Into the Complex

Many of you already follow our periodic updates on Facebook with regard to the multi-dwelling property. We've been trying to figure out what to call it. Calling it a "Compound" has a Branch Davidian feeling. Calling it a "lot" implies just land. It isn't big enough for a campus. So, for now I guess it's a complex. Not the kind of complex that you go to see a psychologist for, but, in fact one of the buildings will be Barbara's Psychology Office (which will have a second office for a complimentary practitioner) - so I suppose "The Complex" has it's own double meaning right there.

There is also the "complex" side of making it all work - taking the buildings from what they are, and converting them into what we see as their role in this thing.

For those that don't know, the address is 3928 - 3932 Georgia St, San Diego. Supposedly the link is -


http://maps.google.com/maps?q=32.749046,-117.145224&num=1&t=h&sll=32.801113,-117.116639&sspn=0.006295,0.006295&ie=UTF8&hl=en&ei=m-0RS8bIKaeGiAOTqry5Aw&ll=32.749086,-117.14533&spn=0.000732,0.001031&z=20&layer=c&cbll=32.749076,-117.144998&panoid=IXfVWSU16No-bJ8SRfWL0Q&cbp=12,271.32,,1,2

We don't know much about the history. The house was built somewhere around 1908-1912ish. Somewhere along the way, a three car garage was built in the back, with a one bedroom appt on top of it. The house it self had additions attached here and there - a solarium in front, a laundry room in the back. A chunk of the house was annexed and another room was added to make a separate one bedroom unit.

So, we're taking the one bedroom unit which is attached to the house, pulling out the kitchen, and the tub in the bathroom, to make two offices in the building. This will be Barbara's space for her ever growing business.

The house we're going to do a remodel of the bathroom, at least add a microwave to the kitchen, and replace some plaster walls, paint and spiff up. Two bedrooms there - one for Delilah, and one for us, a "music and art room", living room, breakfast nook, and solarium.

The apartment mostly gets a cleanup to the kitchen (new tile and more power), and some painting. The garages will join the 21st century with roll up garage doors and electric openers...

Each of the dwellings had tenants that had to move out. All of them managed to get out within 30 days, even though two of them technically had sixty - so it is now vacant of people at least, though you would think that one of the tenants was actually a heard of pot bellied pigs for as much a mess as he left the place!

All the dwellings will need tenting for termites (which started today), foundation work, roof work, painting inside and out. Barbara has taken orchestration on as yet another part time job and we've been getting quotes and trying to line up the cast of characters to make it happen in a reasonable amount of time, and for a reasonable cost...

The lot is pretty big for urban San Diego, and we plan on parking our little RV on it and setting it up so that we could use it as a guest house or even host an exchange student or ?? in it. In the long term, we hope to buy a Yurt for community gatherings/meals and classes, put in a Jacuzzi, maybe even build a small chicken coop for a couple of Urban Chickens, some container gardening, probably even a little play house for Delilah...


We are looking to rent out the one apartment in back, and have had a handful of people say they might be interested - but we're still accepting applications since no one has committed yet! It's a non-smoking, no dog (though cats are ok) place, and we hope to spin some sort of a deal with regard to exchanging some kid-sitting in exchange for a reduced rent...

Thanks all for the well wishes along the way, the support, the hand holding, prayers, energetic anchoring, referrals for contractors, etc.

Hopefully, if all goes as planned, we'll be able to move in there in about a month. Once we've actually moved in and settled, we'll plan a house-warming/"Christmas Eve-Eve x 268 Party" or something party as appropriate. We look forward to seeing you then, if not before!