Slight Oops from my previous post. The cost estimate for our plans was ready within a few days. The actual plans will take about 7-10 days following our first payment, so about a week from now.
We've been doing some legwork on the land we want. It ticks all our priority boxes and is very close to town. However, it's WAY overpriced. We put in a low-ball offer last fall, which was rejected. Our offer was generous in comparison with its tax value and other local sales, but way below the asking price. Apparently the owner wants to maximize his profit (don't we all?) Price has since come down by $10K, but is still over priced. While we wait for him/them to come to their senses, I am looking closer at the details and legalities of MN wetland and building restrictions, in regards to this property in particular, but also for the knowledge in general to apply to any other properties we might consider.
I learned that the large "puddle" in the woods is marked as a wetland, and a setback from another nearby property affects the possible home locations on this property. These details together mean the house would have to go further back into the woods than Sid wants, but it's my preferred location. He's the one that has to clear the long driveway, though. On the advice of a friend who has done a lot of land investment, I went over to the local Soil and Water District office today to ask some questions about "wetland mitigation" which is a fancy way of discussing "filling in the low spots". The pertinent person is out sick this week though, so that's on hold for a few days.
Spring is coming, and I SO want to have ducks lined up and ready for a build this summer. I feel like things move slooooowlyy, and I'm impatient.
UPDATE: Short answer- yes it probably counts as a wetland but would have to be checked in person to make sure. No, we can't fill it if it is. In addition, there is a setback from an abandoned building on an adjoining piece of land that also affects the building locations. Really only one good place to build, a site I like and Sid doesn't. So, not pursuing this further at this time, but not totally off the table yet either.
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Architect Meeting
Friday we met with our architect. It was an interesting process. I already had the layout drawn out on graph paper. I've been drawing floor plans for fun since Jr.Hi. and have drawn many dream homes through the years. I'm good with the process of a technical drawing, but don't have the knowledge of requirements and needs of the technical aspects of a house- things like linear feet a staircase requires, or floor space needed for the furnace/water heater/etc.
Menard's website has a nifty little feature that allows you to plan out your kitchen online. Incorporating the lines of cabinetry they sell, you can put together a 3D virtual model with the specific cabinet units you choose. I completed this a couple weeks ago, and drew it out to put with my floor plans.
Sitting down with the architect, we started with my kitchen plan, discussed details such as appliance choices, answered his questions about my drawings, explained the quirky details I had planned in, like a broom closet between the studs under the stairs, and an unusual cabinet placement. From there we went around the house room by room. He made notes about details we discussed, explained pros and cons of various options, talked about room sizes and features and details. Along the way, two outside doors became windows, doorways grew a size to allow future wheelchair maneuverability if needed, the bathroom lost a sink, and garage doors got wider to a newer industry standard.
Overall there will be three sets of plans drawn. The first set will be ready this week and will be just a floor plan, incorporating the changes we discussed and little things I can't do on graph paper like the thickness of the actual walls, which slightly changes the room sizes and how they fit together. We'll meet again to go over these, make any necessary changes, and approve the final layout. The second set will be more detailed, giving the info needed to get quotes from builders, including outside elevations, which is the pretty drawings of the finished building showing window styles and roof lines and other such things. The final set will include all the construction details, and also blank layouts for the electric and plumbing contractors to each draw their parts.
This is the main floor.
This is the upstairs. (Garage will be first floor, of course, but this is where it fit on the paper.)
This is the kitchen.
The first set of plans is supposed to be ready this week. Stay tuned!
Menard's website has a nifty little feature that allows you to plan out your kitchen online. Incorporating the lines of cabinetry they sell, you can put together a 3D virtual model with the specific cabinet units you choose. I completed this a couple weeks ago, and drew it out to put with my floor plans.
Sitting down with the architect, we started with my kitchen plan, discussed details such as appliance choices, answered his questions about my drawings, explained the quirky details I had planned in, like a broom closet between the studs under the stairs, and an unusual cabinet placement. From there we went around the house room by room. He made notes about details we discussed, explained pros and cons of various options, talked about room sizes and features and details. Along the way, two outside doors became windows, doorways grew a size to allow future wheelchair maneuverability if needed, the bathroom lost a sink, and garage doors got wider to a newer industry standard.
Overall there will be three sets of plans drawn. The first set will be ready this week and will be just a floor plan, incorporating the changes we discussed and little things I can't do on graph paper like the thickness of the actual walls, which slightly changes the room sizes and how they fit together. We'll meet again to go over these, make any necessary changes, and approve the final layout. The second set will be more detailed, giving the info needed to get quotes from builders, including outside elevations, which is the pretty drawings of the finished building showing window styles and roof lines and other such things. The final set will include all the construction details, and also blank layouts for the electric and plumbing contractors to each draw their parts.
