jen_in_southtexas
02-14-2009, 04:48 PM
Today i went on to check on my property to make sure everything was as i left it last.
I had alot on my mind and sometimes I find that a drive in the country helps to clear my thoughts. So i took the long way to my place. This is when i started to take note of peoples living conditions and their shelters.
The first place I came to was at a stop. An elderly man lives there. His fencelines are always stopped up with trash because he is a corner lot and stop all at once. People dont care either cause they will throw out their trash since they are at a stop sign. I saw him piddlin outside with some livestock. This is when i also noticed that he lives in a fit over camper. He had the jacks on some cinderblocks. I could see that there was an area that he probably gardens cause it was perfectly square and looked tilled. I had passed by there a gazillion times but the reason i saw all this is because he cleared some thick brush. I thought to myself that he is probably content on his little homestead. So on I went.
Next i came across some another property that sort of neighbored the back side of my old property. I had once talked to the owner of that property to ask him if he had built the nice metal building that was visible to me. He said he had and that they lived there full time now that they had a roof over their heads. If I remember correctly it was like a 16' x 24' building with a shed roof. It was still there and cute as can be. They sit on about 45 acres which is nice but alot for me. And on I went.
I then came to this one property that has always got my attention and always made me evaluate my own wants and needs. This is a 5 acre piece of property. I know that because I once went to look at property adjacent to it and the realtor told me that the two properties on each side of me were also 5 acre parcels. Anyhow, I had to pass by this place to get to and from my old property. There was only a security light on a post and a mini motor home that parked under it. Many a night in passing all i could see was a soft yellow light from the mini motor home. I thought to myself, "I'll bet he is happy right where he is". Again making me re-evaluate my own circumstances. Well he was probably smart in doing that and is probably debt free because he probably saved his money. There is now a very nice home/metal building sitting right there on his property that he probably paid cashed for. All because he probably paid cash and owes noboby anything. I said to myself, "With just a little sacrifice on space look what he has now." It was an eye opener. By the way, the mini motor home is still in its place.
There is another man way down the road from there that lives way at the back of his property. He lives in a little storage building that he made his home. All nice and snug with no one to bother him. You cant see his home from the road but i have seen it before when looking at another property one parcel away from him. At night, the only things that you can see is his security light on his long driveway. He is probably saving his money as well for future purposes or perhaps early retirement.
I came to the next and probably most interesting living space. I pass by there all the time to get to my place and i dont know why I have never noticed it. I had noticed 2 old school buses there but never paid any detailed attention to it. But i did today because now i was looking at peoples living conditions. They have several little out buildings but this one little shed that is probably a 12' x 10' is right up against the side of that bus. When i really slowed down i could tell that they had cut a doorway into the side of the bus that attaches to the shed now. I thought by far that that was the neatest thing. They are probably saving a fortune too by not having to pay anyone rent or paying a lifetime on a mortgage.
I finally got to my place and thankfully everything was where i last left it. My eye sore of a storage trailer didnt seem so bad afterall. The only reason i say it is an eye sore is because it needs a coat of paint inside and out. That is another project that i look forward to doing. I am either gonna paint the interior walls or remove the existing interior walls and replace them then paint them. Same for the ceiling. The people who had this trailer before installed some light fixtures but those are coming down as well. I am paranoid about older trailer's wiring installations. They also cut double doors to the side of the trailer but I measured a 36" wide house ext. door that i have that i would like to see in place of one of those doors. It would allow for much easier access for me. I would like to do away with the regular entry door or maybe just board it up. It has potential but I dont want the outside looking too nice because if the county officials pass by i dont want them thinking that they can hike my taxes. Anyhow I am excited about that project and look forward to it.
Im still piddlin with the cabin. I spent a few hours there measuring this, doing that walkin' around and then it was time to go. The part that I hate. But on my way out i took the other long way and just coasted down the road when i came across another different living situation. There is this little lofted barn that I had seen before in passing that I always thought was so cute. Only this time i was able to see more of it I guess because they cleared some tall grass and brush but i noticed that they built an about 4ft picket fence. The enclosed area looked like a garden. They had also landscaped around the little barn and i just loved it. I had been toying with the idea of getting one of those little lofted barns in place of my cabin and truthfully I never let go of that thought. My wheels just keep spinning.
Has anyone ever had unusual living quarters? Pics to post? I would like to hear about it and Im sure other readers would like to hear about them as well.
