Casa Quirky

So we've moved on to yet another "What the fuck were we thinking" opportunity. As any of you who know us know, we like to jump in with both feet and figure out all the pesky little details later. So, about a month ago, we put in a bid on a foreclosure property on an online auction. It's a 1/2 acre in the south valley part of Albuquerque, in the Bosque along the Rio Grande, with a 1965 era hacienda-style part adobe house. We'd had a chance to walk the property the day before and it was a mess. Downed trees, half finished projects, a horse corral, a pile of crap that looked like it was supposed to be an outdoor kitchen but wasn't, there was so much going on that it was hard to know where to look first. We were the 'winners' of the auction. 

It's been one of those 'hurry up, then wait' months since the auction. Hurry up and get all the paperwork and financial stuff in to the auction site, we had 24 hours for this. Wait 2 weeks. Hurry up with more paperwork. Wait again. Sign the closing papers. Call the utilities. Wait. Call the general contractor to get an electrician. Wait. Get the electrician to the house. Waiting for the estimate now. Waiting for power to get the well pump going. Waiting for electric and water so the gas can be tested.

Meanwhile, a company that had been contracted months ago to clean up the house and yard before the auction, showed up and took all the trash, brush, old appliances, AND the crap-pile outdoor kitchen! How much stuff could there possibly be, you ask? It took 3 guys almost 4 days. We saw them at the house when they were working, but didn't happen mention that the auction had already taken place.

So we've been cleaning up the little casita in the back (did I mention there's a cute casita?) so we can move into it while we work on the main house. The casita will eventually be an apartment/guest house, although I think our daughter, Hannah, has her eye on it for now.

It's an old house and yard and it's had lots of owners. There are lots of things to make us go "hmmmmmmm, what were they thinking?" so I've started calling it Casa Quirky, in honor of it being in Albuquirky, of course.

Casa Quirky from the outside.

The living room, with several of the unfinished projects: a window seat, a strange wood box and sort-of built in's by the fireplace.

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