House update

In case you were wondering, YES!  We are still trying to build a house.  It has been a LONG road to get everything in place.  There are still more hurdles to overcome.  Progress is painfully slow.  Luckily, I'm busy raising a family which keeps me pretty distracted from the drawn-out timeline.

There are many, many pieces to the puzzle when it comes to putting a house project together.  We are using Adair Homes, which is a company that asks the homeowners to take responsibility for many pieces of the puzzle.  We are in charge of:  excavation, septic/well systems, painting, concrete flatwork, clean-up, and a few other smaller items.  These things, along with our responsibility to get the financing in place, add up to a lot of work--especially when you're a mom, not a contractor.  I'm always up for new tasks and projects, so I'm enjoying the learning process that comes with this project, but I have been frustrated at times.  Most of the difficulties are caused by my own ignorance and inability to know the right questions to ask.  It's a learning process.  

So, where are we with our project now?

1)  We're collecting our final bids on concrete and utility work.  Translation:  I'm hounding, begging, pleading,  and stalking contractors to call me back regarding their bids.  I'm also regularly giving out the stink-eye as contractors tell me they'll be out of town on vacation and I'll have to wait for their bids.  Disneyworld?  Elk hunting?  What?!?  You people have lives?!?!

2)  We're nailing down the final price of the home with Adair.  Translation:  Do we really need granite countertops throughout the entire house?  Should we spend the extra money to install fireplaces now?  To finish or not to finish the basement.... and lamenting to myself, "Why, oh why, do I have such expensive taste?"

3)  We're working with the bank to get our financing in place and our overall budget approved.  Translation:  The bank is asking "Why, oh why, do the Richards have such expensive taste?"  Just kidding.  But the bank does want to know where every penny is going.

Anyway, right now I feel like I have all these giant floating balloons up in the air that I'm tending to, and it's my job to grab all the strings and get them to join into one, cohesive bunch so we can move along together.  The balloons are moving but it's a lot of work to get them all synchronized and ready to go.

Wish me luck as I continue prodding and pulling everyone along.  It's work to realize a dream, but we'll make it happen!