I went down to visit our builder and had a chance to walk through the model homes. Here is one of the few pictures I have taken lately. I was hoping to get out to shoot the cactus blooms, but I was busy the whole trip with details for the design and purchase of our home.
This is a shot of the model home, which is very similar to the one we are having built. Instead of the third car garage we will have a studio for my work and photography. Also the layout will be reversed, so our garage is on the right rather than the left. We picked the same color scheme.
Our home here will go on the market in the next week or two, so we will be moving sometime in June or July if everything goes as planned. I have started training my replacement at my day job, and I have a couple part-time leads in Casa Grande. One for a telecommuting bookkeeping position and one as a teacher at the local college. My husband's company keeps asking when will we be down there, so it will happen quickly once our home is sold. School starts August 8th for the kids, so we need to be in a rental before August.
I would like to get together with the group here at least one more time before I move. Does anyone have plans to shoot toward the end of the month or early next month? I will be tied up with fixing up the home until Memorial Day, but after that my schedule should free up quite a bit until the move.
Wow Beth we are gonna miss you!!!! Nancy & I both have REALLY enjoyed spending time with you and not so little anymore Kevin!! Having gone through the whole new home experience a little over a year ago I understand the joys & tribulations of this task!!
Do call us when you get up our way!!! We would love to at least enjoy some good conversation over some good coffee!!!
Congrats Elizabeth. Everyone should go through the building process at least once (maybe twice ). I built mine totally from scratch. I did my own plans, hired a general and had to almost control the entire process myself. I know exactly what not to do for the next time Actually it went very well, only a couple of thing I would change.
Enjoy AZ. Excellent state if you can take the weather (don't a lot of people say that out the PNW ). I went to college there (Phoenix) and I very may move there in the near future. At least we are thinking about it. The perfect arrangement would be a house in both places
Looks like your going to be set with a house like that. I knew a construction worker that moved to Pheonix. He said they worked from 3:30 am to noon because of the intense afternoon heat. He came back after a year because of the heat. All he did in the summer was go from air conditioned car to air conditioned house to air conditioned mall to air conditioned restaurant. But the winters were to die for. I would love to get out shooting with you. Unfortunatly I have ALOT going on during that time. Good luck and keep on checking in with us here on the forum.
I recommend a front yard consisting mostly of rock, native flowering plants and various cactus to avoid using the precious water resources of the SW as much as possible. I'm pretty darn busy during that time as well with EPI, two workshops, a family gathering, etc. I wish you all the best down south.
Now that Marc has brought it up, yes, the first thing I thought was to get rid of that unsustainable grass. You'll be glad you did, too. Replace it with low-maintenance native plants.
It will be a change of climate for sure! I am looking forward to the sun, a little nervous about the summers. We have family in several areas within a couple hours is a less intense heat during the summer, so at least we have some escape. We are going to have a bit of grass in the back for our puppy, but as you suggested mostly native plants and rock in the front.
I agree Phil that it would be ideal to keep a home in both areas and spend the summers up north, at least we have family and friends in both areas so some ability to get out of the sun. Hopefully in the future we will have a second place in the four corners region, but for now it will have to be the air conditioning and visiting family. If you do move to the SW keep in touch. I would love to go out shooting with any of you if you visit or move down this way.
Discussion
6 repliesThis is a shot of the model home, which is very similar to the one we are having built. Instead of the third car garage we will have a studio for my work and photography. Also the layout will be reversed, so our garage is on the right rather than the left. We picked the same color scheme.
Our home here will go on the market in the next week or two, so we will be moving sometime in June or July if everything goes as planned. I have started training my replacement at my day job, and I have a couple part-time leads in Casa Grande. One for a telecommuting bookkeeping position and one as a teacher at the local college. My husband's company keeps asking when will we be down there, so it will happen quickly once our home is sold. School starts August 8th for the kids, so we need to be in a rental before August.
I would like to get together with the group here at least one more time before I move. Does anyone have plans to shoot toward the end of the month or early next month? I will be tied up with fixing up the home until Memorial Day, but after that my schedule should free up quite a bit until the move.
Do call us when you get up our way!!! We would love to at least enjoy some good conversation over some good coffee!!!
Enjoy AZ. Excellent state if you can take the weather (don't a lot of people say that out the PNW
I agree Phil that it would be ideal to keep a home in both areas and spend the summers up north, at least we have family and friends in both areas so some ability to get out of the sun. Hopefully in the future we will have a second place in the four corners region, but for now it will have to be the air conditioning and visiting family.