After my last update blog we learned our new house build would be delayed a bit longer, due some county related issues. They are anticipating a finish date in June or July, but we believe the closing will be closer to August or September.
Based on this knowledge in November, we made a decision to purchase a new Airstream Classic — which we picked up in December — so we could have a bit more elbow room for the time we are living in it full-time. We’ve made some videos about that, and we put them on our YouTube Channel.
We didn’t expect much movement after that, until further into the new year. However, things started picking up in January. On January 7th, the builder held our pre-construction meeting. Soon after that we started seeing forms, footers, plumbing, foundation, and then framing taking place. It’s moving along!
January 5, 2025 – Form is in place. Ready for the pre-construction meeting.January 20, 2025 – We have some plumbing.Jan 20, 2025 – King of his garage LOL. That was a cold day, the night before the big snowstorm. Our property didn’t get much, fortunately, but it did delay pouring the foundation by a few days.February 1, 2025. We are leaving for Florida in a few days, so we took another drive out to the property. We were surprised to see so many sticks in the air! Here’s a picture from the last time we went out to the property, about four days ago.
Now we are heading to Florida for a month, and we are anticipating some real progress by the time we get back into town. I will be flying in for treatment a couple of times before then as well, so maybe, just maybe, I’ll have enough time to drive out and check it out while I’m in the area.
This reminds me of a verse in Isaiah (40:31, NKJV). We are encouraged to be patient, allowing God to do things in His own timing. I don’t mind the wait, to be honest. I love our current life and I look forward to making some more great memories.
But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
We had planned to leave for Florida today. Our plans were to spend a week in Panama City Beach at St. Andrews State Park, and then travel on to Melbourne where we would stay a month at Land Yacht Harbor (an Airstream only park). But the closer today approached, the more our uncertainty as to what to do expanded.
A few events lead to our decision.
Weather. We checked the weather. Daily. Hourly. Sometimes even more often. As you are probably aware by now, the weather forecasted a major snowstorm for the entire southeast. Unless you live under a rock, you have probably read about this or seen it on the news. It’s making national and international news.
I went to FaceBook and asked, “stay and play in the snow, or leave early?” Of course, my Florida friends said, “you have to ask???” Our Airstream friends were mixed, and extremely helpful in terms of making sure our Alde heating system was working. Some of our northern friends had already come south, but at least one of my friends experienced snow in the deep south after they left clearer skies up north.
Houston doesn’t get snow. In fact, KHOU-11 (our Houston news) said in a recent blog post, “Snow is so rare in Houston that we cannot even discuss the top ten recorded snowfall events in Houston’s history, because only eight of them exist.” Well, now there will be nine.
The NPR is talking about it. Winter storm “Enzo” is wreaking havoc all along the I-10 Corridor. Pictures and videos are flooding the internet of Beaumont, downtown New Orleans, Galveston Beach, and the panhandle of Florida. It’s a HUGE blizzard of “epic proportions.” (Now I sound like a weatherman.) I even saw a video of a cowboy in Texas riding his horse through the snow, pulling someone on a makeshift sled behind him. Classic.
Medical concerns. In the meantime, Tim received some disturbing news from his dermatologist. He has a few skin concerns, and the medicine would come in the mail for some of them. More importantly, he needs to schedule surgery on a spot very close to his eye (right on the corner by his nose). She’s about 95-99% certain it is basal cell carcinoma. He is waiting for the MOHS center to call back with an appointment, and whether we can afford the cost.
Work concerns. In addition to his regular work obligations, Tim is now scheduled for a presentation trip to Minnesota the first week of February (2-4). It’s easier to fly out of Houston than all the places we had planned to visit in Florida.
I also have some work to catch up on. I’m still supervising some LMFT Associates in Texas, and I need to complete some CEUs for my AAMFT supervisory status as well as licensure. I can do this better with the solid internet we have here as well.
Sometimes, it’s less hassle to go with what you know.
All that being said, we decided to “hunker down” and stay where we are. We were able to cancel our reservation at the State Park for a small fee, and delay our reservation at Land Yacht Harbor by a week (no fee). Both of these were paid in full, and LYH has no refunds, so we were glad to make these changes. We did try to reschedule St. Andrews, but it’s really hard to get in Florida State Parks this time of year. There are only one or two days available here and there (across the state).
We did end up getting between an inch or two of snow. The pictures are pretty. It stuck to the ground, but not the concrete. I was hoping for a total blanket. You know the kind that turns the trees to a solid white? The kind you see in all the other pictures from up north? However, this was pretty exceptional for our neck of the woods.
When stuck inside, it’s a good time to bake bread. There’s a little heat coming up from behind the sink, so my einkorn starter rose really well.
If you look closely, you can see the icicles hanging from the front of our Classy Girls, looking like fangs. She kept us nice and toasty warm inside! It warmed up to the 40s later in the day and most of the snow melted.
