They say one of the hardest things about building a house (even if its all done by contractors) is the endless stream of decisions you have to make. I started my day yesterday at 7 AM with 3 emails from our framing contractor, which I answered from the exercise bike. Should we stick with 24″ OC (on-center) framing over the recommendation of our framer, an old-school builder who would prefer 16″? And if the lumber quality from the lower bid supplier is not great, should I pay for upgraded quality on the studs? How much is that worth?

Then it was 8 AM at the window company to finalize a minor design detail for the fireplace windows and pick the stain color for all the stained wood windows. Don’t get it wrong now, because 10 years and $38K later you’ll still be regretting that decision. But should we wait a week for a sample to come in so we can be SUPER sure, even knowing that would delay the entire construction project waiting for the window delivery? Or just shoot from the hip so we can keep moving?

10 AM at the job site to talk with the foundation contractor. How deep do we want this basement dug? The house will end up higher than the garage but by how much? Do we risk digging it down until the grading of the ground comes right up to the floor level inside? That would make for a small step from the breezeway and easy grading for a zero-clearance entry, but could lead to water infiltration problems down the road. Whatever you decide today will literally be set in stone shortly when the concrete trucks arrive. And where do we drive the giant excavator to minimize chance of damage to the huge trees – the ones we bought this lot for in the first place…

A 4th email from the framer, a second one from the window company, and a packet of 5 detailed line-item quotes for materials from the lumber yard rounded out the afternoon. And that’s all in just 6 hours. Let the games begin.