OK, sorry Boston.......but the Big Dig there took too long and cost too much money.
Our Big Dig may start tomorrow, Wednesday, May 30....a day that will be etched in my mind. Will it be similar to man's stepping on the moon or the Titanic sinking?
A car is sometimes like a house. In the olden days, when you bought a car you got four wheels, the vehicle and seats. Radio was extra. So was A/C. And cruise. And a bunch of other stuff that is now pretty standard on a car.
Houses work the same way. Once you enter the whirlpool of construction you find the hidden costs. Over the allowance. Not included. Not planned for.
So you add a nickel here and a dime there and a quarter here and pretty soon the budget starts to look like the national debt!
And when a "standard" item is provided, it is not always what you want in your house.
So decisions get made.
Granite counters or food for the next six months?
In floor heating in a bathroom or gas for the lawnmower?
And so it goes.
I do know we are getting anxious. I am, of course, nervous. What if we have made the wrong choice on exterior colors? Floor stain? Cabinets? Trim?
I will blame wifey.
We have picked out the flooring, trim, cabinets, colors for the outside.... but we are not done.
Lighting. Now I asked for lighting made in the USA. We found some. Nice stuff. If we get it, I won't be able to eat or buy wine for at least 2 years. OK, the food doesn't upset me, but I would be lost without the wine.
At some point we will be facing painting the interior. Do we hire it and get it done, or do I do it on my own and spend the next half decade getting it done? (Confession: I am still painting the trim at Emily's house. That was my housewarming gift to her. She's been in the house......four years? Maybe 5? Excuses, I've had a few. Too hot. Too cold. Too many dogs. Not enough time. Not enough paint. Get the picture??)
So if we opt to save money by doing the painting ourselves, how long will it take me? What will it look like? Sure there is an allowance, and any allowance we don't spend we can put elsewhere...but is it wise to put a paintbrush and roller in my hand and expect it to be done quickly? Or even to paint in the first place, since I have a tendency to spill, spatter, drip, fold, crunch and mutilate.
But I am getting ahead of the progress. There will be time for that internal debate in August.
Until then, I'm still buying wine.
And drinking it.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
So much for Made in America!!
Progress is measured in time. And dollars.
We have a culvert, the septic permit came through, the building permit is next and then.....voila, a huge hole in the ground. And in the pocket.
We picked out appliances this week. And carpeting. And tiles. And siding colors. And a bunch of other stuff.
Maybe it's age.....maybe it's me. I get real involved in conversation and after about 5 minutes I am gone! My mind is all over the place. I'm not listening, not interested, and looking for an escape. Maybe I have been that way all my life...but I notice it now. I can't talk for more than two minutes on the phone before I have a ultra strong desire to hang up. Talking with Mike at ALM Cabinets about cabinets, counter tops, sinks....my eyes just glazed over and I started to nod and murmur "uh huh." For the love of money, I have no idea what he was saying!
Emily calls and after about two minutes, I am done. Gone. In a different place.
That said, we bought appliances and I don't know what the hell we bought! I know it was a lot of money. I think we bought a cook top, oven, refrigerator and a bunch of other stuff. Maybe even a vacuum and a big screen tv.....a plug in electric car.......I just nodded and said, "uh huh. ok."
And I tried to buy appliances made in America. We also tried to buy appliances rated highly in Consumer Reports. The two don't match. We will have a truly international kitchen: China, Korea, Germany, Mexico and Canada will all be represented...as well as the USA. We may even have something from Mars....I kind of lost track.
So do me a favor. If you are actually talking to me on the phone or in person, kind of keep me on my toes by asking me random questions that require thought. Like why do pigs have any hair at all? Was God joking with us? Or, why are the Kardashians popular anyway? Maybe even, Why can't millionaires and billionaires pay more taxes? Not like they are hurting for money.
Sorry...I can see your eyes are starting to glaze.
Say goodnight, Gracie.
Monday, May 14, 2012
I said culvert, not Culvers!
