Now that the drywall is done we are in the final sprint before move-in. Just in case it weren’t already clear, that will by no means equate to being “done”. Rather, there are 5 weeks left before our lease runs out on our rental place and we become homeless, so there is ample motivation to wrap things up.

Amy does project management as a part of her day job and I’ve also run my share of IT projects informally over the years. Let me say that the process for this house build looks nothing like that. I’m sure if you build 4 houses a year or more then you get into a predictable rhythm with your usual subcontractors and suppliers. With that experience and network of contacts you could lay out a full project plan from start to finish with contingencies, dependencies and so forth. But we’re talking about a first-time general contractor building a complex custom design with untested subcontractors and a whole bunch of DIY labor provided by people who haven’t quit their day jobs. There was no way up front to predict how this was going to play out; that would only have been a recipe for misery.

So instead we laid out all the macro-level tasks that needed done, in order, along with dependencies in a large spreadsheet. Throughout the project we have referred back to that sheet and updated the completion status as we go. For the curious, we currently stand at 67% complete. Now this is a rather nonsense number given that the tasks are in no way equivalent in duration or effort. For example, “install linoleum flooring” is a line right next to “install hardwood flooring”. The lino is easy to put down and applies to a single room of ~80 sqft whereas the hardwood is considerably more involved and covers over 1000 sqft spread over two floors. But as a rough approximation, 67% feels about right.

You might think this sounds scary, and that brings me back to my first point. When we move in, the house will not be “Done”. It will be at about 75% of its final target. Most importantly in that 75% are the tasks that are required by the city to pass our final inspection. The master spreadsheet has a column that marks those things required for occupancy, and a second column to mark those additional things that will be required to have the house appraised and close the mortgage. Move in is around 75% and appraisal is around 90%.

Of course during the final countdown we are laser focused on what is necessary for move-in. And that list is now small enough that we can do some rough estimation on the remaining work and look at these last 5 weeks like a project sprint. So Saturday night I sat down and scribbled it out. Each task is given a rough approximation of days’ labor and assigned to one or both of us:

Required Work	Jim	Amy
Finish electrical (outlets, switches, fixtures)	4	0
Balcony railing (and vinyl flooring)	1	1
Stair treads	1	0
Stair railing	1	1
Hearth install (cut, stain, assemble)	1	1
Tile kitchen and bath floors	1	3
Cabinet install	2	2
Tile shower surrounds	2	2
Drywall basement ceiling	2	0
Install basement handrail	0.2	0.2
Finish plumbing (toilets, faucets, showers)	3	0
Contractor work
Driveway and front walk	0	0
Carpet installs in bedrooms	0	0
Optional (but really preferred) if there is time:
Interior doors (especially bathrooms…)	1-?	1-?
Attic insulation	2	1
Linoleum floor in laundry	1	1
Hardwood flooring	5	5

I’ve been taking off 2 days per week since January and Amy is currently taking off 1 day per week. I also booked one whole week off right at the finish line, burning through a total of 66 accumulated leave days in just 7 months. Between weekends and days we’ve already requested off, I have left 22 working days on the job site and Amy has 15. To my joyful surprise, it looks like we might actually make it by the deadline. We each have a tiny handful of leave days left if we hit a snag, so I’m cautiously optimistic we might not end up in a hotel.

I can’t express in words just how meaningful it is to see light at the end of the tunnel. On one hand there is the stress and pressure and fatigue of the ongoing project. I feel like I’ve made the statement a few dozen times now that I don’t mind the work, but I hate the pressure of having to be move-in ready by a particular day. We essentially worked 7 days a week for 14 weeks from Christmas until our vacation, and we’ve now been at it again for 11 weeks straight. Even when you enjoy what you’re doing, the relentless nature of it wears on you in time.

And on the other hand its also really exhilarating to see the house starting to look more like a final product. With paint on the walls and light fixtures going in, its looking more like a place you’d want to live. (The A/C helps make the sale too, I might add!) So while the next 5 weeks will be as intense as any we’ve had on this whole roller coaster ride, there’s a real meaningful finish line just ahead.