Wednesday, October 26, 2005
As the Grok God said, "You can't walk into Galusha and see something special is being done." So it is I glow with all the positivity shown by people visiting the house. Most of them, they see it for the first time, and they get it. The two open houses this weekend helped me put the couple neighbors' criticism in perspective, and to realize how well the elements have come together.
One real estate agent left a showing this morning, shaking his head, "I've got to think of who's worthy of this house." Another potential buyer turned on her heel within ten feet of the door and said, "You read Dwell magazine!" Others, too, just reach for the finishes, some stooping to feel the radiant warmth of the slab floor or to stroke the front of a bamboo cabinet.
Sorry if I'm sounding advertorial (hey everybody: I have a house for sale!), but I'm riding the good feeling. Many friends at the first informal open house Saturday asked if I'd ever believed I'd see the day it was done. And, sure, there's relief; there'll be a whole lot more when an offer's in hand.
In other news, I get so excited looking at the cabinetmaker's plans for Mabel's spaces. It was so fun to imagine the perfect bookbindery, and now here it is, mapped out on paper. I took more photos this morning (and will post them shortly). Some show the bit of landscaping done last week just for the open house.
Landscapers also started putting in trees in back of Galusha. You can see the forest pansy behind Galusha while standing in the Mabel bindery. I love its pretty sherbet-y colored leaves.
One real estate agent left a showing this morning, shaking his head, "I've got to think of who's worthy of this house." Another potential buyer turned on her heel within ten feet of the door and said, "You read Dwell magazine!" Others, too, just reach for the finishes, some stooping to feel the radiant warmth of the slab floor or to stroke the front of a bamboo cabinet.
Sorry if I'm sounding advertorial (hey everybody: I have a house for sale!), but I'm riding the good feeling. Many friends at the first informal open house Saturday asked if I'd ever believed I'd see the day it was done. And, sure, there's relief; there'll be a whole lot more when an offer's in hand.
In other news, I get so excited looking at the cabinetmaker's plans for Mabel's spaces. It was so fun to imagine the perfect bookbindery, and now here it is, mapped out on paper. I took more photos this morning (and will post them shortly). Some show the bit of landscaping done last week just for the open house.
Landscapers also started putting in trees in back of Galusha. You can see the forest pansy behind Galusha while standing in the Mabel bindery. I love its pretty sherbet-y colored leaves.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Now I realize why developers are famous for being behind on their bills. I get stacks of mail when I check my post office box, and probably 75 percent of it is construction-driven. There's a notice every time the inspection folks visit the steel-fabricator or test a glob of concrete. Then, I get a bill for each look-over.
And now I get electrical bills for three houses and am girding for more ... water, gas, and so on.
This is not to mention all the lien notices that land in my mailbox at home; I don't even bother picking up the certified letters anymore. Riding in the Tour de Clackamas every day also means I'm never in the neighborhood during post office hours.
Because I can never feel like I'm on top of the paper piles, I devote one night a week to them. And it's still not enough. So, even me, someone who prides herself on paying off the credit card each month -- and early -- starts to fall a bit behind. Worse, I keep uncovering stacks of the bills where I've absentmindedly shelved them, amid the lighting-fixture boxes, say, or in the briefcase or the 3-ring binders devoted to each aspect of construction.
Did I mention I was going to be glad when this is all over? (Just typing that puts me in awe that there will be a time when it's "all over." Goodness, what will I do with myself?)
Today I confided my worry over schedule slippage to the stonemason, who suggested using a velvet hammer. Obviously, he doesn't know me well, but I had to smile later, wondering what a velvet hammer would do for a stonemason. My hunch is, Not much.
Latest crisis is steel balcony rails unsuited to the architect's vision, and I get the deciding vote.
And now I get electrical bills for three houses and am girding for more ... water, gas, and so on.
This is not to mention all the lien notices that land in my mailbox at home; I don't even bother picking up the certified letters anymore. Riding in the Tour de Clackamas every day also means I'm never in the neighborhood during post office hours.
Because I can never feel like I'm on top of the paper piles, I devote one night a week to them. And it's still not enough. So, even me, someone who prides herself on paying off the credit card each month -- and early -- starts to fall a bit behind. Worse, I keep uncovering stacks of the bills where I've absentmindedly shelved them, amid the lighting-fixture boxes, say, or in the briefcase or the 3-ring binders devoted to each aspect of construction.
Did I mention I was going to be glad when this is all over? (Just typing that puts me in awe that there will be a time when it's "all over." Goodness, what will I do with myself?)
Today I confided my worry over schedule slippage to the stonemason, who suggested using a velvet hammer. Obviously, he doesn't know me well, but I had to smile later, wondering what a velvet hammer would do for a stonemason. My hunch is, Not much.
Latest crisis is steel balcony rails unsuited to the architect's vision, and I get the deciding vote.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
I'm sorry for the three identical posts below, but every time I go in to delete the repeats, the 'puter crashes.
Galusha is really coming together; now there are doorknobs, light fixtures all over, and a finished wheatboard floor that positively glows. The downstairs cement treatment looks neat, too. So we are getting there. However, in my seemingly daily meeting with the builder this AM, I watched as the guys realized there was no water line into the house for the radiant heat. All I could do was shake my head and say, "Late for work, gotta go!"
Makes me wonder what other surprises are out there, lurking ...
Open house for neighbors could be as soon as Oct. 15 but more likely the 22nd. After that, it's all systems go for a buyer. My strategy now might be to first try selling myself, then getting help after a few weeks if I need it. Mostly, I just need an MLS listing.
An interesting article recently ran in The Wall Street Journal that the monkey found for me, citing services that help with pricing a house, so I might try it. Still, I know that my thing's so unique -- new single-family construction in established neighborhood -- that it's all in finding the right comps.
Even tho we're sliding into winter, with the rain to prove it, it seems market is holding. Cross fingers.
Galusha is really coming together; now there are doorknobs, light fixtures all over, and a finished wheatboard floor that positively glows. The downstairs cement treatment looks neat, too. So we are getting there. However, in my seemingly daily meeting with the builder this AM, I watched as the guys realized there was no water line into the house for the radiant heat. All I could do was shake my head and say, "Late for work, gotta go!"
Makes me wonder what other surprises are out there, lurking ...
Open house for neighbors could be as soon as Oct. 15 but more likely the 22nd. After that, it's all systems go for a buyer. My strategy now might be to first try selling myself, then getting help after a few weeks if I need it. Mostly, I just need an MLS listing.
An interesting article recently ran in The Wall Street Journal that the monkey found for me, citing services that help with pricing a house, so I might try it. Still, I know that my thing's so unique -- new single-family construction in established neighborhood -- that it's all in finding the right comps.
Even tho we're sliding into winter, with the rain to prove it, it seems market is holding. Cross fingers.
