The whirlwind of summer tossing, cleaning and painting has faded away. Fall settled in. We have talked endlessly about our wants and needs in our new home. Builders and architects and plans were viewed. Ups and downs and questions and concerns. Another trip to the island ensued. That trip, recently completed, has proven to be very fruitful.
One of our first stops was a home in Seattle built using SIPS. This is the path we seem to be headed down. The home was tight, conservative and wonderful. Stained concrete heated floor, recycled timber floors upstairs, the most amazing toilets we had ever seen, windows, and quietude. Good things to see and touch and ponder.
The above photo is from the ferry, later that afternoon, headed towards the island. How can that not be inspiring? Beautiful.
We spent several days traipsing around the property marking off wetlands and the home site and a possible driveway. We met with several people and finally found someone who seems to share our vision. This is tough stuff.
I am unable to be on the property and “see” my future home. Haven’t a clue. I wish I had the ability to imagine what it could be. We met someone who has that ability. I wanted to be in his head. The wheels were turning. When he proposed a simple change in the driveway, it just seemed so sensible. The more we walked, the better sense it made.
While we seemed to be headed in the right direction, we were still consumed with doubts and questions and the reality of building a home from scratch. We started to think staying in Colorado might be the way to go. Maybe we should find an already existing home in Whidbey and save ourselves money and angst. Like I said, this is tough stuff.
We got back to our hotel exhausted, cold and discouraged. Then we received an e-mail from the builder. It was one of the most beautifully written pieces we’d ever read. His vision had even made it into words.
So, off we go to the next step and the next and the next and the next…