Lessons Learned

Sorry for being MIA lately. We've been busy around "Brownville" getting things ready for harvest. We are thinking that later this week we should be going pretty heavy.
I also want to THANK everybody that made it out to my open house a couple weeks ago! I really enjoyed showing off all my hard work and seeing people's reactions. If you didn't make it out and want to see it, just give me a holler and I would love to show you.
One more thing that I did get accomplished since I last talked to you was getting my barstools made for my bar. They are pretty neat and go great with the house. I also had a couple short ones made to set on my porch.

So now I want to share a few lessons that I learned over the past 20 months while the planning and renovating was going on...
DON'T SET DEADLINES: When I first got possession of the house on Febuary 18, 2010, I thought it would be done in 9 months. Boy, was I wrong!! I had to remember that I was on the contractor's schedule, not mine. It may take longer than what you would like, but it will get done!
DON'T THINK TWICE: If anybody out there is thinking about remodeling or building a new house, don't think twice about doing it. If you think twice then you will most likely think three times and then you will talk yourself out of it. If you want to do it, DO IT. Yes, it would be easier to go buy a house but in my case, there is not another house in the world that has the same history as 1309 220th.
Select a contractor you feel comfortable talking to/has the same taste: This was a biggie for me. I had alot of different ideas on my house and it was nice to be able talk to Travis and Darryl about them and not have them give me weird looks. In fact, they also gave me a few ideas. A few of the things I did was their first time doing it. So it was a learning experience for both of us. Also, you have to make sure you like them because they are the ones you are paying and it's always better to pay somebody you get along with then somebody you don't.
Speak your mind and don't settle: If something isn't how you want it, then speak up!! It's alot easier to fix things in the process then when it's done. Probably cheaper too. Also, don't settle on ANYTHING. There are a couple of things in my house that I said would be "good enough". Well now I'm wishing that I would have done it better or chose soemthing else.
Ask questions: Don't be afraid to ask questions. No question is stupid. If you are paying for it, you might as well know where it goes and what it does.
Help out to save money and don't be afraid to get dirty: They say that half of the cost of building or remodeling is the labor...IT'S TRUE! So help out as much as you can to save some money! The money you save now could help buy a couch, table, bedroom set, kitchen accessories, etc. in the future. Also...GET DIRTY!! I knocked off all of the plaster by myself and pretty much got the house ready for drywall. It was nasty. Alot of people told me I couldn't do it by myself in a week but guess what...I got it done...by myself...in 6 days! I also sanded and refinished my wood floors with major help from Page, my neighbor. If I would have hired, it probably would have cost $4,000-$5,000 and that's money that I KNOW I can use elsewhere. Yes, I had never done it before but alittle bit of research online can go along ways. Plus, what's one more skill?? I now can proudly say that I know how to sand and re-finish wood floors.
Who cares if you look silly picking something out: I took an old barnboard in to match my paint and an old piece of tin in to match my floor. You don't think I looked goofy doing that??
Think outside the box:Canning jar lights, barn board headers, and a rusty tin kitchen ceiling...need I say more?? It's your's. Do what YOU want.
One more word of advice that a good friend shared with me, "You've got to work for something." :)