I can get pretty excited over a pile of gravel and some steel.
We have a culvert.
Now for you city folk, a culvert is like a big straw that goes under your driveway in the ditch area. Without it, you can't get into your yard. Without it, water can't flow freely down hill, like my rationality does after two glasses of wine. Flow downhill freely, that is.
We have been to a flooring guy, cabinet guy, and today we went to the fireplace people and the tile and carpet folks. And appliance shop. I tell you, there are a lot of decisions.
There is also a lot of expense.
I can hear the dollar signs multiplying as we pick out material and await an estimate to see where it falls in the area of allowances for the house. I know costs will be over, it's now a question of: How MUCH?
One of the problems with watching a show like House Hunters is you see something and think: I want that. Then you find out the cost.
I sort of zone out during these discussions....like a student losing focus during social studies, I find myself asking questions already answered or already asked. And the obvious: Does this brown tile come in brown? Do you have any purple shag carpeting? If I decide to take all the money from the bank and run would Jackie be mad?
Sometimes I ask questions and can tell the people are thinking: This guy is nuts!! or Yes, you can Mr. Dickow (but why the hell would you want to?).
Thus (love that word) we stumble, ever forward. Like a giant rock rolling downhill. Each yard (and when did they start selling carpet by the square foot and not the square yard? It sounds cheaper, true. But Holy Waa!) causes us to go faster downward, heading to what? Financial ruin? Economic collapse? Chaos in the streets? But enough about the economy.
Next step: Laying out the house and then digging. If you are all willing and have shovels, I could save a heck of a lot of money. Heck, I would even buy the shovels. Let me know.
We have a culvert.
Now for you city folk, a culvert is like a big straw that goes under your driveway in the ditch area. Without it, you can't get into your yard. Without it, water can't flow freely down hill, like my rationality does after two glasses of wine. Flow downhill freely, that is.
We have been to a flooring guy, cabinet guy, and today we went to the fireplace people and the tile and carpet folks. And appliance shop. I tell you, there are a lot of decisions.
There is also a lot of expense.
I can hear the dollar signs multiplying as we pick out material and await an estimate to see where it falls in the area of allowances for the house. I know costs will be over, it's now a question of: How MUCH?
One of the problems with watching a show like House Hunters is you see something and think: I want that. Then you find out the cost.
I sort of zone out during these discussions....like a student losing focus during social studies, I find myself asking questions already answered or already asked. And the obvious: Does this brown tile come in brown? Do you have any purple shag carpeting? If I decide to take all the money from the bank and run would Jackie be mad?
Sometimes I ask questions and can tell the people are thinking: This guy is nuts!! or Yes, you can Mr. Dickow (but why the hell would you want to?).
Thus (love that word) we stumble, ever forward. Like a giant rock rolling downhill. Each yard (and when did they start selling carpet by the square foot and not the square yard? It sounds cheaper, true. But Holy Waa!) causes us to go faster downward, heading to what? Financial ruin? Economic collapse? Chaos in the streets? But enough about the economy.
Next step: Laying out the house and then digging. If you are all willing and have shovels, I could save a heck of a lot of money. Heck, I would even buy the shovels. Let me know.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
A floor by any name is just a floor
Visited the floor guy today....quite an experience. I was able to tell him what we did not want more than what we wanted as a floor in the new house.
For economy reasons, cardboard was my first choice. But someone said that was not good enough for her. Ditto the paint the underlay brown idea. Because of allergy concerns, we also ruled out sod. Figured I would not have to cut it much since it was inside.
I know more about flooring now than I did a year ago. I learned the flooring I really, really, really liked won't work for us. It is a hand-scraped reclaimed white oak with a dark brown stain. But when we actually saw and felt a sample, we realized it was not for us. There are ripples, by design, in the wood and I am afraid it won't be smooth enough for us old farts.
Pre-finished flooring was an option, but the beveled edges and less than natural look on some of the samples wasn't what we were looking for.
