I sold my property in San Jacinto county (sold 3-4 days after listing which tells me I sold to cheap) and packed up and arrived in Central Texas with our last load of "stuff" last Thursday evening. Found to my dismay, that the dweeb managing 2nd 10x20 storage room place I had reserved in Lampasas had rented it out so I had to rent one in Copperas Cove. That worked out all right in the end... Been a refugee in Days Inn Copperas Cove for 4 days now. We've looked at nearly 40 places in person since last Thursday and really didn't find anything out around Lampasas/San Saba that fit both my budget and my wants. I wanted a small place, raise a few calves each year maybe but that ain't going to happen. I'm pretty pragmatic about things in life but my wants have for some time over-ridden the reality of my life. I can afford the bigger rural property but for what and be able to work it for how long? I'll be 72 in a few weeks. My health is not good. Both shoulders worn out, a decades old injury/bad back that for months has caused terrible pain down my right leg and a weak right hip. I could barely walk from my back porch down to the pond, much less do any real work for very long. Then, diabetic, plus an official diagnosis of congestive heart failure. Made the decision yesterday, that my agriculture/farm days are done. Time for me to just live out my remaining months/years in town and take it easy and according to my kids and my wife, I have to do it somewhere close to good medical facilities. I have never feared death but not going to rush it either. Wife also deserves to be able to live comfortably and not worry about fences, water well, a malfunctioning waste water plant, grass/forest fires...or , floods so we've put in a bid and presumably are going to close within 3 weeks on a nice house in a subdivision in Copperas Cove. It's definitely 'livin above my raising' and I'll have to build a little shop to pursue my woodworking hobby but I can make it work I suppose. Just have to find somewhere to fish.
I am SO going to miss what I've done for so long, but deep down, I know I just can't do it any more (or not for much longer anyway). 4 bdr, 2 bath, small 1/3 ac lot with neighbors stuck up our butts but it is what it is. (had to have room for friends, family, the kids and grandkids to visit.)
The kitchen is bigger than what this looks like (wider) but I do most ofvthe cooking and wanted a good sized kitchen with plenty of cabinet space. A nice covered back porch
I guess I will have to learn to maintain this thing.
I'll have to replace the wooden fence with a newer one, but that's within my ability still. I can't say I'm happy to reach this point but I'm very happy that I'm able to provide my sweetheart of 28 years with a home she can enjoy even after I'm gone. After all she endured down in East Texas along that river, all the bugs, the humidity, the snakes, the mud, the floods and more, she deserves at least this.
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 05-17-2022).]
I find that place very nice. Make sure the AC can handle the hot days. My Ft Worth house could not cool below 78 on those smokin hot Texas days. That’s running almost all day long.
The pool can be a bear if you don’t keep up the water quality. Good luck in the new home.
AC was on both times we viewed the house. Set on 74F and it felt cold to me but we're so used to the hot humid climate down near Houston, even in mid day when it was 95F, I found it very comfortable outside. It is forecast to be 100F Thursday so we will see but so far, the change to this dry air has been wonderful. And, not a single mosquito or even any bugs flying around outside lights. Back in San Jac county, a bug zapper will work from dusk till dawn. Told wife, I was hiring a pool girl to take care of the pool. Didn't go over too well but that's the deal for me paying extra for a home with a pool. Prices here are also so much cheaper than where I was. Food especially and the meat sections are completely full, especially beef. I will have to buy a new freezer since i gave my old one away to my son to avoid having to load it on an already completely full 26' truck. One of the homes I really liked, I culled as soon as I walked into the back yard and without even looking inside. A Chinese Tallow tree and 2 more next door. "I'm not starting a new life dealing with those sumbitches again".
Also looking for a new pickup. Looked at some used ones but the prices have skyrocketed and are so close to what a new F150 costs I tink I'm better off buying new unless a really good deal comes along. This is US Army country, right outside Ft Hood so ya never know, I might find some soldier needing money and willing to sell cheap. I've seen a lot of C-17 Globemasters taking off from Ft Hood over the weekend. Magnificent aircraft. Going to try to schedule a tour of Ft Hood in the coming weeks.
Horses are a dead expense anyway. I opened that up...it's full of pool toys and a push lawnmower. With the price of eggs, I guess I should turn it into a chicken coop.. Our 2nd choice had 3.5 acres but also came with an HOA that cost $55/mo. No way Jose! No hoa here.
Looks like a very nice home. I have no doubt she's earned it all. BTW, if'n you need any help interviewing the "Pool Girl", let me know. I can be available. I may have to pass through there some time.
Rams
[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 05-18-2022).]
