Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Property Search COMPLETE!

Okay, I'll admit I've been shying away from posting anything new about the tiny house for the past few months.  This has mainly been due to the fact that it still hasn't found a home, meaning I've been hoboing it for a while.  To bring everybody up to speed, I did finally find a property in Southside Richmond, and I did sign a contract to purchase it September 5th...

Well, September 5th came and went, but the title work for the seller still wasn't complete.  Week after week went by, and I still didn't have a deed in hand.  It was frustrating being in a sort of limbo- committed to a piece of property, cash in hand, but unable to take the last step that would make it mine.  But, as this project has taught me time after time, patience pays off.  I was finally able to close on the property last week and am now a full-fledged land owner!

Its not the greatest neighborhood, and I need to do a lot of work before its ready for my tiny house to move in, but it feels great to finally have a spot where I can pull in for the night and know its mine.

Now that I actually own property, I'm frantically trying to work through all the issues that come with ownership.  First on the agenda is finding a contractor that will lay water and electric lines from the existing house to the back yard where I'll hook up my tiny house.  Searching for skilled labor is a good reminder of why I've chosen to learn how to build my own house in the first place.  The first handyman I talked to wasn't a certified electrician, so most of the conversation consisted of him asking technical questions such as "Well, I don't know, would the electric have to be grounded separately?" or "I don't know, you might have to use bigger wire to account for voltage drop...", to which I would respond, "Hmm, I'm not quite sure..." while thinking "I called YOU so I wouldn't have to worry about finding the answers to these questions myself!".

I've set up an appointment with a large plumbing and electric contractor, Michael and Sons, in the hope that they can take care of everything.  Chances are, they'll be expensive, but with winter rolling in, it would be nice to be cozied up in my own house with working water and power.  Once that project is done and I take down some trees and an old shed, I'll be ready for the big move!

P.S. Sorry I don't have any pictures of the new property...I don't make it back there before dark and its not the snazziest looking place.  But, during my travels I stopped by Greenfront Furniture in Farmville and found this little bench that's the perfect size for my Great Room!

Down the road at the Wholesale Electric Company I picked up a handsomely crafted sconce for the bathroom:


I have a continual list of projects to work on, so if you'd like to stop by for a day and help out, let me know!  Burn barrel and beer may be involved :)