One Week Plus Three Days

Sep 3

It’s Sunday morning, September 3. Next Sunday, about this time, we’ll be packing up all our vehicles and heading to another Airbnb. Our third Airbnb. It’s more money and more time. However, it’s been almost a year and one-half, what’s three more days?

It’s been a week since the CO has been issued, and we’ve turned it over to Sherry and Joel for the finishing touches. Len walked through with the builder last week for the final fixes that had to be completed; luckily, the list was not as long as we had thought and we expect resolution before we get home. The builder has 15 days to fix the punch list. The design elements will take almost two weeks. I have no idea what that entails (meaning I’ve been left in the dark), so I’ll just leave it at that.

We’re coming down to the end of this journey, and it’s been a little more consuming than we thought. The construction-end was hard - picking the right GC, trusting him to pick the right contractors, hurry up and wait, weather delays, thinking we know better. In the end, I think we made the right choices, but if I had to do it over again, my choice would have been different based on events that we’re now living.

Len has spoiled me. He has taught me that - much like my mother’s wisdom - if anything is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. You finish what you start, and you do it to the best of your ability. That holds true in our personal lives as well as our professional life. As we began this process, we sat in the GC’s office and talked small businesses. After being in business for over a decade, I know small businesses and how important they are to the economy and to a community. “I treat each of my clients like they are the only one,” we told the prospective GC, “and we expect to be treated the same way by people that we do business with.” The prospective GC shook his head in agreement and said, “I do the same.” I liked his perspective because he thought like me. I knew, after that conversation, he was the one. Words come easy before contracts are signed and money is exchanged. After eight months with one week to go in the process, spoken words have been forgotten; contracts have gone unfollowed; timely resolutions don’t exist; and what is due us is simply a matter of ghosting. At least that’s how the events of this week have gone; however, there is time to rectify everything before I turn the key to enter my new home.

I guess I expect people to have as much pride in their work as I have in mine. A reality slap of dollar signs tell the tale of labor these days.

Choosing Saving Time Design was the smartest decision we made. I keep thinking, “How would I have known I should have done this or chosen that or when or where?” Nothing nothing, we would have been taken for a long, costly ride. And, the decisions the team made, impeccable. The cost? Not as much as you think. The commission I have paid them was well worth the stress I saved. Having someone make decisions based on code and builder’s knowledge rather than emotions or feelings was life-saving. They educated us on custom products, choosing types of products, cost and when the cost was not necessary. They picked up the pieces when other contractors failed; they picked up my spirits when all I wanted to do was scream.

We’ll be reflecting on this for a very long time. Once we get home, we’ll decide if the road was worth the ride.

What we both look forward to is not feeling lost. Not feeling these limbo crazies. It’s hard to put into words exactly how we feel each and every day, but I’ll be glad to get rid of it. A purposeful life is so much more enjoyable.

For now, my heart breaks just a bit, but no matter what, I am so thankful God has brought me home to my mountains.