About the title…Had a pretty good idea for a post that I didn’t want to forget when I would be able to sit down to start writing, so I put the proposed title in the post building app as a reminder. Unfortunately, that didn’t work and I forgot anyway. Rats! So I had a bit of a scramble to meet Sarge's deadline yesterday. More to follow below on why that is so.
In any case, old house wise, the porch is finished, painters will paint it this week. For an untrained carpenter, I think it turned out OK.
Next projects are to put together store bought chairs, lounges, tables and cabinets and set them up in various rooms. AFTER laying the rugs. Forgot that a while ago, moving a couple of rooms of furniture twice is doubly painful.
Who’da thunk?
The front door episode is still ongoing, but a key milestone was passed this week.
K"Sand the whole darn thing down to the raw wood!"
Well...crap.
So, purchased 5 x 20 packs of 120 grit sandpaper (the finer grit is his recommendation...didn't want to remove too much wood) and got to work.
About 30 hours of sanding (and 116 sanding disks) later, that phase is done. Thank you, Lord! Next hoop is finding a matching stain for the door to the side panel.
Damn Dogs seem to have a need to come in the front door instead of through the doggie door to get in the house. (The doggie door is a flap they can push open themselves, the front door requires human involvement,) To make matters worse they scratch and claw the door instead of just ringing the doorbell.
Who’da thunk? Progress is slow, but...still progress!
On a separate topic, Mrs J and I spent Friday and Saturday looking at houses in College Station.
We visited 4 houses this weekend, making the total visited this week and last at 9. This was the last one. We were pretty tired and a bit frustrated as every one we'd seen up to that point wasn't "quite" right. Got to this one and it didn't look significantly different than any of the others we'd seen. Except the lawn was very well tended.
That changed about a nanosecond after we walked in.
Photo was taken from the upstairs landing, but, it's even more stunning from below looking up at it. The rest of the house and property is stunning also.
We think we're going to make an offer on it. It's been on the market for several months, and the price is within our range (barely). Crossing our fingers because there's a lot of hoops to jump through between now and moving out and then in. But...
That about wraps up this week recap, sorry for the brevity. We got back late afternoon Sunday and I didn’t have a lot of time to write this post.
So, bigger, better, faster next week.
Peace out y’all!
Jealous, Good looking places. Have a son that took a job with Texas Instruments, Dallas. Figured to retire within 300 miles of my kids. It's a start.
ReplyDeleteThis house is about 10 miles from the kids, which was definitely a plus. We were looking in a 50 mile radius max and 25 preferred for exactly the same reason as you.
Deletejuvat
Oh man juvat, that's a LOT of sanding and the porch is looking spiffy. Good luck on the offer, quite the last photo there.
ReplyDeleteNylon,
DeleteBoy! No kidding! There were several times I thought about buying a new door. My back was definitely commentin about my stubborn streak.😀
juvat
"so I put the proposed title in the post building app as a reminder. Unfortunately, that didn’t work and I forgot anyway."
ReplyDeleteLOL!!!! "I put it somewhere where I couldn't forget it!" How many times have I done that?
Playing devil's advocate here, but looking at that house....how big is it? How old are you? How's your back? Are you getting younger? I'll grant that it's a fantastic looking place, but it looks like it takes a LOT of upkeep.
Joe,
DeleteIt’s just over 3k sq ft. There’s a large bedroom with bath downstairs that we’ll claim as the master and use the upstairs for guests. While the lot is 3 acres but very heavily wooded so not much mowing, and we have a riding lawnmower. We shall see what we shall see.
juvat
A good fence on the 3 acres of mostly woods and the animals will be happy.
DeleteThat is our intent, both the fence and the happy dogs! ;-)
DeleteRegarding bedroom downstairs, well, great. That was the question I was going to ask.
DeleteHouse looks great. Hope it goes well.
As do we, Beans, as do we!
Deletejuvat
Wow Juvat! That does look stunning - I imagine even more so when it was the last one of the lot. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWhile we are not quite at the point of thinking of grandchildren, we are at the point of thinking about thinking about it. Not sure if this current location will be the final location or there will be one more move. The thought does not thrill me, but being near family might (if the family stays put; no guarantees at all on that).
THBB,
DeleteI was of the same mindset until the decision was made for us. No that our oldest grandchild is 4 and the youngest almost two, I realize the error of my ways. All three of them are smart as whips for their age (a product of my wife's genes and not mine) and a lot of fun to be around. They're a bit fussy at nap time, but so am I so...Like grandchild, like grandfather.
As to the last, being closer to them was the right thing for all of us. Since both Daughter and SIL work, having someone on short notice availability if one of the kids is to sick for school is a bonus for them and takes some pressure off. A similar quid pro quo is their if Mrs J or I need help getting to an appointment. Besides I like them, they're good company and they like my cooking, so....Win/Win.
