Easier Than A House

A little more than 2 years ago we built a house in Waverly, Iowa.  We had planned on it being our "dream house" where we did everything we always wanted to do in a house but sometimes couldn't because of budget constraints or resale considerations.  We figured since we would probably be there a long time we were going to do it just the way we wanted it.  So much for being there a long time!

Like this project, I acted as the General Contractor and did a lot of the work myself.  The biggest difference was I was still working full time AND we built at the coldest time of the year.  Kind of takes the fun out of it!

This project should be a lot more fun.  My work schedule is MUCH more flexible and we will build at the nicest time of the year.  Another factor, related to costs, is that we won't be using high end materials since it is more of a weekend, part-time residence.

My biggest shock when we built the house was the cost of cabinets and counters.  It had been a while since we had built and we had never used high end stuff before so I went into sticker shock when we got our first quote for nice cabinets and quartz counters.  For the cottage it will be nice but average cabinets and formica or similar quality counters.

Having built so recently this project is already seeming a lot easier.  Many of the decisions we had to make the last time around will be the same ones again.  Who to use to draw up the plans, who to supply the lumber package, and, with a little luck, I'm hoping to convince a sub contractor or two to drive a little farther than usual and perform some work again for us.

It never ceases to amaze me how fast new and improved products are coming out.  You would think in just two years things wouldn't change much but they have.  Denise and I went to Lumber Liquidators last weekend in Des Moines to look at wood floors.  We really want to find something that looks rustic.  We have always used 3/4" solid wood floors in the past.  I've gotten pretty good at installing them so our only costs are the materials.  We didn't really see anything in Des Moines that we liked.

Saturday we made the rounds to Mendards, Home Depot and Lowes in Waterloo looking at a variety of products, one of which was flooring.  I also have been doing a lot of reading on-line about alternate products like laminates.  I've known many friends that have installed the "floating" floors that literally lock together like a jig saw puzzle.  They were very happy with the products.  They might not be solid wood but there are some really nice styles available with a look more like we are after.  I must say the ease of installation is appealing as is the price.  At Home Depot they showed us a brand new product that is more of a cross between a wood laminate and a vinyl material.  Basically a picture of a wood pattern covered with some extremely durable resin coating.  If you would have described this to me prior to seeing it I would have laughed but the look is really amazing.  It is waterproof and much more scratch resistant than real wood floors.  We haven't decided what we will use yet but it is definitely in the running.

So while many the decisions are no brainers based on our project two years ago we can't get tunnel vision because we might miss a "new and improved" product that wasn't on our radar before.