Build Like A Girl

I stalked the Gold Winner. And I got caught.

2011-10-18T23:15:00.000-04:00

Despite my quasi-genuine smile above, Brian is making the pose I really wanted to strike in this pic. Unfortunately, I couldn't handle that pose while also holding my drink and that enormous banner sign. And I wasn't gonna let go of the drink.

Make no mistake, I went to that banquet seeking Gold. Sold & Gold was the goal. I got the Sold part taken care of early. And then when we were standing there last week and they announced my house as the Silver winner, I think I was stunned more than anything. Sold & Silver? What the heck was that? It was a scenario I just hadn't even considered. Brian says I walked up to the stage so fast he could barely keep up with me and trailed at least 10 ft behind. I don't remember walking fast, I only remember thinking, 'who the hell beat me?' and simultaneously, 'I really hope I don't fall in these shoes.'

I sound like a brat but I can't help it. I know Silver is great. I know Silver is an honor. But I went to that banquet like the Golddigger Kanye was singing about in his duet with Jamie Foxx. To my knowledge, they don't make songs about Silverdiggers. And if they did, it would be moot cuz I wasn't going there hoping for 2nd place.

When they announced the Gold Winner...I'm fairly certain I made a 'who the hell is that?' kinda face. I would be awful at any sort of televised award ceremony but I would make for great tv. I didn't recognize the builder nor did I recognize the neighborhood. I was totally and completely blindsided by this unknown who just kicked my ass. The only thing I knew was the house that won Gold wasn't a single family home and was located in downtown Raleigh. Which inspired my Facebook status that night to read, 'I lost to an apt inside the beltine. So pissed. Silver... Whatev..,'

As you can see, I handled the loss with the same grace and dignity I never really had in the first place.

So last Friday, after pumping myself up for a few days on happy, if not somewhat consoling positive thoughts, I decided to be a big girl and visit the Gold winning townhome. Turns out 'apt' may have been an unfair description.

I called up my friend, Jenn Nowalk to go with me. Jenn works for Homes By Dickerson and she's been a great friend and very supportive BLAG cheerleader. Incidentally, Jenn and her team took home two Silvers and two Golds on Parade night. She's no slouch.

So Jenn and I roll up to the Gold Winner and in the midst of trying to take a picture of me making a rude gesture towards the GOLD WINNER banner across the sign in the front of the townhome, I hear, 'ALAINA MONEY, is that YOU?' coming from inside the home.

My first thought was, 'OMG, did he just see me trying to flip off his sign?' and my second thought was, 'OMG, I know that voice!' It was the voice of a very fun, very cool agent I worked with on a transaction a few years ago...a different life working for a different builder. His follow up question, 'Did you come to check out this apartment inside the beltline?' did little to calm the OMG's in my head. We're Facebook friends so he was well aware of how well I handled the loss.

It was time to come clean. 'Yes, I did!' was all I managed to say. Jenn and I toured the townhome together and guess what? It was lovely. And it was deserving. The hardwood floors were 400 yrs old...from a barn in Tarboro, NC. The windows were casement. The bathrooms had furniture style vanities and don't get me started on the super-size mac-daddy spa shower. It was gorgeous.

Just before we left we had the chance to meet one of the builders...the 'Hill' from the building team of Gephart-Hill. He was just as lovely and charming as the home he built. And I told him as much. His Gold Winning townhome isn't Sold so I've included a link to their home here. As you'll see, it's kind of spectacular. And whoever buys it is getting a great deal not to mention a beautiful home.

I still like my house best...but seeing that Gold Winning house gave my Silver a whole new sheen.

Sold & Silver. Built in Seventy-Four Days.

I'm good with that.

A house full of gratitude.

2011-10-09T22:20:00.002-04:00

There she is...MY PARADE HOUSE!! All done. Gorgeous. Lovely. Sweet House. And SOLD. Tomorrow night we find out if we won GOLD but in the meantime...

Take a look INSIDE...you know you wanna.

And then come back here and read all about the amazing people that built this home with me. It takes more than a village to build a house. It takes a small army of very hardworking, very talented people. And I'm lucky to know them all.

Mel...thanks for grading the lots just like I asked and for making me laugh hysterically every time I see you. You’re good people.

Clint, Martine and all the masons...thank you for working in triple digit temperatures to get my foundation out of the ground as quickly as possible. And thank you for dropping everything and coming back to fix the back porch post when I called you in a panic a few weeks later.

Tommy, Hannah, Laura and the Super Mario Bros at Arteleye...thank you for letting me pick the most beautiful granite slab in your entire warehouse. And thank you for letting me see countless others before I decided on ‘the one.’ The island is spectacular and I owe it all to you guys.

John, Edtzon, Flavio and everyone at The Go Team...thank you for making sure all the pretty stuff I was so worried about came thru. And thank you, Flavio, for telling me you thought I was 28. That was a great day.

Bill, Ginene, John and everyone at Imperial Electric...thank you for walking the house with me and agreeing to design the lighting plan on the fly...the recessed cans above the garage roofs are such a nice touch...and the outlets on their side in the baseboards and the backsplash are a winner! And most of all for passing your rough-in inspection on the first try. That rocks.

Ben, Adela, Claude, Alonzo, Cookie Monster and everyone at Carnell’s Plumbing...thank you for surprising me with a super-size shower in the optional bedroom-bathroom. That thing looks killer. And for being pretty much the nicest group of people, like, ever.

Gerald, Will, Michelle and everyone at Yellow Dot Heating & Air...remember when I told you we weren’t finishing the 3rd floor and it was no problem that the HVAC unit installed up there wasn’t large enough to accommodate that space if we finished it...and then I called you and told you we were finishing it and you didn’t try to strangle me. That was awesome. Thanks!

Rick, Chris, Rolando and all the guys on the framing crew...when I grow up I might want to be a framer for a few weeks. Just so I can hang out with you guys. Thanks for not killing me when I got the window sizes wrong on the 2nd floor and then wrong again (and again) in the Master Bedroom. Good times.

Andrew...I know we blew your mind with the trusses on this house. Thanks for keeping me sane when we lowered the trusses on the Master Bedroom and I just about threw myself out the wrong sized window frames.

Ric at Tri-City...thanks for rescuing me from the firecaulk boys that asked me if I was pregnant. And thanks for hooking me up with those sweet shower doors...seeple handles, who knew how kick-ass those would look!?

Matthew at Professional Builders Supply...thanks for all the 4hr tickets for the endless amount of materials we needed. The front doors are still my favorite. I don’t care what they cost. Don't tell Dan that part.

Adam at Builders First Source...thanks for introducing me to the fanciest trim and casing a girl could ask for...it looks spectacular. Dan’s still mad you showed me the expensive stuff...how will I ever go back?

JD and everyone at the Light House...thanks for designing a light package from scratch with me. I love the drum shades.

