The Little House that Could!

Paul and I were talking yesterday about how much we went through to get this house built and realize it was the little house that was saying all along "I think I can I think I can I know I can." The selling of our house was a breeze but never knew how much of a challenge it would be to get this house built. We've experienced a variance in front of city board members, the demolition of the house, various change in plans, surveyor fees too numerous too count, one failed bid..the one person who did bid was ridicuously high and suspicious, then we resubmitted bids (3 out of 5 failed with the very last one coming in late but pretty much on point) , acceptance of bid, paid an appraiser that almost killed the project literally, second change order in place, waited to hear from our mortgage specialist to find out the bid was not submitted (long story about our loan officer.. argh! )and decided to go over her head to find out the change order was submitted and to hear that second change order did not affect the loan lending price and the final approval of flood plain insurance....finally, whew!
So, fast forward 2 years in the making and we are finally builging a house that I believed wanted to be built. Our house will be our house and we are so excited to see it come all together. It will have 2 working studios, master bedroom, small guest room, open concept living kitchen area and laundry/bath. Heated concrete floors throughout, with ample light, storage and best of all a view and access to water, back patio to sit and have coffee, and a small footprint! We are proud to revitalize an area and have the new title "urban pioneers". We are thankful for having a builder who said this project will happen and didn't think we were crazy for building, our architects who have been our cheerleaders and watch dogs in all of this and will be during the build. I would highly suggest hiring an architect they already have caught a mistake that will be fixed. Finally, the silver lining and this is where I have to thank our rude appraiser...he forced us all to reevaluate the build to get it on price point...did that mean compromises..yes. We had to go with sliding glass doors instead of French doors, double hung instead of roll out and not the entire sidewalk redone. HOWEVER, we are only borrowing $118, 000 to build a brand new home. Yes we are putting a lot of our savings down but we won't be house poor.Paul and are very frugal so we'll be able to recoup the savings. So I leave you with pictures of the little house on 701 Paris Street that wanted to be built. Let the excitement begin! Stay tuned. Almost forgot we picked out color for our siding, windows and roof. We are going with a clay color called Harvard Slate (sounds smart tee hee) by Royal Select siding, roofing by Landmark and a dark brown color around Anderson windows. We want a monochromatic quiet box..very subtle.

 This is the south end that faces water. The gravel is our future back patio. On this end glass windows near the pitch of the house with 3 sliding glass doors. Two in the living area and one in my studio.

 Back part of the house living to the right...and far left is my studio.

 55 steps to a public access fishing area and sailboats swimming by.Bottom image is our new apron to our garage. Garage is north facing.

Art Imitates Life

Its been awhile since I last made a post about Paris street and during that time we hit many valleys, which I've been forewarned that it is part of the process.

 I've been noticing so many parallels in building and making art in this world. I think of the house we are building and the show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Madison and find that they are one and the same. The notion that if you can make something popular, bigger, and current it is more marketable and relevant. However, if it has a heart and built with intention, and "traditional" its irrelevant. The parallels are crazy-strong, but so true.

We were told by an appraiser the following (and this is specific since we recorded what he said): "cost to build has everything to do with how much it can sell for"; "that you are building an atypical house and not a typical house and won't be able to sell it"; "it's in an old neighborhood"; "it doesn't fit into your neighborhood"; "there is no market appeal from the exterior"; "you don't know how to build a house over there"; "in certain areas you want to stick to the same design"; "that banks looks at market value and how much they can sell it for".

So, where are we with all this WE ARE STILL BUILDING!  City of Menasha wants us to build, we are building in an amazing area, and the house is beautifully and uniquely constructed by Martin-Riley Architects and WE ARE STAYING!  After mulling it over with our builder and architect we are pushing forth (after a devastating low appraisal). 

So, art does imitate life. I may not be in The Triennial in Madison or building a house that is popular or worthy of being built, but thank god I'm in a house and making art that means something! Content...where have you been? 

I thank the universe that I'm building and making art with intention as unpopular as that may seem.

Love you life! Thank you for being a great teacher. 

So, until next time....

Karla 

Good things come to those who wait...who would have thunk it?

