Reflections - Life Lessons on Building a Home

We should be FINISHED with the house tomorrow and will be ready to move in! So, I have been thinking a lot about this whole house building/buying process and here is what I think...

Things you should know before you build your own home...

1. It is really, really hard! Fortunately, it is a little like being pregnant...while you are doing it, you tell yourself you are never doing this again, but after you see the results you forget about the pain and start talking about when you are going to do it again. AND no one can possibly understand until they have done it themselves...but with that said continue to read to learn how to make it easier.

2. You should have a work truck...if not, be prepared to make your current vehicle into one. This includes getting it oily, muddy, dirty, eating in it A LOT, driving around constructions sites, hauling tools around, trying to pick up supplies that don't quite fit but if your kids squish to one side and duck maybe it will be possible...

3. Have a stock of tires available for the said "work truck"...preferably three. That seems to be the lucky number of flats you will experience. I actually visited The Tire Company so many times during this process they knew me by name and started giving me a discount on all of the things I needed...broken tale light, broken head light, three flat tires, three inspections.

4. Have jumper cables available for the said "work truck" especially if you are using it as a living room for the kids to watch TV, nap, eat and keep them entertained while you work on the house. The battery WILL run out.

5. Keep a spare car key at the new house under a rock so that when your kids are done watching TV and lock the keys in the car you don't have to try and find one.


6. Buy and USE lots and lots of sunscreen! Working in the sun again after you have blistered yourself is fairly painful!


7. If you don't own a shop vac - one of those vacuums that vacuums up everything from nails to water to glass to saw dust, etc. then GET ONE...A BIG ONE! In fact, if you are a homeowner at all you should own one. They are awesome! Chris has been wanting one for years (we had a little teeny one). It was finally time to give in and buy one.


8. If you don't already have an awesome family...adopt one...you will need it!

9. Dirt is a precious resource! Use it wisely!

10. We have heard from several people that building/buying a house can have a lot of strain on a marriage. Luckily, this was not the case for us but maybe that is because we were forewarned...so consider yourself forewarned!

11. Be prepared to be disappointed...a lot! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE our house and how it ended up but it seemed that every step of the road was paved with disappointments. These disappointments can come from lack of funds, time constraints, miscommunication, lack of funds OR sometimes the exact thing that you wanted and got still doesn't turn out exactly how you wanted it to; Oh, and did I mention that everything is EXPENSIVE! lol

12. AND lastly, enjoy it! Most of the time, I have to admit that Chris and I were too tired to really enjoy much of anything but there were times when we just sat back and realized what an awesome blessing it is to be able to not only own a home but be able to build one. Our children, even though they too, are tired of us building the house, understand how much time and work went into this house. We built it together and we will reap the benefits together...isn't that what family is all about.

Things I have learned while building a house

1. I CAN do hard things...not necessarily happily...but I survived them with few breakdowns.

2. I learned that I can cut and lay base and casing; cut, grout and lay tile; run a watering hose, use a table saw and a lay wood floor, CLEAN like a MANIAC, and according to Chris give a whole lot of moral support!

3. I learned how to check and put air in a tire.

4. I learned that I am a lot more materialistic then I would like to admit.

5. I learned that my husband is even more amazing than I thought...he never complained having to work 16 hr. days-6 days a week. He also dealt with my breakdowns so well. :)

6. I learned just how much a family can accomplish when they work together.

7. I learned that I am pretty indecisive especially when it comes to decorating.

8. Dirt is expensive!

9. I am capable of much more then I thought but still have much more to learn and even more importantly I am excited for it!