Sometimes you just have to start
We planned quite an ambitious home expansion and renovation project. The Initial budget was twice what we could afford or more… so we started and, in the end, we never even added up what it cost
This is not for everybody, but I was an architect and had pretty good carpentry skills. I did drawings for the permit and hired individual carpenters and small builder who did the work bit by bit until I could get more money. I swung the hammer was not a stranger to the crawl space. I was up on the roof late one night in a driving rainstorm in my shorts wrangling big sheets of plastic to protect the work. My favorite stage was when the addition was enclosed with the raw plywood subfloor and stud walls with the silver face of the insulation showing. We rolled out a big Goodwill carpet and a dining table and in candlelight it was delightful. It was that way for almost a year. Recently my daughter, now in her forties, reminisce about it, how much fun it was.
I told this story because it’s a good story and a fond memory of how the Moon Viewing Room came to be. But for all of you, the takeaway is, if you have realistic expectations the whole process will be survivable. If you expect that the project may well go 50% over budge you will do your best, but it will be survivable. If you expected to do the diner dishes in the bathtub then give your toddler a bath, it will be a fun family memory not cause for divorce.