Well, a "long strange trip it has been" (boy I could throw out so many quotes, but I'll refrain)...and here we are the build IS going to happen. To say it's been easy is a long shot. The selling of house was easy, but actually bidding the project, was hard. However, I realized on my walk tonight that all things overlap and intersect. They all come to a point where they should. This past year has been forced me to dig deep. I was talking with Paulie today and said, I'm not used to something "new", and feel as if this build is like wearing a new coat that I usually would never try on, but here we are and we are going to embrace it. Mind you we thrift shop for almost EVERYTHING!
While, the build is so exciting I would rather have the following: my brother to be happy and healthy, to have Mr. Boo back, to have my parents not worry, to have Paulie be in my life forever, and the list goes on, but I've realized this summer that I have to accept whatever comes my way...to not fight it. While, the build is a materialistic concept it serves the same purpose it taught me to be patient, to not be so negative, to give up some of your "must haves" to "what I must need-haves".
The process was grueling at times, the first bid came back at a ridiculously high amount of 246,000 and we thought the project was dead (and that is part of negative imprinting that things go bad)...but our AMAZING architect said..."don't walk away from your dream". He was right. So, we waited and waited until last week and it was still looking bleak 3 out of 5 bids backed out. One bid was over our budget, and the very last bid which came in late was right on target. However, Paul and I have always lived our adult lives extremely, I mean extremely frugally, we have done this all on our own, so we thought there was no way this will work we will use up all our savings and won't have anything left. We thought about selling the land, buying a cheap fixer, and paying off the college loan (that yes I still have), but we waited. My parents said look for something else, but we waited. Waiting is good sometimes, or most of the times, I suppose they call that patience, right? 
So, while we were talking the other night mind you in 900 sq. ft you spend a lot of time together and I said we need to approach this as if it will work, as if we do have the money to build and guess what it did. Paul met today with our loan officer (and if the appraisal goes smoothly fingers crossed) we will be building a home meant for 1 artisan and 1 artist. This house is not meant for everyone...we won't have the embellishments, the typical...but what would you expect from Paul and I anyway? So, we got the final and official nod we ARE financially fit. I will do my best to come under budget on almost everything that is just in my nature.
 Our house will not be a showcase, but it will have a purpose....to make jigs, to make art, to eat good food, to play with kitties, and hopefully live a longer life together. We are excited! Wish us well, because one thing I've learned is be positive and have patience! 
So, godspeed to all the above mentioned...may you Kurtie accept where you're at and in time things will be at place and your "new normal" will work for you - love you, that Dad you worry less and fish more, that Mr. Boo that it's ok you went so unexpectedly- you sent us one exceptional kitty...BLU!, and that the rest of you live up to your dreams. 
I leave above what appears to look like a box..but what you can't see is that what matters happens inside (so mom and dad look past the vinyl siding..tee hee). The south end will have a river view, which includes the kitchen to the left and my art studio to the right. Art to be made!

The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less. - Socrates

"Yet, another wonderful day in Winneconne".....that should be their slogan. Life is good here. The pace is slower, quieter, and more relaxing. We were talking about this last night, and we had two different takes on this new perspective. Is it because we don't have a mortgage looming over our heads that makes us more relaxed?, Is it the water that forces you to be outside more thus less noise?, Is it being without a T.V?, or is it because I'm getting a break from school? 

We decided to call it the Lake Winneconne Artist/Fishing residency. I'm back to work in my studio (gosh that feels good to write this), and finished 3 pieces since school has been out. We don't have a lot of noise in our lives right now and it makes us both reevaluate on what is important: making art, making lures, going for a boat ride, having a healthy family (godspeed Kurtie and family!), going for long walks, playing guitar, reading, listening to music, eating good quality food, loving the cats, and taking care of each other. 

So, you are probably reading this and wondering is the build done? have they started?...the answer to both is no, and no. It's been an interesting roller coaster this past month. Everything has ran very smoothly from the posting and selling, so we assumed that the build would be easy. Lesson learned don't assume anything. 

We got the bid back on first day of summer break and it was not good news. Our architect, Matt, looked very defeated and said the bid was way over priced. The bid came back at a whopping $246,000! You would have thought we were building a mansion, which we are not. The general contractor had $67,000 of added charges that could not be explained.....hmmmmmmmmm. It was not a good experience, thus the melt down. Matt left with the final words, "I want to see this built". He has so much invested in this project, but we told him we have to build smaller. We have run the gamut of selling the property (and pay off my college loan, finally) and finding a small home and be debt-free! This is so enticing, but we are still holding onto hope. We believe in the notion we CAN build small (1000-1300 sq. ft), smart and on a tight budget.  We believe it can be done we just need to find the right person, and not like the first contractor who was only concerned about the almighty buck.

So, back to the concept of space. How much does two people really need? Currently, we live in a 900  sq. ft. home, and are happy (minus the questionable craftmanship). We both work in two working studios. My studio measures at a whopping 88 sq. ft and Paul's 105 sq. ft. and we are still making art and lures without a hitch. The house that we used to live in was 1600 sq. ft and it was too big, and all my time was spent cleaning and putting all our "stuff" away. Yet, that is another point to be made we have a storage unit that measures 10'X30' and it is filled with stuff that we don't even miss. Time to pitch, we say! 