Green Zebra Interiors and the wonderful Jess...you literally fell from the sky and drove up right when I needed you! Your style and your vision for the interior made the house 1000% more spectacular than it already is. Thank you for not putting tassels on anything and for saying things like, “you do not want to spend a lot of this furniture-you want pieces that are flexible” You ROCK. Bigtime.

Ammon...thank you for that phat phat island. It rocks my world. It’s my favorite spot. And soft close cabinets make me feel like royalty.

Neil & Matt at Environmental Stoneworks...thank you for letting me bring my 3 kids + my nephews with me to pick out the prettiest stone you had to offer.

FlatRock Landscaping...thanks for a whole lotta sod and for tricking out the landscaping in the front.

C&W Concrete...Ronnie, Scott & Pedro and all the guys...thank you for coaching me thru how to ‘be like a girl’ so I could get our driveway poured like we wanted. And thanks for giving me your best work, every time. And for bumping Gerry in your schedule when I would call too late to schedule you when I needed you.

Blake & Beth and everyone at Wayne Dalton garage doors...thanks for getting the doors on the house in time for judging. And for teaching me the importance of ‘backjams’ which sound really gross but aren’t.

Matt & everyone at Fireside...thanks for my custom mantle, sorry it took me two tries to get it right. It’s real real pretty.

Dave, Kelly & everyone at CTI...thanks for helping me pick out all the cool stuff. The accent tile in the shower niche is so fabulous. And the carpet still makes me swoon.

Juan and everyone at the Cortes Empire...keeper of all the paint, drywall, roofing, siding and cleaning...thank you for always coming when I call and for coming each and every time I called after that. For all the touch ups...for making me those house earrings and for making me laugh so hard I almost peed my pants when they turned out like jack-o-lanterns.

To Design House...thank you for this wonderful plan. And for letting me name it the Nook & Crannies. I loved building it.

To my team...Laurel & Kendall...thank you for selling a bunch of houses while I was busy trying to build just one. You guys are the best.

To Dan...thank you for letting me cry when I didn’t pass my inspections. And for being sympathetic instead of making fun of me-which, you totally could have done.

To Gerry...thank you for running interference with the Town since you're the cool kid there and for copying my rain soaked plans on a Friday afternoon so I could go to the beach with my family. You’re the best.

To Brian...thank you for being my wingman...for helping me finish this house and for letting me do everything myself so I could be a real builder.

To everyone at Bryan Properties...Jim, John and D.R. Thank you for letting us build homes in your beautiful neighborhood. To Gretchen, Kathy & Kerrie...thank you for selling our homes!

To Jim...thanks for letting me build this home. And thanks for the best job in the world.

And to my family...thanks for loving me even when I turn into evil builder woman. And for countless family outings to the job site. Thanks for being the people I get to come home to in the house I live in.

The Last 5%

2011-09-29T22:06:00.001-04:00

A few days ago Brian told me I was in the last 5% of the building phase. And according to him, this was the phase that could make all the difference...the phase that distinguished the good builders from the great ones.

It felt like the last 2 miles of a marathon. And I don't throw that comparison out lightly...I've actually run the last two miles of a marathon. Well...ok, maybe 'shuffled deliriously' is a more accurate description but it was the closest thing to running I could manage. A few miles before the end I ran past my cheering family members...I remember my brother speed walking alongside us as we shuffled on by. A few hrs after the race he told me when he was walking (turns out there was no real speed to speak of) I kind of grabbed onto his arm and somewhat dramatically spit out an, 'I luuuuuv you.' Exhaustion tends to amp up my affectionate side.

And after days and days of combing thru every inch of the Parade House looking for flaws and then looking again...and then again...and then calling people out to the house to do the same and then getting on my knees to wipe up the floors and calling in every last minute favor from every trade in my phone...I'm definitely ripe to hand out some random I luuuuuv you's.

Tomorrow the judges arrive and I hope to be coherent enough to offer a friendly smile before I vacate the premises (that's the rule for judging, builders can't be in the home and can't talk to the judges).

I think I can keep it together. I'm just hoping I don't randomly hug any of them on the way out. There's nothing in the rules about physical contact. But if by chance I can't keep it together tomorrow, I bet they add that clause next year.

Fingers crossed I can keep my hands to myself and my lips sealed. Until they leave and then it's I luuuuv you's all around!!

Come and get yours.

Oh, and check out the house.

The Green at Sunset Oaks: 504 Redhill Road, Holly Springs, NC 27540.

It ain't easy building pretty.

2011-09-23T00:24:00.000-04:00

This is a clip of the plans for our Parade House...see the fancy details at the end of the roof gable? The things that look like house-earrings? Well...it has taken WEEKS & WEEKS to get anyone to even consider making these for us. And don't even get me started on the birdhouse detail at the top of the smaller gable.

That sucker took several failed attempts before we were finally able to arrange a 'Clinton-esque' peace talk between Juan (from Cortes Siding) and Matthew (from Professional Builder Supply). They negotiated a plan of attack on the birdhouse that was so successful we decided the time was right to go for it on the house earrings.

It was a stretch for us and for them. We've never built anything like this before and neither have they.

As evidenced by their first attempt shown below.

It's not that bad, it's just not quite right. And it's that fraction of not quite right that makes it look all kinds of wrong.

I was sitting on the front steps when I heard Brian laughing...then I heard the siding guys laughing...so I walked over to check out what was so funny and I was presented with the trim piece shown above. Hysterical laughter ensued and that's the exact moment I knew the siding guys were a perfect fit for us.

We're all out of our comfort zone on this house. I mean, duh, right? But none of us is going to let our lack of expertise deter us from trying something new. And we're certainly not going to let our ego's get in the way when we fall short. Especially when we fall short in such a funny way.

I mean look at that thing?! It looks like something we could attach to the gables on our 'jack-o-lantern' collection of homes.

And since we have yet to release our holiday inspired collection of homes-featuring the soon to be sold out 'jack-o-lantern' version...we decided to deviate from the plans and just freestyle the design. Simplify. For everyone's sake.

And look...it worked!

So close. And still so much trial and error. But we're still laughing. That's the best part. It's the part that counts.

Fast Forward 60 Days...who knew we'd be here?

2011-09-22T00:26:00.000-04:00

By yesterday afternoon I was ready to kick back on a big pile of cement fiber siding with my main man, Rolando and take in the view of 1 nearly complete house...

and 1 framed house that's mere days from getting siding.

And today I finally exhaled a tiny little bit...cuz it looks like we're gonna make it. Sure, we still have enough loose ends to cause my throat to tighten from time to time but we're past the 'choking on defeat' stage so that's good. And by good, I mean, big freakin breakthrough good.

For days I'd walk in the Parade House and only see what was wrong. But today I walked in and all the small stuff started coming to life. All the thought...all the agonizing details we begged the trades to master...it's all there:

The outlets turned on their side, installed in the baseboard with a little trim-house...they're there!

So is the air return that Juan painted Antique White for me so it matches the trim paint.

