From here on out, I’m going to stop apologizing for never posting. I hope that my readers can expect rare, intermittent postings, while being pleasantly surprised with any increased frequency that I obviously cannot predict.
We’ve looked at more resale houses. Everything we like is old because since 1980 they haven’t come up with a building aesthetic we care for. Old is fine, even fixer upper is fine, though we are living there so it can’t be a total do-over. Problem is, FHA requires that our house pass rigorous inspections in order to move in, the most concerning being water damage from old pipes. Just about every house over 20 years old that is affordable has water damage, either in the roof or near the washing machine, that would not pass FHA inspection. There are tons of good houses that age in great areas of town, but are they going to sell their gem in the middle of a recession? Not likely.
Not only that, but we’d end up living in a part of town that might be worrisome for the pets, future kids, having a nice car and nice things inside. That’s really one of the least of our concerns, because we know that affluent areas are as likely to be robbed. Another big concern we had was the bills. All those old houses have walls made of cinderblocks. The insulation is old, the roofs leak, the walls have gaps, the foundation is cracked. Cooling a cinderblock home in the desert is no cheap task, and ants are a big problem.
So we determined that in order to get the house we wanted, we’d have to spend a little more money. Eventually the goal price creeped up to the point of building a new house. Why buy a resale for the same as brand new, and then have to convert the parts you don’t like?
We decided to buy a new house from Pulte. We were careful about the upgrades. It should be done mid-December. We are so excited! I’ll post more about the house as things progress, but it’s a 2-story 3 bed 2.5 bath on a small lot (although we bought one of the bigger lots). I didn’t want a small lot, but the builder really utilizes space well – we opted to get an extended private balcony off the master and a balcony off the 2 front bedrooms. That builder also has courtyards in every front yard, so that space is used.
The neighborhood backs into the Mesa, which has beautiful hiking and is great for views of the Valley. It’s very close to Red Rock, and also the highway.
This is our floor plan and elevation and color scheme, but we're getting another balcony over the garage
Right now only the foundation is poured, but the frame should be up soon and I’ll keep posting.
I really wanted to write this to describe a terrible experience I had at the doctor’s office. I had been due to a PAP smear for a while, and a coworker told me how much she liked her OB/GYN, and he has this one office that’s a short wait. I made an appointment for later that week. I get there, and there are tons of people in the waiting room, but there are a few doctors in that facility. So I wait… 2 hours until I make it to the back. She tells me the Dr has to see one more patient then he’ll see me, so they have me wait in a secondary waiting room for about a half hour. Then I finally get to go in the room, I’m waiting for about 10 minutes when the fire alarm goes off. We evacuate, then a girl calls me back up and says they can’t turn off the alarm, but a child pulled it and there’s no danger if I wanted to wait inside. The Dr then tapes off the alarm and proceeds with the exam, albeit it more loud than usual.
I tell him we use only condoms and don’t mention the charting that I do. He asks if that works for us, I say yes, and that’s it. Then he asks how long we’ve been together, I tell him 10 years. He asks us if we’re considering having any children. I guess pap smears just don’t pay the bills these days. Any children in your future ma’am, perhaps a C-section!? Note to self: don’t write this one any Yaz, she won’t be needing it. Apparently he tried to schedule a C-section for my coworker when she was still in the first trimester, and then said it was to accommodate patient requests.
Oh and then at the end of my visit he tells me I have a lump in my breast. Apparently it’s benign but of course requires follow up. He’s a specialist but my insurance swears that it should be free because it’s a preventative visit (not if he could help it), and they keep sending me a bill for $60 – my specialist copay. Perhaps I can follow up with a mid-level, a midwife or something. Any advice?
Well Leland perhaps we need to have a talk. I have a wonderful female OB/GYN that is on Eastern but I never have to wait that long even if she is delivering a baby. Dr. Florence Jameson is her name.