RedneckModern

Bondo!

We've a lot of trashed trim around the house (the previous owners were wheelchair/walker-bound -- so there's lots of road-rash)... and I've discovered that Bondo is the best way to fix it (in this case a mangled window sill).

4112 Wilson Lane

The second of two homes presently for sale in our neighbor hood is, perhaps, the better of the two, but I can't -- for the life of me -- understand why someone would buy a dog and try to turn it into a cat... if you want a mission-style or "tuscan" home, buy one.

This home is much cleaner, but some obvious non-Eichler bits stand out. When I go into a house nowadays, I can't look at "potential", I immediately glom onto the things that are "wrong". Perhaps this is a "glass-half-empty" way to look at it, but the Eichler home has such a prescribed aesthetic that it's easier to point out the things that are not right nor original... to that point, some things we noticed:

• Colonial baseboards
• Louvered bi-fold closet doors
• Stucco-ed exterior (?!?) with questionable paint scheme
• Enclosed Atrium (although nicely done... looks like a 60's fix)
• Ceramic tile throughout (I counted 9 different types)
• Enclosed Bath Door (bummer)
• An enlarged kitchen (no multipurpose room)... which actually works in this model if you do want a huge kitchen more than a formal living room and den.
• Also, Wilson is a busy street -- busier than you might imgine

However, it wasn't a toxic dump and the Realtor was actually quite cordial, which was a stark contrast to the house on Phoenix. And some good things:

• You could actualy move in without having to sanitize everything or rip any nastiness out
• The radiant heat seems like it's in working order
• Neighbors are great (Bret and Mary Peyton are the back-neighbors and John Paul and Hido live a few doors down)
• Back yard is a clean slate

However, at $395, it's higher than the other house and it's a flip (someone bought it 90 days ago for much, much less) -- so there's some loan restrictions. There's some things here that would be hard to reverse (like removing all that tile and stucco) and you're potentialy paying for someone else's bad decisions... So, as much as it's weird to know that "Jeff sucks dick", the house on Phoenix might be a better buy, methinks...

Anyway, some pictures:

 

Neighborhood Sites

Kyle began the "official" Rancho Del Diablo site... check it out. And Greg put us on Facebook.

Oh My...

One of the things we like to do is to keep up with the real-estate trades in the neighborhood. It gives us the opportunity to meet other neighbors and check out a house we hadn't seen before. Presently, we have two bank-owned properties for sale in the neighborhood. We were very lucky -- in the last bank-sale -- to pick up a pair of great, new neighbors, Laura and Chris. We're certainly hoping for the best with these most recent for-sales.

Cash for Champs / Goodbye, Old Friend

Today, we traded in our namesake truck under the Cash for Clunkers program.

As a clarification (and tribute), "Truck" was most certainly not a clunker, but instead a reliable friend for the past few years. I'm literally crying as I type this... yeah, weird.

But the AC was shot, the airbag was questionable, the horn didn't work and it smelled like old men -- a few of them. So, it was time to let our faithful companion enjoy a second life as a toaster or a recycled countertop... so, who knows, hopefully we'll get a bit of him back one day in the form of another consumer product.

And, through the program, we got more than twice what we would have in resale (and not felt guilty about selling a potential hazard to someone else)... and combined with current Ford rebates, the new truck was over 25% off of the sticker (closer to half-price, really... but then you add sales tax and fees and...).

So, thanks and goodbye, old friend. You'll be remembered fondly and keep your rightful place in the banner above (and in our hearts)... you started every time (even when we didn't want to start, sometimes), you helped out neighbors and friends (and helped to turn neighbors into friends) and helped us through the most difficult two years of our life... thanks for that.

And, Bret... no, you can't borrow this one for a run to the dump.

Sniff (and Sob)...

 

Side Yard

The last of the landscaping is finished with the completion of the side yard.

Jaime once again stepped in to help and he and his crew did a much better job than I could have alone -- a very wise delegation of tasks. They took the time to level and grade the area when I would have gotten hot and frustrated and given up. It's amazing what a transformation the entire yard has seen over the past two years.

We have some of the 1X1 blocks left (about 100), so let us know if you're interested in picking them up.