The smooth finish 5-Panel doors (wood grain doors are so 2 years ago) with 5' tall box-trim wainscoting is also there...

So is the little cutout in the foyer that matches the window on the other side of the foyer and above the built-ins...it was a game time addition but so worth the deviation from the original plans.

And the pretty pretty porch posts.

These suckers are the Rolls Royce of porch posts and proof of just how far we've come.

Brian sent me an email this week and reminded me that we poured footings on this house just 60 days ago and we only have 8 more days to go until Parade Judging...which sounds kinda badass. And also explains my complete exhaustion.

Lucky for everyone, I think I got about 8 more days in me. And then I hope you'll all come see this gorgeous house in person.

More on that soon. Until then...fast forward continues.

No Cookies for you...

2011-09-15T22:29:00.000-04:00

When I left for the job site today, I felt like I was already running behind and it was gonna be a BIG day. So I grabbed a tupperware container full of oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies on my way out because...you know...I thought there could be a chance I might need to do something nice for someone and I wanted to be prepared. Seriously, that was my thought process. Big day = I was gonna play it nice and lead with baked goods.

Stay with me...

Yesterday I spent the majority of the day in the sales world, which means I didn't get back to the construction world at the end of the day to check on everyone's progress. Which means I was freaking out because we were on for 2 inspections at the Parade House and 1 inspection at the house next door and I had no idea whether everything that needed to happen yesterday...actually did.

You can probably see where this is going.

I headed to the Parade House first...electricians were on schedule yesterday so I called in electrical final inspection today and walked in expecting all the lights to be installed. I could hardly wait to see them!

Instead...what I saw were two guys moving lights around getting ready to install them. For a second I actually paused and thought...'wait, is it yesterday?' Once I confirmed today's date I told the guys the inspector was on the way. And we were all about to fail. Miserably. And then I called the two people I know to call and fuss at when things don't go as expected with the electricians. Whatever.

Yea, those guys didn't get any cookies.

It was harder to tell if the HVAC guys corrected the items they needed to correct from the first failed mechanical final inspection...but since there was no one on the third floor spraying paint on the walls to prevent the inspector from actually inspecting their work (the reason we failed the first time)...I felt pretty optimistic about it.

After I assessed the situation at the Parade House I made my way next door to check in on Rolando and his crew-they were on for sheathing inspection. Only...they weren't exactly ready. A few doors weren't framed in yet...the sheathing was still being nailed onto the side of the house...Rolando asked if I thought we could pass with the house like it was. Um...lemme think about it...yea, no chance in hell, dude.

I decided to take a minute and deliberately not freak out. I walked outside. I was standing between the houses looking from one to the other, trying to give myself a clearer perspective...I was feeling anxious that my only hope for success today was the mechanical final inspection...or...OR...maybe, just maybe the inspector would show up late enough in the day for Rolando to finish up his loose ends. Yes, that was the silver lining I needed...if the inspector showed up later in the day we'd have a good chance of passing mechanical final on the Parade House and sheathing on this house. I instantly felt better. Two out of three, I could handle that. Now all I needed to do was pray that the inspector would be late.

Then I turned around to face the street just in time to see him drive up in his truck.

I turned back around and caught Julio from Rolando's crew out in front of the house next door. I yelled out in a panic, 'Julio, it's the inspector! Go tell Rolando!! HURRY!' Poor Julio was probably thinking...'hurry and tell him what?'

I don't know what Julio told him but it worked because all of the sudden, the framers went from busy to fast-forward. They were working so fast. Like so fast they looked a little blurry.

The inspector walked right up and I led with, 'So, you only have 2 inspections to make today. We're not ready for electrical final.' He seemed ok with that. He was actually pretty sympathetic about it after I shared why we weren't ready. After our little chat he left to check the permit box and start the sheathing inspection. I wasn't optimistic but I wasn't melting down either. A little humanity goes a long way with me.

A few minutes later I caught my inspector at the back corner of the house watching Rolando and his crew furiously nailing boards to the house. I walked up expecting, "I can't pass you because this isn't ready" and instead I heard, "they're just finishing up these boards here and then I'll sign off on it for you."

Um...wait...WHAT? Did you just PASS ME?!? The inspector turned his back and I gave Rolando the thumbs up. I think even Rolando raised his eyebrows. It was a good moment of shared surprise.

Then over to the Parade House to pass mechanical final, right? ...only, we didn't pass. We failed. You need 10 PSI to pass...we were at a 3. Clearly we had a leak somewhere in the house that needed to be addressed.

I was bummed but honestly, I was so happy we passed sheathing, not even failing mechanical final could wreck my day. So I marched on over to the house next door and asked how to say 'cookie' in Spanish. Then I presented them with my tupperware container full of treats and congratulated them on our single passed inspection of the day.

Love the framers.

What Good Looks Like.

2011-09-13T22:19:00.000-04:00

You know your self-esteem may be in a lull when someone says, 'You think you can throw this rock and hit that port-a-potty?' and you reply, 'Probably not.'

I'm not sure if those were my exact words to Brian...but I distinctly remember replying with defeat as a forgone conclusion.

But I decided to try it anyway...

Brian took this pic on my first try. He didn't even try to hide the surprise in his voice when he noted, 'that's actually pretty good form.' I asked if he expected me to have bad form and he gave me a shrugged shoulder head bobbing, '...yeah.' I deserved that, I was the one sending out defeat as my message.

I tried a few more times before I heard some laughter behind me from the house next door...this Hit the Port-a-Potty Challenge was basically on display for all the framers working on the roof next door. They were definitely entertained.

Brian hit the port-a-potty after a few tries.

I never actually threw it far enough to hit it but I came really close. And it turns out I could throw the rock a lot farther than I thought I could. Which was fun.

It's occurred to me lately that I've forgotten to have as much fun this time around. Or I've failed to focus on the fun parts and instead focused on the lulls.

So here's a fun part...I passed two inspections today. Water & Sewer Undergrounds and Plumbing Final. What, what?!? Our plumbers rock the house. Literally. They're what good looks like. We call them Hall of Fame Rock Stars. Our houses wouldn't be the same without them.

Which reminds me of another Hall of Famer... and a fun moment a few weeks ago.

We were fresh off a successful meeting with the Town Engineer who advised us on how we needed to pour the driveway (since it was so close to the storm drain we needed to make sure we poured it within the right guidelines).

Before the Engineer got to the site Pedro thought I needed a little direction on how to win the engineer over, "you know...maybe when he gets here, you know, you just be real real nice...and you thank him for coming and you know, you just be, you know, like a girl."

Uh, yea, I think I can probably manage that. I mean, I hope I've been managing that for the past 36 years. But at the time I was thinking...how the hell do I normally act? The opposite of 'real real nice?' Un-like a girl?

After the plan for the driveway was set and I successfully pulled of 'being like a girl' Pedro told me he thought I was doing a good job. It mean a lot to me and I told him that. And he went on to tell me how their crew works for lots of builders but they can tell that we're a builder that really cares. He said he could tell I really care. It was such a great moment. I wasn't sure how to share it or how to accept it. It seems like the kind of compliment you earn, rather than accept.

