So You Want To Build a House

When I made the decision to move back to the region full-time from Texas, I was torn.  Should I be practical and buy a townhouse in Fargo or Moorhead where I didn't have the upkeep to worry about?  Or how about an old farmhouse in the country, where I could admire the architecture of the house but would have to deal with ancient plumbing and electrical?

In the end, I let my dream be my guide.  My dream was pretty simple.  I wanted a house in the woods with backyard chickens and a big garden.  The chickens narrowed the field a lot after I did some homework.  Dallas and Fort Worth Texas both allow backyard chickens in the city limits, so I assumed that the small town I was leaning towards settling in (Detroit Lakes) would too.  One call to the courthouse told me that no, chickens were not allowed in the city, or in the entire county for that matter, unless the property was zoned agricultural.  My views on that can be another blog post entirely.

I kept looking.  The 2-acres just outside of town were great, but it was zoned residential.  And then I happened on a 5-acre, mostly wooded plot 5 minutes outside of town.  Mature maple, oak, birch, and aspen grew on rolling hills, and wild raspberries were thick.  And the best part?  It was zoned agricultural, so chickens were possible.

I decided to build my dream home.  Little did I know what I was getting into.  So if you decide to build, keep these thoughts in mind.

Do you have a plan?  If you live in a metropolitan area, your builder probably has stock plans to choose from.  My builder was completely custom, meaning if I drew something on the back of a napkin, he'd build it.  Are you thinking about a one story house?  Two story?  Multi-level?  There are lots of free house plans on the internet to get you started.

How confident are you when it comes to design?  In my case, I was responsible for choosing everything that went into and on my house.  Everything.  The color, style, materials of the siding and the roof; do I want a pillar in the entryway?  What flooring - tile, wood, carpet, cork?  What style doors?  Painted or natural wood?  And don't forget the door knobs, light fixtures, countertops, kitchen design, and even where should electrical outlets be.  If you don't feel confident, you'll end up with a nice house, but probably a little on the safe side.  Hire an interior designer if you're unsure.

What's your budget?  The cost that a builder will give you up front is very likely to increase as the project goes on.  For example, halfway through the project I decided to go with geothermal for my heating and cooling.  It's a proven technology, saves about a third of your costs for the rest of your life, and there's a nice federal tax credit for it this year.  But it added $44,000 to my budget!  I'm getting about a third of that back on my taxes this year, but it's still a big number.  Make sure that you're working with a bank that can tell you up front what you qualify for, and try to put at least 20% down to avoid Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI).

In the end, I'm happy with what I did.  I wish I would have opted for tankless water heaters, since it takes a few minutes to get hot water to the other end of the house, but that's a small detail.  I have a killer view from my home office of the woods, where big fluffy snowflakes are right now floating through the aspen branches.  And this spring I'll work on the chickens and the garden part of my dream.

 

 

 

 

 

The Straight Poop on Cat Litter

So you want a cat, or have a cat.  You know that you need litter boxes, but what kind?  How many?  And what's the best cat litter to use?  From my 25 + years of having cats, I've tried them all.

Let's start with the litter box itself.  Should you get a covered or uncovered box?  It seems that a covered box will help with odor control, right?  Maybe, but it also traps odors inside the box, which makes it less likely that your picky feline will want to use it.  A cat's sense of smell is about 14 times as strong as a humans, so if you can smell the litter, imagine how your cat feels.  The rule of thumb for how many litter boxes you need is one for each cat, plus one extra. Some cats are finicky enough that they want their own box, or some will use one box for urine and another for poop. Of course, those with space constraints might not be able to have multiple boxes, so if you can't, just make sure that the box is kept really clean to avoid your kitties from finding other spots in your house to do their business.

 

Along the same lines, it seems counterintuitive to use unscented litter if you want to control odor, but unscented is the way to go.  Scented litter tends to waft throughout the house, and everyone will know you have a litter box.  Cat litter manufacturers want you to buy the scented stuff; sometimes it's hard to find the unscented in the store, but from personal experience, it's worth it.  As long as you keep the litter scooped at least once a day, no one needs to know that you have cats as soon as soon as they walk in the door.

And for goodness sake, spend a little more and get the clumping litter.  Yes, I know that the clay litter is cheaper, but in my opinion it's not worth it.  It's what most people donate to The Marshmallow Foundation and it's dusty, smelly, and a mess to work with.  And we end up adding baking soda to it anyway to try to control the odor.  Plus, with clay litter, you'll end up having to do a complete clean out of the box much more often than with clumping litter.

So for a happy, healthy cat, do make sure that you provide the best possible environment for them; you'll be rewarded with head bumps and kitty kisses for years to come!