Ups and Downs

Well, when they tell you that building a custom home is stressful - oh, boy - they did not lie.

I stress and worry and fret about everything already though, so this just adds to my stress  exponentially.  I have been in flight or fight mode for so long now that I am going to more than likely get depressed or sleep for a week when we are all said and done.  I am really glad at this point that I am stopping the business for a little while - telling everyone that it will be the early part of 2018 and keeping the time soft.

We should be in the house before the holidays so that will give me 3-4 months before I start working again.

Darrell told me last night that I keep saying, when we get over this hump, when we get over this hump.  Those humps are not going to stop, so I need to change my outlook.

However, building a custom home is stressful.  It is not just about picking tile and paint colors.  I am making decisions about where to put the house on the property, exactly each individual tree to cut, permits, 6" of space in a kitchen layout, where every single electrical outlet is going, where every light is going, every switch, problems with our flooring choices, a door issue, how large or small for each window and exactly to the inch where they go keeping in mind support beams and how the light will come in.

You think this is up to them, but no, it is up to me.  And I am doing this on paper, I do not have the luxury of walking through a room and thinking about it.  I asked for this, and I am not complaining about the process, just how I am stress about it.  It is not for the faint hearted.  I do feel like if I decide wrong, it will ruin everything or make life hard.  The builder does try to offer advice and sometimes I take it, but sometimes, it is something that would not work for us or our taste, so ultimately, it is our decision.  Well, my decision because they have to be made quickly and Darrell is at work.

I worry about money, with every change am I putting us in the poor house.  The changes are small and important and are acceptable at this stage.  They certainly cost less than changing during the actual building process.

For example, did you know an electric outlet might cost a builder a couple of dollars.  In the plan, you put an outlet everywhere you think it should go.  Well, you get to the home site, the timber is up, the slab is down, electric is about to go in, you look at the plans with the electrician and decide to add an outlet - $125 per outlet.  Nothing has happened, it is still just on paper, but since the cost of the electrician was negotiated up front, NOTHING can be added.  You can take out, but not add.

Same thing for lighting.  Same thing for sand.  Same thing for timber.  Same thing for windows.  Same thing for every single piece of the house.  It all has to be decided up front or it costs you an arm and a leg.

This is why I am stressing and think, when I just get past this hump.