House Plans and Headaches
The featured photo above is the home that my parents built in 1970-71. I was 11y/o when I, my 2 brothers, and parents, moved to Brookeville, Maryland, on 8 acres, overlooking Tridelphia Lake. Those were wonderful years that I look back on fondly.
We have two house plans. Deciding which one to build is becoming a bit ridiculous. Personally, I want the smaller home – easier to clean and care for – and I’m not getting any younger.
This is 56510SM – a Steve Madden house plan that is 2085 sq ft, and the one that I am hopeful we build. It has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, one level, a real fireplace, a large 2 car garage, and lots of light. It also has a feature that I’ve wanted in a home of my own my whole life – a rocking chair front porch. Since I was a child, I have always wanted to live in a home with a rocking chair front porch. Now put that house on almost 3 acres overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains, and you can understand why I’m a little anxious to get our last home built.
This is 56483SM – another Steve Madden house plan that is 2716 sq ft. It is as beautiful as the smaller home, only this one has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, a real fireplace, one level, a large 2 car garage, and lots of light. It also has all the features I’ve ever wanted in a home, only … 4 bedrooms? Do we really need this many bedrooms? I think Big Bear is expecting huge family gatherings and he wants everyone to have a comfy bed.
In the last year and a half, we have procrastinated getting a mortgage loan and building this home because the interest rates were going up. We thought we should wait it out. Plus, we are enjoying being close to our daughter, Sarah, and her hubby and baby boy, Sam, whom I care for 3-4 days a week. It is my absolute joy being able to care for him and play with him. These are the moments in our golden years that we cling to, and the memories that sustain us. So, what’s the hurry?
Well, for one thing, rent is EXPENSIVE!!! It’s outrageous! I don’t know how young people afford rent these days! And, with the added expense of storage near our 3 acre lot in the mountains that is about 1.5 hours from our apartment, our current costs exceed $3000 a month. It’s nuts!!!
Now that interest rates are declining, I’m hopeful we can get this ball rolling, break ground, and get that porch built! I don’t care about anything else … well, maybe the fireplace and the larger kitchen, the storage space, having a studio again, and a walk-in closet … umm … yeah … I’m anxious to get our home built, and I’m absolutely sure our dogs would appreciate the space to run.
Bob has been making minor edits to both house plans, but just enough changes to take weeks to complete. He and our son are also working on their General Contractor’s license, as they want to build as much of our home themselves as possible. Then he is going back to discuss the cost with builders. Fortunately, the cost of building materials has also come down in the last several months. There is hope for this house build becoming a reality after all.
That’s where we are in this process. Funny thing is, I can recall about 5 years ago telling my Big Bear that there was no way we are ever going to build our next home. I thought my mother and father were going to blow a gasket when they built their dream home in Maryland in 1971. I remember that experience vividly. I may have only been 11y/o when we moved into that house, but the struggles they went through with their builder gave the whole family a headache. Nevertheless, here we are … who would have thought? LOL. And the reason I’m not in this photo, is because I took this photo. See our house build in the background?
Have you experienced the headache of building a home? What were your experiences? Please share in the comments!
Thank you for popping on by my corner of the web.
