Sunday, December 23, 2018

Design and Construction of our Casita in Arizona Legends, Benson, AZ

 
Construction of our Casita, winter residence 
at Arizona Legends RV Resort in Benson, AZ
where ya'll are welcome to visit us 
 
After two years of full-timing, primarily in the Far West of the US, which we love, we realized that we were wasting a lot of time and expense in having to drive back to Florida every year for our winter residence, as neither of us enjoys the cold of the states we enjoy most like Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and such. It was about a 4,000 mile trip round trip and a lot of driving to have to go back to Florida every year. That, plus the fact that Florida is always a very humid state.
 

So we figured in our summer 2017 travels that we would start looking at different RV Resorts where we could buy a lot to have for a winter residence. This way we could avoid the extra mileage and time driving, as well as  being able to set our departure for the following year travel earlier and more weather-related. Arizona seemed a good state to find such a place, having a mild climate even though it is in the desert. So we started looking in Benson AZ with plans to then follow it up in Casa Grande, Apache Junction and others. Our plan was to identify the places we  may want to spend about two weeks at each place next year and thus decide then where we might want to buy a lot in to call 'home'.
 
In Benson we viewed several places until we got to the SKP Resort, and loved it , but it was a 99-year lease, not a purchase, and there were way too many rules, so we kept looking. Then our last resort for Benson was Arizona Legends. Even more so than SKP we LOVED it even more and it was a n actual purchase. However, more than that it is a gated community for super friendly 55+ adults and has a sense of community, where everyone seems to watch out for everyone else. There is a number of residents that live here full-time, so there will always be people to watch over our place while we are traveling during the summer months. And there are many other RVers, who also travel during the summer. Regrettably, the lower cost lots are right next to the Love's truck stop, so there is way too much light around that area, as well as more noise from the truck parking lot. However, across the subdivision the lots are darker and quieter, and the ones at the edge of the subdivision have an uninterrupted view over the city of Benson (500 feet below), with a view of three mountain ranges about 25 miles in three directions. Not only that but Benson (at the next exit) is a small town, though it has a Safeway and a Walmart Super Center. About 25 miles away is Sierra Vista, a military town of considerable size with all the more commercial restaurants, stores, restaurants, and such; and 45 miles away is Tucson (pop. 530,706 and 52nd largest metropolitan area in the US), which has everything you could possibly want, including a major VA medical center for Bill.
 
Just the same we went on to Casa Grande AZ to search other places but the more we thought and talked about it, the more convinced we became that Arizona Legends was where we wanted to set up our winter residence and came back to it to buy a lot there.
 
The first objective to build was getting the electric pedestal approved by the City of Benson. That was going to be harder than it would seem  as the City of Benson only had one Building Inspector, no Building Dept. Head, and as if that was not enough, they don't even have a City Manager. Well, eventually, after about a month the permit was obtained and the Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Coop put our meter up.  During that time the separation walls were also erected, and the electric service was extended to the other side of the lot so we can park our motorhome on the lot head first, so we can also get a glimpse of the mountains through the windshield.
 
This subdivision is subject to the rules of the City of Benson, which unfortunately are as crazy as a city with no city Manager, and no Building Department Head or building inspectors. A city which one would think would be in favor of expanding their tax base, yet does everything to discourage and even impede any new development. C-R-A-Z-Y ! ! There are weird rules here, which are probably unenforceable but they are there just the same. For example, in a Zoning classification called "R-3" (which is ours) it says that one can build a casita (small house) on a lot no smaller than 5,000 square. Important to note here that our lot is only 4,000 sf (40x100), but somehow that is allowed though it clearly does not meet the regulation and nowhere has the regulation been changed. Next, one is allowed to build a 'residential structure' up to 45% of the total square footage of the lot; so, since we are 40' x 100', 45% of 4,000sf we can build a 'small' casita that is up to 1,800sf of living area. Next one is also limited by a 5 foot side setback, a 10 foot rear setback, and a 15 foot front setback from the property lines. There is approximately 5'-6' of utility easement between the front property line and the street, which cannot be counted towards the front setback, but can be used for landscaping or for non-stationary objects (such as parking area). We don't really call an 1,800 square foot 'casita' "small", but we won't argue that point. Just the same since we also needed (by ordinance) and wanted to also have our motor home parked on the same lot, next to us, we opted for a casita of just 576sf (24' x 24') of living area, plus an attached but non-air-conditioned room of 192sf (12' x 16') with a garage door for a storage room with room to store our golf cart as well when we leave Arizona for our Spring to Fall travels in the RV
 