I just realized we have less stress based on two components: we have less stuff and space, but more time to do what we love. Until next time...enjoy the view!

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” ― Abraham Lincoln

The quote above eloquently states what I've been feeling as of late. The word perspective comes to mind; perspective from a physical and emotional point of view. So, so, so, so, much has happened, since I last blogged. We closed on May 17th and said goodbye to a beauty of 130 year old house, packed, moved, had a funeral to attend of our wonderful belated brother-in-law, Marty Stahl, who passed away from a rare spinal caner that he courageously battled for 4 years.  

However, the house is in GREAT hands. The first offer made (yes, in 6 days!) was offered by a phenomenal, young, cute, smart couple that loved our home the first time they laid eyes on it..yes, it was love affair and our house was finally ready to let us go. Paul and were so please with the Valley By Owner (KUDOS!) organization..from nuts to bolts the process went pretty smoothly. We had one small glitch and it worked itself out. We paid our lawyer 600.00, instead of a realtor 6-7 thousand. Overall, we are so appreciative of the people we came in contact with: from the new homeowners, Drew and Emily, to  Valley By Owner, to the lawyers, inspector (not the appraiser mind you), the title company, and our AMAZING architect, Matt!. All in all it was a great experience. Paul had the chance to show the house to Emily and Drew with one final walk through and told him the "secrets" of how the house worked. In the end we left a home we loved, but fostered a new friendship with a young couple that will take as good of care of the place as we did...toast to Emily and Drew's new house (they said they wanted to keep in touch with our new endeavor...they will be first on the house warming list for sure!)

So, here we are in Winneconne, Wisconsin, and it's a life-changer for sure. The pace is so different and the small town environment is quite wonderful, yet it feels like a vacation, since most people who own property around here are from Chicago...tee hee. Our new landlords are from Chicago and they are quite wonderful I must say. VERY easy going and on the spot said..."don't worry about it!" (I had to put that in there..gotta think of a Soprano affect in all of this...). Really, they have been great...from the yah..."cats are fine", to..."sure month to month is great just give us a 60 day notice"...."to were just happy we have someone responsible renting the place" (but then again I don't think they have many financial worries!).  While, the handiwork around here is quite questionable (boy oh boy we wouldn't want this person to build our new home), it's clean, it's small, it's perfect. We have 900 sq. ft with one bedroom, 2 small working artist studios, a bowling alley for a kitchen, and water view - what else could you ask for?!?

Winneconne allows us to be without the noise. No TV...mostly sitting on the back patio, on the channel drinking in the flopping fish, the run of minnows, the many casts, the making of art (yes, I finished a piece..yah me!), Paul's amazing lure work, and the sunshine. Thus far, we had the boat out 4 out of 7 days this week. The water is transformative and it takes you away, I get why rich people buy land on the water. So, we are happy as clams in Lake Winneconne.

As for the house all is working out as it should. Our architect contacted us on Thursday and stated we are on the homestretch. 2 out of 3 bids are biting and we'll get their bids this Thursday (fingers crossed their price is matching ours). One bid canceled due to work load, however, we are pleased as punch with the people that Matt, our architect, chose both who do phenomenal and quality work! So, why do you hire an architect? Let me count the ways: 1) they listen to how you use space 2) they are incredibly smart 3) they know how things work 4) crappy work won't be acceptable 5) really, you need another...ok, they know what they are talking about.  While, the cost, initially, is scary we would do it in a heartbeat, again. Matt is our bodyguard in the world of building, he will NOT leave a stone unturned. His work ethic and attention to detail is impressive. He even said that the builders will not get paid until it matches the plans to a "T" (I'm sure contractors love working with an architect, but if you do great work you shouldn't worry, right?). Matt is really enjoying the process and even said that working on our project "relaxes him and makes him very happy!". We couldn't be happier, either. We feel very fortunate. Like Paul said the other night, "this is his baby from start to finish HE thought of how it would look and once it's done how can you not be happy!?!". How often can you design a home that is small, unique (unlike most houses in the Fox Valley area), and using sustainable concepts? Yes, the home includes radiant concrete flooring throughout, no basement, south facing wall of windows (not optimal, but this created the most privacy), small footprint with every space in consideration, 2 studios with optimal light with sky lights (so we can preserve electricity during daylight hours), wall mounted water heater, and flush mounted plaster around windows (no trim work anywhere in the house), and lp square panels on the house (they are an alternative to vinyl siding and eco-friendly...we will wait on the cost the following Monday...fingers crossed since we decided that the outside is as important as the inside, so if that means laminate countertops so be it they have the most cost effective ratio than any other natural material combined).

