Well, divorce is over and I'm moving on; I told you guys I'd lament the situation only so long... It sucked, still does to a degree, but perhaps I dodged a bullet. Turns out the house she won in the divorce is infested with a caterpillar moth that is an invasive species, and they're going gangbusters. One tree died last year, a 100'er too. Totally dead, took only a few months. Now EVERY tree of that species, which accounts for about half the trees on this acre+, are starting to die. Holy shit. It cost $1000 to remove a few cherry trees that got destroyed during an ice storm, so I have no idea what m ex is going to do about it --she just bought ANOTHER house herself. Maybe she cashed in the TSLA stock, I don't know. These trees are all now her problem now.
But holy shit, clearing a whole fucking acre+? Than having to turn that into a yard? I heard of a guy around here that bought a lot like this and cut all the trees down and tilled it up and tried to start a cherry orchard. $50,000 worth of dolomite lime and several dump trucks and a few years later and NOW his soil will support life. The soil is so acidic nothing grows. Took 8 years to get grass where the septic was replaced.
So I feel like I dodged a big time bullet. I think she plans to rent this place out, I even offered to buy it and she said she'd entertain it when I was ready. But I think she's trying to get market value for this place and I know too much about it to pay that. Though I would like to stay here if the price were right. I doubt it will be and I'm done waiting for her to make up her mind or do this or that, that's what moving on is.
Called the bank, just to get an idea if I could get a house and what's involved. Thank god I got my VA home loan certificate back in '02. Turns out that motherfucker is like GOLD! So fingers crossed more shit doesn't pop up, I'll be able to build my own house.
Build it from scratch! I've wanted to do this since I was 13 when I read my first architectural books (on log buildings, but still...). I plan on doing the general contracting and I can get a couple friends to help me do much of the labor, so I'll only need to contract our certain things I don't want to do, like roofing and maybe framing --we'll see. I wanna build a large outbuilding for loading, working, starting a business later. Wanna build a fairly simple house with an open kitchen and living room area and just two rooms to either side, large rooms with large bathrooms. Tall ceilings. Slab. Simple. But it's efficient and all I need. The other room will be for my army buddy. Giant bedrooms, giant bathrooms, exterior doors in all the rooms, double walls and insulation between rooms and common areas. The rooms will be large enough for dividers to easily turn one into two full size rooms if desired.
Oh, since I can pick the land and all, I'm gonna pick land that's just NATURAL for at least a 2 mile range! Luckily there should be a LOT of land like that around here!
Anyway, I'm stoked as hell about this (usually when I get this excited it fucking falls through but I like the feeling). Six months ago it seemed like the end of the world, and in a lot of ways it was, the end of that world and I'm starting a new one.
Besides, I'd like to get this house built and move from here so I'll have some money to spend on fucking rifles again. Paying rent and saving that again over, and after the bills I have almost nothing left each month! But it's just a year, and I have plenty of components and other stuff to keep me occupied for a year easy. And I also have some parts that I can build into a rifle I'm working on, it's just taking longer than I expected (big thanks to MAGNUM!).
And a lot of this, me being in this situation, is because of members on here. The divorce would have went a whole lot different if I'd been forced to default. The good members do here for each other and for the causes they believe in is very real, not talk, and so I want to let you all know of the good, of how much good, can come of it. See, I may have gotten through it without you guys, but I'd be in a very different and worse spot than I am now. Maybe even on the street. You guys made an investment in my future and damnit, I will see that through.
When I do get the house built, I'll invite any member that wants to come and we'll have a BBQ, shoot some weapons, have a night shoot and then retire for some drinks or what not. It's the least I could do!
And when I get ready to build, I plan to give contract dibs to members here that are local and interested first. Hell, I'm in a good mood right now.
But holy shit, clearing a whole fucking acre+? Than having to turn that into a yard? I heard of a guy around here that bought a lot like this and cut all the trees down and tilled it up and tried to start a cherry orchard. $50,000 worth of dolomite lime and several dump trucks and a few years later and NOW his soil will support life. The soil is so acidic nothing grows. Took 8 years to get grass where the septic was replaced.
So I feel like I dodged a big time bullet. I think she plans to rent this place out, I even offered to buy it and she said she'd entertain it when I was ready. But I think she's trying to get market value for this place and I know too much about it to pay that. Though I would like to stay here if the price were right. I doubt it will be and I'm done waiting for her to make up her mind or do this or that, that's what moving on is.
Called the bank, just to get an idea if I could get a house and what's involved. Thank god I got my VA home loan certificate back in '02. Turns out that motherfucker is like GOLD! So fingers crossed more shit doesn't pop up, I'll be able to build my own house.
Build it from scratch! I've wanted to do this since I was 13 when I read my first architectural books (on log buildings, but still...). I plan on doing the general contracting and I can get a couple friends to help me do much of the labor, so I'll only need to contract our certain things I don't want to do, like roofing and maybe framing --we'll see. I wanna build a large outbuilding for loading, working, starting a business later. Wanna build a fairly simple house with an open kitchen and living room area and just two rooms to either side, large rooms with large bathrooms. Tall ceilings. Slab. Simple. But it's efficient and all I need. The other room will be for my army buddy. Giant bedrooms, giant bathrooms, exterior doors in all the rooms, double walls and insulation between rooms and common areas. The rooms will be large enough for dividers to easily turn one into two full size rooms if desired.
Oh, since I can pick the land and all, I'm gonna pick land that's just NATURAL for at least a 2 mile range! Luckily there should be a LOT of land like that around here!
Anyway, I'm stoked as hell about this (usually when I get this excited it fucking falls through but I like the feeling). Six months ago it seemed like the end of the world, and in a lot of ways it was, the end of that world and I'm starting a new one.
Besides, I'd like to get this house built and move from here so I'll have some money to spend on fucking rifles again. Paying rent and saving that again over, and after the bills I have almost nothing left each month! But it's just a year, and I have plenty of components and other stuff to keep me occupied for a year easy. And I also have some parts that I can build into a rifle I'm working on, it's just taking longer than I expected (big thanks to MAGNUM!).
And a lot of this, me being in this situation, is because of members on here. The divorce would have went a whole lot different if I'd been forced to default. The good members do here for each other and for the causes they believe in is very real, not talk, and so I want to let you all know of the good, of how much good, can come of it. See, I may have gotten through it without you guys, but I'd be in a very different and worse spot than I am now. Maybe even on the street. You guys made an investment in my future and damnit, I will see that through.
When I do get the house built, I'll invite any member that wants to come and we'll have a BBQ, shoot some weapons, have a night shoot and then retire for some drinks or what not. It's the least I could do!
And when I get ready to build, I plan to give contract dibs to members here that are local and interested first. Hell, I'm in a good mood right now.
