IS YOUR HOUSE DONE YET?

…and everything else you’ve wanted to ask us related to this question!

Why has it taken so long?

I can answer this question with one picture and a dollar bill. 🙂  First, for the picture:

Those three little blessings receive a lot of our time and energy!  They each also represent an entire year of our focus {9 months of pregnancy + 3 months in New Baby Survival Mode}.

Why is it taking so long?

We are building our family simultaneously.  And no, we are not planning to outgrow our house before we move in; we are just filling it so we have a reason to need one! 🙂

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The importance of family includes grandparents and good friends.  We never get to spend as much time with you as we’d like, but we try to prioritize weekend trips to grandparents’ and Sunday afternoons spent with friends.

How is your house coming?

We are building relationships too.  People matter more.

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People are eternal.  As much as we love it, our house isn’t.  Taking a Sabbath reminds us that God’s plan is bigger.  As finite creatures we do our best to take time to serve, be involved in ministry in the church and out, and add value to others’ lives, even when our own projects are hanging over our heads.

Is it done yet?

We are building the Kingdom.  This is more important.

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Except for a select few itemized projects I can count on one hand, Ben has done all the work himself.  Husband, Dad, Man of God, Home Remodeler… My amazing husband is a DIYer to his core!  No, no, no, not designed the house, found a company and hired said company to complete the job, but physically done it HIMSELF.  With his own two hands he’s touched every board, placed every wire, installed every piece of ductwork.  Not many people rebuild the foundation AND lay their flooring.  Dig the septic AND design the HVAC.  Plumb the pipes AND install the kitchen.  And WIRE THE WHOLE THING with flying colors!  Frame the house, install skylights, add a story, fell trees, paint, and install an entire whole home audio system like the best of professionals!!!  I have to be honest, sometimes this is frustrating to me.  But all the time I am proud of him.

When will you move in?

We are doing the work ourselves… so it takes a little longer.

***

Did I mention he’s a perfectionist?  And so am I.  He only cares about some things.  I care about some things.  Together?  We care about ALL THE THINGS!!!  Everything has been planned with care.  Done for a reason.  Way overthought.  Custom made.  Just how we like it.  It’s the little things – the detail.  To us, details matter.  Since it’s our house, we get to choose to be detailed.  {I love that the guy I married cares about this!} The house is being made for us.  Our personalities.  We realized long ago we shouldn’t build houses for a living, but for our own dream house?  To do it any other way is to not be us.

How is your house coming?  Oh, did someone ask that already?

Absolutely AMAZING!  The entire house has been done with extreme loving care {and detail}!

The 100%-Down Plan

The dollar bill.  You’re probably wondering if I forgot.  That’s the picture – it’s us, who we are, our family and our priorities.  {We are continually asking God for wisdom that we are keeping the right priorities… so, subject to change as God leads. :)}  The dollar bill represents cash.  Paid for.  In cash.  Not borrowed.

Towards the beginning of our marriage God gave us a personal conviction to not use debt for anything… not even a house!  At face value, this seems limiting.  We choose to see it as freeing.  While not for everyone, it IS possible for more people than most think.  Does it mean you will wait longer for your dream house?  Yes.  Does it mean you might have a smaller house?  Yes.

How this affects the timeline of things is that we can’t buy everything right now.  We can’t hire it out and snap our fingers and have it be done right now.  This gives us time to strategize, plan and find deals.  Ben has bought just about all the materials ONLY when they were on a major sale because of this.  That further helps us save.  It means we can have nicer things, for the price of the cheapest things.  It means we can change our minds 10x about the design while we wait for them to go on sale, ha!  Each step of the way falls into a sort of beautiful pattern:

Work –> Save up $ –> Plan, learn, watch for deals –> Buy materials –> Work on house –> Repeat for the next step.

When will your house be done?

It takes a long time to save up and pay cash for a house, but it will be worth it!

EDIT:  This post was written in June, but is only now getting published.  Since then, we have had a few more “bumps” along the way that we didn’t foresee, like my health issues.  God already knew, He sees all things, and we’re trusting that His timing – whatever that will be – is perfect. <3