Does this make sense?

[rpoz-29]

I retired last year. We live in a 5 bed room 3 bath 2 story brick home on 2 acres. I've got a 3 car detached garage, and a 1 car attached garage. We bought the place 20+ years ago. It's zoned agricultural, and I'm not in a sub division. we've made a lot of improvements here. The road we live on has become really busy and noisy through the years, something I never noticed until I retired. Our sons have been gone for years and we don't need all this to heat/cool and maintain. I wanted a large tract of land and a modest home, but the needs of our parents dictate staying closer to this area. We found a 3 bed, 2 bath brick rancher near us with an over sized 2 car garage on an acre. It's zoned residential, is in a modest sub division with no HOA. It will need some TLC, but it's in sound shape. Maybe it's my ego, but my dilemma is that I feel like I'm going backwards. I'm not a materialistic person, either. Just wondering why I feel that way. Am I nuts?

[SeniorSavage]

i know lots will not say anything here, but i think that while you're raising your family you'll need to expand your quarters and then when they are all off you need to shrink back in a litle to not get house-broke before your savings run out. you're not going backwards, you're adjusting accordingly.

cheers and happy retirement,
Sav

[hammerdown7]

Bill,
We're retired and are still in the same home we built over 30 years ago. We use to host all the family get-togethers for the holidays and whatever but now those are held in other family members homes. One thing that still makes this work for us is our bedroom is on the ground floor. Our now-extra bedrooms are on the second floor and occasionally are used as guest quarters, sometimes for the grandkids for stay overs. I've thought about moving to a smaller place but my wife wants nothing to do with that. Why have I thought about moving? So that I would have enough room to build an extra large, high ceiling garage to house a nice lift and lots of work space which we don't have room for here.
I always thought the perfect place to call home would be at least a five car garage with an attached bedroom and bath...........and maybe a nice kitchen. But I don't see that happening.
Dick

[Kenova]

Downsizing happens more often than you may think. Your biggest problem will be giving up the garage space.
I recently saw an add in the local real estate paper that read " Wanted - Large garage with house." The wife asked me if that was my add.

Ken

[Monza Harry]

Bill, I always thought the perfect place to call home would be at least a five car garage with an attached bedroom and bath...........and maybe a nice kitchen. But I don't see that happening.
Dick

Dick you are SO RIGHT ON there! I just wonder if five is enough? The TV show was closer Eight Is Enough. Bill that lower heat & A/C bill means more car/tool/hauler $$$ for you, so backwards? No, you have to adjust to what your needs are from time to time, and like Ken points out, this is a big trend now with baby boomers retiring, my younger brother went looking for a smaller house for same reasons you did, and couldn't find a nice house 1/2 the size of his existing home for twice the price. Demand has driven the retirement home out of range here, for right now.

I recently saw an add in the local real estate paper that read " Wanted - Large garage with house." The wife asked me if that was my add. Ken

Ken you kill me too! Harry

[rpoz-29]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I want a single level home before it becomes an issue. Our health is fine, but I see what stairs are doing to my parents. My current garage has 3 bays, but only 2 are really accessible. The 2 car garage at the other house will hold almost everything that currently resides in my current garage. Our house is around 3000sq ft, while the new one is 1400. We paid the place off a few years ago, and should profit a fair amount once this one sells. I would like to take some of the proceeds and buy some land elsewhere that we could use as a get away, an investment, or eventually build on it. One really nice thing about the new house is the lot. Of the 2 acres we're currently on, I can use less than half of it because it's so wooded. I have a neighborhood behind me, so clearing any of the trees was out of the question. The new place only has an acre but I can get my little Kubota anywhere on the property, and the nearest home behind me is at least a quarter mile away. Wooded enough for privacy, open enough to use.

[bugdewde]

Understand the "Down grading" thing. I have two bedrooms upstairs that only house Vega parts......
Seems I only need a bedroom, bathroom and a computer desk.
But I'd like to think of "up grading" the garage situation.

I am currently searching for a new place, also.
I have been somewhat isolated on a cul-de-sac (dead end) for over 15 years with practically no traffic. Woods all around me. A few years ago, the extremely small lot next to me got a house built on it. I HATE it! The subdivision is growing a bit but luckily, there still isn't any traffic since I'm on the dead end.

Anyway, I'm now looking for about 5 acres that is completely wooded. I want a small clearing in the middle for a house with a winding driveway so there isn't a straight shot looking through to the house. Almost HAS to be on a dead end, again (I'm spoiled). I'm seriously thinking a "natural" wooded theme with only a small '15-20' clearing around the house to mow. (I was formerly a yard Nazi that even has my own blend of grass seeds tailored to suit my needs).

