An open letter to my friends, neighbors and those considering residence in De Anza Mobile Home Estates
My name is Mary Hanley and I moved to De Anza on April 1, 2005. I tried to get my home ready for sale on April Fool’s Day of this year, but missed it by a week! Story of my life – always a day late and a dollar short. My REALTORS(R), Jeanne and Mike Mulhern, asked me to tell you a little bit about my home, why I chose De Anza Mobile Estates and why I have decided to sell my home.
When I found De Anza, it was quite by chance. I was looking on the internet for a west-side house for my daughter’s family, who were contemplating a move from Live Oak to a home closer to downtown. They found their own home on King Street, and I found the ugliest house in De Anza. #149 had a flat metal roof, metal siding and was painted semi-gloss white with “seller beige” carpet throughout the house. The windows were all original aluminum and some of them actually opened without a real battle. There were no appliances, except a really scary stove top. But it met my criteria – it was cheap. . . Also, I met Bill Boyd, a contractor living in the park, and he showed me his home and I then knew what was possible.
First we rebuilt the exterior, putting in a new foundation to support the new roof (no longer flat). When we pulled off some of the paneling in the LR to fix water damage, we found that the “studs” were 2x6’s, cut in half. It is hard to imagine how well these homes hold up for 30+ years when they are built of toothpicks. I made the smart, but expensive, decision to add 2x4 studs to the existing ones all around and install new siding, adding insulation as we did. My research turned up Hardiplank as the best possible choice with a 50 year warranty. One of the first orders I made was to Lighthouse Windows for all new dual-pane, low-e vinyl windows. Bill and his son and a helper did almost all the work. I got to take off all the siding – I love demo – and to remove the 3 huge California junipers in the garden bed which hid the front of the house, windows and all. It was fun, after all the work outside was done, to plan and plant the foundation bed. (Later, a gopher was to eat everything and I got to do it all over again).
The greatest compliment I got came from a passerby who said, as I was painting the front of the house, “I didn’t know we could have real houses in this park”. Wow!
Meanwhile, I was living in the house and working on the inside. I removed the wall between the Dining Room and the Utility Room to provide enough room for a real door to the carport. As I am 6’ tall, the tiny mobile home doors just don’t cut it. Bill also installed a new front door. I also removed a built-in hutch to provide the wonderful open space that now is the LR/DR combo. Drywall replaced the paneling and then I moved on to the bathrooms.
No one is foolish enough to remodel both at once, but that is exactly what I did. I fell in love with a 21” deep tub at Santa Cruz Kitchens and Baths, as well as a sink made of abalone shells. Of course, a tub 5 ½’ long does not fit where the existing one is 4 ½’ long and 10” deep. The solution was to demo (Yea!) again. Taking out the 30 gallon water heater and replacing it with an On Demand gas water heater hung on the Utility Room wall gave me 2’x2’ of new bathroom floor space and the rest is history. The other bathroom was very tiny and there was a wall between the toilet and the shower with all the plumbing in it. I saw Peter Cole Plumbing in the park one day and asked him to stop by. He did all the original plumbing changes, putting the shower pipes on the back wall, installing the tub and hot water heater. The Rottweiler dog in his truck upset a few walker’s-by, but he did excellent work. I found the shower at Home Depot and installed it myself, along with the cabinetry and tile countertops and floor. The only things original to the house when I bought it were the toilets, which were new at the time.
Over time, Bill and Roy Colby, another contractor in the park, have helped me install new flooring, drywall, plumbing and tile. I have painted the whole house, inside and out – some walls more than once. The original soft pink I chose for the hall bath just wasn’t me. And the periwinkle blue in the Living Room on one of the walls is fairly recent. It just makes me smile every time I look at it, but if it isn’t your choice, it is only paint – just change it!
OK, that was all about the house. What about the park itself? After most of the really intense work was done, I wanted to become a member of my new society. I had already met many of my neighbors by working on the house. One cannot actually get much done outside because everyone walks by and stops to chat. This is a good thing! The Newsletter editor, Fran Smith, decided that 20 years was enough and resigned. I volunteered to try it, thinking that was a great way to meet my neighbors and to know what was going on. I had never written anything before, but found it to be really fun and challenging. I was told recently that I put “heart” into the bulletin. That was my intention and I am very pleased to know it was appreciated. I cannot tell you how many residents have been supportive and have changed my life. Later, I was to accept a position on the Home Owners’ Association Board. I really encourage you all to become involved. It is so much better for you than for the people you are there to help!
You only have to look around to see our wonderful pool, beach cove and tidewater pools (go at minimal tide to see more starfish than you can count), path to Natural Bridges beach, the “Bench”, the Gazebo and the Clubhouse with all its benefits. There is something going on every month – St. Patrick’s Day lunch, Valentine’s Dance, Thanksgiving Dinner, etc. There is a potluck dinner each month and a soup lunch (I called it the Soup Kitchen in my newsletter!).
But most of all, it is the people. We all wave at each car that passes by, even though we can’t always see who is behind the wheel, because it might be a friend. We meet more people walking a dog than at the parties and somehow there is always time to chat. When a neighbor is in need or ill, there is another one to help. I have never lived in such a community and will miss it terribly. Expect to see me back for a “good-friends fix” regularly. By the way, the Gazebo is a super place for wine and hors d’oeuvres on a warm evening with friends.
So why am I leaving? It would seem that it is the perfect place for me and, with one exception, it is. When I moved in, I knew I would have to work at least 3 days a week to afford the cost of rent and fixing the house. I knew that I would not wish to work that much forever, so planned to live here for 5 years and then change to a less expensive lifestyle. Well, I made it for 4 years, but now it is time to move on.
