I am sitting on our recently constructed ‘Summer’ deck (yes,
we also have a winter deck to take the best advantage of our seasonal vagaries)
while the family are asleep with an early morning coffee to get the body going.
As it is want to do, my brain has wandered off into a bout of reflection as I
gaze over the vineyards and olives (doesn’t matter where I sit, the views are
truly magnificent); and I have some thoughts/wisdoms (?) that I wish I had
known before we commenced this crazy venture. Six years ago now, and no sign of
wilting enthusiasm (a very good thing), although we do want to finish now.
Here are a few of the things that I think are important if
you are going to build your own home – and you have only ever done anything
else. Some of them we fell into quite naturally, but some are much, much later
realisations. These words of questionable wisdom are not in any order of
priority…
·
You will save money – so don’t try and save too
much money
o
Don’t try and hold on to all the savings you get
from not using trades. If you are saving $20,000 or more by doing the
plastering yourself, then spend whatever money you need to on the tools to do
the job right. There is a reason the professionals use the tools they do – it
makes the job easier! And you get a shed full of great tools!
·
Trade supply companies are not used to dealing
with you – so be gentle.
o
They don’t know that they need your business,
and most are not used to thinking about what you as a customer might want.
Remember – you will be spending a significant amount of money with them, so
make them earn it. There are plenty of other options! Most companies will just
take your order, and won’t help – don’t let them get away with it (wish I had
known this six years ago!).
·
Time/quality of work
o
For many of the jobs you might look at, the
difference between you and a trade professional is time. You can get the same
finish, but you will take longer, and you need to be prepared for a couple of
do-overs! As my plaster supplier told me – put the mud on, sand it and take a
look. If you are not happy, put more mud on and sand again. Mud is cheap.
·
There is nothing you can’t do
o
Nothing. You tube is great for this. When you
see something being demonstrated, you can see how much you can genuinely have a
crack at yourself. But give yourself time and the right tools so you stand a
fighting chance!
·
Everyone needs a job – including the little
people in the house
o
When we started, MacK was a baby, Hugo was in
the future, and Jane spent a lot of time kid wrangling while I worked with our
builder brothers (and we never lose sight of how lucky we were to have their
help). Jane is now our in house welder, and the boys help out in lots of little
ways. Particularly when we render, they will have the opportunity to get their
hands dirty. At the end of the day, everybody is invested in this place, and we
can all look back in years to come and say “We did this!”
·
Enjoy the process – take some time just to sit
o
There are times when you have to put away the
“ambitious build schedule” and enjoy what you have. We have had movie nights in
the house with open walls, and celebrated Jane’s 41st birthday with
no ceilings (over a very hot Summer). Likewise, we have had weekends where we
planned work and spent it in a hammock. Those restful times are important if
you are to maintain a love for the project, both during and after the build.
·
Cramps
o
The physical work will be new to you,
particularly if you are a weekend warrior. Sleeping on the floor is OK – until
you try to stand in the middle of the night and cramp up. Get a bed. The work
is hard, and you deserve proper rest.
·
It will take a long time.
o
Yup. You have to be prepared to maintain your
enthusiasm for much longer than you probably thought. But there is an end, and
you will see progress. And when you do, you need to celebrate. Likewise, there
will be periods where you bust yourself, and not see anything for your work.
·
String lines are important.
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