When my husband decided to build our home in Lakeside 9 years ago, he took me to a lot filled with brush and trees to point out where the home would be and handed me a dinner napkin with a drawing to help me envision what would be.
The Estates of Lakeside was a development my husband was working on when we married. I was happily living in “town” and couldn’t fathom moving to the “country” or, having 3/4 of an acre of “yard” to upkeep. A pool would take out a large portion of this yard- I had an idea!
Am I not imaginative? Maybe at least when it comes to land development and home construction and definitely when putting in a pool after building a home come into the mix.
The giant trucks ripping out my carefully constructed landscape would spend months in our backyard. Rain would delay the project and, views from every window of our home across the back continued to unnerve me- it was a muddy mess and gaping hole that (as usual) I could never envision as either beautiful or, finished.
The “pool project” took 4 months and, amazingly turned out beautifully. In fact, the pool was the reason for a relatively quick sale on our home. I love water, any kind of water! A swimming pool, an ocean or lake. You see, I’m a child of water and am happiest when I’m near it. Living in California was something my sister and I have always missed after moving to Texas and, we hope to return to the sunny beaches and mild climate- we always have. Although Texas has many friendly people, every time our plane lands at LAX, I feel like we are home again even if it’s only a brief trip! We love Southern California and on a recent trip revisited my old stomping ground of picturesque San Clemente. Yes, the beach is the place for me and, even if I had to give up an oversized custom home to get there, the sacrifice is worth the rewards of the smell from sand and sea.
I don’t understand land development and, the first time he took me to the “site” didn’t have the ability to see the same vision my husband did.
I saw poison oak and ivy, trees growing wild and brush everywhere. He saw quaint, winding streets and homes that were close to the same size in grandeur and presence.
I saw ten acres of land covered with overgrown weeds, and possibly rodents.
He saw a village in the midst of all this rubble? How? I didn’t and couldn’t understand how he decided which trees needed to be kept or removed.
While I can take an antique from the ground up and refurbish it with flair, taking a raw piece of land and quickly drawing a rough draft of a 4 bedroom, 3 full bath, two car garage, complete with a patio home that faces away from the sun (that’s right, the patio was shaded and he planned it that way) with an upstairs loft took my husband less than 10 minutes (at lunch, no less!) to plan and prepare.
Three homes in our new neighborhood have been sold and torn down. I’m amazed at the speed the builder has “thrown up” houses four times the size of the ones that were taken down.
My husband watches with interest in much the same manner he researches a small plane crash- you see, he was also an avid pilot and because of his background tries to understand whether it was a pilot error accident or, faulty equipment.
I don’t like small planes and never have- the size makes me uncomfortable! Give me a giant plane any day with weary travelers, I’m much more accustomed to the environment.
Today, I noticed the turret on one of the three “homes under construction” behind us and told my husband that I thought it looked really cool and wondered if a window seat had been on the inner side. “Those really serve no purpose rather than visual and they are expensive- I wouldn’t build it that way, putting money into the home itself is a much better plan to enjoy the investment of a home. After all, the view from the outside is for others to see, the homeowner needs to enjoy what’s inside- not what’s on the outside honey.”
Hmm, I would want the outside to look good too but, do not understand the investment needed to add a turret to a home or, the labor involved either.
My husbands first job was delivering flowers for Gordon Boswell, he loved it! He loves driving and enjoyed navigating through the city of Fort Worth.
His second job was selling door knobs which opened his curiosity of construction and home building.
Developing lots came later in life, Matthew Wortham dove right in to figure it out, understanding the market and needs of the consumer plays an integral part of the process.
My husband played golf for thirty years and enjoyed the scenery much more than the game itself! After injuring his shoulder, he put his clubs away. Although the injury has healed, turf toe and a hernia prevented him from returning to the game.
I question when he might want to pick up a club again and his answer (after 30 years) surprises me “I’m not interested anymore, I’ve spent half a lifetime trying to perfect my game, it’s time to find something else.”
This year as everyone makes a New Years Resolution to try something, to quit something or, to change something, I ask him “what are your plans for 2015?” He smiles and says quite simply “to continue working and enjoy my wife and my life, I look forward to another year with a remarkable and amazing woman and perhaps a little travel.”
I may never understand what he sees when we both look at an old lot, but his vision is one of beauty- mine is remarkably different.
Perhaps I’m unable to see a beautiful community among the rubble of discarded trash and overgrown brush but hey- you can’t have everything!
Happy New Year and may we all be blessed in the coming year with health, wealth and opportunities to open new doors.
Wendy M Wortham
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Comments by Wendy Wortham