And then today over ordinary texts to sort out a problem with my lead walk, Pedro gave me another great moment...

Peek-a-Boo.

2011-09-12T22:49:00.000-04:00

There I am sitting in the spot where the fancy deco louvres should be (the ones I can't get anyone to build yet) when I'm suddenly terrified there could be a snake hanging out in this swanky new crawl space with the Barbie Dreamhouse Windows (where the deco louvres should be)...I force a teeny tiny peek into the crawl space but I can barely bring myself to look for fear of what I might find.

Thankfully, I didn't find any snakes. But I couldn't really shake the terror.

I walked thru my house today the same way, forcing teeny tiny peeks at all the things I'm scared I might find...drywall busted here...missing mantle there...really dirty everywhere. (Don't get me started on the garage...it looks like an episode of Hoarders: Construction Edition will be filming there soon.)

All the loose ends and details just completely overwhelm me. To the point of paralysis. I sweat all of them and then when they get off course I pretend they're not there. Totally effective, right? About as effective as when my 2 yr old covers her eyes and thinks no one can see her. I learned it by watching you, Stella...I learned it by watching YOU!

I've just convinced myself I'm not good with the details because...well, I kind of hate them. They're a pain. They're the hard part. They're also what everyone remembers about a house. And I don't always hate them...it's more of a love/hate relationship. I mean, everyone is good at telling someone else all about what's wrong in the house (the critic's job is easy) but I'm not the person who naturally follows up on every detail to get it right (that would be the hard part). I learned that last part from Seth Godin. His blog talks to me sometimes-it's totally freaky.

But that's all just crap. The self-sabotage part about me not being good with details, not the Seth Godin's blog talking to me part. (It totally does that.)

It's time to re-write the script in my head. Hey details...I'm coming for ya...and I got news...I'm now the judge, the jury, the critic and the follow upper.

In the meantime...the framers are knocking out the house next door like nobody's business. It's such a cool plan. And I love that I can walk thru it and not see all the details. Just the cool part. For now.

Meltdown City. Population: 2.

2011-09-07T22:55:00.000-04:00

I couldn't help laughing today as Brian started to unravel a little and join me in the beautiful metropolis of Meltdown City. Previously population 1.

By the looks of this pic it seems we might just be the next boom town.

A few weeks ago when we recruited Brian to help me with these houses I don't think he realized he was basically agreeing to be my Builders Anonymous sponsor. And I gotta say, I haven't exactly moved thru the steps very well...I get drunk on stress everyday, I don't give the trades much notice...then I give them hell when they disappoint me...then I apologize over and over only to repeat it all the next day.

Poor Brian. Poor trades. Poor crazy me.

I just feel done. So done. I love this house. I do. But it's become clear to me (like a shot of Windex to the eyes) that I really miss my old life. And I'm fairly certain my old life misses me. I think maybe I've been a fish out of water so much this past year that I'm worried I might be forgetting how to swim. And that's gonna suck if I can't swim...me being a metaphorical fish and all.

It's ok...we're almost there. And at least I have Brian to keep me company while I slowly go insane worrying about each and every detail in the house. Like today when I blew three (maybe four) hundred brain cells on the outlet and switch plates being installed in the house. They were installing white ones instead of the almond ones I requested three (maybe four) hundred times. De'ja vous, much? Here's how I know I'm done...our electricians are awesome. I love them. They've passed every single inspection on the first try. They made one completely allowable (and totally fixable) mistake and I'm ready to run screaming from the house.

I'm not coping so well with the ups and downs of building. I have a new appreciation for what our buyers go thru-building is stressful enough when it goes well that mistakes (even easy ones that can be corrected quickly) can throw things completely off-balance.

On a not-so-crazy note...Rolando is kicking it on the house next door. Roof trusses were delivered this week and the framers even sent me pics of the steel beams being installed in the first floor ceiling today.

I've decided the house next door will be my last for a while, a really long while...cuz this crazy fish needs to get back in the water already.

P is for Progress, Pedro and Passed Inspections.

2011-09-02T00:11:00.000-04:00

Last week Dan told me I needed to put these little pegs in the door to the covered porch to cover up the screw heads. He said it would be a lot easier to do it now as opposed to after Juan's crew painted. I'm not so sure Dan and I share the same definition of what qualifies as 'easy' or 'easier'. Cuz lemme tell ya, these little buggers weren't so easy. Easier than brain surgery? Yes. Easier than calling someone else over to do it? No. Plus I'm like 2" taller than the average oompa loompa so there's that. I can't even reach the top of the door much less have the manual dexterity to align a peg in there that's half the size of a corn kernel not to mention the strength to shove it in there. I was dropping those things all over the place but I powered thru. Although, truth be told, I may have sprained my good attitude in the process.

But last week, getting those stupid kernel sized pegs in the door was qualifying as progress...this week, progress is gettin' bumped up to a whole new level.

First of all...any day when Rolando and his crew is framing away on one house and Pedro and his crew is prepping for a driveway on the house next door, that's a good day.

Plus my badass tile backsplash was installed today. That thing is hot.

Add to that two passed inspections for the day (1 on each house!) and we're talking Once In a Lifetime by Talking Heads kinda good day. I love that song-it's my Garman Homes theme song. I heard it this morning-it came up on my husband's iPhone like I was meant to hear it. It actually came on randomly right after Party Rock Anthem which was requested by my almost 2 yr old babygirl, Stella. She loves that song...cuz apparently everyday she's shufflin'. Which is understandable since her legs are like, really really short.

The song worked. It always does. It gets my mind right. Reminds me that every day is an opportunity. A once in a lifetime opportunity. To do better. To be better. To be thankful for all the cool things I get to do everyday. And all the cool people that help us build and sell houses. I don't care if I'm totally misinterpreting the song. I still love it. It has an effect on me.

Makes me feel so lucky I have to pull a David Byrne and ask myself, 'How did I get here?'

Sweating the small stuff and just sweating in general.

2011-08-30T23:14:00.000-04:00

This picture of me with Tommy and Marco at Artelye (our granite vendor) is blurry...you know why it's blurry? Take a look at the pic...did you notice how Tommy is blurrier than Marco and me? That's because Tommy never stops moving. Or talking. He's an experience all his own. I get tired just being around him and trying to keep up. But it's worth it because Tommy knows his granite and Tommy knows I sweat the small stuff.

Tommy let's me point out various parts of the slab and tell him where I want them to appear in the kitchen...see that big vein he's pointing out...I told him I wanted that vein to run right over the island. I love how much movement the veining has and the island is big enough to capture the whole vein. And I love that Tommy and Marco measured all three slabs several times to make sure they got it just the way I want it.

This is how my week has gone...I'm literally sweating every single detail...down to the last...well, you get it.

Piece of window casing that doesn't line up at the joint? Sweating.

