As I've written before, the second home my family owned in Minnesota was custom built for us. Buyers often think a new construction home, especially if it's custom built, will be perfect. I was no different. I had a vision of a beautiful Cape Cod sitting on our creek divided corner lot and a bridge across the creek to the gazebo in the woods. When the house was built, my vision remained a figment of my imagination! It never became reality! I know now that I desperately needed an agent to help me realize my original dream.
We built during Minnesota's new construction boom in the mid -'70's. It seemed all was right with the world once the lot and builder were found. We were very clear in our requests. We wanted a home similar to the story and a half Orrin Thompson model but built in the adjacent development. During the negotiations with the architect and builder, my original request for a Cape Cod was whittled away without my awareness. I signed the final plans. I approved every change, but somehow what was on the blueprints did not match what was in my head. I ended up with a front to back split level home that I hated. Yes, it had the vaulted ceiling in the living room but that was the only thing that carried over from the original dream. The hall connecting the bedrooms was open to the living room. This openness prevented the kids from sleeping when guests were present, and compromised privacy when the kids had to run down the hall to the bathroom in front of guests. The dining room was closed off instead of open as I had wanted. The kitchen had no window to see baby ducks swimming in the creek or to watch the kids play in the yard.
My dream house was still in my head. Somehow, once again I had failed to catch the lack of communication between the architect and myself. The half flight of stairs didn't look short to me because I wasn't used to blueprints. As the wood was framed and the plan became visible, I knew it wasn't the house I had wanted. I wondered to myself, "What happened? When did I take this wrong turn?"
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