Slow and steady progress

A few weeks ago I shared a little about why we moved into a camper just outside of Live Oak, FL. Someone reading that post might wonder why a house that was 80% done would take over two years to finish. Well, I forgot to mention some crucial details.

The house was an unfinished construction project that sat for so long it had begun to decay. When we really got in, we had to do a lot of gutting. I would say we took it back down to 50% before we started building it back up. And when I say we...it really was a village effort. Nick and I would come on weekends, and sometimes I would stay an entire week to get a little demolition in after my regularly scheduled work day. Mom and Dad (who moved to Live Oak before us) would come most days of the week and pull 8-10 hour shifts, especially when Nick and I couldn't be here. Even our 5 year old has helped clear trash and install toilets.

We only got work crews for the roof, the stucco, the brickwork, laying tile, and installing interior drywall. That means dad has been leading the efforts on project management, including purchasing, framing, plumbing, and electricity.

Construction loans don't work like advances. The contractor (family-owned and operated Stone House Roofing) has to front the cost. This means the house has moved at the pace at which Nick and I have been able to put together "extra" cash. Does anyone ever have "extra" cash? Let alone a steady stream of it?

Sometimes, the list of to do before we schedule that final inspection seems endless and overwhelming. Not to mentions the wish list of design touches for after that inspection. That's when looking back helps.

There's now a finished living room with a fireplace where there used to be a two-foot-deep hole we didn't really understand.

Stucco-ed white walls have replaced exposed brick.

Soon, there will be black interior doors and a baby grand piano in place.

In the meantime, we're just going along with the rhythms of daily life: early morning wake-ups, walking and feeding pets, quick breakfasts, our homeschooling, work (lawyering for me, acting as dad's crewmember in between managing a business for Nick), shuttling kids to activities, dinner, wash, rinse, repeat.

Fitting in some joy whenever we can!