Outlets you can't reach under the built-ins? Sweating.

Crown molding missing in the Master Bedroom? Dripping with sweat.

Meanwhile the third floor was re-permitted as finished space so I called in all the inspections today for the work we've been doing while we waited for the permit [mechanical, electrical and framing]. Then first thing this morning I got an email from Rick, our insulation guru, asking me about when he should schedule me for firestopping the third floor...?

Uh...yea...the correct answer was: before calling in the framing inspection.

I'll keep sweating.

Surprise! You're up next!

2011-08-28T22:12:00.000-04:00

My senior year of college I worked at a sports bar in South Bend, IN called Coach's (Go IRISH!). I started out waiting tables and then for a brief period I pretended to be a 'bartender' (air quotes b/c it was a sports bar so it wasn't like I was mixing up anything remotely complicated, unless the occasional Guinness pour qualifies as complicated). Anyway, I digress.

I was kind of an apathetic waitress and a fairly clueless pseudo-bartender but I was a really fun co-worker. I had a ball. It wasn't hard-I got to work with some really smart, really funny people including one of my very best college friends, Steph...aka 'Nubby'. Nubby and I could entertain each other (and anyone around us) for hours...Nubby actually entertains people for real these days-she's a musical theatre actress and I fully expect that I'll be watching her on Broadway some day very soon...but back in the day...Nubby and I used to act out scenes together from our fictitious production of "Coach's, the musical." We would sing out drink orders, dance dramatically over to our work stations and pretty much make fools of ourselves to get laughs. It worked. I mean anything is funnier if you do it while making jazz hands and singing in a really bad Ethel Merman voice.

Once we got bored with 'Coach's, the musical' someone came up with the idea of surprise-tackle-day. Pretty basic premise...one minute you're working, the next minute someone is tackling you by surprise. Sounds cool, right? I mean, it was a sports bar so at least it was somewhat sports themed. And sure, it interrupted work flow but it was also funny as hell. Although I don't recall it lasting very long at all. Cuz it was only fun when you weren't the one being surprised by a tackle.

I've been thinking a lot about Coach's lately...usually b/c most days I'm having just as much fun at work as I was back in the day. But Friday...Friday reminded me a lot of Coach's b/c I'm fairly certain I participated in an unintentional game of surprise-tackle-day.

In preparation for Hurricane Irene, Jim spent some time at my sites helping me put tarps over all the lumber. Then we sat on the back porch together and Jim asked me to run through all my days next week, meaning, which trades were scheduled which days, who was lined up for the next big push. Jim calls this 'running your list' only I had very few items on my list to run. I wasn't very clear on what should happen next. I'm what I like to call a near-sited builder. I can tell you all about what's happening right in front of me...I can't always tell you about what I should be planning for next. Somewhere Stephen Covey is appalled that I failed to master all 7 steps of highly effective people.

So Jim let me squint out a few vague far-sited details before he realized it was probably best just to kick-in to full speed-build mode. Full speed-build mode basically had me finishing the house within about 10 days, give or take a few details. Sweet right? Except maybe for the trades I had to line up within those 10 days...to them I'm pretty sure it felt just like surprise-tackle-day.

Most of the trades took it well...some didn't. With good reason (and they were sure to tell us about every one of those reasons)!

When Dan found out what kind of schedule shenanigans Jim and I were up to he put the kibosh on it...he thought we might need to pull back a few days...still super aggressive but sorta like a watered down version of surprise-tackle-day. More like surprise-hip check-day.

So here we go...top of the week and everyone is lined up...ready to go...probably won't take long for me to wish we decided to put on 'Build Like a Girl, the musical' instead.

I still want gold.

2011-08-24T23:46:00.000-04:00

I crashed Dan's construction meeting this week so I could hang with the fella's and pretend to be one of the real-deal builders. I brought them out to my house after lunch so I could show them the fruit of their labor (read: taking hysterical phone calls from me and talking me off various ledges on the regular). It takes a village to do just about anything and building houses is no exception.

Dan took this pic of us in the house and when he sent it to me he titled it, Construction Team. I loved that.

Later that same day though, I returned to my previous life long enough to write up an offer and sell this house. Crazy, right? Crazier still if you consider the fact that it wasn't even for sale...officially. It wasn't that we didn't want to sell it, we just weren't ready to sell it. And I might have some attachment issues with the houses I build. And by might, I mean I totally do. But I'm working on it. And I have two months to get used to the idea.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the inspection-free week of drywalling. Although, I do have to re-permit my house to finish the 3rd floor for the new owners. That's just karma right there for all the offers I've ever accepted with major construction changes...time to pay for those construction sins.

There's a saying inside the builder world when you sell your Parade House: Sold is Better than Gold. But I can't say I fully subscribe to that theory. Sure, Sold is great. But sold is kind of a foregone conclusion, I mean, it's not like we've ever built a house we didn't manage to sell. But Gold. Now that's just fun. I want the Gold. I'm a realtor...we like the shiny stuff. So I've decided to switch up the saying...Now that we're sold, it's time to get the Gold. Cheesy? Yes. Kinda like that pose I'm striking in our pic. Whatever, I make cheesy look good...

I talked trash to Friday and it beat me down.

2011-08-22T22:29:00.000-04:00

Friday was the day...the day we were gonna pass frame inspection...the day the insulators were gonna knock out the whole house by lunchtime and the day we called in a big favor with the Town. We asked to be the last inspection of the day. If we could pass insulation on Friday afternoon, we'd be able to start drywall over the weekend. I was ready to slap Friday around...I was gonna OWN Friday.

Only it didn't go down like that. Shocker.

Friday was the day we passed frame. Friday was the day the insulators knocked out the whole house by lunchtime. But the favor didn't work out so well. My inspector couldn't schedule me at the end of his day so he came just before lunchtime. The insulators were working fast, but not that fast. Insulation failed. No drywall.

I can't say I handled this very well. I pretty much handled it like the emotional wreck that I am these days. I haven't cried this much since the last few episodes of Oprah. I felt like I got sucker punched. I never even considered we'd get roadblocked at insulation. Surely we would get the weekend to make up some time. But we didn't. And nobody calls me Shirley.

All my construction fellas rallied around me. Dan called the head of inspections for the Town, asked if we had any options. No. Gerry called his inspector. Same nope. And then we told Rick, our insulation guru who set up the superfast crew in the first place. Rick decides to call up my inspector and somehow, someway...my inspector agrees to come back and give me another shot. I'm on the other side of town but I fly over there...hoping to meet him there.

Only when I showed up just the drywall guys were there...and when I checked the permit box it said I failed (for the second time in a single day) because the drywall was in front of the exterior walls and he couldn't check it. I mean, really? I get failing for legit reasons...that's what inspections are for...but I can't stand failing on technicalities. What are the chances he would show up at the exact time the drywall guys were loaded the drywall boards into the house? For real?!