This is the main floor.
This is the upstairs. (Garage will be first floor, of course, but this is where it fit on the paper.)
This is the kitchen.
Beginnings
Dreams of "home" have taken on many shapes through my life. Having grown up as a military kid, and married to a military man, I have lived in 21 (?) homes. Some temporary, some long-term, a couple times as a long-term guest of another family member. Trailers (3), military housing (7), apartments (2), dorms (multiple- military and boarding school), private homes (5). And I'm sure I've miscounted something somewhere, but you get the idea. Through all those changes, my ideas of a "dream home" have certainly changed in accordance with the stage of life, experience in different styles of housing, and geographic location. Our current home definitely fulfilled a dream as it is the first home actually purchased by Sid and I, chosen to suit our needs, in a location of our choosing.
We've been here 20 years next summer, 4 times longer than my second-longest home. Just thinking about staying put so long still seems like a foreign concept, and it does not feel like it's been that long. Growing up in a transient military life, and marrying a military man, there-by "dooming" my first-born to the same life, created a dream of bringing up kids in place where they could put down roots, strong roots where they could draw support and nourishment from a wide base of people who have watched them grow up. Where they could have best friends who were life-long friends, and "second moms" in their best friend's homes. This house has provided that for my second- and third-born. As I watched their experience, and talked to friends who take this as a given, I have come to appreciate the wide exposure to life experience that my own upbringing provided. I also appreciate the wonderful, deep, long friendships I have been able to form here, something I never really experienced before.
Now it's time for another change. With our youngest now an adult and looking to move out soon, we are ready to make the move to our next home. One that will allow for us to grow old without stairs. (Our current home is a 4-level split, which we have seen be a real obstacle to senior family members.) One that can create memories for our grandkids that are similar the memories we cherish of our own grandparent's homes. Land to run on, woods to explore, wildlife to watch.
We are looking for land locally, and what we want is hard to come by. Woods, not farm fields. Big enough for target shooting without danger to others, close enough to town to not have to change churches and all the other regular things of daily life. On paved road to accommodate the motorcycle, but not a busy road. We have looked at and considered several lots, most before we were financially ready to move forward. Presently we are watching a piece that checks all our boxes except for price. Hopefully by spring they will be ready to come down a bit.
We have our floor plans. After years of drawing dream houses, of discussing options and conflicting wishes, we finally agreed on a plan. The architect has been hired, and the first set of blueprints are being produced. It's a 1.5 story, with a gambrel roof. One-level living downstairs, with guest space and a large sewing room upstairs. This blog will follow our progress. News will be sparse at first as there won't be much to write about until we have land, but I'll keep you informed as I journal our adventure.
We've been here 20 years next summer, 4 times longer than my second-longest home. Just thinking about staying put so long still seems like a foreign concept, and it does not feel like it's been that long. Growing up in a transient military life, and marrying a military man, there-by "dooming" my first-born to the same life, created a dream of bringing up kids in place where they could put down roots, strong roots where they could draw support and nourishment from a wide base of people who have watched them grow up. Where they could have best friends who were life-long friends, and "second moms" in their best friend's homes. This house has provided that for my second- and third-born. As I watched their experience, and talked to friends who take this as a given, I have come to appreciate the wide exposure to life experience that my own upbringing provided. I also appreciate the wonderful, deep, long friendships I have been able to form here, something I never really experienced before.
Now it's time for another change. With our youngest now an adult and looking to move out soon, we are ready to make the move to our next home. One that will allow for us to grow old without stairs. (Our current home is a 4-level split, which we have seen be a real obstacle to senior family members.) One that can create memories for our grandkids that are similar the memories we cherish of our own grandparent's homes. Land to run on, woods to explore, wildlife to watch.
We are looking for land locally, and what we want is hard to come by. Woods, not farm fields. Big enough for target shooting without danger to others, close enough to town to not have to change churches and all the other regular things of daily life. On paved road to accommodate the motorcycle, but not a busy road. We have looked at and considered several lots, most before we were financially ready to move forward. Presently we are watching a piece that checks all our boxes except for price. Hopefully by spring they will be ready to come down a bit.
We have our floor plans. After years of drawing dream houses, of discussing options and conflicting wishes, we finally agreed on a plan. The architect has been hired, and the first set of blueprints are being produced. It's a 1.5 story, with a gambrel roof. One-level living downstairs, with guest space and a large sewing room upstairs. This blog will follow our progress. News will be sparse at first as there won't be much to write about until we have land, but I'll keep you informed as I journal our adventure.
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