So building a house is not an easy thing. I’ve been told this. I believed every person who told me, but I’m also finding it out for myself. We’re now a month into our build, and I’ve discovered some things already that have made the ride, well, interesting, to say the least.
1. Stress. Building a house is stressful. Since we are building in our backyard (seriously, the basement walls of the new house are less than 6 feet from the back porch steps), a lot of details are falling to me. I’m the administrative assistant of the build, really. People call me about details. I have to check them with Eric, make other phone calls back, set up our meetings for various things. The guy who poured the basement walls didn’t think the waterproofers would be there the next day, so he didn’t mark the walls. And the waterproofers did come. So he called me, and I took the phone out and asked about it, so the two guys could discuss the markings on the wall. Good thing I was home that day.
But all of this (and more) has added an undercurrent of stress to my already-crazy life. I’ve just started to realize how much stress the build is adding, though, so now I can take more specific steps to address it.
2. Fun. Building a house is fun. Tonight, we met with the guy who’s building our cabinets. I just planned my whole kitchen, and I’m SO excited about it. It’s just fun. The kids, too, are having fun. Timmy LOVES the constant stream of dump trucks, track-hoes, pickups and various other pieces of equipment that keep showing up at our house to entertain him. Every night that the rain/mud allows, all four kids are loving the chance to walk the walls, climb through holes, jump ditches and run around the site. The constant sense of possibility that the new house holds is just fun. It’s a good thing. It’s a good thing.
3. People. Building a house has opened up a lot of opportunity to meet people. Now, to be fair, most of them are the Amish guys who are doing the work. But I like the Amish out here. And they are so fun to talk to. They really do treat their businesses as more than businesses. They care about the relationship they have with you at the end of the day, the end of the job. It’s refreshing, and I’ve enjoyed the connections.
4. Details. Building a house is all about the details. And there is so much I don’t know. Some of that lack of knowledge is adding to my stress. But when the moment comes, so far, I’ve had very little problem making the decision. And so far, I haven’t had one that we’ve regretted my call on. I’m sure it will happen along the way. And there are days where I’m drowning in the details. But it’s amazing how much every little thing matters. It matters.
So that’s where things stand as of today. Tomorrow more dirt moving, back-filling and gravel spreading is supposed to happen. And in a week or two, we’ll see framers – and things will really start to move forward. It’s scary and exciting all at once. But hey, in a few months…we can carry things down the back steps and right up the front steps of the new house. Can’t wait!
