Who needs to build a full play set (for thousands of dollars) when you can simply make your deck into a slide? (In other words? Who’s too cheap/lazy/busy to invest in a full play set? Us.) Henry loves slides, and with living farther out on the country, having one on the property is something I had planned […]
Geothermal basics for new construction
One of the big decisions (and big budget items) for our our new house is heating and cooling. And since we’ve been knee-deep in making these decisions (and writing painfully large checks), I thought I could share some of the process with you. Our captive audience – lucky you. When we began designing our home, Ryan had his […]
What we’d do differently
If you run into me on the street, in a restaurant or anywhere else – be prepared. I have become a crazy person. A one-track-mind-I-only-talk-about-houses crazy person. If you are a friend. I’m sorry. Sort of. It’s just that getting ready to build a house has taken over every little open spot in my brain. And […]
Build list: Windows
Who would have thought that something like windows could be so darn complicated? In our past two houses, we’ve installed vinyl replacement windows and have been pleased as punch. (We went with Jeld-Win windows in house 1 and Anderson in house 2.) I guess I assumed we would choose white vinyl windows when we build – vinyl […]
Build list: Outlets
Are you building a house? Grab our free guide with secrets to save thousands of dollars on your home. I’ve been thinking a lot about the kitchen – because it’s coming to life before my eyes. And because I’m making decisions that will impact the daily use of the kitchen. When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I start making lists. My […]
On building our own home
Well, we’re officially on the path to starting construction on our new house in the spring. I’ve talking about it here and there, but I’ve been getting some questions about the process, so I’m going to try to get us up to date on our process for the three of you who care. If you remember, […]