Think outside the box? I can't even FIND the box!

You're born, you go to school, you go on to a job doing _____, you get married, have kids, and you climb the career ladder, making more $$$ at every step.  You have a house, 2 cars, a retirement plan for later on, and finally you hang it up and relax to a nice life bouncing grand-kids on your knee and traveling the country in your RV.  Oh, and you'll never get sick.  SWEET!

Except you forgot to figure in "reality".

Here's the more likely scenario:  You're born (so far, so good)....then the wheels come off.  Too often kids find themselves without two-parent influence.  The cost of higher education means many kids/parents can't afford it, except with massive student loans that can take decades to pay off.  Jobs seldom have the security of lifetime employment like they did 50 years ago.  Changing technology means you'll constantly have to reinvent / retrain yourself and start over again, which likely means a pay cut.  Which in turn means you'd better think twice before buying that big house with the 30 year mortgage.  It's hard enough seeing 2 years into the future, much less 30.

More and more, new jobs are being created by small companies, as opposed to the big Fortune 500 companies, and small companies often can't afford all the perks such as family health care and retirement / 401K plans that were common not long ago.  Statistically we're having smaller families since, for one thing, it costs so much to raise kids today....about $250K to raise one child to the age of 18 they say.  Ouch!  And if that big house is questionable, an RV is even more of a dream.

And the odds are great you WILL eventually get sick.  I was healthy as a horse until my innards decided to rebel at age 64.  (Maybe I should come back in my next life as a horse?)  Luckily I had good health insurance.  Many of us, however, find ourselves having to pay more for our health insurance than we do for our house payment.  Will it soon be an either/or proposition?  Copays and deductibles are up, yet the percentage insurance pays is often down.

Our personal "plans" are increasingly diverging from what life is actually dealing us.  The trend lines are moving in opposite directions.

The status quo isn't working for us.  Day after day, year after year, we're losing ground.  This isn't meant as a doom and gloom post.  It's just a wake up call.  We CAN turn things around IF we put aside the idea that "we've always done it this way" is the only way.

We're at a crossroads.  Are we going to stick with our "plan", or face reality and consider things that don't fit our stereotypical boxes?

S  

That's my story and I'm stickin' with it!

I get razzed a lot for my rather pathetic attempt at retirement.  I work a while, then I coast a while, then rinse and repeat.  Here's why I can't / don't just hang it up completely:

First, K is still working (did I mention she just got a BIG promotion / raise?), so we can't just hop in the car and drive off for weeks or months at a time.

Second, while I did officially retire a year and a half ago....I resigned as company president and turned it all over to my brother....he does still need help in one important area.  For all those years I handled the operations (actual construction) while bro handled the "office administration", and there is a ton of office administration.  The paperwork burden just keeps growing and growing!

My brother's weakness is his lack of deep understanding of the structural aspects of building.  I'm talking about the foundation, framing, installation of mechanicals, etc, and understanding the building codes.  

When we have a home just beginning construction I come out of hibernation and handle things up through getting inspections.  After that it's pretty much cosmetic....picking paint and stain colors, marble, granite, fixtures, etc.  Bro is great at working with customers on all that.  That's when I can take a step back and coast.

While I no longer have any day-to-day responsibility, I still own half the company and derive income from it, so of course I want to see it succeed.  We're too small a company to hire someone else full-time to do what I did.  It's a nicely profitable business if you watch your overhead, but another split of the $$$ won't work, so.....

And finally, I actually like building homes.  I enjoy watching things progress day-to-day all the way to completion.  I like driving through a neighborhood we built in 5 or 10 years ago and saying to myself, "We built that one, and that one, and that one...".   And when one of those old customers comes back and asks us to build them another, it's hard to say no to a friend.

If I can just steer clear of all the #$^& paperwork, I rather enjoy the work / retire rotation.  We'll see how long it stays fun.  :)

S

"To be, or not to be? That...is the question."

Wha...?  I think what Bill Shakespeare meant was "To be retired, or not to be retired?  That is the question."  Lemme answer that:  Retirement is OK for a while, but occasionally it's nice to do something a little more challenging.

One of our previous customers, M/M "W", called on us to make another addition to the home we built for them just 2 years ago.  They're bringing in "mom", but I don't think they want her right on top of them, so they bought the lot next door and are building her her own quarters.

 

"Quarters"?  It's a good sized house all by itself.

It was about a month ago that we began construction, drilling 33 piers (steel reinforced concrete shafts that go down to bedrock) to support the foundation.