The only hold up right now is waiting on the inspectors I hired to give the place a good going over. That's tomorrow and unlike the 10 minute cursory inspection the buyer's lender required for my sale a month ago, they said this one will take about 5 hours and said I was welcome to be there. Will cost me $360 but could save me thousands. The inspector that looked at my Cleveland place was older than me, could barley hobble along, didn't turn on a single light switch or open a faucet, took only one picture, didn't open any electric panel, didn't look at the well or the aerobic waste water plant, barely bent down just enough to glance under the house and didn't bother going upstairs because he couldn't climb the stairs. Must pay pretty good tho, as he was driving a Mercedes.
That's a nice place! Makes me miss my house in the burbs, a bit. (I enjoy being away from the "population", but I'm a really crappy farmer. But my wife loves it, so...)
The pool? Been learning all about this for the past two years. The most trouble we've had was opening it, each spring. Getting the swamp water cleared up, and vacuuming all the grit and dead leaves off the bottom. (Dead organic stuff in the water makes it difficult to keep the water clear.) If the climate suits, maybe leave it open all year. Just stay on top of the chlorine situation. Buy "shock" (aka burnout) and chlorine tabs to drop in the skimmer. You can buy bottles of test strips that will tell you what's what in the chemistry department. If you don't have one, consider buying a crawler to keep the pool clean. Buy one with tank treads as opposed to wheels. Doheny sells one for about $700, that is good for a ~30' pool. You can pay more, but it's mostly for extra features. (Like bluetooth. Control it from your phone... bla, bla, bla.) Don't bother with a "Polaris". They require an additional booster pump, and all the associated plumbing. Also uses a bunch of electricity to run it.
Edit - Pool supply stores can run a water analysis for you, but find someone you can trust. (Whose analysis mostly agrees with your test strips. ) Some of them will just try to sell you chemicals. And chlorine is still in short supply, like everything else.
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 05-18-2022).]
If your support equipment is built for it, a salt water pool is virtually maintenance free.
We converted our dock-diving pool (Dog sport. Google it.) from salt to chlorine. It was used for one year as a salt pool. Everything metal was oxidized.
If your support equipment is built for it, a salt water pool is virtually maintenance free.
I know very little about pool maintenance but from just looking at it, I don't think salt is an option. (I'll have to ask the pool girl when she gets here)
I sold my property in San Jacinto county (sold 3-4 days after listing which tells me I sold to cheap) and packed up and arrived in Central Texas with our last load of "stuff" last Thursday evening. Found to my dismay, that the dweeb managing 2nd 10x20 storage room place I had reserved in Lampasas had rented it out so I had to rent one in Copperas Cove. That worked out all right in the end... Been a refugee in Days Inn Copperas Cove for 4 days now. We've looked at nearly 40 places in person since last Thursday and really didn't find anything out around Lampasas/San Saba that fit both my budget and my wants. I wanted a small place, raise a few calves each year maybe but that ain't going to happen. I'm pretty pragmatic about things in life but my wants have for some time over-ridden the reality of my life. I can afford the bigger rural property but for what and be able to work it for how long? I'll be 72 in a few weeks. My health is not good. Both shoulders worn out, a decades old injury/bad back that for months has caused terrible pain down my right leg and a weak right hip. I could barely walk from my back porch down to the pond, much less do any real work for very long. Then, diabetic, plus an official diagnosis of congestive heart failure. Made the decision yesterday, that my agriculture/farm days are done. Time for me to just live out my remaining months/years in town and take it easy and according to my kids and my wife, I have to do it somewhere close to good medical facilities. I have never feared death but not going to rush it either. Wife also deserves to be able to live comfortably and not worry about fences, water well, a malfunctioning waste water plant, grass/forest fires...or , floods so we've put in a bid and presumably are going to close within 3 weeks on a nice house in a subdivision in Copperas Cove. It's definitely 'livin above my raising' and I'll have to build a little shop to pursue my woodworking hobby but I can make it work I suppose. Just have to find somewhere to fish.
I am SO going to miss what I've done for so long, but deep down, I know I just can't do it any more (or not for much longer anyway). 4 bdr, 2 bath, small 1/3 ac lot with neighbors stuck up our butts but it is what it is. (had to have room for friends, family, the kids and grandkids to visit.)
The kitchen is bigger than what this looks like (wider) but I do most ofvthe cooking and wanted a good sized kitchen with plenty of cabinet space. A nice covered back porch
I guess I will have to learn to maintain this thing.
