October 29th, 2024

Did you ever see signs like this as you drive through a neighborhood that is at least a little unfamiliar to you.  And then maybe did you then wonder about the view and think about how nice it would be to have a really spectacular view out your own window?  Yeah.  I think a lot of us do that.  And it doesn't even matter if it's a pond, a lake, a river or the ocean.  Water is water. Unless I suppose the water in questions is a water treatment plant. Nobody wants to see that.   

anyway, those houses, the ones with the terrific water views always come at a bigger price tag too.  Sometimes LOTS bigger. I get it.  Most of us have views of our own backyards or the back of the neighbor's house.  I have lived in places where the views were of a parking lot and an alleyway, so I kind of understand the higher cost associated with a better view.

​But sometimes that "water view" is rather broadly interpreted.  You already know that Tim and I enjoy going to model homes and open houses and around here anyway, lots of times the water view is of a "fake lake" in a development which is fine.  Even a manmade lake is pretty and attracts wildlife.  Usually, they have pretty plantings around it and that's lovely.  My objection is that in order to view that pretty lake, you sacrifice some privacy.  I see, not only the lake, but also the backyards of the neighbors on either side AND everyone across the lake. They aren't that big generally so it isn't all that far.  I suppose after awhile, you get used to being on display all the time?

Other times the "water view"  is a real natural body of water but it can only be viewed off the left side of the balcony if you peek between two other houses.  Still counts as a water view and they can and do hike the price because of it.  

I get it.  It's wonderful peaceful beautiful thing to be able to see a body of water right from your own home.  It is listed with the home as an asset right up there with newly renovated kitchen and bathrooms and 3 car garage.

Even though this house that we live in right now wasn't listed as having a water view when we bought it, we actually do have one.  Technically, I suppose, we have two.  Tim claims that if you climb up to the roof (which I am absolutely NOT going to do) there is a great view. Not of the gulf but of the bay which is behind us.  Since I have never (and will never) be on the roof to check it out I can only take Tim's word for it. He has never lied to me so I absolutely believe him just have never seen it myself. 

However!  There is one vantage point in our house where I can see the bay.  If I stand in the shower of our bathroom and look out the window (yes there is a window in our shower) at first I see our backyard:

and of course, part of the family room and the back door (and the sandbags that we aren't quite ready to get rid of yet, just in case) But more importantly, if I look over the back fence, I can see through the car port of the house behind us and there it is, a little snippet of Roberts Bay.

The dead vines on the fence by the way were honeysuckle that were beaten unto death by the storm.  It will heal and return eventually. But we are talking about water views and that is absolutely water and a few boats and a little bit of a waterfront condo but the water part is the important part or so I'm told.   

A wee bit closer?  Sure!

Technically, we have a waterview.  From the shower in our bathroom.  Oddly, probably due to my lack of height, I cannot see the water if I'm just say, standing in front of the bathroom sink.  Nope I can only see it from the shower. I suppose that normally heighted people can see it from anywhere in the bathroom.

The family room, which as you can clearly see, juts farther into the yard, and does NOT share this view.  It must be a line of sight thing. Because since it's closer to the fence, it seems as if you should have a better view of the water. But nope.  

If we took down the fence (or if it fell down or a storm removed it), I can only image that we would have a bigger water view?  Maybe?  Or perhaps it would still just be the little peekaview through the carport just without the fence.

I wonder, should the day ever come that we want to move, could we list the house as having a water view?  Not the roof one, that's a given. The bathroom window one.  I mean, does that count?

On the other hand, I'm not positive that right now with the hurricane season being so recent that mentioning water at all is a good idea.  Yeah, I think for now, we'll just keep this bathroom window peekie to ourselves.