Now, let me tell you that the building of a living area structure on an R-3 zoning in the City of Benson is governed by 1) Benson City Code, 2) City of Benson and Cochise County Zoning Regulation, and 3) the recently updated 2015 International Residential Building Code. Let me also tell you that as an architect Bill has read ALL of the above regulations to be able to question the official non-employee Contractor that is acting as the Head Building Inspector, Michael (Mac) McMillan, an employee of Brown & Associates, a Tucson Engineering Consultant. After submitting the blue prints to the City of Benson, with Site Plan, Floor Plan with Foundation and Structural Details, Roofing Plan, Plumbing and Electrical Plans and details to satisfy ALL the above requirements, Mac rejected the Plans stating first that we could not have a Refrigerator, a Microwave, a Kitchen Sink, a Garbage Disposal, or a Dishwasher, citing that the 'casita' "cannot have a Kitchen". When confronted by Bill, asking him WHERE it says that such appliances are not allowed, or that a "Kitchen" is not allowed, his response was to cite two references that ONLY say that the structure "cannot be used to sleep within it". Oh! By the way, what the hell does that mean anyway? Will the Benson Gestapo come by regularly and if anyone should be caught having fallen asleep on a recliner while watching CNN News or listening to Nancy Pelosi, they would be arrested or fined?? Our Security System (Smith & Wesson) would gladly show them how we would feel about that. N-O-W-H-E-R-E does it say ANYTHING about 'kitchens' or any 'kitchen appliances' not being allowed. THREE times Mac was confronted and asked for evidence that his objections were founded on a verifiable restriction, and the ONLY reference that he could come up with was the fact that structures in an R-3 zoning within a private ownership RV Resort "cannot be used to sleep within it". With each confrontation he kept allowing more and more 'appliances' but held his ground on 1) NO Garbage Disposal, 2) NO Microwave and 3) the Kitchen Sink had to have the word "Kitchen" removed from the blue prints. However, the Refrigerator, a Sink (in the supposedly non-existent 'Kitchen'), an extra outlet inside a cabinet, which was obviously for adding a microwave after the building was finished, another extra outlet under the lower cabinet next to the sink plumbing, obviously for the dishwasher (as the space for one was left open in the lower cabinets), and the Dishwasher, were all finally approved for the non-existent kitchen. The "no-sleeping in the casita" clause comes from the fact that as an RV Resort, which allows the parking of an RV on the same lot as the casita is somewhat understandable, since the owners CAN sleep in their own RV, which is also hooked up to 50 Amp Electric, Sewer and Water, separate from the casita. However, perhaps it would have been more precise to add "overnight" to the sleeping reference. Yet, if one cannot sleep overnight in the casita, then it can hardly be deemed to be a "residential" structure, yet one is also required to have 'residential smoke detector, and even a 'residential carbon monoxide detector', even though there is no gas heat source on our property. We would have continued to argue these issue or better yet escalated it to the City Manager, but there is NO CITY MGR in the City of Benson... only an ACTING Assistant Manager who is actually the City Clerk, and is never available to see. The real head of the City of Benson, and the one who hires all the Department Heads is the Mayor, but he too is inaccessible and even his email and phone contact goes directly to the non-existent City Manager, first.  
 
