Sunday, September 20, 2015

Room to Let

I bought my house in 1972 and in 1978 tore most of it down keeping only a core 450 square feet
containing the front room and the original kitchen.  Then I added over 2,000 square feet and over the years continue to improve upon it.  Now it is a six bedroom with four complete bathrooms giant and is the key to my retirement!  I rent the rooms out and over time the renters move to better and bigger rooms as they become available.  The upstairs has 3 bedrooms, two about 12' x 14'  and the "Big One", about 16' x 22' with its own balcony.  There is one share bathroom upstairs with a tub/shower and even a Bidet!  The bathroom is bigger than "normal", about 7' x 10' and very comfortable.  The upstairs hallway is wider than "normal", about 5' wide and also very comfortable!  One of these rooms, 12' x 14' will be available on October 1st and rents for $450 with a $200 deposit, half of which is refundable.  All rents include all utilities, garbage and WiFi. Because the upstairs rooms are close to each other, out of politeness, overnight guests are not allowed.
The downstairs, at opposite ends of the house are two Studio Rooms with their own bathrooms and their own entrances.  These are isolated and overnight guests would not be noticed, but they are both rented although one tenant may be leaving soon.  They rent for $700 with $200 deposit.
The Main House has a downstairs shared bathroom with a six foot cast iron tub, a washer and dryer, big living room with a wood burning stove and large kitchen/dining area.  The kitchen is well equipped and we have been caning most of the summer.  There is a storage area in the front section of the garage and I live in the back area of the garage (it is pretty nice, don't feel sorry for me!).
The property is a third acre in the City and very secure and private.  There is a complete Outdoor Kitchen,  a gathering and seating area which is very nice.  Soon there will be a guest room for out of town visitors who may stay 3 nights for free while visiting!
There is a great Greenhouse where I start all the vegetable from seed for the garden and we should be able to have "greens" all year long!  There is a well established Organic Garden that produces far more than we can eat!  It is over 40 years old and has always been my main hobby! In the summer months there is a nice "splash pool" where you will find me on very hot days!
I am a retired but still working Metal Artist specializing in Ornamental Iron and my work can be found here:  http://www.PictureTrail.com/slate  I have a nice metal shop at the back of the property which I am happy to share. I can even teach you welding!
If you are interested in renting a room I really want to know  why? and, of course, how you intend to pay for it!  read More on this blog and see some photos and get to know me better, then, maybe we can become roommates!


Sunday, August 16, 2015

The Brick Room!

Picked Today! from 40 year old Organic Garden~
My house is pretty Big and I have been on a remodeling frenzy!  Six Bedrooms and four full bathrooms!  Pretty nuts but I have decided that this will be a key element to my retirement!
I like the Brick floor!
Serious working shop
My house is too big and my property too large and it is time to share what I have created.  It is a "makers" paradise with lots to see and do, and separate work spaces, gallery areas, unfinished spaces and, of course, my shop.

ten foot tall ceilings!  6' x 7' storage loft 

Area outside door to Brick Room and small porch leading to main house.
Bridge leding to garden, greenhouse, plunge pool shop and gallery space
I call my latest creation the "Brick Room" because of the brick floor.  It is a great space with its own entrance, a little bar sink, mini fridge and loft storage.  It is connected to an unfinished area, about 10' x 15' and ideally I would find a renter who would value and require this space.
Door to the "Brick Room"

Copper back wall, bar sink, mini fridge and small closet
this door leads to unfinished 10' x 15' area

Door to outside and door to living room of main house 

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Would we listen if...

Would we listen if God really, really yelled?  How can there still be disbelievers when the weather is screaming?  The Bees are "falling like flies"?  We have 100 year droughts and massive flooding and it is hotter than Hades!  Oregon, Western Oregon at that, 50 miles from the Ocean and it will be 106 degrees today!  Fifty miles from the mountains with no snow we are rationing water!
We are living through a Mass Extinction Event and just might not be able to survive it! crazy, huh?

Friday, June 19, 2015

Waiting...

Tomato Season, the main reason I garden.  I have saved seeds from the very best tomatoes for over 40 years effectively creating my own variety of tomatoes.  The darker the better for me, all the more flavor and juicy that I like so much.  My goal each year is to have a ripe tomato by the forth of July and this year I will beat that by 2 weeks!  Global warming anyone?  Yes, it is good for me (so far) but wrecking havoc in other parts of the world, from too much rain to no rain at all and we are getting water from the very bowels of this earth!  I wonder what that will do?
Interesting this new Pope and his scolding us like the wayward children we have become!  Unappreciative and dirtying our own home.  Yes, we are.  and you know there will be a price!
Nevertheless I am waiting with anticipation! Two, because I am a glutton.  Yes, I will eat two Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwiches! Oh how daring I am!

Thursday, June 11, 2015

My Garden Today

I have been busy but stopped to take some photos yesterday.  I built an "Outdoor Kitchen"!  I will try it out for the first time this Sunday. Complete with fire pit, charcoal grill, propane grill and electric skillet and, sink, of course!  The counter top is concrete.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Dog Heaven

and the Biggest water bowl ever!
and the garden is fenced to keep him out of trouble!
no 2 gates the same
fenced and cross fenced!
 yes, Dogs love flowers too!
 the side steps from the living room, filtered sun
 
 it is good it is pretty here because it is fenced everywhere!
 the other end to the ditch, artfully fenced!
 side steps and upper balcony from the ditch
 back porch, dog's view
 the bridge from the bottom of the ditch
 the picnic area from a dogs view
 filtered sunlight, always cool here
 where dogs explore!
 gates and fencing everywhere!
I thought I would post some photos of my property from a dog's point of view.  I used to have a rottweiler mastiff pit bull mix, a very gentle giant at 120 pounds and he loved this place, fenced in to keep him safe and cross fenced to keep him out of trouble and away from my garden.  A ditch runs diagonally through my property, always cool and shady down there and full of wonderful smells only a dog could fall in love with.
 this is one end of the 160 foot ditch, fenced and gated!

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Stolen Planters!















Well, Steel actually, not stolen nor is is likely they ever will be!  I made five of these with some help over the weekend and they will look beautiful when they are at their "forever home".  These are not painted but encouraged to rust with a misting of muriatic acid, giving them a rust patina the color of raw leather.  18" deep and 24" wide, they are from 5' to almost 8' long and bolted together on the job site.  Yes, more expensive than wood but they will outlast a series of five wooden planters.  They don't rot and they don't attract slugs and snails.