September 17, 2017

If anything was meant to be, the purchase of this house was written in the stars.

We had made a plan to make one very big circle of Oklahoma and had a dozen houses on our map to go view.  We had looked at half of them the first day out and just didn't find anything that we could fall in love with.

Originally, we believed this property was located in a totally different part of Oklahoma and we came very close to passing it up because it wasn't on our map based on its proper location.  We had already driven through the area, circled back to the north, (closer to the Kansas/Oklahoma state line), and was venturing further east towards Missouri, when we finally connected with the owner.  Thinking the house was on our way back to the east, to Bella Vista, we were hesitant to add another 2.5 hours of drive time.  Plus we would miss the opportunity to view the Victorian house in Missouri, that I had earmarked as our last place to see for the weekend.  We carefully reviewed the listing again, weighed the pros & cons, then decided the house in Missouri could wait a day or two.  We were looking for a place that offered up close, personal experiences with nature, (like in Virginia when we lived on the Blue Ridge Mountain), along with a quiet, slow way of life.  A place to use our kayaks, garden, hike, visit with the animals on a daily basis as well as a great place for an artist to be inspired, a few acres to call our own and based on the listing, this house met that criteria.

Since the owner lived up in the area where we were currently, he also had a long drive to meet with us and we would probably never have found it if he hadn't met us out on the highway, since there is absolutely no cell service once you leave the highway, until you actually get to the house.   We knew that would be a temporary thing, since we intended to have wifi, regardless of where we settled.

So, on this day, the owner made us an offer we could not refuse.  I know, it usually works the opposite way, but this time, like I said earlier, it was written in the stars.  We agreed to purchase, as is, the house and 8 separate lots of wooded acreage that is surrounded by wild life management forests and within sight of the lake.  The last house on the left, with beautiful views, an extreme fixer upper that was soon, just a shell of itself.  And so our story begins.....

Day 1-October 1st

We have asked for a very fast escrow and in just a few days we will officially be home owners again.  This is by far, the biggest remodel project we have ever done and I can honestly say, it will be our last.  This is our retirement home, so of course we have big plans.  We have given ourselves a year but in reality, it might take longer.  Pretty sure it will take longer, since hubby still works full time and we are 2.5 hours away from this property.  It is not in any way habitable and we will be doing a lot of driving back and forth on the weekends these next 12 months.  We have long lists of must do's, demo to do and lots of planning, locks to change, bug bombs to set off, choices to make.  The fun begins today and I will call this project, a Labor of Love (LOL) for now.

The backyard came equipped with a storm shelter and an old cement cistern from an 80's water  reclamation holding "pit".  At one time, the previous owners had quite a watering system established, but over the years it has been partially dismantled.  (We are in the process of making it work again so we have water for the garden next year).






The decks on the back of the house are in much need for repair, but our plans are to expand the livingroom out another 14 feet, plus a larger deck for relaxing and the walk out basement will have a room addition added for storage and a workshop for Lynn.  The upper deck will eventually be a screened in sleeping deck, since it has the best views of the lake in the winter.  When the trees have lost their leaves, you can see a tiny bit of this massive lake below us.  In the meantime, we have the most beautiful skies to enjoy.  Mother nature loves putting on a show for us every time there is a storm.

Day 2 October 2nd

We had the water meter set today but the owner reminded us that the sinks in the house are not connected.  He had intentions of installing some new sinks, but never got around to hooking them up.  Do Not Turn On the Water!!  That could have been a disaster!

We did have issues with water though, we walked into a wading pool in the basement during the final inspection, to discover that the foundation had not been tar sealed and there were no gutters installed along the metal roof on two sides of the house.  Not a problem, an easy fix, but the first of many obstacles to overcome.

Electric meter is suppose to be set Oct. 5th, with a vapor light for the yard.  That will sure be nice when we actually live there.  There are no street lights anywhere close, so its pretty dark!  (The animals love it and are busy grubbing for food all night.).

We have a family of ground hogs living under the falling down gazebo.  Neighbors estimate that they have been there going on 4-5 years now.  They are permanent residents that will have to be evicted and soon.  

Day 3- October 3rd

Not much to report today.  We had a slight delay in the escrow as the title was unclear.  Apparently way back in the earliest years of when the house was built, a woman and her second husband gave a quit claim deed to another couple for the purchase of the property, but there was a question as to the wife having a deed.  It was later proven to have been an inheritance from her first husband.  The title is finally cleared and we can close escrow tomorrow!  Now the fun really begins.  The car is loaded with new locks, bug bombs, no trespassing signs, locks for the gates and of course, toilet paper and light bulbs!  Gotta have the essentials!

(Water meter was set but unbeknownst to us, it was not reset to 00 and our first water bill showed 78,000 gallons of water was used!  Took several months to get that worked out with the billing department.  We do not have a pool, let alone an olympic sized pool!  Not even a hot tub, yet!)

Day 4- October 4th

Locks were changed, bug bombs were set off, inspections were all great.  The house is built on pier and post, but with solid, floor to ceiling thick beams every 5 feet the whole length of the house.  These beams go from the basement to the top of the 2nd floor, with cross beams supporting the floors and roof.  All the interior walls (except the north and south exterior walls) and ceilings are original shiplap.  It's amazing craftsmanship and hands down, this house is built to last.  Upstairs the floors are the original tongue and groove, which have never seen anything but carpet.  We are planning on re-sanding them and doing either a clear varnish to show their beauty or a light stain to match the shiplap.  (I'm leaning towards leaving them natural.  I thought about stenciling a design on them and its still an option, but it's not in the front running.  I'm waiting to see them sanded because there is some wear and tear on them.  I'd like to see them in their natural unblemished state before a decision will be made.  Hubby doesn't like the idea of stenciling and thinking about the work involved, I might be persuaded to nix the idea myself.)