Cutting Down (More) Trees To Make Room for the House

Last year as we talked about where we wanted to put the new house, we thought behind a row of fully mature poplars would be a good idea.  They were about halfway back on the yard and they would provide shade for the house - all good things.  As we have mulled it over more and more and talked with others, we have decided to take down those trees.  Poplars are notorious for falling over in a windstorm and if that were to happen, they would land on the house.  Not something we want.  So, today, Jay spent some time cutting and some time pushing and soon that row was all down.  It looks so bare now without them but I fully intend to plant different trees to take the place of the poplars. 

Since today was not the most ideal day for cutting trees, we made sure to have a tractor on hand to offer a little assistance in prodding the trees to fall in the correct direction.  There was a bit of a breeze today in the wrong direction which would cause some of the trees to fall on one of our storage sheds or on a whole bunch of others things we didn't want crushed.  The chainsaw paired with the tractor caused each tree to fall just as it should. 

First, you position the tractor in the correct spot so that it can push on the tree in the highest position possible.  Then you cut (while wearing ear and eye protection - he did put on the eye protection shortly after).

Once you have cut the tree more than halfway through but before it starts to fall over on its own, you push it some more with the tractor.  And you push.  And it falls just the way you want it to amidst the shouts of "TIMMMMMMBERRRRRRRRRR" from the kids who were watching from a safe distance.

And then if you are a boy, you run over to the fallen tree as fast as you can and climb all over it before dad starts on the next tree and you have to move.

And if you are this boy, you spend the whole morning in -11C weather (with the windchill) watching every move your dad makes while your siblings complain about the cold and hide in the van!

You repeat the whole process for all 13 trees and suddenly, about 2 hours later, you are done!  Jay has just pushed those large trees to the back of the yard where we can deal with them in our own time.  Seeing as we anticipate starting to dig in 6 weeks, just after the May long weekend, we have a bunch of things to get in place before then.  Now we can check this off the list!

{Side note:  Sometimes I wish strongholds in my life were so easily felled and replaced with better things as those trees were.  You know, those bad habits I have that I wish I could break or those sins that don't ever seem to go away.  Wouldn't it be so nice if I could just cut them off at the bottom with a saw and push them over and they would be gone and done with?  Most often, though, it seems as though I chip away at it with a bread knife and it never seems to make much of a difference at all.  The stronghold remains.  The sin still flourishes.  That is, until the Ultimate Woodsman comes over and gives me a hand, felling that stronghold with one push of His mighty right arm!  Oh, how I love that Woodsman!}

Why We Chose the Windows We Did

Since Jason had so many other things to think about and I was able to do a bunch of research online, I decided that I wanted to tackle the issue of the windows in our new home.  See, this house has Jeld-Wen windows in it and they are terrible!  With a capital T!  In the 10 years we have been in this house, we have replaced almost every. single. window.  About 5 years after the house was built, I noticed a haze on one of our large living room windows.  Eventually that haze turned into fog and that fog into condensation.  Soon I could hardly see out the window.  After contacting the window company (we do have a 25 year window warranty) they came out and replaced the window.  The window was free, the installation was not.  Turns out the seal went.  We thought that was a fluke.  Ah, no.  Apparently the spacer they used while making these windows was defective and the company abandoned that spacer shortly after starting to use it.  However, in the meantime, we have an entire house of windows with that faulty spacer.  So, every spring, more and more windows need replacing.  Remember, the window is free but installation is not.  So, every year, these windows keep costing us more and more money. Yet again we have 2 more windows that will need replacing this spring and this house is not that big nor do we have a tonne of windows.  So, needless to say, I have a passion for windows.  Windows that remain sealed.  Windows that work for longer than 5 years.  I want a good window so I was on a mission.  With all the "expertise" I have gained while studying windows, I came up with what I hope and believe is a good window company.  Let me share with you why I chose the window company I did - Durabuilt Windows - and I how I came about that decision.

1.  I was dead set against Jeld-Wen Windows.  I know they are local.  I know they are in abundance in the houses built around here.  But I don't care.  I don't like our windows and unless Jeld-Wen would give us the windows for free, I wasn't about to use them. 

2.  I chose window companies based on radio ads and personal recommendations and some that we saw and liked at the Kitchen, Bath and Renovation Show we went to earlier this winter.  Most of the window companies had some sort of catchy jingle on the radio ads and I remembered them because of it.  I also have a friend in the housing business and she suggested a particular company.  So, with all the radio ads and recommendations plus the ones we saw, I had a list of window companies 7 long!  I know, a lot of companies, but totally worth the research.

3.  I emailed each of the companies asking for a quote.  Window companies around here are more than willing to provide a quote if you provide a drawing of your house plans.  I merely sent them our pdf of our house plans and away they went.  Super simple on my part and mostly simple on theirs.  They do this all the time so they are good at it.

4.  After I received the quotes back, I typed all the information into a spreadsheet so I could compare each company.  Most of the quotes broke down the cost by window.  By making the spreadsheet, I could see at a glance what each company would charge for the dining room window or the bedroom window, etc.  It was really helpful. Plus I was easily able to sort them according to price.  As with anything you will always get some low prices, some mid line and some way higher than your budget.  I certainly had all of those.  The hard part was trying to figure out why some companies were more than twice the amount of others.

5.  I spent a great deal of time studying how windows are made and what the best windows are for our environment - hot in summer, cold in winter.  A harsh climate, most would say.  So, windows that are great in Toronto or Vancouver may not be suitable here.  I needed to know the window would work on the prairies and in our house, in particular.  I looked at the thickness of the glass, the total thickness of all the window components, what the spacer between the glass was made of, what types of glazing the company offered, what types of windows themselves, the thickness of the internal grilles and the patterns available, the sizes of windows available, the options for brick mould and jamb extension, the hardware used on the windows, the colors available, the warranty, and all the other many details that make up windows.  I tried to distill the information down to something I could understand and I think I came away quite knowledgeable about windows in general and some companies in particular.