I will end on the note that if all goes well we should start building early to mid July. Stay tuned to the progress of Paris Street. The following images are a east facing view) of our house. Top image: this shows my studio to the far left, Paul's studio right behind mine, with bedroom to follow. Below images include attached garage (north facing -most privacy) and the final image is south facing of our future living/kitchen area to the left (with all the wonderful light space) and to the right my art studio with french doors and ample skylights (east facing). The south end faces the water!

Until next time...keep in mind what Abraham Lincoln said, and we'll all have a much better perspective!

Toodles,

K

Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think. ~Robert Henri

(Ok, we won't be living on the sea...but the quote above is quite noteworthy!)

Hello everyone. A lot has happened even in the short time I last blogged. We backed out of the dumpy apartment (thank goodness)...since our landlord was a true slumlord and the place smelled like smoke. For a time I was worried we wouldn't find a place until last week when we started to drive around in our neighboring small town of Winneconne and low and behold we found a small, very small, house that is for sale, but also for rent. So, we got a hold of the owners who live in Chicago and set up an appointment to see the place yesterday (Saturday). I couldn't make it, because I had to deliver some art work for the new hotel in Oshkosh.

Paul met the owners yesterday and when he came back he was as happy as a clam. They hit it off right away. They started talking about the place we thought we were going to rent and they said they had a property right next to the place they own and told him to take a look...

The house is bigger and is right on the channel! We get to share their boat houses, too. Our backyard is a patio and then water. Paul will be in heaven. The place inside is clean and been recently updated (not perfect, but who cares it will only be for a few months). Also, there is a room toward the back of the house that would be perfect for a studio and it overlooks the water. 

So, things are falling into place. This week is big: home inspection and appraisal. Closing on May 10th and moving into this new place this upcoming weekend. Like we said last night the transition won't be so hard, since we are calling this our "vacation" home. Not shabby living on water for $625.00 a month. The owners are super cool, too.

This summer I envision being this: boat trips on the lake, Paul fishing until midnight :), working in my studio while watching the ducks swim in the channel, and overall adjusting to a different mindset. I was bummed I couldn't apply for an art residency this summer, but I think I just found one. Let's call it the Poygan Artist Residency. Lake Poygan is the lake our channel is connected to.

Images as follows:

Image 1:The house is a typical cottage lake house: small and clean that's all we need! Inside images of the living area, kitchen and my new studio space (for now)

Image 2:  This is out our back door: long patio and channel access! Fire pit to the left that you can't see.

Image 3:East View: This is the end of the pier, our neighbors boat house and their house.

Image 4:The channel goes to Lake Poygan, take a left at the end of this channel and you're there! So, serene.

Image 5:  Maple street comes to a dead end and you get a perfect view of Lake Poygan!

So, until next time. 

Karla 

Creativity is the residue of wasted time - Albert Einstein

Well, if the above quote is true I will get a lot of work done in the next few months. I watched a documentary called "Happy" today (a great movie BTW) and it said that if you involve exercise in your life (check), if you stay connected to community and family (I could do a better job), and do what you are meant to do (which is make art for me and fishing and playing his guitar for Paulie) then you will be happy. So, I haven't been myself lately and partly because I miss the importance "stuff" in my life. I miss the creative part of myself. I've learned to value my art making in this whole transition and realized the house was our home when the importance "stuff" filled the space. 
Great news! Starting on Saturday I get to paint our apartment and then Sunday start setting up my studio! Today, gave me some time to reflect and think about what I want to do in my next series. 
It was pretty amazing today, first we had a 2 hour delay then school was called off, because of a crazy ice storm. See the following pictures! WOW! I think nature is giving me cues on where to go with the work. Seeing the ice wrapped around the branches and the heaviness that followed - the ice seemed like an exterior skin that needed to be shed. I did a small video on how the ice was falling off the branches it was very beautiful and strange at the same time. Maybe it's time to shed my skin. I was so worried the entire time that something "bad" would happen with all that heavy ice. So I was constantly looking out the window hoping the branches would hold their own, and guess what I walked away for 1 hour and looked out the window and all the ice had disappeared, completely. My worry was like the weight on the branches, and once I forgot about it - it went away. I have so much to learn. 
So, Paul and I are moving forward. Change is happening and our creative selves (I believe) will be given another chance to blossom, like when Spring decides to finally arrive. :)
In the mean time I plan on getting inspired (and moving more boxes). Stay tuned, because pictures of the palatial palace will be posted this weekend. 
Tonight, I'm grateful for the ice storm (that taught me so much), and this blog. Until next time...
Karla