The Florida Project

As many people who know me already know? I have a dream of moving out of New York State and heading south. Perhaps we'll make the move when I retire? Or perhaps sooner. It is my career aspiration to retire someday and get a job at Walt Disney World as a boat hand on one of the transportation boats. I don't want to be Boat Captain because that is too much responsibility for someone in retirement. I just want to be the guy that ties the boat to the dock.

We have plenty of time to decide where we would like to move if we were to move south someday. As I have explored the idea of moving to Florida, I have heard four negative points:
(1) Hurricanes
(2) It is too hot
(3) Insurance is too high
(4) Florida is a nice place to visit, but too many move to Florida and expect it to be a vacation and forget that life happens.

Concerning Hurricanes, in the last two years? New York State has been hit with two. And Florida has been hit with none.

Concerning the insurance is too high? I live in one of the highest taxed regions in the US. The savings in property tax, income tax, and sales tax would more than offset any increase in insurance costs. Besides, I have heard from some who have moved to Florida already and their recommendation? Shop around.

The concern about the heat seems valid. We went to Disney in June in the 90's and I remember it being painfully in the 100's. We decided to really test the heat. In 2011 we went to Florida for two weeks in July. During those two weeks, it was actually hotter in New York than it was in Florida!

This year, our Florida Project will test the fourth complaint: living in Florida is very different than vacationing in Florida. For this test, we are going to rent a house for a month and try living there. I have arranged to work while in Florida. I will be transforming one of the bedrooms into my office, and taking all my office equipment with us. We will shop in Florida, deal with all the daily life issues, and get an understanding for what it means to live there. We are also returning in July to re-test the heat concern.

Staying behind is my college age daughter who will watch the pets and keep the house up in New York. And also staying are my parents who live in the attached in-law.

If we might not move to Florida for a very long time, why perform this test now? Because I was able to get permission from my boss to work from Florida and do this. And I don't know if I'll ever have an opportunity like this again. And if moving to Florida isn't a good idea? I'd like to know now so I can make different plans.

Much of this blog, recently, has focused on work being done to the house. For the next month, the focus is going to shift to The Florida Project as I journal our terrific adventure.

Back to the back yard: patio

Several years ago I placed a deck on the back of the house, and then surrounded the deck with a multi-level patio. The patio wall is timber held in place with spikes. One area of the wall started to come apart and if it broke? It would be like a damn breaking - pouring gravel into the back yard. I fixed it by using pry bars to push the wall back into place, then pounded in rebar with a sledge to hold the wall and keep it from coming apart again.

Front Yard Reconstruction Phase 2

Phase2 of the project is to redo the driveway. Make it bigger, wider, thicker, larger turn around, etc. the project will be delayed until August due to all the wet weather we have experienced, so, check back later!

Front Yard Reconstruction: Lock Smith

The front door knob's brass had warn off and I always wanted to change it, but I didn't want to pay for a lock smith to change the lock. So, I did a little research and learned how to change out the lock core. We now have a new shiny door knob!

Kiss my Brass Part 2

I was so impressed with the brass cleaner that I decided to clean up some door handles. This picture shows the clean and shiny door handle. Above it is the bolt lock. I have cleaned the very top of the bolt lock, but the side shows what everything used to look like - almost black! After cleaning, it looks shiny and new!

Front Yard Reconstruction: Black Bench

There are two benches on the front porch, one of them is this black bench. The paint is flaking due to weathering. The bench needed to be scrapped, sanded, and then multiple layers of blank paint to bring it back to life. Now it looks really good!

Front Yard Reconstruction: Kiss my brass

Eight months ago we installed storm doors onto four of the five exterior doors. On the front door, we selected glass with a brass oval. Now, eight months later the brass is not shinny. So I spent two hours and half a bottle of brass cleaner getting the brass shinny again. In this picture you can see the brass on the left which has been cleaned versus the brass on the right which isn't. If I had known I would need to clean the brass every six months I wouldn't have gotten the door! So I called the installer and complained. They are having the manufacturer rep give me a call.

Front Yard Reconstruction: Painting the doors

The front door and the garage entry door get a new coat of paint!

Front Yard Reconstruction: Painting

While the house is sided, the trim around the porch and front door is wood. The trim received a fresh coat of white paint.

Bedroom Project

For the longest time Linda has wanted two things: replace the bedroom TV with one mounted to the wall; and a filing cabinet. I have refused the filing cabinet because I don't believe they belong in a bedroom. Then I found a nice wooden filing cabinet (large amounts of assembly required) on a great sale. It looks like a piece of bedroom furniture. So I decided to surprise her. I assembled the filing cabinet, then hung a new 32" TV (also on sale at Walmart) on the wall.

Front Yard Reconstruction: Phase 2

Phase 2 of the Front Yard Reconstruction Project involves work on the driveway. With seven cars (one in the garage) we need a large drive way. I can't see affording to blacktop it because the driveway is so large and stone is comparatively much cheaper. I can stone the driveway for fifty years for the cost of one blacktop job.

The driveway will be expanded and a new load of stone added. In Phase 1, I have been able to save money by doing all the work myself. In phase 2? I am paying $75/hr plus materials.I am usually a tight wad when it comes to paying others, but I don't have a choice. I don't own a truck or back hoe.

I met with the contractor on Friday to go over everything that needs to be done. The expansion area will be dug down several inches. Large crusher stone will be placed in the expansion. Then smaller crusher stone will be spread over the entire driveway.

At this time, the incredible amounts of rain we have received have flooded nearby towns and left a mess. I can't start Phase 2 until the ground dries. I hope the ground dries soon! I want to get it done before July 4!

Front Yard: What the caulk?

Every place water might pool against a wood seam? You need to caulk it to avoid rot. So, I recaulk the front porch today.

Front Yard Reconstruction: Stone Garden

The stone garden is now completed! In this picture, you can see the before and after.

Front Yard Reconstruction Project: Security Camera

We have been dealing with rain almost on a dialy basis. The rain has caused huge delays in everything we want to do, thus the reason there haven't been any updates. The security camera is now installed. I can watch the flowers grow in the garden without needing to sit outside!

The camera turns so I can see the front yard and driveway too. And will email an alert if it detects motion.

Front Yard Reconstruction: Fountain II

The fountain is working again! Next I will add the rest of the white marble stone for the stone garden. You can see the stone is still coming into picture.

Front Yard Reconstruction: side wall

The rain lifted leaving a muddy mess. But the new foundation for the fountain held solid. After the area dried, I finished the foundation and I am ready to reassemble to fountain. I reapplied the quadruple anti-weed fabric. I also took a 2'x2' sidewalk paver and drilled a 2" hole so I can set it over the electrical conduit to be the above grade base for the fountain. I removed the 16 cubic feet of dirt (now mud ) that I had excavated when I dug the hole for the fountain's foundation. Next, I finished the side wall shown in this picture. The wall is six feet long and 30 inches tall with a 3 inch gravel base below grade. The wall separates the driveway from the rock garden.

Front yard rebuild

Another rain delay. Before the rain hit I was able to get most of the fountain's foundation laid. I took advantage of the rain and visited the hardware store to get the gravel and rocks for the wall that will be next to the garage.