When we bought this place in 2000, we liked most of its character, though you always think of things you’d like to change or update when you buy a place. We made some improvements right away and then we left it alone. Through all those years, it’s been a great place for hanging out and having really memorable times with friends and family.

Since our trips here were fairly short for many years, we could overlook a lot. But with COVID, we ended up spending more time here than before. As a result, the little annoyances became bigger and the need for improvements got more urgent. Starting in mid-2020, we began to get serious about making an addition. This year we’ve moved forward!

We engaged an Arizona architect, Albert Hopper, to design plans that were permitted very late in 2021. Luckily, we found a contractor in nearby Douglas who could handle the job. Byrd’s Sheet Metal and Construction has been doing super work! The first part of the project is a new building, the Zither Studios. It includes studio/work spaces for each of us, a bathroom, kitchenette and enclosed Spanish-style courtyard. The local water/sewer/drainage company, Elbrock Water Services, broke ground on it in January. Since then, Byrd’s crew, Elbrock and many subcontractors have been working away. We now know a lot about all the supply chain delays you’ve heard of, as well as the difficulties in finding skilled labor and coordinating work flow. After almost a year, the Zither Studios are not quite finished. But we’re happy with the way things are turning out and we’re looking forward to the time when we can occupy the new spaces!

So here’s how it looks now:

Once we connected with Byrd Construction for the Zither House, we realized they could also do many things that would make our existing house much more enjoyable. Those changes started in 2021 with renovations in the garage/shop/storage/exercise areas. But they expanded this year.

The house has needed repairs and new siding for awhile. We were stuck about what to do, particularly since we didn’t know of a contractor who could do such a big project. This year, we’ve replaced the deteriorating wood siding with a beautiful new layer of stucco, adding insulation and color along with making needed repairs. Here are some ‘before’ and after shots.

Our living room has gotten more crowded with stuff and two ‘offices’ over time. In 2013, we stayed in a place in Australia that had a TV above a fireplace. Brilliant! This year, we’ve accomplished that. We liked the bathroom in the Zither Studios so much that we decided to make the main bath here similar. We’ve added shades for more privacy in many rooms. And we revamped the kitchen, with all new appliances and a new sink. Here are some shots of these changes:

The two buildings will both focus on our central open space area – the ‘circle’ where many of you have enjoyed sunrises and sunsets with us. It too is having an overhaul. Novak Environmental, Inc. did a great plan for the area and Southwest Desert Images is now busy carrying it out. It’s been a shock to see such big changes after so many years of very gradual evolution. Once it’s finished, there will be many new native plants for birds and animals to enjoy, new places for outdoor cooking and dining, and easy connections to both buildings.

Here are some views before …

Next, the work to take down the cinder block wall, remove invasive plants and reclaim the circular front driveway for pedestrians. Very shocking!

Part of this project will put in new, more reliable irrigation throughout the circle and the area around the house. This means the plants can survive the hot summers and cold winters even if we’re not here taking care of things.

This work will add many new native plants, for their beauty and ability to create habitat to nurture birds, animals and other creatures. It will also give us something we could have used many times over the years — a place for outdoor cooking and dining near our ‘outdoor room’ where we watch birds, sunsets and stars.

The last part of the project is really just getting started. We built our wildlife pond to be a haven and refuge for wildlife, including birds, animals and endangered native fishes. But it’s gotten overwhelmed by invasive species — cattails and bullfrogs, among others. So late this year we began a project to rebuild the pond to make it less susceptible to the invaders. An expert from Phoenix — Paul, a.k.a., The Pond Gnome — has developed a plan that he and Southwest Desert Images will carry out in 2023.