Patience
According to my Gantt chart, Monday (24 hours from now) was supposed to be the first day of construction. Actually, we are still waiting on the “appraisal” portion of our construction loan. So far, every delay has really just been an opportunity for us to save up a little more money and learn a little bit more, so I have relaxed about it. I also see that the prime interest rate has been dropping all month. Since we are not in a panic about building, we can relax with family over next weekend’s Easter holiday (although I do still plan to talk to my uncle about what sort of MAG welder I should buy).
On the other hand… I don’t want to start too late. Winter is coming around again and I need to be closed in properly or the work will be interrupted and the scheduled and costs will increase.
When we dropped off the appraisal paperwork (over a week ago now), I left feeling like I was on the edge of a cliff. I would describe it as a cross between cold feet (pre-wedding jitters, which I did not actually experience with my own wedding) and that feeling people must get just before enlisting in the military. I was about to bet a lot of money on my self… On skills I am planning on developing… On an idea that I know is a little bit crazy. On something that will require a tremendous amount of effort. On a long term commitment. On a change in lifestyle. Pretty scary stuff.
Over the week, I have both calmed down and geared up. I am ready to go. We could hear news about the appraisal this week. I could get rolling the day after Easter. And that is why I am having trouble sleeping and I am typing this at 5:30 AM on Sunday morning.
Behind the Drywall Tour
Since we didn’t have anything major going on this weekend, I took a few hours with my wife and went on a “Behind the Drywall” tour. The company conducting the tours is known for making very high-quality energy-efficient homes, oftne using “Earth Tubes” and other interesting systems. The “Behind the Drywall” tours let you get a look at these systems before they get covered up. This particular home had a green roof with interior roof drains that lead to a complex system of “rain gardens” on the sloping site. It had geothermal heating with radiant floors, an ERV connected to carefully designed duct work, several different types of insulation and a belt-and-suspenders approach to water proofing. I was hoping for some extra inspiration, maybe a good idea or two, and at the very least, a nice walk with my wife before things got crazy (we left the kids with my mother-in-law, so they were happy too).
A previous tour featured specially designed plastic gel packs suspended between the wooden wall studs as a thermal mass (sounds expensive compared to concrete construction).
I was reminded how many little bits are needed to build a wood framed home (especially one with an interesting layout and some steel beams). So many little blocks were cut to make things fit and that made me feel better about my relatively simple build plan. Understanding everything I was seeing also made me feel more confident about my own build. Sherri also asked a couple great questions, so I know she is feeling pretty knowledgeable and confident also. Sherri pointed out that our home would be much more exciting and efficient and tour worthy…
Eye Candy
That’s enough for now, on to the eye candy.
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- I wanted a pic of insulation for my insulation page… Michael wanted to jump in.
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- Cool secret mirror door.
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- Half door on the living room keeps kids out of the kitchen
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- I liked the details of this arch. If your wall has some thickness, you may as well work with it.
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- Spiral stairs down to somewhere interesting.
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- Classic tree house… All builders used to be kids who wanted a cool tree house.
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- Interesting earth sheltered home. I got it a while ago, so I forget all the details
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- Very interesting building… We are moving away from cookie cutter?
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- No plans to copy this, but it is eye candy
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- This house was built by someone with a professional contractor. I have seen worse, I can do better.
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- Poor woman has a hard job to do.
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- Cool “Murphy Picnic table”
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- I liked the lighting and the wood soffit. I plan to do likewise by my entry way…
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- I thought this SteelArchHome was nice and modern looking… One step away from earth shelterd
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- This was from a magazine article about how to dress difficult windows. I am sure the shutters were not cheap.
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- Concrete and mosaic bench
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- Concrete umbrella
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- I liked this corner window a lot… I would like to do something similar.