As to the last, No Guarantees of most things in life, not even tires.
juvat
juvat
Good luck on the new house and the old one! This time next year you can laugh about all this...with any luck.. :-)
ReplyDeleteRob,
DeleteOne hopes!
juvat
As pretty as it is, just a simple question - is the master suite on the ground level?
ReplyDeleteIf not, are you willing to add a stair-lift at some point?
The age/ability/gravity equation often has unintended outcomes...
Good luck with whatever you choose!
Anon,
DeleteNo, it's not on the ground floor, according to the blue print, but there is a very large bedroom with adjoining bath and large closet on the ground floor. Our plan, at this point, is to make that the Master and use it while turning the upstairs into places for sprighter old folks like Sarge and yourself to stay in when they come to an Aggie Football game.
See you soon!
juvat
Damn, that is quite the abode. Hope you get it.
ReplyDeleteThe reasons you cite above for being nearer the kids rang a bell with me. Maryland would work for me if I had to move, that would help one family. But as two kids are out in California (no, I wouldn't move there unless there were some pretty radical changes in Sacramento) we can't be near everybody.
I think my son is stuck there due to his job, but as Big Time approaches retirement, I think they'll flee California once their eldest is done with school. They have a lot of friends out there and the Central Valley isn't as whack-job loonie toons as the coast.
We'll see.
Sarge,
DeleteSo do I.
On a much smaller scale, Austin is the same situation. Unfortunately, we have to transit it in order to get to College Station. BP goes WAY up in that 45 minute period. Lots of stupid there. We've lived in this area of Texas for 27 years, TxDOT started working on a major intersection in the middle of Austin about the same time we moved here. It's stlll not anywhere near complete, There's absolutely NO pavement in place on the highways and virtually no bridges/overpasses are done. But the workers are there everyday leaning on their shovels and chatting about how wonderful socialism is. So another advantage to moving to College Station, I can visit my family within about a 10 minute drive and not going within a hundred miles of Austin. My cardiologist will thank me.
So...I know how you feel.
juvat
Sarge, but that Central Valley is still in whack-job loonie California!
DeletePeople there aren't as loony as other parts of California, but yeah, same laws, same taxes.
DeleteGot a lot of them moving here. Good news...They got a lot of money to buy property. Bad news...Converstationst's tend to start with "When we were in California, we did things this way."
DeleteThen go the F back there! That ain't the way it's done here! If you liked how it was done there, why are you moving here?
Very annoying. It isn't all of them, but...a it is a common comment.
juvat
Great looking home. One suggestion. Look for a discrete place for an elevator - your knees will thank you in a few years.
ReplyDeleteWSF,
DeleteThanks, Good suggestion!
juvat
WSF,
DeleteAnd significantly less expensive than expected (https://www.bobvila.com/articles/home-elevator-cost/)
juvat
That's not as bad as I imagined...
DeleteRob,
DeleteYeah that got the thought processes processing.
juvat
Great looking house. Like others, my initial concern was about a ground level master (or equivalent), but that box is checked, so good to go.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt the detached building suitable for shop use was noticed, and approved.
Make sure offer is contingent on inspection, that roof looks oldish. Might even ask for the furniture (some select piece or all) if it is to your liking and your current stuff is not something you like better. If this has been on the market several months, the owners obviously are not needing it for their new abode.
Good luck!
John Blackshoe
Yeah, we’re big fans of metal roofs. Hail doncha know. That’ll be one of our first things to take care of.
DeleteLots of questions still to ask
juvat
And the screens on the second floor windows look downright sad.
DeleteThat great room, though. Wow!
/
L.J.
Yeah, 'good luck' matching the stains... BTDT, had to sand BOTH back to square one... sigh... Pretty view in that house though!
ReplyDeleteOld NFO. I’m gonna stain the main door with the closest match I can to the side panels. If Mrs J approves so be it. If not…well the side panels are much smaller. We shall see what will be.
DeleteThanks
juvat
Looks like a wonderful place to land Juvat. And that Barn/Garage/Granny Flat looks like a bonus. Shop space? Rental income?
ReplyDeleteAll of the latter, just got to figure out what’s what. We’ve had BnBers on our current property ,just not in the same building. Gotta see what’s what. As to shop, Mrs J has plans for a new woods shop for me. Yes, I am excited!
Deletejuvat
Sarge, sent you another. Use it any time you like.
ReplyDeleteCopy.
DeleteJuvat, that house is stunning! I hope you do put in an offer! Good luck with the staining project. The new front porch looks nice and cozy.
DeleteMary F.
Mary, thanks! We’ll see what will be!
Deletejuvat