[k7baixo]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

I had to check to see where Valley, Alabama was. Looks like it's in south Alabama on the eastern border with Georgia. I noticed in your pictures the really tall pine trees which we don't have in north Alabama unless they've been planted. We mostly have deciduous trees in this part of the state.

Nice house. I'll bet you'll enjoy living in the country.

It’s quiet. Parker and I spent the night just outside our house a week ago. I’m a bit too old to be sleeping in a truck but, I managed surprisingly well. I’m a light sleeper and I’ll bet there weren’t 5 vehicles on our little road! The neighbor on the east side tends to pay attention to our house so I let them know I’d be there in case they noticed a momentary light.

In this market, like others around the US, everything is selling quickly and supply is tight. I feel amazingly blessed to have purchased a bit of land and have enough to build. Our neighbors to the east want to take advantage of the market and sell their current house but, they don’t have enough to build just yet. They did build a large pole barn and the quote to enclose 960 sq ft was....unexpectedly high. I suggested a large travel trailer or, better yet, renting a small apartment in their kids’ current school district. They’ll figure it out.

Our neighbors to the west have five girls. I told the second youngest that my wife loves to bake cakes for kid’s birthdays.

Girl: Can she make one for my next birthday?

Me: Sure. When is your next birthday?

Girl: Next year.

They’re all cute as buttons so we’ll enjoy watching the younger ones grow up!


I’m a little nervous about all of the tall pines. I suspect we’ll remove another row or two from close to the house. It’s not only due to storms.

I’m trying to determine the best options for internet service. I’ve settled on two: one that offers unlimited and supposedly un-throttled LTE services for $99 a month and, Starlink. Removing the trees will help the Starlink dish’s reception. I’ll bond those two connections together and hopefully, Starlink will prove to be reliable enough to use it exclusively. My wife’s VPN is a little touchy hence the bonding.

We’re on the waiting list for Starlink and I’ll obtain the equipment and test the LTE services well before they’re needed. Failure is not an option but, luckily, there’s an AT&T tower 1.4 miles south of us. I knew it was there (yeah, I can point out every tower within 10 miles!) and, the service provider specifically mentioned it also.

We have computer cables to every necessary room. I’ll add two uninterruptible power supplies also. One for the LTE device in the closet where all of the lines will terminate and one in MrsK7’s office. We’ll have a 22kv generator but I want her office and work equipment to be .....un-interruptible.

As my wife realizes, when it comes to certain projects, I really sweat the details! She’s pretty happy with me even though she wasn’t 100% on board initially. She’s into it now and, we’re planning a departure from most people’s kitchen colors. Our cabinets are going to be dark blue with mostly white counters. It’s going to be absolutely stunning! I’ll see if I can find the pictures she showed me.

[k7baixo]

It’s been a busy weekend and we’re looking forward to the long, three day weekend ahead. We spent both mornings at the house trying to lock down the kitchen cabinet layout. The change to install a dual oven impacted an unexpected change in the countertop in that area. My wife, not exactly happy with impacted, found relief by adding an island that we had initially deleted. All’s well that end’s well.

Earlier in the week, I had someone from the same number call me four times in quick succession. I was driving and not in the mood to talk but, when I saw the number of calls, I returned the call.

It was a neighbor calling to invite us to a gathering at his farm on Saturday night….last night. MrsK7 had a pretty bad headache so I went alone. I was taken back a bit by the number of people….must have been at least 100 people. There were at least 30 cars and 10 side by sides.

Fried fish, hamburgers, hot dogs, every dessert you can imagine. There was a sheet hung on the side of the barn and they were streaming Mississippi State v Texas. Kids running around playing chase, there was a cornhole game going and kids playing t-ball. And beer and soft drinks. Pure Americana!

I met the guy whose company will do our landscaping. Another person told me about the best person to set up LTE cellphone internet service. One of the neighbors offered to sell us a cow once we have our freezer ready. Mostly, it was just getting to know the people around us! Big fun, 100% worth the effort.

We should have our roof on the house this week. Rain slowed things down quite a bit. Stucco in the alcoves goes in tomorrow. Brick next week, Sheetrock probably the week after. Trending towards late September move in. Overall, very pleased.

[Rick In Madison]

Sounds like a great weekend. Hope the Mrs. is feeling better.

[k7baixo]

Originally Posted by Rick In Madison

Sounds like a great weekend. Hope the Mrs. is feeling better.

Thank you. She still had a headache on Sunday but by the evening, even after spending the morning at the house, lunch out and working for 4-5 hours, she’s better. She’s in good spirits this morning also even though she’s at the end of the month and everyone wants to close as many loans as possible. Her team leads the operation and there are quarterly bonuses to be had. Lol

[k7baixo]

Happy 4th of July to everyone!

We finally got a good day, ie no rain, to coincide with the next task at hand, ie the roof, and they got it done. The HVAC guys were there also and they’ll be back tomorrow. When we stopped by Sam’s Club, we picked up two trays of cookies for each group and dropped them by just after noon. That went over well. All of the roofers were having lunch except one so our timing was great. Insulation, brick and Sheetrock are up next!

Tonight, we had dinner with the builder and his wife. It was a pretty darn good day….and we have two more days in the long weekend!

[michaeltimmerma]

Around the whole world there is no place like home and feel like have an plan.

[autiger92]

My husband and I are looking to do what you’re doing—find some land and build. I would love to know the name of the buyer’s agent who helped you find your land. If you are willing to share, feel free to message me.

Looking forward to your next update!

[k7baixo]

Originally Posted by autiger92

My husband and I are looking to do what you’re doing—find some land and build. I would love to know the name of the buyer’s agent who helped you find your land. If you are willing to share, feel free to message me.

Looking forward to your next update!

My apologies, I just saw your note. I’ve got two names for you. One who helped me and my neighbor who is in the same business.

Good luck!

BTW, it’s looking great!

[k7baixo]

We moved in just over two weeks ago and, as with any new home, we still have a bit to accomplish. Our cabinets lack hardware, the well needs a sand filter, Bosch needs an invisible fence, we need window covers, a bedroom set and, there’s talk of a small workshop and maybe an outdoor barbecue. We still have stuff that needs to be moved here from the storage unit.

All in good time. Today, I took a break, watched a little football and, enjoyed the view from the living room. And pizza.

”Land spreadin' out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside”

(And if you recognize the lyrics, you’re probably a child of the 60s!)

[karen_in_nh_2012]

Originally Posted by k7baixo

We moved in just over two weeks ago and, as with any new home, we still have a bit to accomplish. Our cabinets lack hardware, the well needs a sand filter, Bosch needs an invisible fence, we need window covers, a bedroom set and, there’s talk of a small workshop and maybe an outdoor barbecue. We still have stuff that needs to be moved here from the storage unit.

But a lot of that is the fun stuff ... at least to me! Most importantly, CONGRATS on your move-in! I bet Parker was smiling at you from somewhere in the universe.

Originally Posted by k7baixo

All in good time. Today, I took a break, watched a little football and, enjoyed the view from the living room. And pizza.

”Land spreadin' out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside”

(And if you recognize the lyrics, you’re probably a child of the 60s!)

LOL, "Green Acres"! And I was born in 1959 (actually, today is my birthday, I turned 63 ) so was literally a child of the '60s, although I didn't see that show until reruns many many years (maybe decades) later ... I lived in England in the late '60s so missed a lot of U.S. pop culture in that time period.

In any case, HAPPY 2022 to you and your wife and Bosch! May you have many, many happy years in your lovely new home.