Next Please
“…then I replied to them, the God of heaven will make us prosper, and we His servants will arise and build…” Nehemiah 2:20
Nice to Meet You
The look of disdain, mingled with something akin to terror, in the eyes of the first builder I met with is something I’ll never forget. He had agreed to a meeting over the phone and I was excited to get our initial plans in front of someone who may be able to actually bring them into reality.
My excitement was soon quenched and it was clear in the first five minutes he was neither interested nor competent to complete our project. I had chosen to meet with this builder mainly due to the fact I was familiar with his product and knew in the past they had constructed some very nice, albeit conventional, style homes. One style this builder was known for in years past was the Southwestern, Pueblo Revival style which I felt may translate well to our home given they share design features such as flat roofs, minimal fenestration, and the like.
However, he had no experience with slab foundation systems, SIP’s (structural insulated panels), and the large cantilevers and open breezeway areas situated between the primary and secondary living areas were some things that caused particular consternation. At one point, based on the sweat beading up on his radically sun-damaged forehead and an apparently involuntary twitch gaining control of his shaggy upper lip, I put my hand on my phone just in case I needed to dial 9-1-1.
Like, when so many of us react with anger when confronted by fear- such as screaming scalding obscenities at someone who ran a red light and came within inches of sending us into eternity- the builder began to attack. His tired, bloodshot eyes darted around the room like a cornered animal. He openly doubted my financial station, belittled my plans, and variously mocked my profession, intellect, and basically seemed to regret my very existence. At this point, I respectfully rolled up my plans, smiled and thanked him for his valuable time, and left.
Who's Thirsty?
One truly valid point he mentioned in the flurry of stuttering insults was that of our water source. I knew we would eventually need water, of course, but had naively assumed that was simply a matter of a phone call and within a few weeks, at the most a few months, we’d have a well and all the water we needed. Looking back, such an assumption could rightly be compared to Chamberlain assuming Adolf was an honest, peaceful old chap, with only the best of intentions.
The week after the aforementioned awkward meeting with the builder, in early 2019, I engaged a well driller and put things on hold to make sure we had a good water source before going too far. I’m writing this in 10/2022, we still don’t have a well, and we all know how tragically wrong Chamberlain, that poor peace-loving fool, actually was.
Enough is Enough
In early 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic struck and everything stopped. Our plans originally included multiple guest areas, that would even include some hostel-like shared accommodations. After COVID-19, it seemed like this would never be a good idea again. How people, especially strangers from different parts of the world, viewed being together instantly changed. These changes, combined with the ongoing water supply issues, caused us to basically abandon all plans for the time being. During that time, we contented ourselves with having La Cresta as a place of refuge and retreat, made some additional improvements, and waited, and then waited some more, for water.
In late 2021, it was clear this obstacle of water had blocked us for too long. It was as if we had wrecked our ship, and then wasted our days staring vacantly at the horizon, pathetically waiting for rescuers that would get to us eventually, despite all evidence to the contrary.
Being dismayed and completely disheartened by constant delays and excuses, I realized something had to change. Costs were soaring. Supply chain issues prevailed. I prayed, I cried, I ran around in circles tearing my hair out. Then I began to consider the unthinkable- to embrace the unimaginable- what if rescuers weren’t coming at all.
When I accepted this reality, I felt the freedom of a lottery winner who had worked a thankless job they hated for a thousand years. Things finally made sense.
We would create a residence that could be adequately supplied by a Cistern and regular water deliveries. I called Rick, our architect, and soon we had an amazing, scaled back design that needed a minimum amount of water to function. He was genuinely excited at the challenge and once again rose to the challenge, inexplicably finding another gear and blowing our minds. Additionally, this design presented fewer construction challenges and could be accomplished more economically.
Now we just needed a builder.
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