Yes, I know this is where those of you following along remind me that we started late because of hurricane season, but I will argue that the clock really didn’t start until we broke ground in October. Regardless (or “irregardless” as Switch would say to annoy me), we conservatively predicted 9 months to completion, which would put us at a June completion. Bruce (our builder) liberally said best case scenario was completion in six months. So in my logic brain, completion between March and June is “on schedule.”

At this moment, we are prepping for the roof. Yes, crazy, right?!? I’m over the moon, but trying to remain calm. Here are the latest pics of the house – photo credits to Switch.

We made a friendly bet with our friends Kathryn and Jeff on who would finish construction first. They are remodeling their house in San Francisco and started about 6 months before us. We would definitely have won if we started when we wanted (July), but alas, I think they may beat us. They already have their roof, but we are close behind. However, “finished” is defined as liveable, so the race may still not be decided. Does it count if we are living on a mattress on the floor?

As our construction account drains, my anxiety rises, but after a recent accounting session, I think we are still on track financially. You may remember that we cut our finances and have been putting as much $$ away as humanly possible, but that means I lost track of how much we put in vs. how much we started with. I think we’re going to make it.

Now that the outer building is nearing completion, it is time to start designing the inside. The kitchen is the one room I care most about. Being an avid cook, the usability of the kitchen is critical to me and it is a delight to have control over all the features, but also nerve wracking. I’ll tackle that in my next post.

Onward and upward!