Time to Move....

Rumor has it that our home renovation may actually be starting soon. Having been anticipating this moment for the last 8 months, I remain skeptical. But, the plans have been revised AGAIN, and the GC is ready to bid it out AGAIN and we think we have the right plan AGAIN. Like I said, skeptical.

Still, I did a little temporary apartment recon today. We'll be out of the house for about seven months in GC speak. I am going to translate that to 12 months in layman's speak. While we haven't ever done a house remodel ourselves, many friends and associates have and they have informed us that GC's always lie. It's not that they're dishonest. It is reported that they are just unable to accurately foretell how long it's going to take them to build something. Kind of gives you a little pause. If they can't tell how long it's going to take, how much do they really know about building? You'd think that they'd learn from experience. Obviously, it's a steep and never ending learning curve.

I have been considering just keeping it simple and moving to a large apartment complex right down the road. Pros? It's a big complex so I can be more flexible with move-in/move-out constraints. The rents are fairly reasonable for SF. It's owned and managed by a professional company so I don't have to worry about trying to appease a landlord or learn to manage their weird landlord habits for the short time we will be there. They don't mind dogs. Cons? The units look just like you'd expect a run 'o the mill apartment / townhouse to look like. Personality = zip. There are no laundry facilities in the units. There are nearby laundry facilities, but damn, the thought of hanging out at the wash 'omatic with my unknown neighbors and their unknown dirty laundry isn't thrilling me. I do a boat load of laundry in a week. And last, the storage space within the units is limited. I'm going to have to enter in to a deeply intimate relationship with Ikea and the Container Store just to pack our crap in there.

What I want is to find a cool apartment, with the perfect amount of space, for cheap, with parking and laundry and storage. I want a miracle. I'm not going to get that. I will manage my expectations. I hope.

There are few open houses this weekend for other semi-interesting places. Will go to a few. But in the end, I suspect that I will take the path of least resistance and head over for a few months of Parkmerced living. Alas. Hello? Ikea? Can I get some plastic stackable bins, please??