New World Datsuns...

The view like Kim said will be really cool to watch things change over time

Take the hint and plant some grapes. Self-consumption.

any updates on the progress Jess ?

I'll probably put in a couple rows just because. Never been much of a wine fan. Honestly, nothing would please me more than to be surrounded by vineyards. They make pretty quiet neighbors.


Not really much to update yet. I was in Seattle Tuesday and yesterday until late last night. The plumbers were supposed to be there but it's still dark so I haven't seen it yet.

if vineyards start popping up, you won't need to make wine. The winery's will have wine testing samples for the tourist and/or for the locals. Good way to get to know the wine makers or your friendly neighbors.

Thanks for the update .

No shortage of that. This is the sign on the other side of the river.

I'm not sure we'll be seeing that anytime soon. No real need, Oregon is only 10 miles away. Idaho doesn't seem to be a very pot friendly state.

that's cool what you did Wayno.....

yep Idaho will be the last state to legalize mary jane.

Did you know that Ontario Oregon was the first to have legal marijuana in the US ?

I was going to do "MJ Ranch" but I would have had to make every letter, I got to keep the "R" the way I did it.
I could have done better but I had enough time into this, as it was a joke.

I even thought about coming up with a ranch brand for over his front entrance, but as I recall his front faces east, I would have come up with something that sorta looked like him giving Oregon the finger if his property faced west.

The front actually does face west but it's against the hill. The main part of the house that's visible faces east.

So the front of your house faces the hill and not the valley below?

Yeah. It'll make more sense when the framing is underway.
The master bedroom, living room, dining room, and guest room get the valley view. The library/office, laundry room and master closet are on the uphill side where there will be a small courtyard by the front door. No front yard. Back yard will basically be a 70'x16' rectangle between the patio below the deck and a steep hill transitioning into a pasture.
Again, it'll make more sense as it progresses. I'm probably not explaining it very well.

I was gone all day yesterday so it was dark when I got home but they were working. Got up there just after daybreak to get a couple pictures of progress.
Footing prep around the garage and under the front of the house is done.


Plumbing prep, septic pass-thru, fill and compaction are mostly done, as is patio base.


Still need to dig out the inside perimeter of the basement footing to add rebar for the thickened edge. Hoping to get the concrete guys back out next week.

So, this is a photo of the front of the house taken from the front yard?

Essentially, yes. The raised dirt corner just to the right of center is the corner of the garage. The actual front of the house will come 16' closer to where I was standing from the portion with the black waterproofing. The area on the left side will be a courtyard area. The front door will be at the 10 o'clock position.

So you have more cement to pour.
That is going to be a fairly large house, how many car garage?
That drain pipe you put in next to the wall is going to be under the house and is fairly deep already.

We're about 1/3 - 1/2 done with concrete at this point. You're right, its going to be pretty big -- at least compared to where I was and am presently. Garage will be 3 bay but deep and wide. I think I could fit 5+ cars in it if they were small.
Looking at the 3rd pic, pipe on the left is kitchen drain. Center is 2 bathrooms. Right is master bath with option to add 1/2 bath in the basement later. 4th pic shows where they go under the foundation to the septic tank.

What is the planned square footage? Ranch? 2 story?

Not really sure what style to call it but it is pretty big. 2508' on the main level. 1981' for the unfinished basement. Total is 4489'. Our old house was 1600' and the single-wide I'm in now is 1200' so it's going to be a real change. Plus, it's a pretty open plan so I think it will actually feel even bigger.
It really is kind of ridiculous, and I've been taking a lot of shit from my dad about it, but I have some justification...
1. When I'm done, I'll actually owe quite a bit less than I did on the house I sold but have more equity.
2. It's obviously a long term investment. I'd like to think that this will be a much more desirable area in the next couple decades, given it's proximity to all the winerys.
3. The basement isn't going to be finished so it's a flexible option for future owners.
4. Since we're in the midpoint between geographic pockets of family and friends, this will serve as a sort of stage stop. We'll probably need the extra space for guests.
5. At some point my parents may become snowbirds. The basement would be an option to build out a separate apartment for them.
6. More buy-in now should pay off bigger in 20 years when I'm too old to keep the place up and I'm ready to downsize.
7. I just like nice stuff (even though I really don't have much of it). I've worked hard and planned for decades to end up here so it'll feel good to achieve this one major life goal.
8. I'm an idiot.

As a side note, the house we were originally hoping to build had a basement and large unfinished area above the garage. It could have been finished out to over 7000' but the main living area was actually smaller. The budget just wasn't there. Plus, that would have been super-extra-mega-ridiculous.