Two things I will never, EVER own again ...

[Thumper]

1) A frigging 2-story house.
2) A *&#!@%$^ pool.

That is all.

[Chicken Dinner]

Ha! If I ever buy another house, at a minimum the master bedroom will be on the first floor. If I don't own another house, I may remodel the current one once the kids leave home to turn their two bedrooms into a master suite.

Can you even buy a house in Florida without a pool?

[Captain]

Turn in your man card.... Whiner

[BarryBobPosthole]

I won't ever own one without a pool. I use mine every damn day in the summer.

If I had it to do over, I'd make some changes in how I built my house, but I like two story houses too.

And I hate Donald Trump.

So.

Bite me, pussy.

BKb

[Thumper]

2-story house? Never again. After the 2nd or 3rd time the upstairs toilet over-flowed .... which means it comes through the ceiling downstairs, I'd had enough. I don't have dual a/c's, so it's the old freezing downstairs to make upstairs comfortable ... or make the downstairs comfortable and sweat up stairs (reverse that in the winter). Dual a/c would be ideal I suppose, but a major expense to tackle at this point in time, not to mention electric bills in Florida can match your frigging house payment in the summertime. Then there's always the time you start reaching the age climbing up and down steps isn't too exciting. In fact, I wasn't even able to use the stairs after my hospital stay and had to stay in the downstairs guest room. Add dragging a vacuum cleaner up and down while vacuuming (carpeted) stairs. Let's just say, I'd never do it again.

Pool? We don't entertain anymore ... just too much of a hassle and those pool party days are long gone. The pool was great when my son (and every other kid in the neighborhood) was here, but I'm a "do-it-your-selfer" type and for a bazillion years I spent a good portion of my Saturdays doing yard work (we have an acre) and Sunday f'ing with the pool. Add electricity for running that 220V pump, water, chlorine, acid, shock treatment, vacuum/filter/pump repairs etc. etc. etc. and it runs me an easy $100/mo. average. But, don't stop there, you need to figure the extra insurance you pay for that liability. It's like owning a boat in a way (another money pit). I've had 5-6 of 'em anywhere from a 12' john boat to a 28' cuddy cabin. They were always a love/hate relationship in a way ... and you know what they say about the happiest days of boat ownership. ;)

I've shut the pool down and considered making it into my personal catfish farm, but decided to cut my losses and have called for estimates to get rid of that hole in the ground. I just told 'em to knock the bottom out of it, throw all the debris in the hole and fill it with dirt. So far the estimates are ranging from $4500 - $6500, but I still have two more contractors on their way. I'll gladly pay it to get rid of that money pit. I'll just have to get the eBay hustle into high gear to cover it.

[jb]

Back when I was growing up it seemed all the well off people owned a two story Colonial. So when I had a chance to build my first house 32 years ago I went for a two story design, and ended up with three stories on the back due to a walk-out lower level.
Now that we've grown older and are empty nesters, the house is bigger than two people need along with all four bedrooms are on the second floor.
So I mentioned to the wife a few years ago about building our retirement home, one level and half the size. She shot that down almost before I got it out of my mouth.
So, we're putting a few bucks in the old place to update it, all new kitchen two years ago, new main bath last year, new siding, windows, doors and front porch this summer.
They are doing that as I type this.
We're both one day away from not doing stairs, but she loves the location and all the memories that go with raising the family in this house, so I guess this is where we'll stay for the time being.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/jbmich/House/002_zps0cb7a69c.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/jbmich/House/IMG_2346_1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/jbmich/House/IMG_3416_zpsf0c517c4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/jbmich/004_zps5frklljs.jpg

Stay tuned for the next couple of weeks to see the new look.

[BarryBobPosthole]

There's a lot to be said for a place that is home.

We had the same discusson and came up with the same answer.