Then we put in all the PVC drain pipes and copper water lines, inspected it, and covered it with a moisture membrane.

After the foundation set-up was then inspected and approved by the design engineer we brought in the concrete pumper truck and things got interesting.

This is how the concrete comes out the other end of the hydraulic pump 60' away from the truck.

 

It's kinda cool to watch as it slowly oozes down into the deep beams, rather like molten lava flowing downhill. 

After the concrete had cured for a week and the cables had been tensioned (stretched), the carpenters began framing.  This is where we were as of yesterday.

 

It's funny how a home seems to grow larger in size as work progresses.  The slab frankly isn't very impressive, but when framing starts and you can get a sense of perspective, it blossoms.  From this angle it seems to stretch for a city block.  (That's the existing home we're tying in to.)

My job in all this?  I walk around with a clipboard and a set of blueprints under my arm.  Occasionally I unroll the plans (making sure I have them turned right-side-up....appearance is everything, you know) and look critically at something, then roll them back up.  

I also walk around, nod, smile, and say "Hola" a lot.  They call me "patron", which I think means "the one who brings the donuts".  

I think I have the work / retire ratio just about right.  When either starts getting a bit tedious I switch over to the other for a while.  Right now the work is good.  Maybe in a few weeks / months I'll retire again for a while.  One nice thing about working....you learn to appreciate weekends again. 

Speaking of weekends, have a great one all you fellow working stiffs.  :)

S  

 

Living large by living small

I always chuckle when I see that commercial on TV for a retirement investment fund when they ask, "Will you be able to keep your same standard of living after you retire?"  *gasp*  I wonder, "Why would you want to?"  Why would you want the same big 'ol house that you raised 3 kids in when you're down to just two empty nesters?

K and I  (mainly I) realized this about 7 years ago and sold / gave away most of our "stuff", a prelude to downsizing our living quarters by 2/3.  Things were surprisingly easy to part with.  Our furniture was very high quality, but it had no sentimental value.  Over 30 years I had collected a 400-500 volume library, and I just assumed it would move with me.  But then K pointed out that if I don't re-read them or use them for reference, they're just 500 dust catchers.  Good point.  I kept a few special volumes, but then got rid of the rest.  Now I buy (mostly) e-books.

We found a 2 bed / 2 bath apartment in the Shops of Legacy, an upscale residential / restaurant / entertainment district in Plano (a north Dallas suburb) which also not by coincidence was just 1 mile from K's work, and just 2 blocks from a freeway that took me straight to my work.

We were super excited....until we signed the lease, they gave us the keys, and we opened the door.  "OMG", we thought.  "What have we done?"  The place looked tiny.  

Our house had a 24' x 36' Great Room, and this apartment had a den less than half that size.  But as we moved in and started to put our remaining stuff away we found we had more than enough room.

You have to learn to think in 3 dimensions.  It isn't just about "floor space", but about vertical space, too.  These days TV's are only an inch thick and can hang on the wall.  Stereo speakers are the size of Rubick's cubes and can fit anywhere.

The Container Store has the perfect sized see-thru storage boxes to fit under beds.  Their larger boxes can be stacked to the ceiling in a corner of the closet with out-of-season clothes, then switched twice a year.

Those dead spaces high above washers/dryers can be utilized with Elfa style shelves and clothes rods.  No space goes unused.

Downsizing includes furniture, too.  Two people don't need a huge dining table with leaves and 6 or more chairs when a simple drop leaf table will work just fine.

And as we settled in more it got even better.  The grounds were beautifully manicured, the trees were perfectly pruned, fresh flowers were always being planted, and I didn't have to do any of it.  Hungry?  Bored?  Just a 2-block walk took us to Bishop Street, a 6-block-long strip that offered 25+ eateries, a multi-screen theater, and several adult beverage establishments.

Something around the apartment need maintenance? The A/C filter need changing?   I just fire off an email and it's fixed.  They even change our light bulbs.  No joke!  And time NOT spent doing chores around the house left us more time to enjoy....well, life.

But eventually we found some of our old habits returning.  We would impulsively buy something, play with it a few times, then relegate it to the spare bedroom / catch-all room.  We once again had too much space.  We decided to downsize yet again, this time to a newer, nicer, but slightly smaller 1 bed-1 bath apartment.