I wasn't meant to pass insulation on Friday. But I passed it this morning. And then the guys drywalled their brains out today. I used to love Fridays but now I might be a Monday kinda girl.

So you don't speak English but you do speak Jackass...interesting.

2011-08-17T22:27:00.000-04:00

The last few days have been really tough. I didn't anticipate how frustrating it would be to endure multiple (abysmal) framing inspections back to back. And how difficult it would be to coordinate all the trades so that they could each address their own items on the inspector's list. It was like herding cats.

Each trade had legitimate questions about the inspector's notes and each trade had to be scheduled in a specific order because their work is so dependent on each other. It was driving me crazy. No really, crazy. At the end of two days I couldn't form complete sentences and I could barely open my mouth without complaining about someone or something...I was so sick of myself.

I decided I needed to take some preventative measures...I would take a break from the back to back framing inspections. I would dedicate the whole day to meeting each and every trade and reviewing each and every item on the inspector's list with them...so I would be fully prepared for another framing inspection tomorrow. I even ran a few miles this morning to get my mood right. I was not gonna let this day turn me into evil builder-woman. No matter what. I would put on a pretty dress and leave my house with a great attitude. I was gonna make it a great day, dammit.

A few guys from the insulation crew were already in the house when I arrived with my list in hand. I said hello...but I could tell by their stunted responses that they didn't know what to make of me and they didn't speak a lot of English. No worries, I could handle this. I showed the list to the one guy that actually made eye contact with me but he said he didn't understand. He couldn't read it. Undeterred...I started showing him what the list said...I pointed to the areas the inspector noted and pointed to the foam insulation gun and the firecaulk gun. In the meantime, because I wanted to make sure we didn't miss anything, I motioned for one of the other guys to call their supervisor so he could translate for us.

So, while one guy dialed up the supervisor, eye-contact guy turns to me and says, 'I want to ask you a question.'

It was broken English but still English (which was encouraging given our task at hand) so I said, 'Sure go ahead.'

And then these words came outta his mouth, 'Are you pregnant?'

Sidebar...in what language/culture/situation is it EVER appropriate to ask a woman if she's pregnant? The answer is NEVER. NEVER EVER ask a woman if she's pregnant. Never. Ever.

Sidebar II...so your English vocab doesn't include words like 'firecaulk' or 'insulation' but it includes the most offensive question you could ever ask a woman? Really? REALLY?!?!!

Evil-builder woman would have annihilated this guy. But lucky for him, I was keeping her safely locked away. I replied with a simple, 'No.' and added 'I have 3 kids'

He seemed surprised by this and then added, 'You have nice skin.'

I somehow resisted slapping him. But now I wish I had. Taught that little punk a lesson. I found out later he's 21. Old enough to know better. Young enough to think he can get away with it.

And just for the record...this is what I look like when I'm 9 months pregnant...

And this is what I look like tonight...still smiling. Still sane. And yes, I have fabulous skin, jackass.

Failfest 2011

2011-08-15T21:37:00.000-04:00

16 point list detailing all the ways I failed my frame inspection today (1st floor only, y'all, he didn't even get to the second floor)...$75 re-inspection fee...I salute you.

So we got a few things wrong. It's ok. We fired up the posse and got everyone out there to knock out the list. Tomorrow we'll do better. I mean, really, we can only go up from here, right?

My God, let's hope so.

Pretty sure there's no crying in building either...

2011-08-13T19:03:00.000-04:00

This is me planning out my gorgeous island with our cabinet guy, Ammon Brock. This is how I would like you all to think of me while I'm building...smiling, confident and you know, sane. But let's not kid anyone-I'm like 1 mishap short of disaster most days and yesterday I fell way short of sane. Instead of sliding into home on Friday with another successful inspection...I got tagged out before I even came close to the plate. Which completely overshadowed the triple I hit the day before.

Now, I know there's no crying in baseball (courtesy of Tom Hanks character in A League of Their Own) and I'm fairly certain the same holds true for building...but I'm not wired for those sorts of rules. [Dotting i's and crossing t's be damned. If I didn't dot my i would you think it was a broken l? I doubt it.] Anyway, I was thankful when my friend Zach Schabot reminded me this morning via Chicken Soup for the Builder Soul-style text,

It's my party and I can cry if I want to.

Zach originally sent me a text to show off a screen shot of a 99 point word he played against Dan in Words With Friends. Dan is particularly competitive about his Words With Friends games so after I congratulated Zach on the verbal smack-down, I confessed that I had a total meltdown yesterday when my frame inspection didn't happen because of a plan technicality.

Zach's in the middle of hosting the Go Reality Show so his response didn't surprise me...

ZS: Ouch. Like cry to get out of a ticket meltdown or reality show tv meltdown?
Me: Somewhere in between. I almost cried...shrieked a lot. Whined.
ZS: Hmm. Whining, interesting angle.

I'm not proud. And I'd like to think that I don't really care but really I'm just trying not to care. I totally care. I'm wracked with care. Embarrassed by care.

Remember a while back when my permit box was knocked over and my plans were ruined in the rain? My inspector said that my plans had to be replaced. But the only page that was truly ruined was the first page so we made a copy of the first page of another set of stamped plans and attached it to my original set. The copy of the first page wasn't in color so the Town stamp on the first page was in black/white vs the blue/red colored stamp on the other pages. I've been using this same set of plans since then and passed several inspections so I didn't give our patchwork plan set a second thought-I figured our solution was working and we were in the clear. Only I didn't know that even though my plans are required to be in my permit box for each inspection, no one has actually used (or checked) my plans since the foundation inspection. The frame inspection was the next time the plans would be used. And my patchwork plan set didn't so much make the cut. They didn't even earn me a frame inspection with notes on why I failed other than having the wrong plans. I failed, the inspection wasn't even made and I was charged a $75 re-inspection fee.

Cue meltdown.

I called Dan. I called Gerry. I called Brian. Jim called me to help him out with something and when he politely asked how I was doing I launched into exactly how I was doing. Poor guy probably never saw it coming, which was a good thing because he hurried off the phone fast enough that I didn't actually cry while I was talking to him. But I came very very close. And again, there was lots of shrieking and whining that I now wish I could delete from everyone's memory.

The thing is...I was so pissed that the inspection wasn't even made. I know I'm not supposed to take it personally but it just felt mean. And it felt like a waste of everyone's time. Including the inspector. Because the inspection wasn't even made, I wouldn't have anything for the framers to work on over the wknd and we wouldn't be any closer to passing our frame re-inspection on Monday than we were on Friday. We were just stuck. Because of a stupid color stamp. A stupid color stamp that I should have paid more attention to the first time the inspector told me to get a new set of plans.

I'm pissed that I didn't do it right the first time. I'm pissed that I am the only reason that inspection didn't happen yesterday. Rules are rules and like I said, I'm not exactly wired for those sorts of rules but every once in a while I wish I was. I need to be better about that.