Anyway, sorry for such a long post but i just wanted to share my interesting observations that i had today.
-jen
I had alot on my mind and sometimes I find that a drive in the country helps to clear my thoughts. So i took the long way to my place. This is when i started to take note of peoples living conditions and their shelters.
The first place I came to was at a stop. An elderly man lives there. His fencelines are always stopped up with trash because he is a corner lot and stop all at once. People dont care either cause they will throw out their trash since they are at a stop sign. I saw him piddlin outside with some livestock. This is when i also noticed that he lives in a fit over camper. He had the jacks on some cinderblocks. I could see that there was an area that he probably gardens cause it was perfectly square and looked tilled. I had passed by there a gazillion times but the reason i saw all this is because he cleared some thick brush. I thought to myself that he is probably content on his little homestead. So on I went.
Next i came across some another property that sort of neighbored the back side of my old property. I had once talked to the owner of that property to ask him if he had built the nice metal building that was visible to me. He said he had and that they lived there full time now that they had a roof over their heads. If I remember correctly it was like a 16' x 24' building with a shed roof. It was still there and cute as can be. They sit on about 45 acres which is nice but alot for me. And on I went.
I then came to this one property that has always got my attention and always made me evaluate my own wants and needs. This is a 5 acre piece of property. I know that because I once went to look at property adjacent to it and the realtor told me that the two properties on each side of me were also 5 acre parcels. Anyhow, I had to pass by this place to get to and from my old property. There was only a security light on a post and a mini motor home that parked under it. Many a night in passing all i could see was a soft yellow light from the mini motor home. I thought to myself, "I'll bet he is happy right where he is". Again making me re-evaluate my own circumstances. Well he was probably smart in doing that and is probably debt free because he probably saved his money. There is now a very nice home/metal building sitting right there on his property that he probably paid cashed for. All because he probably paid cash and owes noboby anything. I said to myself, "With just a little sacrifice on space look what he has now." It was an eye opener. By the way, the mini motor home is still in its place.
There is another man way down the road from there that lives way at the back of his property. He lives in a little storage building that he made his home. All nice and snug with no one to bother him. You cant see his home from the road but i have seen it before when looking at another property one parcel away from him. At night, the only things that you can see is his security light on his long driveway. He is probably saving his money as well for future purposes or perhaps early retirement.
I came to the next and probably most interesting living space. I pass by there all the time to get to my place and i dont know why I have never noticed it. I had noticed 2 old school buses there but never paid any detailed attention to it. But i did today because now i was looking at peoples living conditions. They have several little out buildings but this one little shed that is probably a 12' x 10' is right up against the side of that bus. When i really slowed down i could tell that they had cut a doorway into the side of the bus that attaches to the shed now. I thought by far that that was the neatest thing. They are probably saving a fortune too by not having to pay anyone rent or paying a lifetime on a mortgage.
I finally got to my place and thankfully everything was where i last left it. My eye sore of a storage trailer didnt seem so bad afterall. The only reason i say it is an eye sore is because it needs a coat of paint inside and out. That is another project that i look forward to doing. I am either gonna paint the interior walls or remove the existing interior walls and replace them then paint them. Same for the ceiling. The people who had this trailer before installed some light fixtures but those are coming down as well. I am paranoid about older trailer's wiring installations. They also cut double doors to the side of the trailer but I measured a 36" wide house ext. door that i have that i would like to see in place of one of those doors. It would allow for much easier access for me. I would like to do away with the regular entry door or maybe just board it up. It has potential but I dont want the outside looking too nice because if the county officials pass by i dont want them thinking that they can hike my taxes. Anyhow I am excited about that project and look forward to it.
Im still piddlin with the cabin. I spent a few hours there measuring this, doing that walkin' around and then it was time to go. The part that I hate. But on my way out i took the other long way and just coasted down the road when i came across another different living situation. There is this little lofted barn that I had seen before in passing that I always thought was so cute. Only this time i was able to see more of it I guess because they cleared some tall grass and brush but i noticed that they built an about 4ft picket fence. The enclosed area looked like a garden. They had also landscaped around the little barn and i just loved it. I had been toying with the idea of getting one of those little lofted barns in place of my cabin and truthfully I never let go of that thought. My wheels just keep spinning.
Has anyone ever had unusual living quarters? Pics to post? I would like to hear about it and Im sure other readers would like to hear about them as well.
Anyway, sorry for such a long post but i just wanted to share my interesting observations that i had today.
-jen