There has been one empty lot on our street for the last year or so, as the remainder of our development has been completed. It is next door to my house and has always appeared to be too small to hold a substantial home. Since we’ve lived here the lot has served a myriad of uses from personal compost pile, to archery range, to sledding hill. Tricia and I harbored dreams of buying the lot and turning it into a neighborhood park. Alas, $35,000 didn’t fall from the sky so we sat and watched as the weed filled lot sent its seeds into our lawn.

About a month ago the first signs of activity on the lot began to emerge. Surveyors showed up out of the blue and staked the property line. I asked them whether a house was finally going to be built. Indeed the lot had sold and on it would be built a 3 bedroom ranch - amazing for a property we thought could barely fit a shed. The very next day heavy equipment came and cleared all of those weeds…and trees…and dirt and pretty much anything else living. In fact a family of displaced field mice decided to call our deck home. Then, last week Visca Builders began construction. First, the heavy equipment came and dug the basement. Next, a crew set the foundation. Today, heavy equipment is backfilling the dirt against the basement walls. Fortunately for our new neighbors, the builders actually decided to put a black plastic vapor barrier around the perimeter. Unlike the rest of us whose basements constantly seep water, their basement will probably be bone dry. I’m glad the Visca’s practiced on our house so that they could get the neighbor’s house dry. I’m not bitter or anything.

Our new house is coming along so quickly. Tonight we drove up and found that the builder had already framed in the second story exterior and interior. We were able to actually go inside and get a feeling for what it is really going to be like. This was helpful as we then went onto the kitchen place to choose our kitchen counter tops and cabinets.