Reaction to my layout

[Grant B]

Yesterday we had an appraser come to our house for refiancing. The house is a Victorian built in 1896 and I spent a good 3 years of my life remodeling.... I mean rebuilding it.
And I do not mean directing the work; I did just about everything but the plumbing.
And whenever she could, my wife was doing even the dirty work like demolition too.

Anyways my wife said when the appraser walked into our divided living room (Huge original sliding doors that split it in 2) she gasped loudly when she saw my American Flyer layout taking up 90% of one of the halves.
Since San Francisco Homes do not have basements and since land prices are the highest in the nation so a garage would cost over $1M easily, I had no place else to put it.
What gets me she turned to my wife and said , "You are a Saint" (for allowing my layout).
I don't know but after all the sweat work and blood (literally) I put into the thing and considering I let my wife sketch out the kitchen and I built it for her exactly like she wanted it.....I take a bit of offense at that comment. I even built it into a piece of furiture so as to please her and keep it nice and neat.
Something a basement would never see that's for sure.

Just needed to get that off my chest and this is the perfect place for it.
Thanks!
Grant

 

[Gary Pfeil]

Nice story Grant. I'd love to see some photos, both the layout and its surroundings.

Gary

 

[Sir_Prize]

Was the appraiser married?
What's their stance on "hobbies," to them a hobby is running through a smoggy park or
climbing a "rock" wall in a gym...
Maybe they just don't have an imagination.
I 2nd Gary... Pictures sir... We need pictures!

 

[Grant B]

I was at work at the time so I only know what my wife told me.
Yes, you are right about the photos will try and get to them soon

 

[eightyeightfan1]

Tell the appraiser to read the January "From The Cab".

 

[jetrock]

My wife wants me to put a trolley layout in the living room. I guess she's a saint too... by day at least!

 

[Grant B]

When I had all the walls down I wanted to put track on a horizontal support on the picture rail (2/3 of the way up the wall) and running through the walls of the house with most of the scenery on the 6 x 2 entertainment cabinet.

I have a friend who is an artist; I was going to get him to paint something with a tunnel and actually have the trains coming out of the tunnel out of the painting and things like that.
She didn't want it at the time but later recanted saying it would have been pretty cool and would of taken up almost no room unlike what I have now