Since our last post, we received our first detailed estimate - for the guest house. We started there thinking we might want to build that building first and stay there while we sold the house we're in now. Here's the detailed plan of the guest house:
After thinking that through, we concluded that building the guest house first would virtually guarantee that we'd need a mortgage by the time the house was finished. The alternative we arrived at is to build the highest priority stuff first, then add the office and guest house after we are moved in. This gives us a chance to get moved in without the need for a mortgage. The analysis was based on the detailed estimate we received on the guest house - at about $155/sf pretty reasonable for the adobe building we're seeking. The estimate assumed that the builder would do the vast majority of the work - if we, the home-owners, did more, the cost could come down.
As we proceed, now, along this new scenario, we will expect to do most of the plumbing, electrical, insulation, painting, and cabinetry ourselves. We'll probably have to do much of the work on the garage ourselves, too - we have to build at least a portion of that early because it shelters the batteries, inverter, and water pressure system. Here's the latest floor plan - we just sent comments back that will reduce the size by another 100sf or so. By now, we should be down to 1600sf or less on the house.
Scheduling now changes, too. We thought we might start the guest house with cash on hand. Starting instead with the house will mean we have to sell the house in Phoenix when it's ready - which will be no sooner than next spring - before we can get our building permit. So, here's a brief update on that project:
We have nearly completed the kitchen and master bedroom. The new master bath that we're putting in has paint and tile floor, tile shower base, and will have a vanity in two weeks. At that point, we'll put the shower wall tile in and the tile counter top. Last thing will be hiring someone to put in the glass shower door. Next, we'll demo the "mudroom" off the kitchen and make it a small laundry room, demo the main bath to rehab its finishes, and restore the front bedroom (that had been turned into a windowless "theater"). In October, we'll resubmit our grant application to the city for rehab of the windows and exterior stucco. Here are a few photos:
(Coming soon)
It'll probably be at least spring before all this is finished - we'll have to see what's happening on the job front by then and whether we'll need to find another place in Phoenix or not.
All this work still feels like we're re-building our lives after the mistake we made applying for the job at Bandelier. Pretty clearly we'll be somewhat unsettled for some time to come. However, once we're settled, we'll be settled for good.
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