I'd need a shop/garage suitable for my "toys"
'71 VW Baja
'73 Vega Hatchback
'73 Vega Kammback
'79 Aristo Craft Nineteen (boat)
'81 Turbo Trans Am
'05 Jeep Rubicon
'06 GTO
'15 StreetGlide

Oh, and of course, the old lady's car.....

And there's a few more "toys" on my short list for the future at some point......
Early VW Karmann Ghia, '88 Fiero GT, '55 Chevy Handyman Wagon, G-body Cutlass, '69 F-body (preferably a Firebird).... and a C06 Skyhawk.
Does that make sense? ..... Dreamin'.....

[rpoz-29]

I started out looking for a large piece of land. My parents' reluctance to move to a retirement facility has complicated that. (before you think I'm a turd, my folks are mid-eighties in a 2 story home they can't maintain on a lot they can't care for. My dad is legally blind and suffers from COPD or something similar, my mom has had several knee replacements also has COPD. They get winded half way up the stairs. They won't look for a second opinion and simply keep going the the same doctors getting the same opinions. It falls to me, my sister and my brother to maintain the place, I need to stay close by. They have the means to move, but won't). If either of them passes or takes a tumble down the stairs, the other simply can not stay there by themselves.
We do want to down-size, and the only way I'll ever do it is to force myself into it. I will be looking for a piece of land for "future expansion". Our county is so darn unpredictable with the way they change zoning and allow new development, I don't want to expand here for fear my 5-10 acre home site would eventually border a 200+ home neighborhood. I just want some peace and quiet.

[sirrick4]

I can relate to the peace and quiet thing. After serving 22 years in the army ( Infantry and bomb disposal) and coming out of it with PTSD and a well worn body the last thing I wanted to do was live in suburbia. I found a nice 2 1/2 acres of dirt about 9 miles out of a place called Gympie in Queensland. Me and the missus built a nice little 3 bed house and I built a 9 metre by 7 1/2metre shed with a 11m x 7.5m carport at the front. Needless to say the shed and carport are bigger than the house. There are great views and the closest neighbour is about 400 yards away. The Monza has been sitting on stands in the shed for the last couple of years and I am slowly getting it done while I try and shake off this bloody PTSD. Motivation is a hard thing to come by at the moment. I cant stand crowds any more and my little piece of paradise out here is my safe place. We are about an hour from the coast and 5 minutes by car from a river that has plenty of fish. I love it out here because its miles away from the rat race. I get a fair disability pension from the DVA and I've always got food, smokes and beer in the fridge so I'm enjoying life as best I can.
On a final note, Merry Christmas to all you blokes out there in H Body land.

[hammerdown7]

Hi Rick, Good to hear from you and Merry Christmas to you as well. One item that I have read about is the effect that owning a dog can have on those with PTSD, just wondering if you have one. From what I hear they make a great deal of difference.
Dick

[Monza Harry]

Hi Rick, Good to hear from you and Merry Christmas to you as well. One item that I have read about is the effect that owning a dog can have on those with PTSD, just wondering if you have one. From what I hear they make a great deal of difference.
Dick

I'll second that and a good dog is better than 90+% of the people I know (10% are from H-Body.Org ) I wish my job/lifestyle would be fair for a dog, as I would have one in a second flat. My current job is 12 hour days, and the wife isn't an animal lover, but she does tolerate me and my car & tools, so there is that. And I was just wondering if that garage and carport is big enough? (65.5' X 24.5') Man am I jealous ! Harry

[sirrick4]

Thanks Dick and Harry. My missus is a wildlife carer and mainly cares for possums (Nothing like your opossums - they're just plain ugly ) and the occasional kangaroo, wallaby, platypus etc. I get a lot of enjoyment helping her raise and care for them. At the moment I have a bobuck possum that I am raising and he goes everywhere with me and he is a good little mate. I sure get some looks when I go into town with a possum on my shoulder. I appreciate the suggestion about the dogs but they don't mix too well with possums.
Harry the shed isn't quite big enough yet, I am still extending it to accommodate all my tools. Lucky I was a shed erector before I stopped working. The missus reckons I wont be happy until the whole yard is under roof.
Thanks for caring fellas

[Kenova]

........ The missus reckons I wont be happy until the whole yard is under roof.
Thanks for caring fellas

WHOA! Now there's an idea. That would be great during some of our winters.
Take care Mate, things will get better.

Ken