I also need to let it go so I can just keep going but it still makes me want to cry. By Monday I will have concluded this pity party and resolved to tweak my wiring but until then, I'm gonna keep reminding myself that it's my party and I can cry if I want to.

Well, I never saw this one coming...

2011-08-11T22:11:00.000-04:00

Called in all of our rough-in inspections yesterday.

Passed them all this morning, first try.

I heart our trades.

Time to sparkle!

2011-08-10T22:31:00.000-04:00

It's tough to describe the feeling of driving up to my site and seeing 8 cars lined up and people working on every square inch of my house. It's thrilling. And completely frightening! In an are-they-gonna-kill-me-because-they-are-all-working-on-top-of-each-other kinda way.

Last week one of the trades fussed at me over the mere mention of having them work alongside other crews. Good thing they weren't there today! And good thing every other crew with a good attitude was.

Electricians & Plumbers...

Window Installers & Masons...

And of course, my beloved framers...

I wobbled out of my car a little overwhelmed by all the crews and searched for a familiar face...I found Rolando...and his face. This is Rolando at a celebration for the baptism of all FIVE of his kids.

I believe the word you're looking for is spiffy. And maybe badass. Rolando in three words: Best. Framer. Ever. He knows everything that's going on, he tells me exactly what he needs and his crew listens to every word he says. And he doesn't hate me even though I've gotten the measurements on the second floor windows wrong...like, a few times. Funny thing is (or not so funny if you're a framer), the measurement of the windows (the one I keep getting wrong) is identical to my height. 62". A measurement you think I might remember. A measurement that I see on the windows being installed and I think, 'wow, am I THAT short?!' Delusions of grandeur, or maybe just delusions of slightly taller than kid-size.

But as you'll see in this video where I walk the developer and the sales agents for the community thru our house for the first time...I'm literally just slightly taller than kid-size. But that's ok. I'm power packed.

A Tale of Two Houses

2011-08-08T22:44:00.000-04:00

I've been so focused on the looming pressure of finishing our Parade Home that I sometimes forget that another house awaits, just a foundation next door patiently waiting it's turn. And building two houses is special to me, not because two houses are better than one, but because two houses have the potential for great things.

Building these two houses side-by-side reminds me of the house I grew up in and the house next door. We moved in when I was 18 months. That's me at the end of the line there, the summer before we moved in. You can see why we needed a bigger place.

Shortly after we moved in to our newly built home, a family moved in to the newly built home next door. I didn't know it at the time but I met my very first and dearest friend the day that family moved in next door.

This is us last Thanksgiving, about 33 years into our friendship.

Over the years our families have progressed from neighbors to friends to what we now call, 'family by choice.' And all because we moved in to houses next door to each other. We have the kind of relationship where we can go months without talking or seeing each other but we always pick up where we left off, grateful for another chance to just be with each other. For me, being with each other is like getting to revisit my childhood in real time. It's a time warp and it's the kind of time warp that never ceases to comfort me...even when the circumstances surrounding the visit are not so comforting, like this last visit.

A few weeks ago my friend called to tell me a nodule on her throat which everyone thought would be nothing, turned out to be something. A few days later she called to tell me it was thyroid cancer but she reassured me with, 'it's the best kind of cancer you can get.' Which, even at that moment cracked me up because no one who knows my friend would expect her to get anything less than the VERY best kind of cancer you can get. I now refer to it as the Louis Vuitton of cancer. And it was probably just a day after that call that she sent me a text with her surgery date...to which I replied, 'you want some company?'

Turns out she did. So I went. And we spent the last 3 days just being together. Comforting each other. Safe in our childhood time warp.

And to think it all began because two houses were built and two families moved in next to each other.

Now, I know how rare this kind of lightening strike is...and I know it may not be these two houses where two families move in and two babies meet each other and become instant lifelong friends...but they have the potential. And because they have potential, these two houses are extra special. Just like the house I grew up in and the house next door.

When the framers ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

2011-08-04T22:12:00.000-04:00

So yesterday was a big day...the crane arrived and started swinging trusses...see that one flying high over my house? Exciting stuff. This went on for hours. And then it stopped. And I got a semi-nasty text from Rick charging me $200 for not communicating with the framers. One second I'm out with a friend having lunch for her birthday, ordering a tomato-mozzarella pannini, the next I'm getting a bill for failing to talk to a crew of men that I'm pretty sure think I talk plenty.

I couldn't imagine what in the world Rick was talking about...surely this was a joke, right?

Wrong.

My plans (which the framers carry around with them like a sacred family recipe complete with stains of blood, sweat and tears) called for 9ft ceilings in the Master Bedroom. My trusses (which were designed off of our plans but adjusted at some point for, you know, reality) were cut for an 8ft ceiling with a 9ft tray ceiling cutout in the middle.

The key factor here was the tray ceiling. The truss guys were trying to give me everything I wanted on the interior of the house (a tray ceiling in the Master Bedroom) without significantly altering the exterior of the house (steeper roof pitch, more space between the top of the garage doors and the bottom of the second floor windows). The 8ft ceiling with the 9ft tray cutout was the compromise. Which would have been really good info to give to my framers BEFORE they built 9ft walls in the Master Bedroom.

So the framers set the Master Bedroom truss down on top of the 9ft walls they built (with the windows cut out at 8ft) and the damn thing nearly hung down lower than the windows. I could hear the comments now, 'Lovely tray ceiling but why do the windows start in the ceiling and end halfway down the wall?!?'

We called up Andrew from Trusswood to help us figure it out. After a very HOT 45 min sitting on a pile of sheathing we decided we needed to just lower the windows and leave the trusses alone. Funny thing about trusses...they kinda hold up the whole freaking roof and when you start messing with them, the ripple effect is kinda nasty. You gotta move a window, you gotta change the pitch of the roof and oh yea, you gotta pay for all new trusses. Which costs more than $200.

So I called over Rolando and told him I'd take 'Lowering the Windows 10 inches' for $200, please.

*BTW...the pic of Andrew and me was taken by Dan. At eye level for Dan. We look like ants.

This is Pedro. Call him by name.

2011-08-02T23:40:00.000-04:00

This is Pedro.

Pedro and I met on my very first day back when I was building my very first house alongside Gerry.

Pedro was the first person to ever invite me onto a job site alongside his crew.

Pedro runs the concrete crews and he pours the most beautiful garage slabs.

I was really surprised when I drove up to the site today and found Pedro all by himself finishing up my garage slab. He's usually not the guy to do the finish work...he's the guy running the bobcat and directing the rest of the crew. He's usually not the guy doing the backbreaking work of edging the concrete to get it just right.

After I squealed with delight over the sheer slickness of my freshly poured garage slab I asked Pedro what he was doing here all by himself. He said, "I do the finish work on your houses because they're special. Scott tells us to make sure we do our best work when we're working on your houses. So I stay and finish them myself." Thank goodness for the foundation piers because I really needed something to lean on at that point. I was so completely overwhelmed. I may have actually touched my heart in an old-lady sorta way and swooned a bit before I finally shrieked out, 'you do?!?!??' Pedro knows how to make a girl feel special.

