Are we there yet??
We’ve been on a rollercoaster trying to get our house finished. It’s been very difficult being so close to “moving in” and yet so far - not knowing when this contractor or that contractor will show up and if they’ll complete the work. Overall, it’s been a great experience even with the few bumps we’ve had to deal with.
The entire year we’ve been working on this project. We started in January when we put our house in Denver/Aurora up for sale. It’s been non-stop since then. The COVID-19 virus has created a lot of unexpected problems too. I had no idea the supply chain for certain products would be affected as much as it has been. And I didn’t realize how many companies were working with “skeleton crews”, meaning they had laid off at least half of their employees or are working limited hours. Limited materials and limited manpower make it difficult to build and complete a house. There are some good things about all of it too. One of those is time. This has given us time. Time to think through things, time to contemplate things. All good.
I can’t say when we will occupy our new home, but it should be soon. It looks like sometime in January. The holidays haven’t helped our schedule at all either. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and now the new year. Fingers crossed it will be soon!
We have learned so much this year. I’m not sure I would want to do it again, but if I did, I know I could do a great job. There are so many things we never think about when we live in the city or suburbs. How our power, water, septic, and infrastructure works. What it takes to bring those to a remote mountain in Colorado is a feat of significant proportion. And you better have a lot of cash on hand. This stuff is not cheap. I probably went 30% - 50% over budget on this build. In other words, if I projected that X would cost $100, I should have been prepared to pay $130 - $150 for it. If you ever do this, add the 30% - 50% onto your final number. And if you get lucky and you don’t use it - buy something nice for your new home!
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jeanne today! I wish I could have given her a new home, but it will be soon!
Jeanne and I built a “water system” shelf in our utility room. This holds our 52 gallon compression tank and filtering system (not fully installed). The top shelf will house our router and WiFi stuff for the internet. Below, under the tank, will have Moshe’s litter box. A little private bathroom for him.
We completed (almost) our garage floor. We decided NOT to do concrete but opted for sand and then a later of 3/8 gravel. It’s very nice! (sorry for the poor light/shadows).
Our little shop/garage. With new gravel compacted floor.