It’s official. We own a
house.
FINAL CONSTRUCTION
When we put an offer on the
house it had 4 weeks to completion, so we tagged on a few last minute features.
 |
| a patio |
 |
| a concrete pad for our trailer |
We scrambled to pick out
appliances, find mirrors, and complete the needed paperwork while the
contractor scrambled to finish the house by our closing date.
THE HOUSE
The house is a 3-bedroom ranch
with one-floor living, master bedroom on the opposite side of the house as the
other bedrooms, and an open great room with a kitchen, eating area, and living
room.
 |
|
the floorplan
(the actual house varies
slightly)
|
Had we designed the house ourselves
we would have done a few things differently, but for the most part the house
meets our needs and seems to be a good plan for this stage of our lives. We
also appreciate the workmanship. Much new construction seems shoddy, but this
contractor did quality work with nice features.
The location isn’t quite as
convenient to our daughters and friends, but we can still visit them in a day
trip and we now have a new area to explore: the Pioneer
Valley (the valley formed by the Connecticut River). We’re also close to Amherst with its colleges.
MOVING
Most of our possessions sat for a year in two storage units: a large 15x30’ unit and a small 5x5’ climate-controlled unit. We purged quite a bit before putting things in storage, but it still seemed like a lot when we made trips back and forth to the storage unit. Bill moved most everything on his own with some help from Barbara and a little ingenuity. He rented a UHaul trailer (cheaper than a truck), carried what he could, made a ramp, and used a dolly and hand truck for heavier items.
 |
|
ramp & dolly
|
Then for the few remaining very heavy things we got help from our friends, Matt and Melissa. What a welcome sight to see the storage unit empty.
 |
|
our storage unit before and
after
|
SETTLING IN
Now we are unpacking boxes, cleaning
everything, putting furniture in place, and installing things like a mailbox
and shower rods, transforming what was a construction zone to a comfortable home.
Lots of work, but it’s shaping up.
On our first morning in our
house, Barbara spotted a fox in the backyard. The next day she saw two deer
with antlers and a hawk. A nice welcome from the local residents! We also met a
few of our human neighbors.
Our first overnight guest
was Kate’s dog, Tina, who we watched while Kate and her boyfriend traveled. I
think she liked the place.