As it turned out, Panama City Beach Florida ended up getting more snow than we got in Willis Texas. Go figure! Looks like we made a good decision.
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
I had treatment on September 30th, in addition to bloodwork for genetic testing. Since these were the only appointments I had, I flew in and out the same day to save money on hotel and car rental. It was dark in Kansas City when I drove to the airport in the early morning hour, and it was dark when I got back from Houston. Tim flew in a few hours before me, and he picked up the truck from the parking spot. He was also exhausted from all of his recent trips, and when my flight was delayed he ended up getting a hotel in Kansas City, where I shuttled from the airport. It sure was good to be back together again!
View of Houston from the plane.
It was a long day, but I accomplished a lot while I was there. MD Anderson, mail, storage, and check on the house development were priorities on my list.
Genetic testing was completed about ten years ago, and everything came back negative at that time. However, they only checked a few things, and recently some of my family members have gotten positive results on some genetic mutations, so my genetic counselor decided to do it again. I’m still waiting on those results.
Chemo went quickly. My nurse got me in and out in record time. I was so glad because I still had several errands I wanted to run. We had a few packages to pick up, and I was excited about getting those because I ordered some fun stuff for the upcoming Airstream Rally.
I always check the mail and visit the storage unit when I’m in town. Whatever fits in my carry-on roller bag can get transported back and forth as needed. Since the weather has been changing, we have switched out our blankets, clothes, and a few other things to accommodate the cooler temperatures. To save baggage, I decided to put my wallet and consolidate my purse items into my computer bag. Of course I forgot to include my keys to the shed and mailbox! At first I panicked, but then I looked at the time.
Fortunately our mailbox is in a facility where staff can get my mail, and they were still open. I was not able to go to the shed. We have the only keys, and I can visualize them in my purse, which was still in Kansas City. My son and his wife graciously agreed to keep a box of our stuff at their place until the next time I come home. I was glad I had a little extra time to work all that out. I hope I don’t make that mistake again!
And now for that house update! I drove to New Waverly to see what progress, if any, has taken place on the property. I was pleasantly surprised! We are still a long way from having a building, but the development is shaping up. Last time we were there, the dirt roads were still barely drivable, and it was hard to find the road to our lot. I not only found the road, but I was able to easily drive on the hard-packed, grated roads. And the Apple map program can identify our road as well.
Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite. Hopefully the next time we drive out there we will see even more happening to the development and to our lot specifically. This is the entrance to the acreage subdivision where we are building. There are two entrances, and this is the first time I’ve been able to drive in the first entrance. Progress!
Lots of heavy machinery were there working on various parts of the development. Our lot is the only one that has been cleared, as far as I could tell. It didn’t have any trees to clear, but they have leveled it, brought in fill dirt, and clear markers designate where our lot lines and culvert are located.
Sound on – this is our lot and the surrounding lots.Turning left onto our roadOur street Our lotCulvert in front of our lotStanding at the back of the cleared portion, looking at the trees behind Standing in the same location as before, facing the street
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
We got our lot fit for Lot #75, and then the developer called to remind us there is an active pipeline with a 20 foot utility easement running across the front of the property. When we had originally looked at the lot, he led us to believe it was close to the road, near the culvert. As it turned out, the easement was one foot from our front door, and the walkway was on top of the easement 😳😳.
That set us on a journey of discovery.
The developer sent us an additional document from Explorer (the pipeline company) which said that if ever we wanted to do anything over the easement, including paved driveway, we had to send a proposal and they would have up to 180 days to review. SIX MONTHS! And then they could make you change your plan. We were calculating how much time the builder has to do their work, and now we are concerned they have not even started this process. Also, someone from the pipeline has to be present the entire time you do any improvements.
I reached out to my friends on Facebook, and those who have pipelines on their property (which is very common in Texas). They had a variety of things to say. One rancher in particular said he had some horror stories, as well as some not so bad stories. Our main concern was what would happen if they decided to come in and do repairs and broke up our driveway, or our walkway? Would they fix it? Would we have access to our house? How long could it take? Would they mow over any landscaping we might plant (they are responsible for mowing the pipeline easement)? How responsive are they going to be to our inquiries? So many questions raised our DefCon level a notch or two.
We decided to reach out to Explorer and ask some questions before getting too panicky. We called, sent emails, called again, tried and tried, and never could get a response. One guy finally sent an email acknowledging he had gotten the email, but that was the end of his communication. Needless to say, we were not feeling very comfortable about having an Explorer active pipeline on our property.
The builder suggested we change lots, so we started that process.
At this point we were very grateful they had not yet purchased Lot #75. It was still on reserve. The developer had gone up on their prices by about $20-30,000, so switching to another lot was going to be a challenge. Before we left Texas for our northern trip, we went back out to the property and looked at other lots. As it turned out they had just opened access to some other lots we had not seen before. Lot #84, just a few lots down from #75 but outside of the pipeline easement, was a bit smaller (1.0 acre) but it had some advantages over #75. For one, it is relatively square (#75 is a big trapezoid). Also, #84 backs up to some beautiful trees (more, in fact, than #75). It is a bit closer to the front, so they should start pinning those lots sooner 🤞🏻.
