next home. for now.

We found a rental property this weekend, so we have a new address for the next 12 months. It's better than I expected to find, updated maple cabinets in the kitchen, which opens to the den. It's also close to the lot and the lake. On to packing.

First look?

During our last meeting with Cliff we talked about site planning, ideas for space planning - big picture kind of stuff in my mind. Then he opens his notebook and shows us a drawing he "jotted down." What do you think? Scott and I both thought "well, what are we waiting for? let's start building!" If this is the kind of stuff he can create without much effort, we're can't wait to see what he comes up with. Next meeting is this Friday....

As of midnight 9/11, we have a contract on the house. Whew. It came down to the wire when we got a backup contract on the last day of the option period for the first buyer. At a better price. When it was all said & done, the first contract prevailed, we got out of paying for any repairs, and we close in late October. So now we're faced with the reality of purging and packing. And finding a place to live....

First party on Wyatt Circle

We took the opportunity to have a little get together while we had the lift on the lot. Had several friends over - Scott drove the lift and went up and down a number of times. The Lynches gave us hard hats complete with House of Zen logos. It looked much cuter on Brooke, and Bradley found a branch that looked a lot like longhorns. And we also have a bathroom now...well, a port-a-potty, at least.

Sunset from 2nd floor?

Last night we tried out the scissor left - sunset was at 8:02 PM. From 26' up, this is what we saw. Much more than expected - it's amazing. We're meeting Cliff at 5PM so he can check it out, then invited friends over later to check it out and have a cold beverage. Insert funny line about running with scissors or drinking and driving here. Or wait, I'm sure Chip will have a few wise cracks....

RTS 33

We're renting a Rough Terrain Scissor Lift all weekend to cruise around the lot and check out the best viewing spots for the 2nd story. Pictures to come.

Pool Option?

Interesting pool concept using recycled dumpsters/shipping containers. A unique way to cool off in the Bronx. Not sure if it's right for our place.

Researching: Geothermal

One of the energy efficient, renewable resources we are investigating is geothermal energy - tapping into subterranean resources to produce energy. Don't know if the necessary wells can be drilled in the heavy white rock (as in White Rock Lake) our house will sit upon, but it sounds really cool and space-age. And it is one of the most cost-efficient energy sources in terms of return on investment.

More on Cliff Welch

Here's an article about Cliff from the East Dallas Advocate magazine.

Architect

We finally decided on an architect. We interviewed several and toured their projects, and ultimately made the best connection with Cliff Welch. To say that we are fans of Cliff's work is an understatement - we're borderline stalkers. His has incredible style and the homes he builds have a distinct signature of Texas modern. We've watched several of his homes go up around White Rock lake - we've biked, rode scooters or driven by just to get a dose of his inspiration. Now he's designing a home for us! It will be a challenge - we don't have the 7-figure budgets a lot of his clients have, but we know we're going to love the outcome.

We have our first meeting next week, we're excited to get the process underway.

False Alarm

We had an offer on our house - seemed like it was headed in the right direction when the contract on the buyer's house fell thru. The domino effect meant that without a sale on their house, they couldn't buy our house. The roller coaster of emotions - it's sold, we gotta move, oops, false alarm - was a lot to go thru in a day. I guess that one just wasn't meant to be.

Keep it clean

We don't have much experience in the real estate listing business. But since Scott & I are kind of fastidious about things. we're trying to keep the house as pristine as possible for showings. With 2 dogs and a cat, it's hard enough. We're trying to keep kitchen use to a minimum, and in doing so, we've found a great takeout place that's spitting distance from our house. I think we have dinner from El Pollo Regio at least 2X per week, and I've just figured out how to get them to customize my order (#2 with chicken) so I get exactly what I want. We'll be there even more now. We've turned our realtor on to "el Pollo" and I think he eats there as much as we do. They import their charcoal from Mexico and make a darned good BBQ chicken. The salsa is tasty too.