So, after we obtained our FINAL Inspection, which is equivalent to a Certificate of Occupancy, we had our plumbing contractor install and connect our garbage disposer and our building contractor installed our microwave-convection oven.  
 
The City of Benson is nearly bankrupt and its office buildings (City Hall) is already partially condemned, so one would think that they would be all in favor of new development of their city, which will also expand their tax base, but no-one wants to work there, they can't afford to pay decent salaries, and job security is... well, doubtful.
 
The crazy rules of Benson AZ:
  • Owners cannot 'live' (sleep) in the Casita. They can spend all day in it, but must NOT sleep in it. They are to sleep in their own motorhome or trailer. Why? Don't ask... we doubt that there is any really sane and reasonable explanation for it, as if one has a Park Model mobile home or IF one is handicapped, then one CAN live/reside/sleep in one's casita. Don't try to make sense of it... it will drive you as crazy as they are.
  • According to Mac (the head determinant of what is allowed and what is not allowed in the city of Benson), owners cannot 'prepare meals' (i.e. cook) in the Casita. It is OK to cook on gas or charcoal grills outside the casita, and then eat it inside.... but neither store perishable food, cook it or clean it or the dishes within the structure. If you fight it... refrigerators, sinks, table-top microwave ovens, dishwashers and outdoor grills are allowed, but NOT under-cabinet microwaves, or garbage disposals. We know... so, don't even ask because it sounded just as crazy to us as it does to you, we're sure.
  • Bathrooms/Showers are also allowed, so we designed a shower that is 4' x 5', as a change from the 2' x 3' that we have in the motorhome.
Had we known then what we have come to know during the process of trying to build this casita, though regrettably, we probably would have kept looking for another place to build on. But now, that it is well on the way to being completed we are looking forward to being able to spend our winter days in it and sit on the 12' x 24' covered rear porch where we can observe the valley below us and the mountains beyond some 25 miles away. Often one can see rain and lightning storms moving across the valley from our vantage point.
 
So, here is a photo essay of the construction of our Casita in Benson Arizona, which took over six months from Start of Plans to Final Inspection and actual Move-in. PLEASE be patient and give the photos time to load on your page, as there are A LOT of them... (about 200 photos to be precise). 
 
 
 




This is the Arizona Legends Clubhouse with a  heated pool and hot tub/spa, covered rear porch, huge salon for entertainment with non-cooking kitchenette, pool table, piano, gym, card/games room, laundry, men's and ladies' rest rooms with showers and postal box station.



















Funny story with this photo (well, not funny to us)... The two round boxes to protrude  through the slab (middle far left in photo) is for the TV/Data and Electric outlets for a TV Lift cabinet that will be in the middle of the Living Room part of the Great Room (or so the floor plans showed). However, the General Contractor placed them in the middle of the overall slab (including kitchen, bathroom and closet spaces), so had WE not checked his preliminary work and noticed his screw up in time, we would have ended with TV/Data and Electrical outlets either under or inches from the kitchen cabinets.  Probably that should have given us a hint that there were going to be a whole lot more screw up with this Contractor. But experience had to be our teacher. Now we know. If you want a job done right, do it yourself... or forget it.

 

 
 
Here the sewer, electric and water lines were extended to the other side of the lot, so the motor home can be hooked up (on the left/driver side utility bay) facing the rear and mountain views of the lot, which the subdivision's ARC rules also say that it cannot be done... but everyone does and the subdivision even does the excavation work for the owners. Maybe the City of Benson is not alone in the CRAZY rules, as they seems to also include the Resort. 
 




 
 
The lot separation walls were also put up.

Property line wall being erected.




Extension of Sewer, Water and Electric service across the lot for a left (driver's side) hookup for the RV facing the Eastern view of the mountains.
 