We can see progress is happening out there. Lots of heavy equipment are moving dirt around, creating retention ponds, placing culverts, etc. The roads have been graded, and it is easier to see where each lot is located (although still not accurately). We feel pretty confident they will be able to start building soon (hurricanes aside).
All that to say, we have officially switched to Lot #84. The builder CFO had to get involved because the developer wanted to increase our cost to current prices, but he did some magic and we signed the document this week to switch from #75 to #84.
We’ll keep you posted on further progress.
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
About 100 days ago we sold our house in Conroe, moved our stuff into storage, and moved into our Roam Home to begin full-time living, while waiting for our new house to be built. We are very blessed to have an Airstream that provides comfort and travel opportunities to live in while we are “homeless.”
A little background behind this decision might be helpful. We downsized in 2019 from a 4,000+ SF home to a 2050 SF home just a half mile down the road, in the same neighborhood. We loved the house, loved the builder, and loved the community. It met our needs on many levels. It was close to MD Anderson as well as other amenities, there were trees behind us, we had a nice sized yard, good neighbors, and a relatively quiet neighborhood. We thought this would be our forever “retirement” home.
Then COVID hit.
The RV Industry exploded. People were tired of staying home. Online jobs increased, which expanded opportunities. The whole world was buying RVs and moving into them at a pace greater than the market could support. We made plans to travel places the motorcycles couldn’t go, avoid hotels, and bought the last Airstream on the lot. After a year of trying to do both, we let the bikes go and Airstreaming became our priority. Each time we would hook her up and go on a trip, we started thinking about how we could store her closer to home when we weren’t in it.
Things were changing in the world, as well as in our own neighborhood. The trees started coming down between our home and the interstate, the road noise got louder and louder, multiple families (and their cars) were moving into the same house just three doors down, our family was growing and making our home feel a bit too small, and we wanted to have our Airstream on property with us. The only way to get around all of these issues was to look for some land where we could have some space between us and the road noise, a bit more elbow room between us and our neighbors, and a big enough lot where we could build an RV barn and keep the Airstream on property. An added bonus was a slightly bigger house and yard for when the family comes to visit.
We reserved a 1.24 acre lot (#75) in an acreage community called The Manors in New Waverly Texas (it’s about 15-20 minutes from our former home). It’s a High Meadows development; we toured their other properties containing multi-million dollar homes, and felt very good with how the final developments had turned out. The developer “promised” they would be ready to sell us the lot within a couple of months, but it’s taking a bit longer for them to get there. This is their first time developing in Walker County, so it’s going a bit slower than they originally anticipated. (For example, surprising to us is the requirement to have fire hydrants in Walker County, which are not required in Montgomery county.) That was a bonus in our eyes. We signed on the lot before they were pinned, while roads are still in the dirt phase.
After reserving the lot, we had to find a builder. We signed a contract with Gracepoint Homes, after interviewing many, many (did I say many?) builders over several months’ time. It’s been quite a process! This all took place before we sold our home in Conroe. My caveat for moving forward and selling the house was this: we choose a lot and builder first, so I don’t end up without a home or a home to move into 🤪🥴.
We chose Gracepoint for several reasons, not necessarily in order of priority.
First, they had the best price for a quality product. We picked one of their floorpans, which saved a ton of money, and then customized it to our needs. They are a custom home builder, so we could change anything we wanted (within reason). The next possible builder was $40K more expensive and their home was smaller by 300 SF. It was a no-brainer.
Second, Gracepoint offered a program where they bundle the house and land, meaning we don’t have to do the closing on the property or get a loan until the final product is complete. No other custom builder was offering this option. That was such a blessing, considering we were homeless and travelling until the house is built.
Third, we like the builder. They have a good reputation even with other builders. They are easy to work with, respond to calls and emails, and Tammy is always friendly when we talk with her on the phone. They seem to be genuinely advocating for our best interest.
This is our first time being one of the first, if not the first, to build a house in a community. Honestly, it scares the bejeebers out of us. It took a very long time to make this decision because of the potential risks involved. At the end of the day, the homes are so far apart we don’t feel like other owners’ home construction will be that big of an issue. We prayed about all the options and felt very confident this was the right choice, so we signed on the dotted lines.
We put our house on the market and within less than a week we had a contract for $20,000 over our (already high) asking price. Two weeks later we closed and had completely moved out. That very quick timeline, the purchase price, the builder bundling the loan, and other pieces were further confirmation we are doing the right thing. We feel very much at peace with this decision.
So, what’s the status on your house? How is your house coming along? When will it be done?
I fear this blog is already getting too long. You’ll just have to read the next one for a status update. 🤪🥴😂😂😂
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