Once we found a red oak we liked, then we had to talk about patterns, sizes, effects, finishes, timing and a whole bunch of other stuff that I may not have paid the utmost attention to.
I know it will be over the allowance provided by the builder. I just don't know if it is two fingers or one arm over. Once we get an estimate I think I will feel better.
Did you know you can take Oberweise Dairy bottles back to the HyVee in DeKalb and get $1.50 per jug?
I figure if I can collect 50,000 jugs, I'll have enough to pay for the carpeting and wood flooring.
When I was a kid I used to pick up empty pop bottles and get 2 cents for every one I returned to the store. Maybe I can do the same with milk jugs.
For those of you under age 85, pop was not sold in cans long ago. Bottles were the only option.
I was about 13 and playing ball at Ravenswood School. There were a whole bunch of us and we sent one of the younger kids to the store for pop. He had to get six bottles.
When he came back empty handed, we were puzzled.
"Where's the pop?" I asked.
"Guy took it," came the tyke's reply.
"Guy? What guy took our pop?" I asked.
Little tyke turns his tearful head to two guys by the school, smoking cigarettes and drinking what looked like Dr. Pepper. Our Dr. Pepper.
"They took our pop." I say to the seven other guys with me. "I say let's go get it." Murmurs ... yes, ok, yeah ....rise up from the masses.
So we tromp across the playground, 7 young Turks ready to rumble.
"Hey, you." I said. "You took our pop."
Taking a slow drag, followed by a slower swig, big oaf laconically says, "So?"
"Well we want it back. Or you gotta pay us." I say.
"Who's we squirt?" big oaf asks.
I turn around and see seven guys on the far side of the field, playing ball!
Seeking a graceful, yet not completely symbolic retreat, I continue. "Then give me the empties."
"Sure, " big oaf grins and smashes a bottle at my feet.
"Thanks" I sneer, and turn to go back to the game.
I did have to check my pants to see if I wet myself......but realized I was so thirsty I probably couldn't.
Which has absolutely nothing to do with flooring.
Except to make sure that it is water and urine proof.
For economy reasons, cardboard was my first choice. But someone said that was not good enough for her. Ditto the paint the underlay brown idea. Because of allergy concerns, we also ruled out sod. Figured I would not have to cut it much since it was inside.
I know more about flooring now than I did a year ago. I learned the flooring I really, really, really liked won't work for us. It is a hand-scraped reclaimed white oak with a dark brown stain. But when we actually saw and felt a sample, we realized it was not for us. There are ripples, by design, in the wood and I am afraid it won't be smooth enough for us old farts.
Pre-finished flooring was an option, but the beveled edges and less than natural look on some of the samples wasn't what we were looking for.
Once we found a red oak we liked, then we had to talk about patterns, sizes, effects, finishes, timing and a whole bunch of other stuff that I may not have paid the utmost attention to.
I know it will be over the allowance provided by the builder. I just don't know if it is two fingers or one arm over. Once we get an estimate I think I will feel better.
Did you know you can take Oberweise Dairy bottles back to the HyVee in DeKalb and get $1.50 per jug?
I figure if I can collect 50,000 jugs, I'll have enough to pay for the carpeting and wood flooring.
When I was a kid I used to pick up empty pop bottles and get 2 cents for every one I returned to the store. Maybe I can do the same with milk jugs.
For those of you under age 85, pop was not sold in cans long ago. Bottles were the only option.
I was about 13 and playing ball at Ravenswood School. There were a whole bunch of us and we sent one of the younger kids to the store for pop. He had to get six bottles.
When he came back empty handed, we were puzzled.
"Where's the pop?" I asked.
"Guy took it," came the tyke's reply.
"Guy? What guy took our pop?" I asked.
Little tyke turns his tearful head to two guys by the school, smoking cigarettes and drinking what looked like Dr. Pepper. Our Dr. Pepper.
"They took our pop." I say to the seven other guys with me. "I say let's go get it." Murmurs ... yes, ok, yeah ....rise up from the masses.
So we tromp across the playground, 7 young Turks ready to rumble.