Main electrical pedestal finally approved by the City and Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Coop (SSVEC) connecting the electric meter
.  
The green tag is the City's approval for the meter. It is a 200Amp service,
100A for the Casita, 50Amp for the motor home and 50Amp extra for whatever else. However, our building contractor (Mark Fenn Homes) screwed it up so bad that he did not allow sufficient conduit size for 100Amp so we only have 70Amp service to the Casita. The only option was to sue him and have him have to tear down the building and start all over again, so Mary opted to just accept his F+++up, whereas Bill would have opted for at least a monetary recompensation, given all his other screw ups already. Very deviously though he NEVER mentioned a word about it until almost at the end of the project, perhaps hoping that we would not notice his screw up. 
 
 
 Then we started the preliminary designs for the Casita, hoping to get a capable draftsperson to draw the plans subject to the local building code to get them approved by the City of Benson. That proved to be harder than anticipated too, as the only 'recommended' person was worthless, would not return calls and Bill had to do all the design work and corrections. But eventually it was completed and finally approved by the City of Benson. These are our preliminary designs.








Now the electric pedestal is ready and the separation walls are up,
and the plans have been submitted to the draftsperson for City approval.

Main electric pedestal (above)
RV hookup opposite lot (below)


Preliminary leveling begins...

 
Initial letter from the A**hole Mac (so-called head building official)
Finally, the City of Benson with a non-employee consultant acting as a Building Dept. Head, approves our plans subject to these conditions, which itemizes the flagrantly STUPID rules of the City of Benson as to a Casita for spending  the day in, but not sleeping and which can have a kitchen, as long as it is not called a kitchen, and which can store food in a refrigerator, as long as one does not cook the food it stores. They say that it cannot be considered or called a 'dwelling', but requires a smoke and carbon monoxide detector "for all 'dwellings' ". Go figure! All the desert sun must have burned their brains.


The Floor Plan on final plans Approved for construction.  
 

With the plans approved, though the builder is also working on another larger project, he is working us in, starting us with the forms for the slab while he preps the ground of his other project, then pours our slab.






Mary is standing in what will be the rear covered
12' x 24' porch with a view of the mountains.

View from the front... storage/garage on the right, with the main
casita center and then the rear porch in back (and the most gorgeous view
of the valley and three mountain ranges (about 25-30 miles away) to the East.
 

Mary in front of the front porch and front door (on her left).
The pipes out of the ground are the pipes for water & sewer for kitchen and bath.

Water line to water heater.
 
Rebar for the slab.
 

They came at 05:30AM to pour the slab and we were ready to record it.















 
 In white T-shirt is the builder, Mark Fenn of Fenn Homes in Benson.  Mark has served as Mayor of Benson so he is very well known by city officials, including the acting Building Head, which we believe helped immensely to get everything moving as smoothly as is possible within their diminished capacity. 


 
The slab poured and curing...




Water, electric and sewer connection to Casita.
 


Cured slab, ready for framing in 2 weeks while the builder
frames the slab and pours it on his other project.
 
We saw a door like this in Lowes (which is almost identical to the one in the Clubhouse) and wanted it for the Casita, but it was $3,300, so we passed on it. Then at Window Depot (Tucson) we found this door, which  was just like the Lowe's $3,300 door, but for only $489. So that became our front door. It has a speakeasy door portal behind the bars, in old western style, to see who is at the front door without exposing oneself to whoever is there.
 
On August 16th the wood arrived on our lot but it would be another
week waiting for the builder to finish the slab pouring on his other project.
 

Thursday, August 23, 2018:

Then on August 23rd the builder (Mark) came with his brother, son-in-law and a friend,
which formed the framing crew and they got right to work, framing and erecting the side walls.














   

 
   That afternoon they also brought the trusses which will be erected on Monday 27th.

 









 Rain brewing with lightning in the area, so they quit early.
  After they left Mary couldn't wait to go over and see the framing job.

But then the rain started to pour and everything got soaked.
The good thing here is it usually doesn't last long and it drains pretty well.
 
 The next morning they got right on it and got a lot accomplished.
 




