It takes a village.....

So, a year ago I determined that my hapiness was nearly complete, but for an abode in the Rocky Mountains....namely, Colorado.....specifically Evergreen, from where we moved to North Carolina five years (and five miserably stifling, humid summers) ago.

With the support of my spouse and unanimous encouragement from family and friends (a direct result, I am certain, of promises of vacation usage to all concerned), I began to look at Evergreen area listings. Of course nothing we found was quite right. Either the price was great, the house was great, or the setting was great. Every so often, a home showed up that had two out of the three criteria, but typically someone quicker and braver had already snatched it up.

My clever Realtor and long time friend, Josette, recommended a 2 acre parcel, very close to downtown Evergreen, with a view of the 14,264 ft. Mt. Evans, with no close neighbors, no covenants and adjacent to a 1000 acre unimproved "open space" park with limited access. In other words, very private but "close in." Additionally, the seller had already planned a home and had graded the site and driveway, installed a well and a septic system. In my search, I had found a house that I liked that would work well on this site. The concept of "aging in place" in an energy efficient, sustainably constructed retirement/summer home on such a desirable lot, a home that could be shared with friends and family, turned the heretofore unappealing idea of building a home from scratch into a possibility. Another close friend mentioned that she was looking for a place in Evergreen to sporadically rest her head or hold the occasional meeting. The benefit of her occasional presence would help us be comfortable with absentee ownership, and so the idea of a shared space grew. A few more stars aligned just right, and a dream blossomed.

Our former Evergreen neighbor, who posed as Evergreen's Santa Clause at the holidays, is a contractor with a 20 year history of building quality homes in Evergreen. Now partially retired, he and Mrs. Santa spend winters in Florida, but return to the mountains each summer where Bob (yes, Bob the Builder) gets bored between golf games. He was excited to be our general contractor. Bob knows all the right "peeps" and we have assembled a capable, entertaining, honest and ethical team of architect, engineer, subcontractors, and suppliers. With Santa in charge, what can POSSIBLY go wrong, right?

So that's the background. A year has passed since this adventure began. The next installment will bring us up to date with the project. As we go along, your comments, suggestions, warnings and stories will be appreciated!!!