Freedom Is Groovy

Building Groovy Ranch: Update 29

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Mr. Groovy
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Groovy Ranch keeps chugging along. Here’s this week’s update.

TV and Internet and Cable, Oh My!

Aside from satellite, CenturyLink is our only option for internet. CenturyLink, however, doesn’t offer TV service directly. It only integrates with DIRECTV. But here’s the rub. DIRECTV forces you to commit to a two-year contract. And while DIRECTV offers some nice deals during the first year, it slams you during the second year. Fortunately, CenturyLink offers an additional service from DIRECTV called DIRECTV Now. We decided to go with that.

DIRECTV Now is a streaming service that works just like Amazon TV, Netflix, and Hulu. It’s $10 a month for the first three months, then $40 a month thereafter, with no contract. CenturyLink’s high speed internet costs $45/month for life. Will we get the advertised internet speed of 25 mbps? I doubt it, but if we get half that we’ll be very happy.

Kitchen Windows Are In

The three casement windows centered above the kitchen sink look super cool. Check ’em out.

Siding Is Going Up

The Hardie Plank siding work begins tomorrow.

Inspections Scheduled

Inspections for the roughed-in plumbing, electrical, and HVAC are scheduled for today. Here’s a picture of the shower pan liner in my bathroom.

Choosing Cabinetry

Mrs. Groovy and I are also meeting with Terry’s son Jeremy today to pick our cabinetry.

Garage Framing Is Done

Garage framing is done. Windows and side door are in as well. Next up is roofing.

The Tile Lady from Heaven

As we mentioned in our last episode of Talking Trash, Laura the tile lady turned out to be a godsend. Her knowledge of tile and keen eye for color and design made the task of choosing tile incredibly painless. All we got to do now is let her know that we touched base with Terry and decided to go with the shower niches she suggested. Laura referred to them as combo niches. The top part is suitable for shampoo and conditioner and the bottom part is suitable for bar soap—yes, we’re that old. We fully appreciate the merits of body wash, and Millennials deserve a lot of credit for bringing those merits to the forefront of our nation’s lathering options, but we still like good ol’ fashioned bar soap. Something about sliding a bar of soap embedded with strands of hair against your body that makes the shower experience so special.

If you’d like to see what our respective combo niches will look like—before tile—here’s a link.

Final Thoughts

Okay, groovy freedomist, that’s all I got. Groovy Ranch is moving along, and it looks like it might be done in October.

Comments

33 responses to “Building Groovy Ranch: Update 29”

  1. GYM Avatar
    GYM

    Wow lovely updates! The casement windows look good. I had no idea what casement meant before building but now, I can talk the lingo too- casement, awning, picture, tempered lol!

    Haha this is hilarious:

    “Something about sliding a bar of soap embedded with strands of hair against your body that makes the shower experience so special.”

    As a millennial I do like my body wash but I do use the occasional bar soap, especially if it is homemade and with lavendar and avocado!

    (Just kidding about the avocado)

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Lavendar and avocado does sound nice. So bar soap still has some redeeming qualities. But, really, even though I’m an old geezer who will never renounce his allegiance to bar soap, body wash is the clear winner in the cleansing realm. Rejoice! Millennials may yet save humanity!!

      Reply
  2. Brian Avatar
    Brian

    “soap embedded with strands of hair” I miss those days. lol, but have succumbed to the dark side of body wash. The Garage looks huge. Will this be where the genius gets his work done now?

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Haha! I love it. No, the delicate genius will still be doing his scribblings in the main house. The garage will be reserved for more mainly pursuits–like drinking beer and sawing wood.

      Reply
  3. Frogdancer Jones Avatar
    Frogdancer Jones

    I noticed there was no soap in the boys’ bathroom last weekend and I handed Ryan23 a bar of goats milk soap to put in there.
    He looked at me as if I was mad.
    It was just the way he’d look at me if I handed him a rotary phone and asked him to plug it into the wall.