 
Friday, August 24, 2018:
 
 Before starting the day, a conference to lay out the day's work...
 



Sheathing the outside walls.


 This is Manuel, the subdivision superintendent, having to check everything out.

 With a low humidity one doesn't sweat, but one sure gets thirsty.




 And another drink....


 
 Surely you have heard of 'The Water Boy'... Here is 'The Water Girl' taking
freezer-cold bottles of water to the builders that they really appreciated.
 
 



Friday, August 24, 2018: 

Finishing the sheathing and starting on the roof (parapet) sheathing and trusses.
 


















 9:20am - Breakfast, since they started at 06:00am. It's amazing how these 4 guys can accomplish so much in only 6 hours a day. They quit about noon due to the heat of the day.
 




Monday, August 27, 2018:

Sheathing the roof begins...













 

Tuesday, August 28, 2018:

















Setting the saddles for water drain towards the scuppers.





The A/C guy. 



 
August 29, 2018: Roof Sheathing finished, just awaiting on the roof contractor, builders start doors and work inside.
 
 

We love our new rear porch and Mary starts to enjoy the shade it gives. as the rear porch faces East, and since we will be here for the winters, the Eastern rising sun starts to warm it early, but gives nice shade for the afternoon Happy Hour. Where she is will be  a sitting area with a fire pit.

 The metal roofing is for the front and rear porch, which will be one of the last things to be installed AFTER the stucco and exterior painting are completed. 

Installing the French doors.


From inside, shower on left with electric panel facing the storage room. As you can see (below) the 'storage room' floor is same level as the bathroom, so that in the future it would be simple to just add an A/C to the storage room, close the garage door with a wall and window and convert it to another room (which could be a non-allowed 'bedroom'.) 

 
These small 3'-0 wide x 1'-0" high windows are just for lighting as
they face the North and are in the living room part of the Great Room, inside.

 Below is a sample of the spray insulation which is excellent for a thermal barrier.
The double pane windows also add to the thermal as well as audio insulation.
 
 The sheetrock starts to arrive and awaits installation in the storage room/garage.
Exterior Foam insulation awaits attachment prior to being lathed and then stuccoed.

Roofing papers await roofing contractor.

Interior painting starts. Walls, interior doors, trim and baseboards were all painted the same color (a light beige called ' Shortbread' from Dunn Edwards paints). Outside paint was called English Scone and the dark brown on the porches was called Spiced Hot Chocolate. Gee! You think we were hungry when we picked the colors?





 The almost finished project is now ready for stuccoing.


This will be the bathroom vanity. Originally we were going to use a different vanity which was supposed go against the left wall thus leaving just enough room for the commode at a decent length from the toilet paper holder on the right side of the vanity, and IF the toilet had been placed where it was supposed to be, there would have been enough room for a double towel rack, to the right of the commode on the shower wall, BUT, the builder felt that just because the building pans showed it a certain way, he could alter it by a few inches and it would be 'close enough'. Building contractors in Arizona are apparently not what Bill was used to working with as an architect. So we had to change our plans and accept the builder's mistakes, just as with the 70Amp service instead of the 100A that the plans called for. BEWARE hiring an Arizona general building contractor. Be sure to stipulate in the contract what happens when the builder does not abide by the Plans or work contracted.

The special ordered Millgard windows (white inside and dark brown exterior) with warranty. Thank goodness for the warranty as one of the windows had a deficiency of manufacture so it was replaced. Sadly it took a few weeks to replace it due to the special exterior paint, which then slowed the ability to complete the stucco and exterior painting, but at least it was replaced.
 
 
The kitchen cabinets and countertop arrive and are awaiting installation. The builder installed the cabinets, but a counter man came to cut the countertop and sink hole. Unfortunately, he didn't cut the counter enough, so the refrigerator cannot open its left door enough to allow the icemaker access to clear the door. The building plans called for a refrigerator space of 39", whereas he only left 38", with about 2' overhang on the counter. Sorry for him but he is going to have to come back and re-do the work correctly this time. Bill is fed up with having to accept the builder or contractor screw ups. They are supposed to be professionals, for Christ sake.