"Hey, you." I said. "You took our pop."
Taking a slow drag, followed by a slower swig, big oaf laconically says, "So?"
"Well we want it back. Or you gotta pay us." I say.
"Who's we squirt?" big oaf asks.
I turn around and see seven guys on the far side of the field, playing ball!
Seeking a graceful, yet not completely symbolic retreat, I continue. "Then give me the empties."
"Sure, " big oaf grins and smashes a bottle at my feet.
"Thanks" I sneer, and turn to go back to the game.
I did have to check my pants to see if I wet myself......but realized I was so thirsty I probably couldn't.
Which has absolutely nothing to do with flooring.
Except to make sure that it is water and urine proof.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
It's the mind that goes first
Maybe building a house isn't such a good idea. I mean, we need a house. We want one that will be accessible in the future.
But maybe what I need is a house that doesn't take much thought.
Realized that after talking to Todd at the park district today. Todd. Now I've been in three plays with the guy, been to Abraham's with him after rehearsal, talked to him endless hours. Todd. Even as I said it, I knew something wasn't right. But Curt was very understanding and did not correct me.
So here is what I'm thinking: a house with a brain. Because mine is obviously oozing out like the custard in an Ollie's cone on a 90 degree day.
This house would have a central computer that ran everything. Why? you may ask.
So I don't leave the laundry in the drier after the buzzer sounds and let my clothes get all wrinkly.
So I don't leave lights on in the garage or basement after checking for burglars.
So I don't have to lay awake wondering if that sound was a sump pump going or a drug crazed, heavily armed psycho escaped murderer breaking into the basement.
So I actually close the freezer door.
So when I go for wine I remember to turn the oven off.
So I remember to actually raise the garage door before backing out.
So I no longer buy 3 way compact fluorescent bulbs that are 5 year bulbs but only last 6 months in my lamps.
So I can find my car key, wallet, cell phone and glasses.
So I can watch the TV show I wanted to watch but instead recorded a different show on a different channel at a different time.
So when I move again I don' have to call Emily four times to ask questions about hooking up the DVD player and finding the remote.
A house with a brain might be a good investment for me!
The process rolls on.....deed recorded, impact fees and building permit in the process, construction to start in the next two/three weeks.
Hopefully I'll remember where the house is an how to get there.
But then again, maybe I'll just get a GPS programmed in my head to guide me. After all, there seems to be space not being used up there.
But maybe what I need is a house that doesn't take much thought.
Realized that after talking to Todd at the park district today. Todd. Now I've been in three plays with the guy, been to Abraham's with him after rehearsal, talked to him endless hours. Todd. Even as I said it, I knew something wasn't right. But Curt was very understanding and did not correct me.
So here is what I'm thinking: a house with a brain. Because mine is obviously oozing out like the custard in an Ollie's cone on a 90 degree day.
This house would have a central computer that ran everything. Why? you may ask.
So I don't leave the laundry in the drier after the buzzer sounds and let my clothes get all wrinkly.
So I don't leave lights on in the garage or basement after checking for burglars.
So I don't have to lay awake wondering if that sound was a sump pump going or a drug crazed, heavily armed psycho escaped murderer breaking into the basement.
So I actually close the freezer door.
So when I go for wine I remember to turn the oven off.
So I remember to actually raise the garage door before backing out.
So I no longer buy 3 way compact fluorescent bulbs that are 5 year bulbs but only last 6 months in my lamps.
So I can find my car key, wallet, cell phone and glasses.
So I can watch the TV show I wanted to watch but instead recorded a different show on a different channel at a different time.
So when I move again I don' have to call Emily four times to ask questions about hooking up the DVD player and finding the remote.
A house with a brain might be a good investment for me!
The process rolls on.....deed recorded, impact fees and building permit in the process, construction to start in the next two/three weeks.
Hopefully I'll remember where the house is an how to get there.
But then again, maybe I'll just get a GPS programmed in my head to guide me. After all, there seems to be space not being used up there.
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