"General" Contractor

I am embarking on something new and scary, all at the same time. I am the general contractor for finishing part of my basement to include a guest room, bath and office. It started with a desire to have a space for our guests and now it has turned into a man cave, a mini kitchen and an office where my hubby can get away from it all.

I began hunting and pecking for sales at Lowes, Home Depot and Menard's about 2 months ago and I was thrilled when I found someone else's "custom order" mistake. I have since procured a full bath, built a kitchenette with my main man and I have mapped out what will be a beautiful oasis for our up north guests.

The sad part is that we have only just begun. I thought better to start blogging now before the weekend ends when we will likely be very tired. The goal is to have the walls and trim complete by Labor Day and ideally I would love to have started on the back breaking endeavor of putting down the floor before my young strapping men head off to school! As we speak I have 2 gentlemen hanging drywall and both my 12 and 15 year old boys are learning manual labor.

My husband will be here tomorrow and the weekend to do some of the heavy lifting and I will do what I do best - clean and cook!

I must admit it has been a good bit of fun having contractors show up early in the morning to plumb, do electrical and HVAC, and of course, there is Bert the master of all trades. Bert has been gracious to offer my family the opportunity to "learn as we go" and as he put it, "boys should learn how to use power tools". I must say that he has been a true "grandpa" to my boys in this process. He has helped them to learn how to make mistakes gracefully, he has shown them that work is meant to be fun and most of all he has Christ at the center and he demonstrates what it is like to be a man after God's heart.

Bert is Canadian by birth and I am reminded of the delicate balance between working to live and living to work. Bert like many other Canadians seems to have a great spirit about what matters. They know how to call it quits when the day is done and go home to their wives and play on the floor with their new puppy. I love that Bert sometimes takes time in his daily run to Menard's to go home for a quick potty break to take out his dog "Teddy" and I am sure he snatches a kiss from his lovely bride.

So off we go! Here are a few pics of the start.... I promised my friend Cat that I would be sure to take a picture with a saw but I am not sure if that will be "real" diva doing or not?? Time will tell!

Unleash Your Inner Diva