Finally, the stucco is complete and just awaits the painter.





Inside the kitchen is finished except for the plumber installing the
dishwasher (and the counter man redoing the counter correctly.)



Large closet to serve as wardrobe closet on the left and pantry, printer stand, wine cooler and other 'inside' storage items (on right) with furniture from IKEA.

 The bathroom still a work in progress. My God! We have NEVER seen tile contractors that were so S L O W, It took them 9 days to do this small project (including having to come back to re-do the shower floor, as it puddled water that didn't drain.)

  Interior painting finished and the electric garage door opener installed.
Garage door is thermal insulated as it faces West, but the spray thermal insulation also keeps that area just the right temperature.

 The shower is finished.


Don't know how we miscalculated but we had a whole bunch of floor tiles left over.

Mary enjoying the furniture shopping at Ashley.

 Michael Fenn laying and cutting the pavers on the rear porch.

 
A/C lines ready to connect to the 12,000btu Jujitsu Inverter Mini Split which works GREAT.

A/C installed. OMG! It is sooo quiet to run.Outside painting completed. This is 'English Scone' from Dunn Edwards paints, but it looks different depending on how the sun hits it (as you can see).
 
 

Bathroom ceiling exhaust fan.

 Shower now completely finished.
Bathroom vanity top with matching backsplash to shower trim.

Finishing touches on French door.

 Overall view of bathroom vanity.
 

 Rear porch with metal roof and Spice Hot Chocolate (Dunn Edward) paint on rear porch timbers. The grey rectangular box is an exterior outlet with separate switch for Christmas or other accessory lights and so on. One on each end.
  
From 'Off The Wall' (Tucson) a compact Queen Murphy Bed on the South wall. The two beige circles in middle of floor are TV/Data and Electric outlets for a TV Lift Cabinet (normally facing the North wall and Living Room furniture, but reversible to be able to view it from the Murphy bed as well. Luckily, the Handicapped are allowed to sleep in their casitas, so while Bill has his Disabled Permit as a consequence of his knee surgery, we are currently sleeping in the Casita (until we leave around April).
  
 Getting ready for final leveling and laying gravel, Bill insisted on a 1" per foot (standard minimum) of slope to allow drainage away from the house. We went round and round with Manuel, the resort superintendent but he finally saw it Bill's way and did it to our satisfaction, so we gave him 3 bottles of Tequila (his favorite). Now he is all to pleased to do things the way we want it.





FINAL Inspection PASSED! 11/16/2018
Now we can move in.
 
And Mary is feeling very relieved...
 
 A view of the finished ROOF with reflective coating.
 
 Bill was able to install the new DISH satellite dish himself and install one of the Wally receivers from the motor home, so that it does not cost us anything extra.








Mary enjoying our livingroom furniture (Loveseat w/manual recliners and 2 Power Rocker Recliners), with a glass of wine and our Christmas tree. 


Below are some photos of one of the community get-togethers. This was for Thanksgiving. All our neighbors are very friendly and being a 55+ community we don't have to worry about misbehaved children.



 
Then it's always great to get back 'Home'. 





 
Our back porch is going to always be our 'favorite' room. Just look at that great view. After they finish the internal golf cart roadway and landscaping and the wildlife comes back (after construction) it will bee really GREAT. Just look at that view.


 
 Now to end this, the finished product to date (as of 12/23/2018)
 
 Above: Front view of Casita (East).
Below: Rear porch sitting and grilling area.
 
