Just in case you were thinking that when you choose to DIY a house addition you drop off the face of the planet after Wednesday, I’ll fill you in on the last day of my “official week” before I move on to bigger, more important things like how I climbed up and down a variety of ladders for the better part of the weekend. The fun never ends.
Most weeks follow this same pattern– Monday and Tuesday we hit things pretty hard, by Wednesday we have to take care of some necessities like laundry or groceries, and on Thursday we have have a choice… take a break to rest up for the marathon of work over the weekend, or get started prepping early so we can get even more done in our 48 hours off. A lot of times our sanity demands a break, and after the ups and downs of this week– purple concrete, muddy water, hours spent picking out light fixtures– it was time for a break.
So we spread a blanket on our new (not purple) porch, put together an impromptu picnic, and enjoyed the evening.
In a project that is wrapping up its fifth month with no end in sight, finding little things to celebrate helps keep the insanity from taking over completely.
The other thing that has helped us keep the project moving forward? Vacation days. Since MysteryMan and I managed to both finagle time off on Friday we jumped at the chance to put on some siding in the gorgeous weather. (Working one day on siding in the 50-degree cold rainy wind was enough, thanks.)
Taking quick stock of my used vacation time so far, you can see that building a house is a commitment to working on the house all of the minutes you’re not working at your job.
This year I spent my vacation by:
- Taking one day to work on the station when we were under a tight deadline to move in.
- Taking four days to Haul Ass from Texas to Michigan (I guess you could call that a vacation… what else would driving 1300 miles with two donkeys in the back of a pickup be?)
- Taking one day to move out of my old house and into my new old garage.
- Taking one day to teach myself how to make a cabinet for my Mom’s bathroom (still not finished by the way, which makes me a horrible daughter or just a bad cabinetmaker… it’s hard to tell sometimes.)
- Taking two days to trim the windows.
- Taking one day to work on siding.
I’m lucky to work for a company that has good vacation benefits… if it wasn’t for that and a flexible work schedule things would either be a lot more difficult, or so impossible that I would have to resign to work full time on the house (which actually sounds a whole lot easier most days, but less financially secure.)
