Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The Countdown Begins...

Our house overflows with boxes Wifey packed up.
We finally got our move in date for our new (rental) house in Northern Arizona! Mr. and Mrs. Owner will be moved out in time for us to move IN on September 14th. I have requested that the moving company re-evaluate our assets next week, after I get a chance to move some things up north myself.

The hospital has graciously allowed a $9,000 moving allowance.  According to the hospital spokesperson, that money can only be used toward physically moving our stuff. If there was any left over, I do not get it. If the cost runs over, I have to foot the bill myself. So far, with the first assessment by the moving company, they concluded that it would take a whopping $12,000 (GASP!) to move our household!

What the...? Seriously?

That began the two day banter between the moving company and myself regarding how exactly they come up with these figures. To make a long story short, they pimp out things to third party companies instead of doing it themselves...which, of course, is more expensive than if they actually DID IT themselves. Go figure. Note: this is the ONLY company that my new hospital is contracted with to "direct bill" for relocating a new employee. Can you say MONOPOLY?

Mirror so large it's hard to get it in one picture
Anyway, the silly things they contract out are things like: our bedroom set mirror. It is quite large hence a large liability. So the moving company hires out a third party company to come to my house and crate it up for freight. Same with our grandfather clock, flat screen tv (although it is actually pretty small compared to what I see in most folks houses), and a few other fragile items. Lots of money WASTED and I'm not paying for it. I'll be making a few runs up there for New Hire Orientation anyway...I'll just take a trailer full of boxes every time I go. I can take the mirror, clock, and tv in my trailer. Nothing a few strategically placed blankets can't handle. I have to get the cost down to being within the allowance.

The front of our new home in the pines. Full front porch!
Turns out the house we are renting isn't cheap either but it is directly in line with what we would have paid in Oklahoma. So, I'm fine with it. I'm SO excited about the 2.5 acres that it sits on. We'll be able to garden to our hearts content. It also has a large, custom chicken coop that I can't wait to show you. It is bordered by half hewn logs, if that's what they are called? Like, when you  use you own saw mill on a tree and you cut off that first slice with the bark that makes for a flat side on the tree? That top piece is what Mr. Owner used to make the walls of the coop with. A large branch perched in the middle holds up the thick netting to repel predators.

!!!! MAN CAVE !!!..and a little woman nook. :-)
There are already two small gardens near the coop that grow food specifically for the chickens. Not sure what is growing but I bet we'll figure it out eventually. There's also a small wooden playhouse next to a fire pit for the girls to play in. Oh, and Mr. Owner has left lots of firewood for us too. There's also state forest land DIRECTLY behind us. He said with a $20 license of some type, I can cut down my own firewood.  I am really looking forward to a nice COLD winter up there with lots of fires. Did mention the awesome three car garage / workshop?!! With a LOFT?!! Woo hoo! And it all sits perched atop a nice low mountain with views of the pseudo-valley below.

I have some video footage of the house when we were looking but I went so fast with excitement that I blurred most of the still frame shots. The whole family is excited and I'm betting that the next two weeks C..R..A..W..L.. by.

~OJD

11 comments:

  1. That looks wonderful. I can't believe Mr. & Mrs. Owner would want to leave that little piece of paradise.

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  2. Yes, it looks like a great place for you and your family. I think it worked out better for you than trying to move onto the family farm in Oklahoma. Things do seem to work out for the better. . . most of the time.

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  3. Dear OJD,
    I've made too many cross country corporate moves using commercial services. Unless things have changed since last year, they will load the truck and then go weigh it. You will be charged by the pound.
    Just saying, if you need to get the cost down below 9K, and are making trips up to the new digs with the jeep and trailer, take the heaviest stuff you can safely unload up there. The local Uhaul or whatever the local brand is, can get you in touch with day workers to help you unload if it is just too much for one guy to safely manage. On my last move they gave me a 7K price for the move, but after the truck was weighed, the bill came in at $9,800. Not a happy surprise.
    JF

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  4. Happy, happy, happy for you and yours!! Hubby often contemplates a "winter" home in AZ, and in my mind I see what you are showing...pine trees, mountains = high elevation. He however, sees an RV in the hot dry desert in his mental picture. We aren't THAT old yet, LOL.

    What a beautiful place to come home to and now your favorite people will be there waiting for you. Littles grow so quickly.

    I agree on the time until the move going so slowly. Just waiting for you to post made me feel that way and I'm a busy person. You are too, so those weeks will fly.

    Prayers for a move within budget and a happy beginning to the newest chapter in your family's adventure in self-reliance.

    sidetracksusie

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  5. So exciting! Looks like a grand place for you and your family.

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  6. We call those first pieces off the sawmill "slabs", and they can be very useful, looking forward to hearing more, good luck on your new adventure!
    Shar

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  7. God works in mysterious ways, doesn't he! Best of luck to you and your family! Look forward to hearing about your new adventures!

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  8. Looks very nice and that storage space is incredible. Actually, I don't think the $12,000 price quoted is out of the ordinary for moving a complete house, at least not using one of the big moving van companies. However, one sneaky thing these vans do, is when they have arrived at your new place, they will tell you the price is higher & won't let your furniture off the van unless you pay the higher price. There have been lawsuits over that type of bait & switch. So taking stuff down in a u-haul truck makes a lot of sense.

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  9. Hmmm...7000 feet in Northern AZ. Sounds like the place we moved from 5 years ago to come back home to Colorado. Beautiful area though.

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