Saturday, August 30, 2008

Thinking About a New Nest

This lot is just down the street from us so I pass by it often. It is a big lot that goes from our street to the next street, it is a good location and it is still in Colonia San Antonio which we like a lot. I've never seen a "For Sale" sign on it but I've often wondered about who owns it and how much they would sell it for. It would be an intriguing design problem. I'd want to save the trees. (See I think of this lot in a very personal way.) Then there is the elevation....lower on my street, higher on the other street. I imagine there would be some way to have two sections of the house connected somehow without taking out a tree.

What has me thinking about building a new house? My friend Joseph has bought a lot and is working on house plans. Everytime I start looking at architectural drawings it just stirs up those creative juices. I loved working with the architect and builder when we built our house in Houston. Sure there are problems along the way but I felt that we were creating more than just a house. In a way architecture is like designing a sculpture where you are not only creating interior volumes that interact with each other but you are creating an outer skin that will be viewed in light and shadow and interact with the environment. It is about space and light and yet it must also be a place that is liveable.

It would be such a creative experience to build another house. But then reality sets in. Do I want to spend two years of my life building a house....and I know that building a house is a full-time, all-consumning job. As far as a house goes, we have all the room we really need. Building costs are high in San Miguel. It would cost us more to build the same square footage that we already have. Would we live any better or be more comfortable in a new house? I don't think so. In fact I can't imagine living any better than we are now. So I'll just enjoy Joseph's building experience and I'll keep looking at lots and building virtual houses.....but still this lot is intriguing.

5 comments:

Steve Cotton said...

Billie -- I looked at a house in Barra de Navidad that had a design well-suited to YOUR lot. The main portion of the house was toward the front of the lot with everything but the master suite in a two-level arrangement. The master suite was at the very back of the property -- separate from the rest of the house. Between was a very nice court yard -- a spot for YOUR trees to enjoy a healthy life.

Billie Mercer said...

Yes, something like that would work on MY lot.

Anonymous said...

I would suggest taking 2 asprins and laying down until the feeling goes away!

Billie Mercer said...

Anonymous, mmmm......
This could be my husband.

Islagringo said...

I share your dream of creating my own house. Then I wake up and realize where I am.