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Today’s Groovy Ranch update is about three firsts.
First Grapple with the Paradox of Choice
Terry, our builder, needed to know what brick we wanted to use for the Groovy Ranch foundation. So he asked us to visit his brick merchant and make a choice.
Holy crap! Do North Carolinians really need hundreds of styles and colors of brick?
Mrs. Groovy and I spent about 15 minutes looking at all the options in the showroom and our heads were spinning. Finally, I turned to Mrs. Groovy and said, “Look, we’re talking about brick for the foundation. Who freakin’ cares? Let’s just get a basic red brick and call it a day.”
Thankfully, Mrs. Groovy agreed and we chose the Cape Cod modular brick. Isn’t this the most awesome brick you’ve ever seen in your life!
First Change Order
Last week, Mrs. Groovy and I picked the location of our detached garage and Terry staked it out. And as I looked at the four stakes, I began to feel a little uneasy. The garage footprint looked too damn small. A 24×24 garage just might not be big enough to house a car, a riding mower, and a man-cave. So I did a little research and concluded that a 24×28 garage would do the trick. Cost of the extra 96 square feet of garage: $2,850.
First Evidence that Groovy Ranch Is Going to Become a Reality
Finally, this past Monday, the footings for the Groovy Ranch foundation were poured. Groovy Ranch is becoming a reality.
Final Thoughts
Okay, groovy freedomist, that’s all I got. Hope all is well on your end. Peace.
Woop! Groovy Ranch is happening! That extra garage space might come in handy for Groovypalooza! Or whatever the party is to be called. 🙂
Yep. Fritz, Jeff, John, and I will retire to the garage while you, Vicki, Jackie, and Mrs. Groovy hold court in Groovy Ranch. Should be a blast. Have a happy Fourth!
Say? Is Garage and Acronym for “Man Cave” ?? Just wondering as it is Detached and Mrs. G may “Need” time without the “G-man” around…….
I agree, too many damn choices! It’s brick!
It’s like.going to Subway, where you have to choose between 10 types of bread.
More choice is not always better.
Good call on the garage/man cave expansion.
Amen, Mr. G. Choice isn’t always better. And I think this axiom definitely applies to brick. Have a great weekend, my friend. Happy cycling.
Aside from the color, did Terry discuss the “density” of types of bricks? How they weather the environment? Some bricks are better choice than others…
CO’s (Change orders) are never $$ friendly and impact construction schedule sometimes – we usually work with the end users to have “wish list” items then prioritize the list – sometimes, things you think you must have may not make it depending on what your priorities are.
Congrats on making progress of building your new home – this is what dreams are made of.:-)
Hey, Mrs. D. No he didn’t discuss density. He said we should look for a sand-faced brick that meets ACTM C216 standards. I don’t know what ACTM C216 standards entail. But the brick we chose is sand-faced and supposedly meets the ACTM C216 standards. So I think Terry pointed us in the right direction. And I like you idea of a wish list. We got to formalize that soon. Thanks for stopping by, Mrs. D. Have a great weekend.
Ooooh it’s starting to happen! I know choosing colors, styles, countertops, yada yada, would be difficult because I like so many things and styles.
I hear ya, Tonya. I like the craftsman style. I like the cottage style. And I also like the farmhouse and the industrial chic styles. Since we’re out in the country and building a farmhouse, we’ll just keep defaulting to classic farmhouse finishes and styles. Why reinvent the wheel. But there’s so many great options out there, it’s impossible not to feel you’re screwing up whenever you make a choice. I guess that’s the very definition of first-world problems. Meh.
Wow, this is getting real! Exciting times, Groovies!
Indeed! Who will be the first bloggers to visit Groovy Ranch? You and Jackie? Claudia and Garrett? The Budget Epicurean?
Your garage is going to be bigger than the apartment we’re buying😱 (I’m not sure what the correct emoji is for that!)
Dumb question. Is real estate expensive in Dubai? I’m assuming you’re buying there.
Dubai is like most places, it depends on where you buy, but some of it is certainly pricey.
The apartment we’re buying is in France though, in a ski resort in the Alps (we’re leaving Dubai in 6 days time!). I had set a budget for our purchase but somehow we’re spending twice as much as I planned – my wife Sally evidently thought that the budget was just for my half, and that she could spend the same amount as well. Doh!
Hey teacher, leave those bricks alone!
Great choice, we have similar taste in bricks, meaning reddish 🙂
“How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat?”
LOL! Made my day, AF.
Completely agree on the foundation brick. The man cave was a tougher choice, but probably worth the cost.
Us north Carolinians can make these complicated!
TPP
Haha! Yep, what would life be without complications? And, you know, prior to having to make a brick decision, I never thought about brick. Not once in my life have I looked at someone’s brick foundation and said, “Hewww! What horrible brick.”
bigger garage, why not? do you get a basement down there? this will be good learning for if/when we take the plunge to ever build a place. i appreciate you documenting it.
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Hey, Freddy. No, basements aren’t big down here. If you do see one, it’s usually a walk-out basement on sloped land. Most of the track builders do slab foundations. In the more rural areas, crawl spaces are big. Thanks for stopping by, my friend.
Photographic prove that’s its happening! Glad to see you are not letting decision fatigue set in over bricks! More cost? Budget creep already? How’s this impacting your international travel goals?
