Making a list, checking it twice....

We have been bitten. The building bug has decided to bite us right on the booty, and boy does it hurt. After our visit to FirstDay, Wendy and I started to seriously think about how we are gonna build this thing. We can wait and save the money, but the price of building materials (as David Howard told us) keeps going up.

The metal roofing folks send him rate increases with a 6 month lead time. The cost of the lumber keeps going up. God forbid oil skyrockets in the next 2 years, because this house idea will be down the drain. Since the lumber all comes from Europe, the cost has to be tied to the shipping and if oil goes really nuts, that will be it. Think full regional war in the Middle East - last week it was the marginal possibility. This week it may already be too late. But enough politics.

We are looking into alternatives to the traditional bank mortgage (as much as possible), and will try to keep to that path. I don't want to talk about them - it is way too early for that. But if we need to get a mortgage, we will think seriously about that too. Anyway, as a means to that end, we have a list of things we have to get done pronto. And when I say "we have to get done pronto", I really mean "Wendy has to get done pronto." She has more flexibility than I do, having the kids. Quinn and Emmet won't call her in for a meeting because they see that she is taking and placing too many phone calls on their time. In return, I agreed to make the list of items with specific questions and put it up here for her to access while making the calls. This will change as we go along. Also, some of it is in code for us to remember things.


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Land
- buy chainsaw and related equipment
- saw pants
- hardhat
- eye protection
- tools (files, etc)
- have
- earplugs
- gloves (Harbinger)
- clear area for septic system
- clear area for house/garage

Well Drilling
- we need multiple quotes
- we need to schedule this
- dowser?

Septic System
- we need multiple quotes
- we should schedule by end of fall (or do we need it for building in the spring?)

Town
- Building Permits
- House
- Garage

Foundation
- slabs (garage and house), but what kind?
- need to research what we can do ourselves
- talk to neighbor about excavating footings, people who do foundations
- need multiple quotes on having these poured.

Kits
- Garage
- need to talk to David about what we can do with an expanded garage kit, price, etc.
- how long does the Garage take?
- House
- need to setup a visit of the new design with FirstDay, maybe in Kingston or Chatham (or better, both)
- need to talk to David about what we can do to get going

Tools
- Borrow?
- nail guns & compressors (RQ)
- pex crimper? (WS)
- table saw? (JK)
- framing hammers (JK)
- Have
- circular saw
- Need
- framing hammers

Electric Service
- Contact National Grid (gotta find the guys name I met with)
- find out requirements of service for new construction cost?
- they said they would replace the existing pole as it had been there for 30 years. will they?

Storage
- What are FD builders doing in this regard? Email the list.

Transport
- Research pickup cost vs Delivery (SlTx)?

That is all I can think of for now, but I will update more later.