My giant oak roll-top desk and tall file cabinet went away and were replaced by a smaller, more efficient style desk and file box (kept in the closet).  I'm fascinated by efficient things.  I love this multi-purpose furniture (link).  (Wait for the top video to load.  It's very impressive.)  It's meant primarily for those tiny Manhattan apartments, but I can see using some of those tables in my house.

I recognize that downsizing isn't for everyone.  If you have a large brood and your house is their assembly point or you have lots of out-of-town company, you're pretty much stuck.  And you have to be willing to check your ego at the door.  This lifestyle won't impress many.

But if you'd rather spend your time golfing, playing tennis, cycling, or painting yet another picture of a tree (if those are your thing) vs. worrying whether you'll land that big client and get that sorely needed bonus, it's a nice way to live.

We've cut our housing expenses by 50%, even after figuring in the tax advantage of owning.  I'm not saying we'll never own again, but if we do, it will have to be a small townhouse or condo, one where everything outside is maintained by someone besides me.

It's a great lifestyle that I will never give up.  Smaller is good....unless you want to build a giant 6,000+ sq ft house.  Then I'm your builder.  Call me.  *wink*

S

I can see a light in the tunnel. I hope it's not a train!

Whew....our move is 98% complete.  Not surprisingly, Murphy reared his ugly head and made things twice as hard as they should have been.

It's just like this, except substitute the T-Mobile building across the street for Lake Como.

Several earlier comments asked why we were moving so soon as we had just gone through this 18 months ago.  The answer in one word, in one letter actually, is K, as in K, my spousal unit.  She has been nagging pestering requesting an apartment with a patio or terrace for quite a while, and when a nice one became available, I jumped at it, convinced by the bayonet in my back that it would be a good thing.  

Now that the move is complete I will agree, it IS a good thing.  At this stage in my life, since it's just the two of us, I have completely embraced the idea of renting vs owning another home.  It feels sooooo good to NOT have a to-do list anymore.  Our little community is new, very nice, with lots of (the usual) amenities like gym, pool, party room, etc, and even a guest suite on premises for overnight guests to use.

We briefly considered buying a townhome (we found a really nice one), but then K heard that with a creek not far away and with lots of open greenbelt area nearby, snakes would be out poking around.  Heehee!  Bye-bye townhome.  :)

The move should have been a piece of cake:  SIL Donnie and I had to pick up furniture 6", put it on a furniture dolly, and wheel it down the hall, up the elevator, and into our new digs on the 3rd floor.  Wham, bam....2-3 hours....done.  Hah!

First, the dolly's I bought at Lowe's must have been for moving boxes of feathers.  When you put some weight on them they would barely roll.  Chinese-made wheels, no doubt.  Then the upright dolly had a tire that wouldn't hold air, so I had to buy a new tire.  UGH!

And finally, at one point, the elevator closest to us broke.  We had to wheel stuff to the other side of the building and use that elevator, making the trip twice as long.  Maintenance was able to "reset" our elevator and get us going again, but that's just how things have gone for me these past 3 days.

But now we're in, everything is in it's place, and all I have left to do is hang a few more pictures.  The terrace really is pleasant, just large enough for 2 chairs and 2 small tables, plus the dog's bed.  Early morning's are so nice out there.  :)

Today is pretty much dedicated to R & R, then tomorrow it's back to work.  Bro and I are finishing a big home over this next week or so, and then I can get back to perfecting my retirement.  

Life ain't half bad, you know?  :)

S

And just FYI, AT&T Uverse cable/internet is top shelf!

Another day, another dollar

This is a home we built last year for a prominent local attorney and his family.  He's called us back to build a 2500-3000 square foot addition....the final plans are at the architect's now.  Looks like I'll be doing the structural parts soon, then turning it over to bro for the pretty parts.  While I am "retired", the extra coins are appreciated.   Still going in late and leaving early, though.

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The storms we had around here last week have really stirred up the pollen....I spent the holiday sneezing. I mean hundreds of times, one right after another.  And when I sneeze, I rattle windows.  There's nothing discreet about my sneezes.  How do people make those little tiny "ah choo's"?  

I think my poor dog is shell shocked.  He'd get nice and comfy on my ottoman right next to me, then I'd get hit by a dozen or so sneezes, and he'd jump straight up and run under the coffee table.  I imagine this is how school kids looked back in the '50's and '60's during those atomic bomb drills when we ducked under our desks.  All better today, though.

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I heard on the news the Commie Chinese have gotten into the computers at our major defense contractors and stolen all the good stuff....plans of our newest defense hardware.  Grrr!  