 Front entry in the evening. There are security motion-sensor lights all around the perimeter. Not that it is a crime cautious area, but just to be able to see any wild critters that may be lurking about (rattlesnakes, javalinas (small but fierce wild boars), coyotes and occasionally even a mountain lion has been spotted in the nearby area). The building also has a Simplisafe Home Security system and  a Chamberlain Garage door opener, both which are wireless and operate via WiFi in the house. The Simplisafe also has interior security cameras and motion sensors, as well as entry point sensors (doors and windows), which allows us to actually view the inside (and outside front door) of our casita from our smartphones, and give access when needed to a neighbor in case  of any emergency, from wherever we are. The Simplisafe monitored security system only costs $15.00/month while connected, but can be connected then disconnected and then reconnected as needed without contractual obligation, so we will leave it 'monitored' while we are traveling and only on local siren when we are in Benson for the winters. Cool!
 
By the way, most of our construction materials, all of our appliances and much of our lighting and plumbing fixtures, etc., were purchased from LOWE'S, because they have generally better prices and selection than Home Depot, plus they gave us a 10% Military Discount for Bill's military service, whereas Home Depot just gave us a lot of BS for it. In all we saved over $700 with this discount, and also were offered up to 24 months to pay with 0% interest. Thank you Lowe's.
The threshold is about 4" off the pavers, which is comfortable for most but presents a problem for the disabled in wheelchairs or scooter, and since this is a 55+ community of RV'ers and there are many disabled people in the growing retiree RV community, (as well as the Resort owners who are also disabled, but a super nice couple, we opted to get a moveable 48" L x 32" W ramp and threshold covers, so that we could give easy access to wheelchairs and scooters both coming in/out our front door and also moved to in/out to our comfortable rear porch. In the meantime it also worked well for Bill to use post his knee surgery.  

 
 
 
 Outside the garage (or we should say "storage room") a place for 'Edith' to be parked. The golf cart is usually parked next to her (on either side), but when we leave to travel in the RV, the golf cart will be left in the 'garage'.
 
And (below) a view from the front door, the RV and Edith close by.
 
   Inside the Casita... 
 The Murphy Bed, which normally sits unobtrusive during the days not being used (and doubles as a credenza cabinet to put food out when entertaining), is shown here just how easily it makes into a queen bed.




  
The living room (North) side of the Great Room with a leather recliner loveseat, two leather rockers with power recliners, a lift-top coffee table that we can eat on while watching TV and the TV lift cabinet, which also hides the TV or rotates to face the TV toward the Murphy Bed if one wants to watch TV in bed. 


 The closet (with cabinetry from IKEA) has our wardrobes,
drawers and shoe racks on the left entering the closet,
 
And the Pantry, Printer/WiFi, 18-bottle wine cooler, plus stackable boxed wines and a 
shelving unit for any other air-conditioned storage, as needed. The window (below) is in line with the living room windows (facing North) for added natural lighting, though the overhead LED light is bright enough to light up the closet amply.
 
 The kitchen finished...
 
 

 Eating dinner (salmon) while watching TV...
 The bathroom, finished...
 
And the shower (4' x 5') to be able to stretch out after
being used to our small 2' x 3' RV shower. 

The Storage room ('garage') is 16'L x 12'W and is accessible from the bathroom, and by the way the floor level of both are equal to each other so that one day in the future if one should wish to do so, converting it into another room in the house (like a bedroom) would be super easy. 
   
 
We hope you have enjoyed sharing the building odyssey of our Casita in Arizona Legends RV Resort in Benson AZ, where we would gladly enjoy visiting with you if you are passing through or want to stay for a few days. One of the perks of lot ownership here is that our RV guests can rent a full sized lot with FULL hookups (50A electric, water and sewer) for just $5.00/day for about up to a week or so. We both wish you all a very Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays) and a Happy, Safe and Healthy New Year, 2019.   
 
 
 
 
 
 
.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to ALL!


12-31-2023 - NEW YEAR'S EVE 2023

Happy New Year As the minutes tick into hours, and the hours culminate to end THIS year, we want to reach out to all our friends, some of wh...