My name is Mary Hanley and I moved to De Anza on April 1, 2005. I tried to get my home ready for sale on April Fool’s Day of this year, but missed it by a week! Story of my life – always a day late and a dollar short. My REALTORS(R), Jeanne and Mike Mulhern, asked me to tell you a little bit about my home, why I chose De Anza Mobile Estates and why I have decided to sell my home.
When I found De Anza, it was quite by chance. I was looking on the internet for a west-side house for my daughter’s family, who were contemplating a move from Live Oak to a home closer to downtown. They found their own home on King Street, and I found the ugliest house in De Anza. #149 had a flat metal roof, metal siding and was painted semi-gloss white with “seller beige” carpet throughout the house. The windows were all original aluminum and some of them actually opened without a real battle. There were no appliances, except a really scary stove top. But it met my criteria – it was cheap. . . Also, I met Bill Boyd, a contractor living in the park, and he showed me his home and I then knew what was possible.
First we rebuilt the exterior, putting in a new foundation to support the new roof (no longer flat). When we pulled off some of the paneling in the LR to fix water damage, we found that the “studs” were 2x6’s, cut in half. It is hard to imagine how well these homes hold up for 30+ years when they are built of toothpicks. I made the smart, but expensive, decision to add 2x4 studs to the existing ones all around and install new siding, adding insulation as we did. My research turned up Hardiplank as the best possible choice with a 50 year warranty. One of the first orders I made was to Lighthouse Windows for all new dual-pane, low-e vinyl windows. Bill and his son and a helper did almost all the work. I got to take off all the siding – I love demo – and to remove the 3 huge California junipers in the garden bed which hid the front of the house, windows and all. It was fun, after all the work outside was done, to plan and plant the foundation bed. (Later, a gopher was to eat everything and I got to do it all over again).
The greatest compliment I got came from a passerby who said, as I was painting the front of the house, “I didn’t know we could have real houses in this park”. Wow!
Meanwhile, I was living in the house and working on the inside. I removed the wall between the Dining Room and the Utility Room to provide enough room for a real door to the carport. As I am 6’ tall, the tiny mobile home doors just don’t cut it. Bill also installed a new front door. I also removed a built-in hutch to provide the wonderful open space that now is the LR/DR combo. Drywall replaced the paneling and then I moved on to the bathrooms.
No one is foolish enough to remodel both at once, but that is exactly what I did. I fell in love with a 21” deep tub at Santa Cruz Kitchens and Baths, as well as a sink made of abalone shells. Of course, a tub 5 ½’ long does not fit where the existing one is 4 ½’ long and 10” deep. The solution was to demo (Yea!) again. Taking out the 30 gallon water heater and replacing it with an On Demand gas water heater hung on the Utility Room wall gave me 2’x2’ of new bathroom floor space and the rest is history. The other bathroom was very tiny and there was a wall between the toilet and the shower with all the plumbing in it. I saw Peter Cole Plumbing in the park one day and asked him to stop by. He did all the original plumbing changes, putting the shower pipes on the back wall, installing the tub and hot water heater. The Rottweiler dog in his truck upset a few walker’s-by, but he did excellent work. I found the shower at Home Depot and installed it myself, along with the cabinetry and tile countertops and floor. The only things original to the house when I bought it were the toilets, which were new at the time.
Over time, Bill and Roy Colby, another contractor in the park, have helped me install new flooring, drywall, plumbing and tile. I have painted the whole house, inside and out – some walls more than once. The original soft pink I chose for the hall bath just wasn’t me. And the periwinkle blue in the Living Room on one of the walls is fairly recent. It just makes me smile every time I look at it, but if it isn’t your choice, it is only paint – just change it!
OK, that was all about the house. What about the park itself? After most of the really intense work was done, I wanted to become a member of my new society. I had already met many of my neighbors by working on the house. One cannot actually get much done outside because everyone walks by and stops to chat. This is a good thing! The Newsletter editor, Fran Smith, decided that 20 years was enough and resigned. I volunteered to try it, thinking that was a great way to meet my neighbors and to know what was going on. I had never written anything before, but found it to be really fun and challenging. I was told recently that I put “heart” into the bulletin. That was my intention and I am very pleased to know it was appreciated. I cannot tell you how many residents have been supportive and have changed my life. Later, I was to accept a position on the Home Owners’ Association Board. I really encourage you all to become involved. It is so much better for you than for the people you are there to help!
You only have to look around to see our wonderful pool, beach cove and tidewater pools (go at minimal tide to see more starfish than you can count), path to Natural Bridges beach, the “Bench”, the Gazebo and the Clubhouse with all its benefits. There is something going on every month – St. Patrick’s Day lunch, Valentine’s Dance, Thanksgiving Dinner, etc. There is a potluck dinner each month and a soup lunch (I called it the Soup Kitchen in my newsletter!).
But most of all, it is the people. We all wave at each car that passes by, even though we can’t always see who is behind the wheel, because it might be a friend. We meet more people walking a dog than at the parties and somehow there is always time to chat. When a neighbor is in need or ill, there is another one to help. I have never lived in such a community and will miss it terribly. Expect to see me back for a “good-friends fix” regularly. By the way, the Gazebo is a super place for wine and hors d’oeuvres on a warm evening with friends.
So why am I leaving? It would seem that it is the perfect place for me and, with one exception, it is. When I moved in, I knew I would have to work at least 3 days a week to afford the cost of rent and fixing the house. I knew that I would not wish to work that much forever, so planned to live here for 5 years and then change to a less expensive lifestyle. Well, I made it for 4 years, but now it is time to move on.
My house, like my life, is not perfect, but it is pretty darn good. . .
