September and we are playing in the dirt, it's time for a personal rant :)
Later in the month I will give a construction update,
Julie and I prepared ourselves when we first bought the lot in November 2004, by understanding that we would have setbacks, snags, serious issues, and stress as part of the natural process of designing and building a unique home.
Yes we have had snags, that's expected and I love it!
I am always amazed when I hear the horror stories of others "O my gosh, then they made us do :....." and "it cost.....:" and "we were behind because of:...." Hello, did you think it would be without challenge? That's the beauty of it! That's where the passion comes in. Your unique creation crashing up against the thin walls of what is perceived to be possible! That's living, experiencing, challenging, growing, expanding.
We are conditioned in this society for instant gratification, we want it now! I want a home now! Lets go out and look and see what we can find now! All of the billions of dollars in advertising to convince you that this housing development or that housing development will provide panache for your status in life (what the heck is that), or a panacea for what ails you, and that "you're in the club " if you buy here and you buy now!
Housing today is becoming more transient with the average family moving every five years, marriage today is transient, families and their composition today are transient, jobs today are transient, our beliefs and faith are transient, morals are transient. it's no wonder that we don't want to invest two years of our life building a home. Why do that when we can shop for a couple of weeks or a month and say "I'll take that one" and then sign up for a million dollar mortgage.
I can't fathom, (I'm closer to Forest Gump than Albert Einstein) why folks are lining up and excited to buy a home for a 1 Million dollars to 2 Million dollars for the privilege and honor of living at the intersection of El Camino Real and Palomar Airport Road?
You have got to be kidding! We are so darned conditioned to think this is a good thing! And don't forget to buy in the first phase so you can make an extra 100k in equity when you sell in five years! ARGH!!
Its a giant conspiracy! (not really, well kind of,) It's the current market place. The builders are only doing what the consumers demand and the demand to live here is stronger than the drawbacks of living at the intersection of El Camino Real and Palomar Airport Road. I am not against large housing tracts, I lived in one for 16 years, and its a great option for folks who want to have the comfort of a homeowners association that will watch over the neighborhood sending letters out for infractions such as a junk in the front yard. I would like to see more diversity in our housing options more individuals working directly with builders and architects and more entry level housing.
It is my hope, that we can become a little less transient in all aspects of our life, that we appreciate what is real and what has real worth. I have noticed that people are moving back to old neighborhoods where life is a bit more real than "Pleasantville," and that's a good sign.
Today, 99% of the new housing opportunities are housing tracts. I don't think 99% of our population is mass built, but rather, unique individuals with unique desires. Building a house can be less expensive than buying although it does take a couple of years to get to the finish line. Expressing yourself individually in the design and building of your home is an awesome experience.
 |
Music as a
Metaphor.
Every year it seems, there is a new "Boy band," they are all the rage, they generate enormous publicity, and then in three years you don't know who they are and they have disappeared into the trash can of bad music. Do you know the name of the boy band on your left? Is it great music? Once in a while an individual expresses themselves artistically, timelessly engraving themselves into the fabric of the world, As the years go on the music lives and grows. Do you know the name of the musician on your right? Is it great music? How does that relate to housing? |
 |
Let's find a different way, or at the least, another way.