Shampoo & Booze VIDEO: Driveway Celebration at The River House

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After many months of construction and lots of crazy weather delays, the driveway is done. It feels glorious and triumphant to be able to drive up directly to the house, rather than climb 40 stairs to get there. We are so excited, we had to make a video to show it off!

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17 comments:

  1. Driveway looks great . I think that will be a big plus . If i was renting your place and had to carry all our stuff up those stairs . The EMTS would be carrying me back down them lol.

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    1. agreed. it was taking quite a toll on us (and contractors) to walk up and down those stairs over and over again. there is another rental next to this house on the same steep hill, she has a driveway that goes straight up from the road to the house and we constantly see her renters just parking at the bottom of the hill, on the side of the road rather than risk the steep, straight up driveway. so we feel lucky that we had enough room to do a switchback.

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  2. Wow. That looks great. I would add a reflector at the turn on the way down. Well worth the money you spent.

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    1. It was a big day for us. And totally agree on adding reflectors. We'll also be strategically placing railroad ties as safety measures.

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  3. Impressive! Such an improvement. Congrats!

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  4. Smiling the whole time I watched. congratulations! By the way, my husband and I are staying at our very first Airbnb in October in San Francisco. The only thing that makes me a little nervous is the strict cancellation policy. I don't anticipate needing to cancel, but 50 % of a four night stay would be quite a hit. I used your link and will let you know how it goes!

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    1. We also have a Strict cancellation policy. Unlike a hotel, if someone cancels before they come, there's a real risk that no one will re-book that date.

      If someone gives us enough time (like a month), we're always happy to refund fully.

      But I do see as a guest how that could be daunting. It's definitely a different responsibility when renting from an individual vs a big corporate chain.

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    2. Yes, I totally get the reason for the cancellation policy. I just had to weigh it against booking a boring hotel and knowing I would get a full refund if I had to cancel up to 24 hours out. I did find some comfort in reading that some hosts will consider refunding if they are able to rebook. That seems like a great policy to adopt.

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  5. Your driveway looks awesome! Congratulations guys! I like how high your place is located, but walking up and down would be tough. Now the view with the driveway equals SUPER AWESOME! :)

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  6. It just clicked how the stairs were the required way to get in the house up until now. 40 stairs is like a mini task or chore. What a difference. Driveway looks huge. Good stuff.

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    1. Yep, the stairs were the only way to get up to the house. Not bad I guess if you thought of it as a small, weekend cabin. But the driveway makes it into a convenient home.

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  7. Congrats! It looks great. Will it be easy to plow in the winter?

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  8. Congratulations, it looks like the contractor did a very good job. Question, What about drainage? I live in a similar area with crushed rock driveway and severe downpours are always a challenge. Many around here have a simple, low cost tractor with a scraper or box blade to maintain driveways. Anyway I admire your continued, relentless pursuit of your dreams.

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    1. Our contractor was good. He's almost 70 and has a lifetime of experience of excavation. He actually built the driveway so it drains naturally. There should be no runoff problems that create big holes in the driveway.

      It will be interesting to see how much maintenance it'll take to keep the driveway smooth, especially after a snow. I'd love to get coated in asphalt, but that's a huge expense we're not ready to take on.

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  9. Awesome. Congrats. It doesn't look very steep. Do you foresee it being a problem to drive up the driveway in the winter. My parents had a place in wi with a similar drive and it was a bit of an issue in the winter if you didn't have 4 wheel drive. Lol

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    1. Good point and we dont have a great answer yet.
      That driveway will be much more difficult with ice and snow.
      Good news is that few people rent during these conditions.

      I assume we'll have to make sure we plow the driveway after snows. We'll either have to cancel renters who may possible rent during a snowstorm. Or they can always park on the street and walk up.

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    2. yeah we have an extra parking space down near the street (we'll probably park there when we meet people), so if weather is bad, that will be the alternative.

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