My dad always says “Everything takes longer than ya think.” It’s one of those pieces of sage advice you kind of hate to be reminded of but you are reminded all the time.
To put this process into perspective we decided to build a house in March. Breaking ground took place October 27th. In hind sight it was ridiculous, but when we first started we thought we might be in our new home before the holidays. Instead, we broke ground on a 7-8 month process less than one month before Thanksgiving.
Since March we have off-loaded two homes and moved twice – from two homes to one, then to the apartment we are living in until the house is done. We purchased land to build on in a very challenging market for finding land. We have planned our new home, secured financing and participated in some hurry up and wait.
So here we are… finally building.
In this picture you see the top soil being removed for later use.
Now the garage and basement are becoming clear.
A few days later things become even clearer as the footings go in. This is our basement.
This is the garage with the footing freshly in place. I’m not sure what the blob of concrete in the middle is all about but I am sure it will cost us more money at some point 🙂
You know you’re a big deal when your project requires a porta-potty.
Before we ever thought about building a home Lisa and I sat through a laugh-until-you-cry exchange with intoxicated contractors explaining that every home has been pooped in during construction – in crawl spaces, behind drywall… It was funny then.
Now we have a porta-potty. Hopefully this eliminates any “do you smell that?” moments when we first move in.
