A major step

Another trip to Dallas was on our agenda today. We checked out the lots that will fit our plan. It was a tough decision, because we had in mind to find a west-facing lot, but all the west facing lots that fit our plan had an awful slope to the rear of the lot.

At last we realized that the lot we liked best, although facing east, has a nice stand of oak trees in the backyard. Well, actually they cover about half of the lot, so we will have to take several of them out. Nevertheless, we will be able to have a nice shady yard in the afternoon.

We walked down the street to one of the houses that Duane has built in the subdivision. It has several oaks in the backyard and the owners have done a beautiful job of landscaping around them. We will definitely introduce ourselves and study their work. There will be plenty of room for a stream/waterfall/fishpond.

Duane took us to see a couple of houses he has built. His craftsmanship and attention to details is wonderful, and both homeowners said that it was a joy to work with him. Jill, of course, made immediate connections with the two women who owned these homes. I believe we will have friends in Dallas long before we move into our new home.

Interestingly, both of these homes have RV pads on the property, but neither party owns an RV. Jill mentioned that we will need a place to park our motor home during construction. Now we have two offers of RV pads we can use. While the offers are tempting, there is the problem of sewage. It would be quite inconvenient to have to drive somewhere every three or four days to empty the holding tanks. I think we will look for an RV park with a full hook-up.
After our adventures we were hungry and we wanted to go back and just dream about our new home. We stopped at Subway and got a sandwich, and then we went back to the lot for a picnic. I called Patrick, and he came over to see the area and the lot we chose. It is within about four or five blocks of a dear friend of his. The fact is that we looked at a house right next door to Dave and Kellie's!

So, the ball is rolling, and we are impatient to see some big progress. Duane will call us in a few days when he has put the drawings together and made a cost estimate. I can already tell the waiting will be the hardest part of this project.