Timeline: We checked our sanity by coming for 10 days in early July, 2003. I checked again by coming for about 2 weeks in February, 2004. We both officially retired in the spring of 2004 & began the work to get our WA house ready to sell. We had a firm contract on it by the time we brought a load of boxes down in December, 2004, stayed with our one (at the time) friend here & found a place to rent. By early February, 2005 we closed on the sale of our WA house & moved to our rental in Catalina, north of Tucson.
Local research: Part of what we learned in preparing to retire was that if at all possible, it was best to live in a place for a year without buying to be sure that's where you want to live permanently. So we spent the first year living, learning & looking for places to buy & renovate or land to buy & build on. The more we looked, the more we came back to the conclusion that building was the best option.
Location found: We weren't picky about location, but we needed enough land & the right zoning for Trout's shop. Dirt roads (which are common here) weren't a particular problem, but they had to be maintained by the county & we wanted a public water supply. We didn't want to dig our own well or be on a well share. In December, 2005 we found an area southwest of Tucson called Diamond Bell Ranch. It had Tucson water as well as underground utilities including DSL & gas. The roads were mostly dirt, but were maintained by the county. The lots were large, all over an acre, & the zoning was right.
Lot & builder selected: There was a small builder out there that had a lot we particularly liked. In early 2006 we met with them & liked them. We visited other houses they built in the area & were impressed with what they had done. We began the process of developing a house design for us based on one of their plans. We made so many changes, that it really became a custom house, but it all began with their plan. We got the design down by late 2006.
