More House

Conversation with Linda at Ellison Insurance, last Thursday:

Since you're not actively involved in farming, we'll cancel the farm policy and just give you a homeowner's policy; we can add an endorsement for the rented farmland.

We'll start with builder's risk coverage, for materials theft, etc., and $128K [the loan amount] to start. As the house is completed, we'll increase the coverage to the final amount. The policy will be $300K liability, for $306.87/year with $1000 deductible. [That's SO much less than I've been paying heretofore!]

Let us know as soon as possible when the coverage should start.

A Brief History of the House

I want to centralize one place for various notes, so I can keep the kitchen table -- and my computer desk -- clean.

Notes from conversation with Lori Winder, my loan officer, when she heard back from the assessor (appraiser). "Everything looks good -- there's quite a bit of land with that. [Assessor] came in with $325,000, but that's inclusive. The value of the house itself is about $168K-$170K; the rest is the land. I've sent the abstract out to be updated; that should happen within a week or two. You could open a separate checking account for the construction loan. You can sign for the loan once we have everything set on our end, even if your builder isn't ready to start. The loan could just sit out there; no interest accrues until an advance is made."

My loan is for $128K (and if the stock market continues to tumble, I have to wonder if that will be enough). The house should ideally assess at the same level or higher than the bid amount, from the bank's point of view. So that they're not lending money for something that's not even going to be worth that amount. But we're good -- the house value is sligthly above Eric's bid -- and the property as a whole is about twice that. So the bank is happy to take my signature on a note.

The above was about a 7-10 days ago. At that point she sent out the abstract to be updated; when that came back, she had Doug Wuff (sp), the appraiser, give her a preliminary title opinion. Everything takes a few days to a couple of weeks...

Then Friday, Aug. 22:

Eric, I just spoke with Lori Winder, and also talked to my insurance company this morning.
The bank says that everything is in place to go ahead with my construction loan. I will meet with Lori on Thursday, Aug. 28, to sign the loan and open a construction checking account (that will help me keep things straight). She said to tell you that funds will be available beginning Thursday.
My insurance company (Ellison, in Solon) will have builder's risk coverage in place on that date as well. So from my point of view, things could get started as early as Thursday afternoon! (Of course, you may have holiday plans and other commitments.)
If there are other things that I need to take care of but don't know about, like permits and inspections and things, we can talk about them. I haven't notified Brian Ulch that I am building, but I think I need to clarify first with Rob Brown if and when he will want to prep the land for the septic field. Same thing with geothermal -- does that go out in the field where there is currently corn, and how much land is needed, etc.? Also I'll have a surveyor come out, once I know roughly what's going to be taken out of production.
Well, I'll stop fussing for a minute and just enjoy this little victory. We have an official go-live date! Woo-hoo!

Eric replied that he would get all permits, and would apply on Monday, but it would take a week or two to get approval. However, in the meantime, he could talk to Rob Brown and get started on tearing down the machine shed and clearing the land. Eric asked if I could meet with the two of them some evening early next week. I replied that I could be home by 5:30 any night. Haven't heard back yet.

Sweet no more

Had the last of my sweet corn yesterday, August 18, which was less than 2 weeks' worth of harvest. Not too disappointed, since I didn't really know what to expect, and I planted quite late, and only 2 boxes, and only a week apart, and their maturity dates were only about a week apart. What with the rain, and the Japanese beetles -- I actually did rather well.

And since I had to eat 2-3 ears every day, which isn't quite the treat it sounds, that was enough.

Sweets for the sweet

I must be awful' sweet, because I just had two ears of homegrown Butter and Sugar sweet corn. And I sliced up that first Husky Pink and ate it with fresh basil leaves and balsamic vinegar. Then I sauteed some store-bought yellow and zucchini squash, with onion and dried tomatoes and a little tube pasta.

The corn was a trifle bland -- a bi-color -- and so was the tomato. But they were real!

... and Garden

I've been picking a daily handful of Sungold cherry tomatoes for about a week. Today I picked the first Pink Husky (Husky Pink?). Probably a day or two from being perfectly ripe, but it can sit on a counter. There's another one right behind.

And I peeled back the husks on an ear of corn and pricked a kernel -- milky, not clear, so it may be ready too! I've had a dozen from roadside vendors, but this is mine own!

The HP tomato was just a variety at Earl May, where I also got the Sungold and a Brandywine (which died). I did a very late job of starting seeds this year, and don't expect much in the way of heirlooms, despite what Barbara Herring says! Luckily, a few Brandywine, and some other varieties, have produced volunteers from last year, so I should get a few tomatoes at least.

I blame the rain, rather than my sloth. Who's to know?

House

I met Eric Quaintance, my builder, at the Ar-Jay Center this afternoon. We made decisions on kitchen countertops, cabinets, design, and hardware, then went to the lighting department and chose lighting throughout the house (not including the table and floor lamps I already have) and for all exterior doors/garage, plus a ceiling fan for the library. We looked at the firebox he had selected, then went into a "sale" room, where they have various display items that are now many-percents off, and saw a beautiful oak mantelpiece, marked down from $700 (which I thought might be a good price for what it was) to $150!

We will get flooring at Bachmeier's in Iowa City, but he and I have pretty much the same ideas. Faux wood laminate and 18-in. faux tile vinyl. Slager's for the kitchen appliances, which I am going with black cooktop, but I don't know yet whether black or white for the refrigerator and wall ovens. I think because of the white beadboard cabinets, I may be better off with black appliances.

What I envision for the library is darkish "wood" floor, wood fireplance mantel, wood rocker (from Joyce), dark leather sofa, wood coffee and side tables, piano, and grandfather clock, with bookshelves of stained wood and off-white walls behind. Bare, unmatched woods and leathers with some throw pillows and maybe the other (grandma's) rocker in fabric. The curtains are that dark fringed wool. Floor lamps and ceiling fan of dark bronze. Rather spare and solid overall, yet homey and comfortable.

Eric seems comfortable giving his opinion, and I value it, both practical and aesthetic. But once or twice I "overrode" him, and he came around, or seemed to. Particularly in the case of the bathroom cabinets, where I wanted black to counteract the light-colored tops, that wouldn't go well at all with the white beadboard used in the kitchen. He wasn't sure, but after carrying the sample door over to the bath display area, he said he liked it. Certainly, it's my decision, but I'd like for him to be happy with "his" house. He has an artistic and professional reputation and pride.