Chapter 1: The Planning Begins

Jason sat at his desk. In front of him was the latest sketch of the floor plan that he had in mind. The house was approximately 2,500 square feet including the attached garage. It had three bedrooms, including a master bedroom suite; an eat-in-kitchen and a large living room and a dining room; all in an open floor plan; and a full guest bathroom, all on one floor. He was pleased with the design; it was a good-sized house, but was not overwhelming. They would be overwhelmed as it was. The cost to construct the house based upon what he was told was a well constructed home would be $150 per square foot or $375,000.

He put that sketch aside and pulled out his next design. This plan entailed a cluster of six of the houses, forming a circle around a common backyard. Each house would be connected to the house next to it by a solid block wall with an access gate and a walkway leading into the enclosed backyard.

‘That will be a grass lawn; there will be plenty of space for kids to play or parents to relax on. In addition, it will be relatively secure. The only time anyone other than the residents will have access to the area is when the maintenance company is there.’

He put that sketch aside as well and pulled out his final design. It was the master plan for the entire development. He looked over the plan; ‘it’s really good’ he thought to himself.

Jason sat back in his chair; the plan was coming together; now he just had to make it become reality. His thoughts were interrupted by knocking on the frame of the doorway. Maria and Carlita stood in the doorway.

“Are you going to be done soon?” Maria asked. “We’re getting hungry and you said you were going to take us out to eat tonight.” Carlita chimed in.

“Before we go; come here and take a look.”

They stood on either side of his, looking down at the master plan.

“The community center will be in the middle facing the entrance. It will be flanked on each side by three clusters of six homes. There will be a road that circles the entire project providing access to all the houses and to the delivery entrance to the community center. There will be a large swimming pool, with a children’s side and an adult side with a hot tube. We will have large canvass tarps suspended over both sides of the pool providing shade. The community center will be big enough to have a spa, a fitness center, a café, and a large leisure area that opens onto a patio allowing people to gather either inside or outdoors. It will have a banquet hall, with a full kitchen so we can have meals together as a group if we desire. There will also be several rooms for a small school so we can educate our children here. The idea is to build something that will serve our immediate needs and still be useful to our people far into the future. So, what do you think?”

“Jason, it looks really great. But I can just imagine how overwhelmed they will be when they first get here.”

“I know, but we’ll have to work through that. It will take time for them to get used to it, but once they do, I want this place to feel like a home to them and their kids and grandkids. I have an appointment Monday morning with an architectural firm in Phoenix. Do either of you want to go with me?”