Monday, May 7, 2007
Suburban Swing
Nine years ago if you'd told me that in a year's time, I'd be living in suburbia, let alone building a house to live in suburbia, I would've asked you what kind of drugs you were on. No way, no how could I picture myself in 'burbs. My vision was a vintage bungalow in the city core, with a front porch and full of character.
I was then living in a tiny house by the rail-road tracks, a rental barely 900 square feet - if. My landlord had offered to sell me the property which got me thinking about buying. I passed on that property, but took the plunge with the help of a realtor friend and bid on a sweet little 1920s home a couple of blocks away.
I didn't get that home and was devasted. I cried for three days. I toured a few more homes in the next few weeks while researching online. I discovered in my research that I could probably build a home for about the same cost as buying a "used" one. I began to explore the possibility when I got a few offers I couldn't refuse - everything fell into place.
First, my parents said they would finance it with a very low mortgage rate, then an acquaintance who's husband is a developer told me about a lot in one of his developments they'd had difficulty selling and offered it to me at a steal, then another acquaintance who is an architect offered to design it for a reduced design fee and I found a builder through a third acquaintance who was just striking out on his own as a builder and came in right on budget with his bid.
Suddenly, I was on my way to movin' on up to the eastside and to the 'burbs. Who knew that right about this time eight years ago, or more precisely, on May 4th, 1999, the day after the infamous F5 tornado tore through not 10 miles from here, I'd have to leave the ruins of a friend's house to come consult with the cabinet installers as to hardware and stain for the house in the suburbs that I was, indeed, building.
Bizarre with a capital B.
I knew several people who lived in this development or who knew people who lived here. I began to get the scoop on neighbors. My north neighbor was very diligent in informing me how negligent the construction crew was with my house. My south neighbors have a pet iguana. They neighbor on the corner is the mother of the neighbor across the street. People were very friendly before I moved in. After - not so much. I never got a welcoming committee at my door with an apple pie and welcome basket.
But I had learned some good gossip about my south neighbors. It was rumored they were swingers. My imagination was spurred with the idea of that - I began to wonder about the neighborhood on the whole. What really was going on behind closed doors?
All this is the long way to telling you about a discovery I came upon after returning from three days in Tulsa last week. I don't have to wonder about this neighborhood any longer.
You've heard about speed dating, no doubt. Well, allow me to present the newest trend in suburban kink:
I was then living in a tiny house by the rail-road tracks, a rental barely 900 square feet - if. My landlord had offered to sell me the property which got me thinking about buying. I passed on that property, but took the plunge with the help of a realtor friend and bid on a sweet little 1920s home a couple of blocks away.
I didn't get that home and was devasted. I cried for three days. I toured a few more homes in the next few weeks while researching online. I discovered in my research that I could probably build a home for about the same cost as buying a "used" one. I began to explore the possibility when I got a few offers I couldn't refuse - everything fell into place.
First, my parents said they would finance it with a very low mortgage rate, then an acquaintance who's husband is a developer told me about a lot in one of his developments they'd had difficulty selling and offered it to me at a steal, then another acquaintance who is an architect offered to design it for a reduced design fee and I found a builder through a third acquaintance who was just striking out on his own as a builder and came in right on budget with his bid.
Suddenly, I was on my way to movin' on up to the eastside and to the 'burbs. Who knew that right about this time eight years ago, or more precisely, on May 4th, 1999, the day after the infamous F5 tornado tore through not 10 miles from here, I'd have to leave the ruins of a friend's house to come consult with the cabinet installers as to hardware and stain for the house in the suburbs that I was, indeed, building.
Bizarre with a capital B.
I knew several people who lived in this development or who knew people who lived here. I began to get the scoop on neighbors. My north neighbor was very diligent in informing me how negligent the construction crew was with my house. My south neighbors have a pet iguana. They neighbor on the corner is the mother of the neighbor across the street. People were very friendly before I moved in. After - not so much. I never got a welcoming committee at my door with an apple pie and welcome basket.
But I had learned some good gossip about my south neighbors. It was rumored they were swingers. My imagination was spurred with the idea of that - I began to wonder about the neighborhood on the whole. What really was going on behind closed doors?
All this is the long way to telling you about a discovery I came upon after returning from three days in Tulsa last week. I don't have to wonder about this neighborhood any longer.
You've heard about speed dating, no doubt. Well, allow me to present the newest trend in suburban kink:
Need I say another word more?
Labels: home building, kinky neighbors, suburbia, swinging
Posted at 5:51 PM | |
