Building vs. Remodeling

When we began our remodel, I wondered how I would feel about building from scratch vs. remodeling, once we completed. Since we had such a great experience building our last house, my biggest fear was that we would look back and say, "we should have knocked this house over too".

So far I am having an equally great experience remodeling as I did with building and I have no regrets so far. Don't get me wrong. I have had my share of stress and sleepless nights and we are not even near finished yet. The other day a friend (who is is Nurse Practitioner) took one look at me and asked if I needed Prozac. She said I had that "glazed over look" about me. It was really embarrassing. But some days are like that.

Putting things into context...Remodeling is like a river trip. You go because you think it will be a great experience. Granted, you have to row, cook, clean, sleep on the ground, be scared, get wet, get sunburned, etc. etc. But the scenery is great and your having a thrill a minute. You would go again in a heartbeat.

Now it must be said that the reason I that I am having a great experience is because both projects have one thing in common, my father-in-law, builder extraordinare, Ron Christensen. Not only is he the greatest builder....he is the greatest person. I am convinced that any journey in life would be charmed if Ron were involved. Here is why:

• you can never feel bad about things after talking to him. He lives on the sunny side of the street and life is great there.
  
• Nothing is a big deal. "It's all simple" he keeps telling me.
• He gets excited about little things (and big things too). The other day we stood in my front yard and marveled that the tree, just beginning to blossom, was a magnolia.
  
• He has great taste and knows where to spend money on a house.
  
• He likes a bargain and knows where not to spend money on a house.
  
• 99% of the time he tells me I can "have anything I want".
  
• the 1% of the time that he tells me no....he is right.
  
• He lets me chase down prices and keep track of the budget so that I learn.
  
• He does things right the first time. Craftsmanship is really important to him.
  
• He sees were possibility meets practicality
• He is great with people, sub-contractors in particular.
  
• He is the happiest person I know
• He has more than 30 year experience building luxury homes and that means a lot.
  

If you are looking for a builder ...email me. I would love to introduce you.