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Hey, goats mile soap sounds good to me. Where do I get some?

      Reply
  4. Gary @ Super Saving Tips Avatar
    Gary @ Super Saving Tips

    Bar soap for the win! I’m glad to see things are moving along nicely and I hope your inspections all turn out fine.

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Yes! Nothing like a big block of Ivory soap to lay siege against all the oil and bacteria taking roost on your skin.

      Reply
  5. Accidental FIRE Avatar
    Accidental FIRE

    Things look like they’re shaping up nicely. As for TV, just forget about it and buy an antenna and get the over-the-air stuff. Cable Cutters are groovy!

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      I’m with you, AF. To paraphrase the great Timothy Leary: “Turn on podcasts, tune in your significant other, and drop out of the cult of television.”

      Reply
  6. freddy smidlap Avatar
    freddy smidlap

    i’ve had a love/hate/hate relationship with directtv over the years. i just started year 2 and the rate went up. all the telecoms are thieves in my opinion. they chisel you at every turn hoping you won’t notice. that streaming option that you have might work for us in the future.

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      “…[A]ll the telecoms are thieves in my opinion. They chisel you at every turn hoping you won’t notice.”

      Couldn’t agree more, my friend. And the best defense against their malfeasance is to simply say no to TV.

      Reply
  7. Susan @ FI Ideas Avatar
    Susan @ FI Ideas

    I love the tile recesses. We put some in to hold our “old school” bar soap and they are great. I don’t get body wash. We are just returning from a road trip, taking my Mom from CA to Seattle to visit my niece/her granddaughter. Wonderful young people, they had only body wash in the shower. A mystery to my Mom! So funny how these things show your age, huh?

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Rationally speaking, body wash makes more sense. It’s definitely more sanitary. But it’s too newfangled for me. I will die with a hair-strewn, mal-shaped hockey puck in my hand.

      Reply
  8. Joe Avatar
    Joe

    Looking good! Can you get internet without DirectTV? $40/month sounds expensive to me.
    I like bar soap too. It’s a much more satisfying experience than the body wash…

    Reply
    1. Mrs. Groovy Avatar
      Mrs. Groovy

      Yes, Joe. The standalone internet is $45/month. We considered adding phone but were shocked by it costing another $40 a month! Even Spectrum had a lower price for phone. I agree that $40/month is a bit high for TV. The biggest thing was that we needed to know our options so that we could discuss wiring and outlets with our electrician. We could end up going without TV or with another service.

      Reply
    2. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      I’m with you, Joe. Body wash + a frilly applicator just struck me as too effeminate. I guess you can say I have some hangups.

      Reply
  9. Gentleman's Family Finances Avatar
    Gentleman’s Family Finances

    Do you need a TV? It’s an expensive luxury if you can afford to live without it 😉
    I see that you are spending $1000 a year on internet and basic TV, I would have thought it would be cheaper than that in the states. Maybe not.

    Reply
    1. Mrs. Groovy Avatar
      Mrs. Groovy

      Right now we’re not spending anything on it and by the time we move into our new home, we’ll have gone at least 6 months without paying for internet. We only had Netflix at our last home — no cable service.

      We don’t need TV and we could probably find a better deal. But at least DIRECTV NOW is only $10/mo for the first three months. That’s long enough to find out if it works well with our internet. The fact that they even offers a streaming service is a good sign that providers realize people are tired of paying high prices for TV. Many here pay over $100 for TV alone.

      Reply
    2. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Agreed. TV is rather expensive. And here’s the real kicker. We don’t have any TVs right now. We’re going to buy four of them when the house is ready. Talk about insanity!

      Reply
  10. Tonya@Budget and the Beach Avatar
    Tonya@Budget and the Beach

    I was going to go with Century Link for my new internet in Boise, but I was surprised at how slow their speeds were. House is coming along really nice!

