When the five of us agreed to live together, it was temporarily. We would each build our own tiny-ish house on the property, leaving the "ranch house" for Pen and our common areas. Turns out the ranch house, after living in it for a year, is pretty rustic. Basic, really. For one, there is no insulation in the house. Not in the walls and not in the ceilings. Also the hot water spits at you from each and every faucet--flowing is a rarity. And the lights dim every time you turn on a major appliance. It's big though. But cold in the winter; hot in the summer. And it is pretty ugly. More like a beat up old bunk house than something worth renovating. So change of plans.
Pen, our unofficial leader and benefactor, has spent the last several months going back and forth with an architect coming up with a plan to meet all of our needs. Two weeks ago the plan passed the county regulatory hoops and we attained the building permit. So now the plan for the 20 acre parcel includes five individual living spaces (850 square foot houses), each equipped with a small kitchen, laundry area, eating bar between the kitchen and living area, computer nook, and bedroom and bath. We can each be self contained and self sufficient.
Now the new "ranch house" will just be our gathering space with a large living room, large dining area, two art studios, a reading/music room with a fireplace, and a big screen porch with one wall that retracts onto a garden patio. The patio will have a 270 degree view of the surrounding desert and mountains. When I say mountains I'm not talking the Rockies Mountains. I'm talking really big hills cresting into a middle peak that could be called a mountain.
We are all getting pretty darn excited.
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