I'll have to replace the wooden fence with a newer one, but that's within my ability still. I can't say I'm happy to reach this point but I'm very happy that I'm able to provide my sweetheart of 28 years with a home she can enjoy even after I'm gone. After all she endured down in East Texas along that river, all the bugs, the humidity, the snakes, the mud, the floods and more, she deserves at least this.
Very cool MJ... glad you decided to move into a normal home... a huge property like that is a lot of work to take care of, even for someone who's young. You'll find a lot of things to do in your workshop. I'd help out if I could, but I'm not in Texas anymore... you're going to love that house though... just plant some things in the backyard.
That patio is pretty sweet too. Just needs a Roku TV hanging outside there to watch...
I think, at one time, there was a hot tub in the patio area where the benches are. There's a circuit box and timer in the garage with a breaker marked 'hot tub'. Glad it's gone now. Those things are massive bacteria breeders.
Inspection took 5 hours and cost me $379. Found some minor problems and 2 iIwant fixed before closing. The air handler/evaporator for the central unit is in the attic above the garage, with the usual drain for the unit itself. I went up the folddown ladder with him and looked it over. That drain is open and working but it drains into a big pan that is piped with a drain that is supposed to drain to the outside ofthe house. That drain is plugged somewhere and the pan is over 1/2 full. That needs to be addressed asap before it overflows onto the ceiling of the garage. Once we close, I'll put a float and switch up there so if the pan gets full, it cuts the circuit from the thermostat to the cooling mode of the ac unit. The minor stuff is 1 ceiling fan doesn't work. Debris (leaves sticks) against side of house. Plants (hedges) growing against the actual exterior wall of the house (wild fire hazard) Window fascia damage from what looked like a dog orcat scratching the paint off the window sill inside the house at 1 window. Holes in wall where pictures were hung and not repaired before painting was done. 2 double pane windows had lost their gas fill integrity. Oven filthy and tripped a smoke detector when I opened the oven door. 1 of the bathroom lavatories drained slower than the other (hair clog in the trap most likely) Water pressure over 80psi (local code calls for 40min -80max pressure. (city water so I will put a pressure regulator on the main line. 1 toilet a little loose on it's mount. 1 security light with a broken motion detector. just little crap.
The other issue is a safety/local code issue. Local code calls for 2 ground rods at the main disconnect. It is currently grounded to the piping which counts as 1 ground but needs a ground rod below the disconnect. I 'could' do it, but the ground/bonding wire will have to go into the neutral buss and I don't want to do it myself. (I know from wiring outbuildings like shops and barns that NEC allows neutral/ground to share the same buss but only at the "first means of disconnect". which the main disconnect for the 200amp service is. I try not to mess with the main neutral lug as it is never supposed to see any voltage but I've run across a few that had a few millivolts on them and that's all it takes to kill you. Besides, Driving 5ft of ground rod into rocky ground my be a chore here. Other than that, everything else was minor stuff. Roof, pool, appliances and foundation all checked out good as did the termite inspection. We're all done except for waiting for closing date and me writing the check.
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 05-20-2022).]
Got everything moved into the house yesterday. A total friggin mess right now. Everything I boxed, i listed what was in the box. My wife? She just wrote such detail as "Bedroom" or "bathroom", or "pictures" . Can't find my coffee, have no idea where anything is or in which box but it was sure good to sleep in my own bed again. My tools are all in wooden boxes in the garage along with 8-10 boxes of 'Christmas stuff, "Janes books" about 20 other boxes as minimally marked as possible too. 23 days of sleeping in a hard as a rock motel bed was hell on my back. Did get spoiled tho, eating out every meal.
Looks like a furniture store is in our future. From a 2 bdr house to a 4 bdr house with another room that is going to be an 'office' . A push mower with a vac bag attachment will be needed to so the cut grass doesn't fly into the pool. Then figure out if the lawn irrigation system works, and start trimming some branches and other stuff hanging over the fenc.
Looks like a furniture store is in our future. From a 2 bdr house to a 4 bdr house with another room that is going to be an 'office' . A push mower with a vac bag attachment will be needed to so the cut grass doesn't fly into the pool. Then figure out if the lawn irrigation system works, and start trimming some branches and other stuff hanging over the fenc.
Reference those bedrooms, all I can say is Git R Dun, those grandkids will need a place to sleep when they come visit.
Somehow, I figured there'd be some trimming of some trees or bushes if you were involved.
Trying to decide wheter to spend $400 on a push mower that uses $4.40 a gallon fuel every week or $80 on 2 gallons of herbicide once per year (or less). "Where Don goes, nothin grows".......
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 06-10-2022).]
LOL, I can understand it. But if you live in town how check with city requirements... Have you seen the new electric mowers? They might work on a small yard like your new one.
check.
