It's not everyday that you find your dream home-and we did just that when we bought this place. So, we decided that we're staying at Ridgeview. This community was our home before we bought this place, so it just wouldn't feel right leaving it. We will make whatever modifications that are necessary to our current house design to make it work for all of us - safety and accessibility features for my husband; loft views for me.
It now means going forward with formalizing plans, negotiating settlements, making budgets and altering plans to meet budget constraints. This is where my husband and I differ in views. He says, "Let's see how much money we have before we make any plans." Whereas, I say, "Let's design and plan what we want first, then make changes to fit ourbudget." It's easier to in my mind to plan for "perfect" and have a good idea of what that will cost, then make changes to your plans when you realize that you can't afford "perfect", than it is to start down a path which you know you can afford, but then realize you want really want this and can't do without that. Then, before you know it, you've spent way more than you can afford, and other aspects of living suffer as a consequence (or, for so many, they end up losing their homes).
You should not give up your dreams just because life throws you curve balls. You just find new ways of realizing your dreams, and it may take a little longer that you originally hoped to do so.
View from the Ridge
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
CrossRoads
Have you ever come across something and just knew that it was meant for you? Ever felt a pull so strong to something, that you felt you could never let go of it or live without it? That's how I felt the first time I set foot in this house. It was love at first site. Sure, it needed some TLC and a lot of work, but it just felt like home. It's where I belonged. Clear a few trees here; cut a few shrubs there; build a couple of sheds over there; flower gardens there, there and there. New windows and doors, new siding, new roofs, some paint (a lot of paint), and it would be good as new.
Fast forward two years...my husband's accident last fall left him partially paralyzed from the waist down and unable to do what he used to do - the hard stuff, the digging, the clearing, the chopping, the rebuilding...we had only begun to scratch the surface of resurrecting this property to a more vibrant state. Now, we're at a crossroad - do we stay, or do we go?
Staying would mean extensive renovations and modifications to the house to make it accessible for someone with such a disability. It would mean additions, and elevators and regrading and wheel chair lifts. My husband not having access to the loft (which has the best view), but at least he would be able to access all other floors with the addition of an elevator.
Moving elsewhere would have its own costs. We'd have to find a place that was suitable for our family and accessible for my husband, and would likely be faced with renovations and modifications there as well. It would mean giving up acres of ravine property with spectacular views, right in town, close to our friends and the kids' school. It would mean giving up a country setting lifestyle we had always wanted. It would mean giving up the dream of breathing life back into Ridgeview, and making it a place that draws people and wildlife (like it did to me the first time I saw it).
How can one become so attached to a thing in so little time? It's just a piece of land, just a building. Everyone knows that home is where the heart is, so why should it matter where we live. As I sit watching the full moon out the loft window, and feel its pull, it reminds me...some things just cannot be explained, they can only be experienced.
Fast forward two years...my husband's accident last fall left him partially paralyzed from the waist down and unable to do what he used to do - the hard stuff, the digging, the clearing, the chopping, the rebuilding...we had only begun to scratch the surface of resurrecting this property to a more vibrant state. Now, we're at a crossroad - do we stay, or do we go?Staying would mean extensive renovations and modifications to the house to make it accessible for someone with such a disability. It would mean additions, and elevators and regrading and wheel chair lifts. My husband not having access to the loft (which has the best view), but at least he would be able to access all other floors with the addition of an elevator.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Redesign
Have you ever thought, "if I could just change this, or that, then it would be perfect"? What if you were given that opportunity, every day? What would you do? What would you change? How would you make it "perfect" ("Perfect", after all, is only in the eye of the beholder. There is no such thing, really.).
Over the last few weeks, even months, I've been doing just that - to our home. I've been designing and redesigning floor plans, searching for ideas on the Internet, and in my overactive and creative mind. I've spent countless hours on designs, to make a floor plan that would be just right - for all of us in the home. It'll be adaptable to accommodate my husband's disability. It'll maintain the loft that I like to call my zen space (it's my quiet and creative space...and I just can't give it up). It will provide space for my boys to play, for my husband to relax and rehabilitate, and for me to work. It'll have space for guests to stay. I can see it in my head. It'll be "perfect".
Our lot's elevations present the biggest challenge in designing such a "perfect" space, at a cost we can afford. There are very few designs that I found in countless hours of research that deal with such sloping elevations as ours. And there is little we can do with our building footprint without getting into septic location issues and significant and unaffordable costs. We also have multiple levels in our home (as you can see from pics in previous posts), so an elevator will be essential to meet the current and future needs of our family (more on elevators in a post to come.). That certainly adds a very significant cost to the project.
If ever you're looking at redesigning your space (be it your home, your office, your garage or studio), I recommend you first ask yourself what you want. How would you make your space "perfect". Searching sites like the following will give you design ideas:
http://www.ultimateplans.com/Index.aspx
http://amazingplans.com/
http://www.lchouseplans.com/house-plans-advanced-search
http://www.loghome.com/category/floorplans/
http://loghomelinks.com/states/on.htm
http://www.summerwood.com/cdn/plans/index.html
Then, once you know what would be "perfect", talk to a local building contractor about costs, and how you can perfect your space within your budget. There are web-sites and resources that can provide guidance on costs as well, like those listed below.
http://www.allaroundthehouse.com/lib.repr.htm#H
http://www.ontariocontractors.com/costs.htm#2
Whatever you choose, don't be afraid to write down and plan out what "perfect" is for you. Dream away - doors may open, and opportunities may arise to allow that dream to come to fruition. The first step is to see it in your head, then get it out of your head and on to paper. So, go ahead - design and create "perfect" :)
Over the last few weeks, even months, I've been doing just that - to our home. I've been designing and redesigning floor plans, searching for ideas on the Internet, and in my overactive and creative mind. I've spent countless hours on designs, to make a floor plan that would be just right - for all of us in the home. It'll be adaptable to accommodate my husband's disability. It'll maintain the loft that I like to call my zen space (it's my quiet and creative space...and I just can't give it up). It will provide space for my boys to play, for my husband to relax and rehabilitate, and for me to work. It'll have space for guests to stay. I can see it in my head. It'll be "perfect".
Our lot's elevations present the biggest challenge in designing such a "perfect" space, at a cost we can afford. There are very few designs that I found in countless hours of research that deal with such sloping elevations as ours. And there is little we can do with our building footprint without getting into septic location issues and significant and unaffordable costs. We also have multiple levels in our home (as you can see from pics in previous posts), so an elevator will be essential to meet the current and future needs of our family (more on elevators in a post to come.). That certainly adds a very significant cost to the project.
If ever you're looking at redesigning your space (be it your home, your office, your garage or studio), I recommend you first ask yourself what you want. How would you make your space "perfect". Searching sites like the following will give you design ideas:
http://www.ultimateplans.com/Index.aspx
http://amazingplans.com/
http://www.lchouseplans.com/house-plans-advanced-search
http://www.loghome.com/category/floorplans/
http://loghomelinks.com/states/on.htm
http://www.summerwood.com/cdn/plans/index.html
Then, once you know what would be "perfect", talk to a local building contractor about costs, and how you can perfect your space within your budget. There are web-sites and resources that can provide guidance on costs as well, like those listed below.
http://www.allaroundthehouse.com/lib.repr.htm#H
http://www.ontariocontractors.com/costs.htm#2
Whatever you choose, don't be afraid to write down and plan out what "perfect" is for you. Dream away - doors may open, and opportunities may arise to allow that dream to come to fruition. The first step is to see it in your head, then get it out of your head and on to paper. So, go ahead - design and create "perfect" :)
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