In The Dog House Again

The Dog House Blooms!!

2008-05-02T14:25:00.004-05:00

Our cabin arrived within 30 days of ordering (not bad!) and what a refreshing change it was from the constant stop and go of a site built project. We had the sceptic, water, and electricity ready so the delivery and set-up process was simple. After that came the often funny process of interior and exterior decorating. (my,my how far we've come from a dirt floor hovel)Two guys trying to figure out what color rugs match the curtains or where to place the family portrait was not high on our priority list. So we enlisted the help of the women in our lives. Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying that men lack decorating skills or even that all women are experts but for me and David the list went sort of like this; 1. bed 2. bathroom 3.refrigerator and not necessarily in that order. The cabin came with curtains, tile work, and certain accents like a faux antler hanging light (my favorite) but the rest we left to the ladies. Now the fun really started as we set out to design and build the deck of all decks! A space to enjoy the beauty of our pine forest was just the ticket. We enlisted the help of a friend and skilled carpenter and the dog house began to bloom!!

CDP Has Arrived!!!!

2008-04-15T09:59:00.009-05:00

So, here's what we know so far; Casa Del Perro needed to be simple, a one room cabin would suffice, well insulated to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and most importantly pre-built so we could dodge the headaches of having one constructed (see post below). The words manufactured housing mean different things to different people. I admit that for me they brought to mind tin shacks on wheels but I'm happy to report that's not the case at all. As I started to research the industry I found whats called a Park Model home. They come with up to 399 sq ft. of living space and are constructed as well if not better than a traditional stick built home. We found a manufacturer, toured their facility and found a cabin model that was perfect for us. It has one room with a kitchenette, full bath, and cedar stained exterior. It looks great tucked in amongst the pines. OH YEAH, CDP HAS ARRIVED!!! Check these out!!

A lesson Learned

2008-04-13T17:10:00.007-05:00

Before I begin I want to beg the forgiveness of all the honest hard working painters, plumbers,electricians,and carpenters out there. My experience in no way reflects the entire construction industry. But having said that, does anyone remember the Tom Hanks, Shelly Long flick, The Money Pit, an only slightly exaggerated story of a remodeling job gone off the rails. Thankfully our project was no where near that bad. But, six months later we are still finding beer cans in the woods around the house. Two paint crews later and after multiple delays due to the very hint of rain in the forecast, the job got done past due and over budget. Now in their defense the house really turned out nice (see Photo above) and I know all the problems are just par for the course but after all the headaches and spending the money we thought we were saving, we definitely realized we learned a hard earned lesson. There had to be a better way than building CDP from the ground up. Enter the Park Model Home!

The Design Begins...again

2008-04-11T12:24:00.000-05:00

I remember talking to a friend of mine once who described the perfectly arranged living space. He said all he needed was a recliner with a mini fridge of beer beside it, a television , remote ,and a garbage can within two point range and he could be content. That picture always came to mind when we talked about the design for CDP ( Casa Del Perro). Part of the appeal for us was the challenge of creating a simple yet efficient shelter from the elements. We both proudly stated that all we needed was four walls and a roof. A dirt floor was OK with us and electricity could be optional. What about a bathroom and running water you ask?? Naaa, we had fifty two acres and a year round running spring. the only problem was that the East Texas summers could be brutal. Slowly but surely air conditioning became a prerequisite. So if we had to have electricity we might as well plumb it too. besides, David liked the idea of using the great outdoors as an out house a little more than I did. I don't mind peeing in the woods but I'd take the old porcelain throne over a chance squatting in poison ivy any day. Our design went from a thatched roof, dirt floor bungalow to something that definitely looked a bit more complicated. At this point I need to take you back a few months to a remodeling job we completed on my old house. It was built in the mid 80's, was structurally sound,but needed an additional bedroom and bath, new paint on the inside and out, and a porch added onto it so we could rent it. Now neither one of us had time to put into it personally, so we got bids on the work from local painters,carpenters, electricians,and plumbers and stepped off into the world of the tradesmen....