before attempting on your own. The rewards are numerous and you get a great amount of
satisfaction once you are done. Building a house requires lots of hours, lots of
patience and plenty of trips to the local home improvement stores to pick up all of
those items that you forgot the last time you were there!
Building a house also takes lots of friends. We couldn't have built the house without
the help of our friends. These were the people that donated weekends and evenings for
nothing more that some meals and beverages. So in an attempt to repay them somewhat, we
wanted to take the time and publically thank them for all of the help that they gave us
over the course of the last year.
Thank you to Jeff G, Kevin H, Dave C, Terry B, Mike and Barb B, Jeremey F and the crew that
put up the roof trusses. To Paul and Diana for looking after our "other" house where
we spent so little time.
Thank you to Kay B & Greg S, Penny and Michael R., John B, Kathy and Dickie M.(and the
boys!), Ed F, Dan and Vicki S and their kids, and John and Mary Kay.
Thank you to our siblings-Steve, Joe and Kathy K., Jeff and Ann M.
Thank you to Jim who offered priceless advice and always seemed to come up with a
solution to our problems. Who provided tools that allowed us to complete the job in
half the time it would have taken us if we did it by hand, and who was always there to
encourage us even though he didn't get the garage door in the basement!
Thank you to John K for being the third set of hands that we always needed. For giving up
a year of your life to help two young kids take on a task that was so much bigger then
they were. For coming up with some of the neatest inventions that always worked so
much better than anything you could ever buy in the store. Thank you to Marcella his
wife for putting up with us always calling and bugging John for tools and advice!
Thank you to Margaret's mom and dad and my mom for all of the hot meals, errands ran
stuffed picked up, sweeped up, doorknobs installed and all of the other countless things
that you three did. All of those things added up and help move along the house. We would
still be working on it today if it wasn't for these three. Most of all, thank you for
supporting us and not telling us we were crazy until after we were done!
Thank you to my dad who was there every day that he could and then some. Who braved all
sorts of weather from mini-tornados to desert heat. Who listened to our rants and raves
and then calmly solved the problem at hand. Who came back even after ripping a ligamet
from his thumb and having to wear a cast on his arm for all of the summer. Who gave up
riding his motorcycle so that we could have the truck to go pick up supplies. Who waited
for us all the times we were late. We couldn't have built the house without him and these
simple words do a grave injustice to the amount of work and time that he put into the
house.
Thank you to our son Brian who went with us everyday to the house no matter how cold or
how hot it was. Who gave up TV, air conditioning and videogames whether he wanted to or
not. Who was glad when school started in the fall so that he could get away from the house
for a few hours and be a kid again. Who faced his fear of heights as the house grew to
the point that he helped shingle the roof without fear. Who studied on a table made of
plywood and cement blocks with only a single light bulb for light and then made us proud
the day he brough home the certificate showing that he made the merit roll.
Thank you to my wife-Margaret. The house could not have existed without her support.
Thank you for designing such a beautiful house. Thank you for doing something that you
had no idea what you were getting yourself into just because you trusted me. Thank you for
standing beside me and doing everything that I did no matter how dirty it meant getting
or how sweaty we ended up! For all of the calling and scheduling of contractors and
dealing with some of the less bright people of the world! For giving up tennis and
basket classes and for not commiting me to an insane asylum. For getting up with me at
5:00a and still smiling at me brightly after working 16 hours the day before. For
just being there and urging me on when there wasn't much left in me. For running all of
the errands and returning so quickly! For being social director so that I could keep
working and for always being able to pull together some of the best deals on things and
people that we needed. My wife is a truley amazing woman who put so much of herself
into the house without any hesitation and was key to us acheiving our dream.
Thank you to my husband – Robert, whom without him our dream would still be on paper.
You knew how to take the drawings and make them real. You were the stronger of the
two of us, both in body and mind. You were always willing to do more, to push a little
harder. I’ve never known anyone with so much strength and patience. Your patience is truly
amazing. You’ve had to be patient with everyone you’ve worked with – including me. Thank you
for making our dreams come true.
Last but not least, thank you all for reading through all of these pages. Whether it
was to just look at the pictures or if you are thinking about building yourself. I know
we were wordy in some spots, but there are so many details to consider when you are
building, that missing a crucial detail might not matter now, but will come back to haunt
you later. Learn from our mistakes and save yourself some time and money. Feel free to
email us or drop by if you have any questions, or wait for the movie.....!