downstairs

303:365

Since I have stairs to my basement now, I can go down there. (I don't do ladders.) It's cavernous. It will host epic gatherings where people can eat, drink and be merry while playing pool, ping pong and poker. It will be wonderful.

Once it is done.

We are making progress on our major items, and our builders are moving steadily forward (the north side of the house is nearly half bricked!). I am hoping that after we get the cabinets, vanities, counters, plumbing and lights straightened out, it'll get a little easier. Yeah, we need to choose paint colors and stuff like that, but different colors don't come with a variety of prices like wall mount faucets, so that should be not such an ordeal. Maybe.

I have heard from many, many people how much work it is to build a house. I watched my parents build two. I thought I had a reasonable grasp of what to expect.

I was wrong.

Holy cow, was I wrong. Building a house is like having a second, stressful, full-time job. What should be fun (I get to choose everything myself!) turns into a nightmare of negotiation once you find out how much everything you want costs. It becomes "I choose this. No, okay, that? No? How about this? Still too much? Hmmm, okay, what about this?" It's excruciating to people who are highly decisive.

We're getting there. This, too, shall pass. Or so I keep telling myself.