Keeping Up With The Neighbors

In the suburbs, we care very much about the appearance of our homes. We obsess over it. The street on which I live is no exception.

I live in a cul-de-sac with seven homes...all of them (including mine) are in a perpetual state of updating. All the homes are about 15-20 years old, so maybe it's just time for the first wave, but it's really quite amazing to watch.

And I do watch. Since I work at home, I am the Mrs. Kravitz of the 21st Century, peeking out my front window several times a day to keep track of what's going on with the neighbors. It's obvious that we are all doing our part to keep the economy--or at least in the construction and home improvement industries--alive and well. Here are just a few things that have happened in just a last year or so:

All seven of our homes have gotten either new or extensively repaired roofs. Four have been painted. One had a complete landscaping overhaul, complete with full-grown plants and a koi pond. Another ripped out and replaced what I know was pristine carpeting. And the appliance and furniture delivery trucks are in and out of here with staggering regularity. You can bet that when that happens, I am looking for a reason to visit and see what they got.

This is the house three doors down from mine. In the past year they've replaced all the windows, installed an underground sprinkler system, replaced the cedar shingle roof with a tile one, and just a few weeks ago they replaced the driveway with this fancy colored one. (I hope they are planning to repaint their plum-colored front door because it now clashes with the roof.)

And this house, which sits behind mine but is obviously in a different neighborhood, is truly the home that we're all watching. The proverbial Joneses that we're all trying to keep up with. The owners purchased the home three years ago for just under $1 million. For the first year after they bought it, they lived somewhere else while the interior was completely gutted and renovated. They moved in and started on the exterior, including a new two-story, two-car garage--apparently the existing four-car garage was not quite enough. (The garage doors have been brown for quite a while. I hope they aren't leaving them like that.) Now, three years later, there is still a steady stream of construction vehicles and heavy equipment driving through the circular driveway. I can't see the backyard, but I suspect they are putting in a pool.

It's fun to live in the suburbs! I'd love to go on, but I have kitchen cabinets to paint.