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Hey, Tonya. That’s my fear too. We’re way out in farm country and I don’t suppose we’ll get anywhere near the advertised speed of 25 mps.

      Reply
  11. Gwen @ Fiery Millennials Avatar
    Gwen @ Fiery Millennials

    October?! YAY!!! Moving along nicely! Millennial here and I have to say, if you want to be super “with it” you don’t use soap at all. Just hot water! I smell fresh and clean and my skin is super soft. Now if only I could cut the shampoo….

    Reply
    1. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Hmmmm. No soap, only hot water? Now I’m intrigued. I’m googling no soap showers now.

      Reply
  12. Mr AE Avatar
    Mr AE

    I have been impressed with century links fiber so far (we have the same price service level) – we use Sing TV as “cable”

    Looks like progress is being made quick – enjoy it!

    Reply
    1. Mrs. Groovy Avatar
      Mrs. Groovy

      Thanks! Yes, Sling is definitely an option too. I’m glad to hear your experience with CenturyLink has been good so far. People I’ve talked with out by our new home said they’ve had no issues with it.

      Reply
  13. Jaime @ Keep Thrifty Avatar
    Jaime @ Keep Thrifty

    Ugh, cable and internet! We have been without TV for over two years I believe. We’ve never had cable (never wanted to pay for it). We had an HD antenna for a long time and then decided to ditch our 5 channels and stick with movies.

    Our internet bill recently went up and Chris called around to another company to see if they would offer a lower price. When Chris said that we didn’t want or need cable the sales person on the line said – WHAT DO YOU DO FOR ENTERTAINMENT?!

    We found that to be a bit sad. There are so many other things to do – read, hike, puzzle!

    As of now, our TV is tucked away in a closet and comes out on Friday nights for a family movie night (sometimes Chris and I rent second movie for when the kids go to bed). We used to catch a few shows for free on abc.com or cbs.com, but we’ve not done much of that either anymore.

    Can’t wait to see the siding go up!

    Reply
    1. steve poling Avatar
      steve poling

      We ditched cable two years ago. Now it’s an unthinkable waste of money. You’ve got it right relegating the TV to a closet, but things like using the treadmill on a rainy day require some kind of video distraction. (Thank you YouTube & Netflix.)

      I’m curious about getting a roof antenna because I can’t reliably get the PBS station with the inside antenna. Is reception that much better? Is a rotor necessary? Should I run coax to rooms with TV?

      Reply
    2. Mrs. Groovy Avatar
      Mrs. Groovy

      In our last home we went without TV for a few years and had Netflix. We did fine without it so perhaps we’ll rethink this. It’s great that your children are growing up without TV. What they don’t have, they won’t miss.

      Reply
    3. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Love your style, Jaime. TV is a mind-numbing time-suck that will ruin your life if you let it. Imagine being on your deathbed and realizing that you dedicated much of your life to watching TV? “Of all the words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, it might have been.”

      Reply
  14. Brian @ The Graying Saver Avatar
    Brian @ The Graying Saver

    $45/month for internet isn’t bad. We’re paying Spectrum $65/month inside the Raleigh city limits. Our download speed clocked in at 20.6 mbps. We don’t have any other provider options for our address.

    Great that you found the tile lady from heaven. Our tile ladies were from somewhere south of heaven. Hence our regrettable tile choices.

    Bar soap rocks. Hairs and all.

    Reply
    1. Mrs. Groovy Avatar
      Mrs. Groovy

      We had Spectrum at our last home. I believe it was $59.99 a month plus all the taxes. Our speeds varied, a lot. I think our only other internet choices are satellite and the deals don’t look good.

      We returned to the tile lady today to get sample pieces to help with choosing bathroom vanities and paint colors.

      Reply
    2. Mr. Groovy Avatar
      Mr. Groovy

      Thanks, Brian, It’s good to know I’m not the only dinosaur who’s wedded to bar soap.

      Reply

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