building for our future

I have been very remiss in posting to this BLOG...time just flies along. We’ve been enjoying our new driveway very much and for the past few weekends, I have been working on some landscaping where it enters the road and along the way...and there is a lot more to do. The contractor also placed the required asphalt paving where the driveway meets said road a couple weeks ago and the act of pulling into traffic is now smooth and comfortable.

That, ladies and gentlemen...is the minor news for this evening. The big news is...we have pretty much found our contractor! In addition to the folks who did the initial budgetary work, we had a few other contractors examine the plans and specifications to give us quotes. One of them really impressed me with the amount of time and detail he spent considering our project...including several site visits, one with his plumber subcontractor along. And when I “normalized” the quotations in a spreadsheet, his bid was financially more attractive, both in total and in content. Further, I really felt comfortable with this man, even beyond the first contractor I spoke with who was also very sharp. (I think that is very important since on a project like this, there is going to be a lot of contact for about a half a year)

At the present time, I’m checking references and hope to confirm the choice in a few days. So far, things are looking good! And then we start moving into the real fun...tweaking the plans and specifications to insure we can afford to do the project, obtaining the financing and then suffering through what will likely be the most painful part of the project...permitting. Oh, well...so much for the job being done by the end of next week...or this year, for that matter!