BKB

[Thumper]

Beautiful place ya' got's there Bubba. Yep, we have the same type house here ... I suppose you could call it a tri-level. The very downstairs has a large guest bedroom, a VERY large den, a full bath and a very large laundry room (almost big enough to be a small bed room). Then there are only 3-steps up to the main floor where the kitchen, dining room, living room and foyer are located. Upstairs is a full bath with 3 bed rooms. MUCH more than the two of us need. The problem is, we're to the point we're overdue for a remodel but it's just not in the budget, so I keep patching piecemeal as we go. Heck, I even have a 900 sq. ft. attached garage, but it's so full of crap I can't get a car into it! As for the pool. it gets to the point it's like an old car ... the maintenance isn't worth it and a rebuild or replacement is more economical. I have some tile issues, but some relatively minor tile work appears it's going to become a nightmare because that particular size tile is no longer available. The (marcite) pool itself is also due for refinishing. The pump is 15 years old and the filter is 25 years old. The deck is ok, but has a few settling cracks and could use repair ... I just figured I'd rip it all out and plant grass. I just can't do the maintenance anymore and hate paying someone else to pour my cash into that hole in the ground that we really don't use anyway. It's bad enough I have to pay someone else to mow my yard now even though I have elebenty-bazillion yard tools as well as a large lawn tractor sitting in the shed. :(

[Chicken Dinner]

Beautiful spot there, JB. Whose your architect?:D

I'm sure I'll be having the same conversation with my Mrs. some day. I want to retire on the water down on the Northern Neck. She allows that she might enjoy having a second home down there. Hopefully, we'll see each other weekends, birthdays and holidays...

[HideHunter]

My "dream home" is a large machine shed with living quarters.. heated floor - mud room - walk in pantry - walk in closets.. absolutely no cabinets below waist level - commercial grade kitchen appliances in both my "inside" and "outside" kitchens.. at least a quarter mile down a dead-end lane with an electric gate - river on one side - small lake on the other.. That is all.

[Cards01]

My "dream home" is a large machine shed with living quarters.. heated floor - mud room - walk in pantry - walk in closets.. absolutely no cabinets below waist level - commercial grade kitchen appliances in both my "inside" and "outside" kitchens.. at least a quarter mile down a dead-end lane with an electric gate - river on one side - small lake on the other.. That is all.

That sounds like an awesome dream home for sure!!!

[Captain]

That sounds like an awesome dream home for sure!!!

Until the River floods and washes it all away.

[BarryBobPosthole]

My "dream home" is a large machine shed with living quarters.. heated floor - mud room - walk in pantry - walk in closets.. absolutely no cabinets below waist level - commercial grade kitchen appliances in both my "inside" and "outside" kitchens.. at least a quarter mile down a dead-end lane with an electric gate - river on one side - small lake on the other.. That is all.

That is a good description of Dirk Pitt's place in the Clive Cussler books! I've always thought it'd be cool to build a living soace in a barn.
Of course, then you'd have to have cats...

BKb

[Cards01]

Until the River floods and washes it all away.
you must have missed the memo that the machine shed was high up on the oak and hickory covered ridge above the river and lake

[BarryBobPosthole]

So they way I understand it, the shed is on a sliver of land that lies between a river and a lake. Since it was a dead end road, I assumed it was a peninsula. Now you're saying the peninsula is an oak ridge that runs between the two.
I might want one of those golf cart ATVs then.

BKB

[DeputyDog]

That is a good description of Dirk Pitt's place in the Clive Cussler books! I've always thought it'd be cool to build a living soace in a barn.
Of course, then you'd have to have cats...

BKb

There is at least one place here where I live where the people abandoned the old farmhouse on the family homestead and fixed up the barn to live in. It's an old wooden barn too not a pole barn.

There are several places here where people built a big pole barn and have living quarters on one end of them.

[Thumper]

I see you put that bum Gary Carty to work doing your renovation. :D



... we're putting a few bucks in the old place to update it .... They are doing that as I type this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/jbmich/004_zps5frklljs.jpg

Stay tuned for the next couple of weeks to see the new look.