thanks!

Back After a Little Break...

It's been a crazy month-plus, and this blog fell by the wayside. We had some family stuff to enjoy and get through, and then I caught the flu almost two weeks ago. I'm still getting over it.

So, to bring you up to speed... we thought we'd found a lot. It was a very nicely-sized lot, and it was in the same neighborhood as The Twin--about a block and a half away from it, actually. Decent price, too. The neighborhood looked okay, but the area around it was still scary. I had my good friend T, a Realtor, start investigating the lot for us, and then I pulled the crime reports for the area. The 2011-only report, when printed, was about half an inch thick. No bueno. We've decided not to pursue that area.

Never did hear back from the person I thought was the architect, so I'll contact D again and see if he can track him down for me.

Well, I just paid off my car, and in May, I'll start receiving another source of income (in addition to Wonderful Husband's and my salaries). For privacy's sake, I won't divulge what this is, only to say it's neither illegal nor immoral. Totally legit. Anyway, we'll work on prequalifying for a loan beginning in June. In the meantime, we need to find the plans for the house, and I need to look into the whole project manager thing- cost, etc.

Really missing my 'hood and peeps these days. We've been out here in BFE for about nine months, and it's obvious we're not getting out within the one year timeframe we imagined.

I Must Be Out of My Damn Mind

I bought "Building Your Home for Dummies" for my NOOK last night. What have we gotten ourselves into?????? Feeling overwhelmed. At least it's informative.

I think we'll need to have the plans BEFORE we find a lot (not land- I learned the difference between land and a lot. thanks, BYH4D), because you have to have approval of the plans to build. And since this house was designed 30+ years ago, some neighborhoods may not want it there; it may not "fit," aesthetically speaking. Shiiiiiiit.

In other news, BYH4D gave the link to the American Institute of Architects. There is the possibility I called the wrong guy... same name, but since I've left two voicemails and haven't received a response... at least this way I can better search for him.

The First of Many Waits

I guess it's actually the second, because the first wait is waiting to get the hell out of my in-laws' home.

I tracked down the architect's phone number today and left him a voicemail, explaining what we wanted to do. :)

And now we wait...

I Found the Twin!

I remembered the subdivision in which the Merewood's twin was located, but I didn't remember which street. I finally had the time to call D, the homebuilder's-son-who-is-now-a-homebuilder, and we caught up with each other a little (I left work shortly thereafter and had a little wrecky-poo with my car, but that's another story and I'm okay).

He gave me the name of the architect, and also gave me the address (as best as he could remember) of the twin, so I could reference both addresses when I call the architect for the plans.

I love Google Maps!

Twinsie!

Personally, I like "my" version better. From what I can see, The Twin sits on a smaller lot, and there isn't much to the backyard.

Interestingly, according to the Harris County Appraisal District, it's also smaller, living space-wise, by about 300 sf, but has a rec room. I'm confuzzled, especially regarding the rec room. Where in the hell would it be?

It would be nice to have a rec room- Wonderful Husband and I want a "media room," which we had in Merewood. It was originally our formal dining room, but the parentals turned it into a media room my senior year in high school. If memory serves, the original owner used that space for a pool table and hunting trophies.

I'm torn- I'd like a formal dining room- I LOVE to entertain, but we also want a space that helps us celebrate our love of cinema and video games. Hmmmm... maybe we can have a basement put in? Is that even done in Texas? CAN it be done in Texas? We could have our media room AND a wine cellar. ;)

I'm Building a Morgue!

From dictionary.com:

morgue

noun

1. a place in which bodies are kept, especially the bodies of victims of violence or accidents, pending identification or burial.

2. a reference file of old clippings, mats, books, etc., in a newspaper office.

3. the room containing such a reference file.

4. any place, as a room or file, where records, information, or objects are kept for unexpected but possible future use.

5. such records, information, or objects.

So, to which definition am I referring?

-4. any place, as a room or file, where records, information, or objects are kept for unexpected but possible future use.

See, it's not #1- although I was accepted to mortuary school. Really. I just couldn't afford the tuition, and I didn't qualify for a Pell grant, because I already had my bachelor's degree- in theatre.

Speaking of theatre, that's where I first learned about the "other" kind of morgue. I can't remember if it was high school or college theatre, but I learned that it was important to have this great reference tool.

I found an empty composition book, and started putting magazine clippings in it. Pictures that grabbed me, even if I don't know what it was about the picture that did the grabbing; paint swatches; rough sketches of the layout of the Merewood House- from memory. Pictures of things I'm sure we can't afford, but they're pretty and can help define what we want when the time comes. I love stone and wood. I love rich colors. I want function, style, and comfort. I want a sanctuary. Peace.

The Morgue



A Sketch from Memory

Some Textures I Love

Sigh

I am so torn. I really miss the Sugar Land/Missouri City area, and really don't like Crosby. The land is a hell of a lot cheaper out here, though. Big time cheaper. Lots of space, lower prices. I suppose we'll have to bite the bullet and pay a higher price, because I don't want to take the chance of being completely miserable in a part of the area I hate, even though we'd be in our own house, built the way we want, with more "bells and whistles." Building out here would enable us to divert money that would've been spent on land into the house itself. On the other hand, it pretty much sucks out here- no culture, no diversity, etc. And, on the off-chance my daughter decides to move back during high school, well... the schools suck here. I guess this makes my decision pretty easy, but still...

On another note, questions for any of you who may have built a house: How much (ballpark, obviously) does it cost to clear a lot? Is the "pain in the ass factor" higher than paying more for a lot that is already cleared? Thanks for any guidance you can give.