Last we spoke about the housing situation, we had moved into my parents' carriage house. We are still there, but the good news is we finally purchased a place in Boulder Creek! There are a lot of hurdles to clear before we can move in, but the price was right, and so is the view:
The backstory on house is roughly this: A previous owner took what was a storage shed/artist's shack (no permit required) and turned it into a small house without getting the required permits. The county came after them, so they sought financial assistance to help with permitting and repair issues. Enter three investors, assisted by an agent who specializes in investing in deeds of trust. The owner did not make good on the permits and went into default, so the title then went to the investors, from whom we purchased the house.
In order for us to pull permits and work on the house, we need to deal with an easement and a variance. We are working on the easement now, attempting to contact the owner of the easement (also, apparently, an investor who does not live in the property to which the easement is attached). Once that goes away, then we can request a variance from the county, because the house is right at the property edge. The variance will allow us to build/remodel within the setback as it is the only good place to put the house. The rest of the lot goes downhill.
Did I mention the view? And the quiet?
So that's what we are working on now. We are also seeing what we can do until we can pull permits, like clearing for fire safety. There are three or four trees that will need to come out. I'd rather not, but they are right next to the house. Here is one side of the house. Charles is back there somewhere working on clearing.
Last weekend, we took the truck up with a new, small shed kit and a few other random things. We were also going to help our friend and neighbor move some plants from her old place, but then the truck decided to break down. At least it was in her driveway and not on the road! We thought we'd let it cool down to see if that helped. That meant going for a walk to Burger 9 which was outstanding. Then we walked back, tried the truck again, and decided to call AAA and unload the truck at my friend's place. While Charles went with the tow truck to the local mechanic, my friend and I played a game of Mexican train (dominoes) in the front yard. A rather lovely and relaxing day, compared to all the work we had planned. Thankfully, my dad was able to come pick us up.
The next day we drove back up, stuffed some things in the car from where we left them, assembled the shed, and puttered for a bit. There is a fair amount of trash sitting around, as well as some odds and ends, like a case of these:
We picked up the truck on Tuesday with a new pump for the power steering and brakes and a new belt.
This weekend, we puttered some more, including painting our mailbox. The first pic was after I had wiped it down. The second is after reinstalling it. Now we're the new kids on the block.
We also met our neighbors, a young couple with kids. He's lived in the area his whole life and I think he got the house from his dad. She's newer to the area. She mentioned that she was going to practice making a cake for an upcoming party for the kids, and if we were around later we should help them eat it. I like them already!
We asked about the great big pile of chopped wood near our drive and they said it was dumped there from some other operation, so it didn't really belong to anyone. They also mentioned that our water meter was buried under it, which might explain why the water company hasn't shut off the water to our place! We'll start up official service very shortly, but it's been handy in the meantime.
Here are a few more pics of the place.