Pedro and I talked a little more and I decided to ask him where he was from. He told me he's from Mexico then asked where I was from. I love this question because most people can't guess my heritage. Most people guess Greek. Pedro surprised me when he said, 'I think you might be Latin because you're nicer to us than other people.' I have no poker face so I'm positive my expression read, 'what kind of evil schmuck isn't nice to you?'

But I think I might know exactly the kind of evil schmuck.

The kind that pretty much ignores our crews...pretends they aren't even there...doesn't make eye contact, doesn't even try to offer a friendly greeting. The kind that reduces every crew to whatever general descriptor they choose...'a bunch of [insert ethnic/racial/gender slur here].'

I'm gonna go on record as anti-evil schmuck. And just so you know-comments like this won't be tolerated on my job sites. When you come to my job sites I expect you to get your nice on and look people in the eye. Offer a friendly greeting and act like you were raised with some manners.

And when you see Pedro, tell him you hear he pours the most beautiful garage slabs. Because he totally does.

Hard Hats & Framers, dropping it like it's hot.

2011-08-01T21:36:00.000-04:00

If you ever find yourself supervising construction in triple digit temps, I offer the following advice on the perfect outfit...you really can't miss with the classic yet unexpected strapless maxi-dress and hard hat combo. You thought straw fedora's were hot this season? Think hotter. Think hard hat hotter. Add one to your accessories collection and rock it any old time of the day...you're guaranteed to turn some heads.

Trust me on this one.

Jim took this picture of me on Friday-I was standing in what will become the front stoop of our Parade House...I was trying to decipher what the framers were discussing so intensely...unfortunately I don't speak Spanish or Framer. Which means I was basically standing there eavesdropping in a not so subtle way.

Just a girl in a hard hat...trying to keep up.

A few hours later Rick (he owns the framing company I just adore) called to let me in on their super-secret conversation. Our plans originally called for a steal beam across the foyer/nook ceiling to support the exterior gable above it (basically this steal beam was designed to hold up a significant portion of the second floor). We decided to replace the steal beam with an 18" wood LVL (it's basically a big a$$ piece of wood and it's 18" tall which is 4" taller than the 14" steal beam the plans originally called for). I'm not exactly sure why we chose the LVL over steal beam but I remember one day Dan & Gerry told me that's the way we were going and I kinda nodded and eeked out an 'okaaaayyy???' without really clarifying why. If I had to guess, I would guess cost. Dan's all about pinching a penny, which is good because I'm all about spending one. He completes me.

So Rick was calling to tell us they would need to drop the ceiling in the foyer/nook area by 4" to accommodate the sheer massiveness of this 18" LVL. We went thru a few scenarios before deciding that dropping the ceiling really was the best way to go (not to mention the path of least resistance). Plus there was the unexpected benefit of cozy-ing up the nook by dropping the ceiling just slightly, almost imperceptibly. I'm not unhappy about this at all, actually quite the opposite, I like the unexpected character it will add to the plan. At least for now. I mean, if we finish it and it looks like ass I'll be all kinds of pissed. But let's hope that's not the case.

After we made the decision with Rick he confirmed, 'so I should tell the boys to drop it?' to which I replied, 'yes, Rick, tell the boys I said to drop it like it's hot!'

So they did & here's a little tour to get you acquainted with the space...

Framing rolled on today...the first set of stairs are on their way tomorrow...and then we swing trusses.

Onward and upward.

You gots to COMMUNICATE!

2011-07-30T10:08:00.000-04:00

I showed up bright and early on Thursday morning so I could 'run in' to my inspector and hopefully strike up the type of conversation that would make him want to pass me on all future inspections regardless of what he found in my houses. To clarify, my goal was merely a subtle shift in perspective, not to pass inspections I don't deserve. I just wanted to re-set his baseline opinion of me to 'this girl's alright, her houses should be alright too' instead of 'this girl's a hot mess and so are her houses.'

While I was waiting for my inspector to show up, Randy, from Router Xpress Signs showed up with some lovely things to distract me...

I was so glad to claim these houses as my own. Writing your name on a permit box is one thing...a professional sign rider with my blog on it where all the 'i's' are dotted with hearts is a whole 'nother. Not to mention a hot pink logo of myself. Narcissistic? Yes. Wildly Entertaining while owning a narcissistic moment? Hells Yes.

It was about that time that my inspector rolled up and got straight to work...he hit the permit box first...grabbed the plans and headed into the foundation. I played it cool and stood by only barely acknowledging his presence (and by playing it cool I mean I turned to Rolando who was framing away next door on the Parade House and made a scary face complete with me pretending to bite my nails...) Rolando thinks I am straight crazy.

About 5 minutes later, my inspector called me over to join him in the foundation...and thus began our first ever face to face communication...

At the end of our conversation I'm not sure whether I achieved a complete perspective makeover or not. BUT...I did manage to accomplish a condescension-free explanation about my foundation piers that weren't placed accurately on the footings and about one of the piers that wasn't measuring correctly. He was equal parts direct and polite, if not bordering on gracious. I still failed but at least I didn't feel like such a loser about it. Kinda made me think maybe I was the one that needed a subtle shift in perspective.

As I drove away from the site I resolved to accept this day as a success and to embrace success in all its forms, however minuscule they may seem at the time.

I'm considering dotting all my 'i's' with hearts now...

If it's not one thing it's a Porta John.

2011-07-27T22:54:00.000-04:00

When my inspector failed me for the loose nut, he left me a little note inside the permit box that said, 'no more inspections until a Porta John is onsite.'

As far as notes go, it was a far cry from something sweet and encouraging your mom might leave in your lunchbox but still...it was progress beyond our previous exchanges of just his initials and the date under the FAIL column. But as far as correspondence goes, it was pretty pathetic.

Pathetic just isn't my style. Plus, I think I might be one of those people that needs people to like me (at least initially until I determine whether or not I want to like them. I think that makes me an alpha-liker but that's another entry). Anyway, I called up my inspector in the hopes of upgrading our correspondence from pathetic to not-so-pathetic. I started by thanking him for the note. Then I assured him that I did, in fact, order up a Porta John, just as he suggested (read: politely threatened). I thought the phone call was a huge success for us. Here we were, speaking to each other directly...without either of us having to call Gerry first. We were well on our way to not-so-pathetic.

The Porta John peeps even obliged my request to be their first stop of the day. I figured with any luck they would show up first thing and my inspector would arrive shortly after, happy to know I read his note and followed his very clear directions.

Only he showed up for my inspection 10 minutes before the Porta John peeps showed up. And my note this time let me know I was being charged a $75 re-inspection fee due to the missing Porta John. The framers told me he said, 'no Porta John, no inspections.' He failed me on both houses.

BUT...he did let the framers keep framing. So maybe not-so-pathetic isn't far off...a girl can dream.