Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Playing cards

I'm the kind of guy who calculates almost every decision carefully. It's like playing cards. Sometimes you do well, sometimes not so well. Recent heating oil prices have made me think about this.
  • good: Insulating the snot out of the house and sealing it super tight
  • not so good: Holding off on fuel oil delivery betting that it will go down in spring like last few years
  • good: Having a wood stove on the first floor so it can heat entire house
It goes beyond heating. Point at any part of the house and I can tell you both how good we did and what we might have done better.
  • good: A full guest bathroom
  • not so good: 1 more foot on master bath would have been nice (I told you so privileges go to Dustin and Barry)
  • good: squeezing 1 more foot into the kitchen to let multiple people work more comfortably
  • not so good: dishwasher and oven doors conflict
  • good: gorgeous stairway
  • not so good: Saved $20 on stringer material which twisted a little and added hours to trim work
  • good: tile
  • not so good: dropping glass stuff on tile
  • good: nifty pendant lights for the bar
  • not so good: they're so nifty people want to turn them on more often, but the switch is over by the bar
The list goes on... But in the end, we absolutely love our house, and it's well built, cheap to heat, and just right for us.

3 comments:

Deb and Dan said...

Well you guys outdid yourselves again on the stairs. We really like that look and it doesn't mess up the view.
Time for Dan and I to go to the cabin so have to make this short. We too have a railing to put up but it won't be as pretty as yours. At least it will keep me from falling off the front of the deck. Never know when one might drink a few to many. Glasses of water. I know what you were thinking. Love D & D

Anonymous said...

Marcy and Andrew- I'm amazed! The last time I visited your site you were struggling with correctly setting all the trusses. What awe-inspiring progress you've made since then! Our main project this summer is a complete redo on landscaping our front and backyards, I feel like that's a lot of work, but I'll keep you in mind as we toil in the dirt and river-rock, motivating myself with the mantra "Marcy and Andrew built an awesome house, we can surely handle some wheelbarrows full of dirt, seeds to spread and rock to lay!" Thanks for being so inspiring! :)

Anonymous said...

Well, I'd play cards with you anytime. I'd say you are a winner, all around. Love, Mom