Building a house: you hear it will either make you or break you (your marriage that is!). I am here to tell you that is NO JOKE!
My husband has been a builder for over 20 years. He works on commercial projects; he’s very successful, knows how to be efficient, and is the nicest guy off the job site --- HA!
I sold real estate for over 12 years, so between the two of us, we accumulated our fair share of house knowledge. But neither of us had ever taken on a project like this, together.
We chose not to hire a general contractor; we handled that ourselves, because why wouldn't we?! Contracting is what Rog does, day-in and day-out --- which basically meant Roger oversaw the schedule and I was the b$#@*- in-charge on the site. I DO NOT, let me repeat, I DO NOT, recommend not hiring a general contractor. They are worth every, single penny!
People ask all the time what we would do differently, what we learned, what we love, etc., so I’m sharing our labor of love here.
What we learned:
You will make mistakes
SHOP: shop hard for flooring, light fixtures, etc.
Hire the right team of professional sub-contractors
Appreciate your crew: they work hard!
Develop a relationship with each sub: you will be working together and fixing things for years to come
Have fun, enjoy the journey, and don't sweat the small stuff
It’s been almost six years in our home and I LOVE IT.
Here’s what I can't live without, in no particular order:
My steam shower: I use it daily!
Our ice machine: yes, a stand-alone ice machine
A large laundry room: HUGE --- cabinets, folding table, lots of space (you do know I LIVE in there, right?!)
A large master closet: I dreamed about this for 20 years. I went smaller on the master bath to accommodate a larger closet and I am THRILLED with that choice!
A play area, away from the main area of the house: can we say peace-of-mind for ALL?
There you have it --- that is all I need to be HAPPY and IN LOVE with our home.
I'd love to hear what you love, what questions you have, and what I should learn from you --- should we (ever) build another home.
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