I wanna know why we haven't gotten into THEIR computer systems and just scrambled the hell out of 'em?  Or how about leaving them with nothing besides Windows?  They'll spend all their time rebooting and calling the Geek Squad.  Haha!

Hope you had a nice holiday, or if you're outside the US, a nice weekend.  :)

S

Goin' out with a BANG!

This afternoon I'm making a presentation to a potential client, hoping to build one last million dollar home for my retirement swan song.  IF (say long heart-felt prayer, rub rabbit's foot, stare at 4-leaf clover, knock on wood) they agree with my numbers, I'll be retired before we can actually break ground, so this job will be my first post-retirement consulting job.  Needless to say, bro is pulling for me.

I'm afraid it's going to be a tough sell because they are already "poor-boying" me, telling me how their income is down 25% this year.  (The wife is a doctor, and the reduced Medicare reimbursement scheme to doctors is taking its toll.)  I'm trying to make them understand that, even though their income is down, my costs are not.  But people hear what they want to hear, reason be damned, so....

I have all my documents, bids, numbers, etc properly assembled and collated, ready for their review. I have all my ducks in a row.  Wish me luck.

Let the games begin!

S

Time to hang it up....

With my 62nd birthday just a couple of weeks away, I've come to the conclusion that now is probably the right time to retire, or at least semi-retire.  While of course things have changed considerably over the past 40 years, the change that my industry has gone through has been especially dramatic, and not in a good way. 

I used to thoroughly enjoy designing new homes, or more correctly, working alongside the architects (they "drew", I "tweaked"), then turning those 2-dimensional blueprints into someone's "dream home".  I loved figuring out how to put 'em together, visualizing the 3-D geometry needed to get all the parts to fit together right.  And there's really nothing like the sense of satisfaction you get driving down a street where you built years ago and saying to yourself, "I built that one, and that one, and that one, too", waving at the people working in their yards, recognizing some, but knowing others had passed along your creation to other families for them to enjoy.

But back then you had a minimal amount of paperwork, customers were more trusting, a handshake meant something, your competitors were by-and-large honorable people, and the bankers had yet to go over to The Dark Side.  Because I dealt with them fairly and paid well and on time, the best craftsmen actually wanted to work for me.  Going to work every day was a very pleasant experience.

But then some shady types invaded our ranks causing people to look at us all as borderline crooks, which I resented greatly.  Standardized contracts went from 1 page in 1972 to nearly 30 pages today.  Workman's Comp, liability insurance, audits, waivers, EPA, OSHA, storm water/erosion control....the BS just never ends!  Today actually building the home is the easy part.  It's everything else that has become the albatross around my neck.

Since the economic meltdown of 2008 my industry has gone over a cliff and will probably never fully recover.  Regardless of who wins the November elections, our political system is corrupt and dysfunctional.  The money interest's have hijacked our country, and because they own the rule makers, they have an unlimited supply of "Get out of jail free" cards. They have things rigged and can get away with darn near anything.  It's play by their rules, or don't play at all.  The risks I would have to take if I were to soldier on are simply not worth the modest rewards I might realize.

My brother / business partner wants to keep pushing on, and of course I'll help him get through the technical parts of construction on a consulting basis, hence the "semi-retired" status.  But for me, I'm tired of beating my head against the wall.  This isn't exactly the way I wanted to see my career curtain come down, but I can accept it and be happy.  I'm sure I'll work or volunteer somewhere as I'm afraid I'd be a lousy rocker and probably an even worse whittler.  ;)

Cheers!

S

"Would you like fries with that, sir?"

I read an online article yesterday about people nearing retirement who are finding their world turned upside down because of their homes.  They had assumed they would retire, sell their homes and use the money for a leisurely retirement, maybe do some traveling, etc.  Those plans are now out the window for many of them.


Because of the financial mess we're now in they either can't sell their homes because of slack demand, competition from millions of super-cheap foreclosures, or because they owe more than their house is worth, or all three.  They're stuck with homes they often don't need any longer or can't afford because their scaled back retirement won't cover their mortgage.  They're screwed!


I'm SO lucky to have seen this coming in time for us to sell our home, make a decent profit, and preserve the opportunity for a modest retirement.  At least we have options, something those people mentioned in the article I read don't.


The sad irony is those crooks that masterminded and profited from the phony financial bubble and their paid political enablers are still living the high life, while millions of good (but naive) middle-class people are going to have to develop a taste for hamburger helper.  Or maybe just "helper".


S