Getting a Bigger Garden

I have been living in a row house for over ten years, and have just sold it and bought a single house. The old house lot was 2,000 square feet, the new house lot is about 83,000 square feet.

It took a lot of time and effort to find that much space at a price I could afford (I hope). If any of you are thinking of buying a place, definitely talk to a few mortgage companies. I meant to just make a courtesy call to tell the other two companies that I decided on another lender, but I ended up starting a bidding war and lowering my interest rate from over 7% to under 5%.

I guess it's too late for bulb co-ops now?

Congratulations! I have real estate license ( holding it inactive at the moment) but this is so important. I'm shocked at the number of people who think all the lending institution have the same rates on Mortages. They vary greatly. Wishing you many happy hours of filling your little peice of heaven with wonderful flowers. Lou

Congratulations on your new home and gardening space! Wishing you all good wishes as you begin your new gardening ventures.
Lou --- we are almost neighbors it seems.
Gary.Louisville

ernie,,, surely not 83,000 square feet? What did you buy, a football stadium?

Ours lot is only 6000 square feet...When it grows up, it wants to consume all the other lots around us and be as big as yours! It'll burp back up a few landscapers to keep it all looking nice, though.

You're so right about shopping around for mortgage rates. Not only that, but get all three credit reports from the 3 reporting agencies and go over them with a fine-tooth comb. Do it early, several months in advance of when you plan to apply for loans, so discrepancies can be cleared up before you're talking turkey with loan officers.

Actually I'm a Dave, not an Ernie! Yes, it is about 83,000 square feet (1.9 acres). The front part is about 73 feet wide by 500 feet deep (the house is about 30 or 40 feet from the road, I didn't measure), the further back part of the lot shifts over by about 60 feet, leaving a 13 foot connection to the front portion, and goes another 650 feet deep. the whole lot is at a slight angle to the road, and the front and back portions are both parallelograms rather than rectangles.

Now I won't have to worry about having a spot to plant something before I buy it.

I really should have cleaned up my credit reports before I started looking for a loan. They were full of inaccuracies that hurt my credit rating.

LOL Dave, I think she just confused you with eweed, another great guy here(I would take it as a compliment big time).
Congratulations on your new home!!! I can imagine after your all moved in your eyes will be straying to the yard and thinking of all the possibilities you can plant. Im only on .16 acres and its so small and I have such big dreams about what I could plant. Im seriously thinking about taking over my next door neighbors yard, he dosnt do anything with it and he could have some great shade gardens in the back. I bet(now that I think about it) he would let me take it over if I just raked and mowed it once in a while. hhmmmm(smoke coming from ears as the gears start to crank).

Sorry, Dave. I did that once before... confused eweed with Ewald.

Yep, an itty bitty new sand box to 'play' in Dave !!
Geez, you've stepped up 'big' time, didn'tcha .. !!!!
Just don't lose yourself there on the new place ...
.. hee hee ..

Now .. what about the new HOUSE ? ..
Tell us about it too .. (that is, if'n you don't mind) ?

Ya jes gotta be excited about all of its' (home & lot) .. potential, 'ey ?!?

... Plum proud for ya !! ...

- Magpye

Thanks for asking: I just measured the front: It's actually 80 feet from the road. The driveway loops completely around the house to give access to a garage under the house (lot slopes down from road): there's loads of parking space.

Built in 1948, it has a concrete block foundation and is wood frame with cedar clap board siding (peeling yellow paint). It has a foyer, a living room, a large kitchen , no dining room, a large bathroom, one adequate bedroom, a first floor laundry room, and an attic converted into a bedroom for short people. I can stand up in the middle four feet of the attic bedroom (doesn't qualify as a room under the 2003 international building code as the ceiling is too low).

It is zoned as "office, limited industrial" but has mostly been used as a residence. The former owner towed and stored cars. It had been a motel at one time, with five tiny one-room cabins behind the house. Only one cabin is left, and the electricity, water and heat for the cabin have been disconnected. It's across the road from a small airfield, whose owner gave me a very nice, huge aerial photograph of the airfield which shows my property in good detail. Sooner or later I'll post pictures.


This message was edited Oct 13, 2004 9:01 AM

Neat-sounding place. I love those finished attic rooms. Can't wait to see pictures! That little motel cabin sounds like a neat remote office to me, or studio. Hmmmmmm, dreaming here.... :)

Oh my .. what an absolutely sweet lil home !!!

And geez .. the space you've got .. fer jes about ANY size a body could desire in any type of gardens !!

Proud and happy for ya Ewald ..

And, keep 'em pics a comin' ..

- Mags

Oops! I just noticed they copyrighted that photograph. I doubt they really care, but I'll ask to have it deleted - I can replace it with a picture of my own soon enough.

Ewald .. I'd be willing to take a somewhat uneducated guess, that ... you're probably in no violation of any copyright laws associated, with your posting that pic here ... Unless, you were chargin' a fee fer us to view it or sumpin' ... and/or you were making money in any form, from the post here.

And beins YOU didn't .. and you can't .. (to be the best of my limited knowlege anyway) So, I'll bet you're sitting jes fine & dandy just the way things are. ... hee

However .. hmmmm .. you can refund my hunnerd bucks .. right now !! HEE HEE HEE
.. LOL LOL ..

- Magpye

Ewald, sounds like you have found your gardening spot. We will look forward to pictures. You must take quite a few for yourself to have before and after. That is so important for comparison in following years. I garden on 2 1/2 acres and sometimes thing that isn't enough for all the trees I want. Donna

I've posted the picture on my member page.


This message was edited Oct 25, 2004 7:55 AM

This message was edited Oct 25, 2004 8:40 AM