I LOVE house plans!!!!
I see a lot and I think, what house would I put on that property?
I spend HOURS on plan websites pouring over floorplans, printing them out and modifying them to ways I would prefer..... it's almost a sickness really.
In my head I have built hundreds if not thousands of homes for almost every budget, from freight container cottages to multi-million dollar eco-friendly mansions!
It keeps me up at night.... I get so excited about it that I actually stay awake thinking about these things.
My latest kick, which comes up regularly is trying to plan for when my beloved Mother In Law may need to live us. Her mobility is simply not good right now and only getting worse, she is very independent, but can't be much longer.... her MS has advanced and not showing signs of remission. SO I have been trying to fugure out how we can have a house that we would like WITH a suite for her. Maintaining her privacy (and ours) while giving her 24 hour accessability to our help.... MONEY is the big issue, simply put she can contribute very little month to month. So I have been thinking of plans, looking at lots, plotting and dreaming.
Unfortunately NONE of the options we can afford will be appealing to T.
1) New, suburbia with a suite.
2) small, mobile homes out of town.
3) old, odd house and converted barn on some land.
He has tolerated suburbia for most of our relationship, I think it has a lot to do with our quiet cul-de-sac tolerating the dirtbike and wrenching that goes on in the garage. (It's a blue-collar street, welder, trucker, carpenter, boat mechanic, comercial painter, retired RCMP and the like... we are all used to making a bit of noise to earn a few bucks, and all used to helping each other out when we can. We just need a plumber and electrician and we will be complete!!!!)
Back to the plans.... that is my biggest dread, even more than the incredible outlay of money is the idea of leaving our small haven of helpful neighbours. BUT there is NO WAY we can accomodate my MIL in this house, way too many stairs, and not enough space.
Really, she has 3 adult children. We are not her only option. However, her youngest lives up north as a bachelor, and her daughter has 3 kids and lives on Gabriola Island so she has tonnes on her plate already. T, as the oldest son, is the logical choice.
There is adult support housing (AKA old-folks-home) but we hate the idea of her in amoungst the constantly dying, depending on some strangers getting a paycheck to take decent care of her. Hard to explain, but it's russian roulette finding the right care facility and the prices are very prohibitive! The govenrment facilities can be institutional and have a massive wait list, and you have to take the spot they give you even if it's not your first choice. Nasty business.
I am having fun looking for the perfect suite-able house plan. I know in my heart it won't happen, but I am having fun looking.
Now if we could just win that $15 lottery this friday, then it would not be a matter of if we could do it, but how fast we could build the lakeside, eco-friendly mansion with a fantastic guest house!