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Yep, no decision fatigue over the brick. And, yes, in the back of my mind I worry about budget creep. But I got my fingers crossed. Everything else, from recessed lighting to double-hung windows has already been accounted for. So what can go wrong? Thanks for stopping by, my friend. Things are going to be interesting over the next three months.
We considered expanding to a 24 x 32 garage but pulled back to a 24 x 28 when we looked at the price difference. There are trade-offs, but we’re going in with our eyes wide open. And international travel is still on the list.
Uh oh, mission creep has begun. You are probably right about increasing that garage size, but looking at the stakes on the ground always makes things look smaller. I’m telling you, I think you need to add a column to your Fight-O-Meter when the mission creeps and you add to the price.
You are so right about how many choices there are of everything. I score a big “win” in your column as a couple for being able to select your bricks quickly and move on. That will happen SOOOO many times as you proceed. Nice job.
Hey, Susan. I hear ya, and we’re already being proactive on the choice front. For instance, black knobs and handles seem to be the rage in cabinet hardware these days. But Mrs. Groovy and I ask ourselves, “are black knobs and handles going to be fashionable five years from now?” Probably not. So we’ll go with a classic silver or brushed nickel when the time comes. Thanks for stopping by.
Looking good. I’m living vicariously through you. What a dream to build your own perfect home. 🙂
Appreciate it, Joe. Looking forward to actually creating something that will outlive me. And, because I’m a nerd, I don’t mind learning about all the aspects of the build process. Thanks for stopping by, my friend.
That is super exciting!
Thank you, Kathi. We’re now only six months or less from unburdening my parents of our presence. Feels good.
Better to decide NOW that you want a larger garage. Can’t imagine how much more it would cost to expand it later.
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Exactly. And since that will likely be the only change to the design, the extra $2,850 is a bargain. Thanks for stopping by, my friend.
Looks like things are starting to come together over there! Super exciting!!
Thank you, Mrs. WoW. Groovypaloosa is less than a year away.
Congrats. We are 14 days post submission for permitting and waiting a reply. Then hopefully we will start the building- July maybe?
As for design, I am with you. My wife and I met with our designer for exterior plans last week. 10 minutes later we were done. The designer said it was the easiest call he has had.
Yeah, California is tough when it comes to building permits. But I completely understand. Things like earthquakes do complicate any building endeavor. And I’m glad to see that you and Mrs. DDD are keeping it sane. Unless there’s a real special reason, it doesn’t make sense to stray from classic designs and finishes. Best of luck, my friend. Cheers.
I believe I’ve mentioned this movie in the past, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. It follows the project through completion as it is overspent and as Mr. Blandings goes more and more harried. However, it is a good exhibition of project management and its pitfalls.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Blandings_Builds_His_Dream_House
Yes, I clicked on Steve’s Wikipedia link. How fun that a movie studio gave away 73 dream houses in 1948! You don’t see that anymore!
I googled RKO 1948 RKO dream house giveaway and found a story on the Omaha house, which is still standing.
How exciting that the Groovy dream home is being built to your liking. Enjoy the process!
I have to take a look at that dream house giveaway too. Thanks for sharing in our excitement, Carol!
You’re the best, Steve. We found Mr. Blandings on YouTube. We’ll be watching it this weekend. We watched one clip in which Mrs. Blandings was picking out wall colors. Hysterical. “Red, green, blue, yellow, and white.”
That is some nice brick. Good call on the larger garage — you gotta have room for the mower! We’re holding off on building a garage right now (due to budget constraints), but we’ll see how many snowy winters we can hold off for.
Haha! I was thinking of foregoing the garage for a while too. Doing so would have knocked $25K of the initial cost of the build. But Mrs. Groovy would have never felt comfortable with our car sitting outside in the open. And she’s the boss. Thanks for stopping by, Mrs. FF.
I don’t like that others get to know whether you’re home or not based on whether your car is outside or not. Otherwise I wouldn’t care. Besides, someone in this family needs a place to tinker with tools and hang fitness equipment.
Luckily we are far enough back in the woods to not have that issue. We’ll have a gym in our basement and store the lawnmower down there in the winter, as well. I’d love to save up and pay for the garage outright in a few years.
That’s a very southern looking brick!! (I don’t know if that makes sense. Kind of reminds me of old manors in the old south, very classy and ritzy.)
Yep, we definitely went classic. If we’re going to make a statement, we’ll make it elsewhere in the house. Thanks for stopping by, Lily.
Glad things are starting to move. We obviously think alike, because 24’x24′ just isn’t big enough. I think you made a good call on expanding the garage. Franklin county is a really nice part of NC. We always traveled through Louisburg, heading up to Lake Gaston. Look forward to watching your building process, as we’ve built two houses in our past and know the struggles.
Thanks, Nate. We only have one car, and 24×24 would work. But I think that 4 extra feet will make a big difference. And, yes, Franklin County is really nice. We’re outside the center of Louisburg and in farm country. Thanks for stopping by, my friend.
we have 2 cars… but I have a camper I’d like to store here, and I can’t buy a sports car if i have no place to keep it. Thus all those houses around here with 3 stalls look pretty good. But not as good as the farmhouses out in the country with barns and outbuildings…