6.  Once I distilled the information down, I discovered that 3 window companies stood out to me based on their options and their price.  Budget plays a huge role in choosing windows.  Some companies were eliminated just on price factor itself.  One company we were very interested in never actually sent us a quote.  Even after numerous phone calls and emails, promises from the saleslady that the quote would be in "by the end of the week or Monday at the latest", we still have yet to hear back from them.  Easy to eliminate when you don't have a quote, right?  We also eliminated a company based on their faulty quoting process.  They were WAY more expensive than any other company so we didn't even consider them.  The saleslady was quite insistent on talking with me so I told her her company was too high in price for us.  She was surprised since some of the other companies we were looking at were her normal competition and they were always very similar to their quotes.  I told her she was MANY thousands of dollars higher.  She looked into it and found they had made some sort of error.  I was already turned off to their company for the really high price with no obvious reason why so we didn't go with them.  Some got eliminated by sheer lack of interest by the sales rep.

7.  Once we narrowed the field down to 3 companies, we visited with each of those to meet with the salesmen, look at the windows, open and close them, ask the questions we still had and get a general sense of the company.  What a huge difference that makes!  From the emails, I would say those were the 3 companies that were most responsive, the companies that offered what we needed and the companies with a budget we could afford.  We learned what makes each company different from the other and it really cemented my opinion of which company to use.

So, the big question you may have is:  Why did you pick Durabuilt Windows and not some of the other ones I mentioned in my earlier blog post?  First of all, Durabuilt Windows was the name I heard recommended by the Shel Busey show on the radio over and over and over again.  The name just stuck.  He recommended them after having done lots of research on them.  I trust his recommendation so the Durabuilt name was in the back of my mind for a while.  I knew nothing about them but I was curious!  Secondly, Durabuilt Windows has the BEST (and I mean the absolute BEST) sales representative ever in the local office here close to where I live.  He is unbelievable!  He would answer every question quickly and completely.  He was always available for the many questions I had, always checked up on me to see how the research was going, and was so nice in person.  He was a HUGE part of why I chose Durabuilt.  If ever I have an issue with the windows, I would want to deal with him!  The catalogues Durabuilt gave me were loaded with information, as is their website.  Some of the competitors have terrible websites with so little information - Durabuilt has a fantastic website and most every question I had could be answered by it.  Some of the competitors had tiny little catalogues with only a few pages.  For me, the more information, the better.  Durabuilt had all the options we wanted.  I could pick what thickness of internal grilles I wanted from a few different options,  I could choose which pattern of grilles I wanted, they have an improved and updated window hardware that is better than the competitors, they are able to accommodate the larger window jamb we will be needing without adding a huge extra cost, they have great numbers when it comes to window energy efficiency (not something I will get into on here), they have a fantastic selection of entrance doors, they are a Canadian company located on the prairies, they are priced in the low-mid range and they are IMS Certified.  Did I mention they have a fantastic sales rep?  :)  The funny thing is, at the beginning of this whole process I wanted to go with Durabuilt.  I had no idea why but that's just what my gut indicated.  I tried to set that aside and really make a good effort to gather all the information I could to make the best possible choice.  Now I am back to my Durabuilt decision but at least I know why!  I am thrilled to be having this window in our home and I will be sure to let you know how they work out (you know, after we actually have them in our house and are using them!).  If you have any more specific questions on Durabuilt Windows or why we didn't chose the others I mentioned earlier, feel free to drop me a line.  I will answer what I can!

Our Kitchen Design

After just over one month of intense kitchen planning, I am heading into the city later today to actually order our new kitchen for our new house!  This is such an exciting time for me as I have been dreaming about a new kitchen for a long time.  I thought I would share with you some of the important elements I wanted in my kitchen and why.

First of all, the kitchen needed to be large!  Our current kitchen is about 11'x9' from wall to wall but with it being an almost closed circle-shaped kitchen (one little aisle to enter/exit), the open space in the middle is only about 7' x 5 1/2' (into which the dishwasher door, oven door and fridge door all open so if any of those are open, it gets real small, real quick!).  The new kitchen is about 18' x 11' with lots of space to move around!  It is a U-shaped kitchen with a fairly good sized island.

Our current kitchen has very chopped up counter space so a long uninterrupted counter was vital.  The longest straight piece of counter in our kitchen now is 41" - suitable for only 2 people to work side by side, and that is very cozy side-by-side!  The longest uninterrupted counter in our new kitchen will be about 7' long!  Many hands can help with counter space like that!

An island was important to me so the new kitchen has an island that is about 6' x 4 1/2'.  In this island is a small prep sink which is at the opposite side of the kitchen as the other main sink.  With the amount of work happening at the sink in the kitchen, we can already see how helpful another smaller sink will be.  When I am washing dishes and someone wants to rinse some grapes or drain the potatoes, they can just use the other sink rather than me having to reorganize what I am doing.  I am most certainly not the only one in the kitchen  at our house - I have many helpers so another sink will certainly be more efficient!  The island will also have a space for bar stools.  However, since the island will be all one level with only a small prep sink in one corner, it will be a wonderfully large surface on which to prep food or serve food or make cookies with the kids or the many other things that could happen at that spot.  It will also be a great spot for guests to sit and chat with me while I continue to prepare food.

We have a bar counter in our kitchen now and we love it.  It is a raised counter and the kids eat most of their breakfasts and their lunches there (when it is cleaned off - it does become the dumping ground for things but that is another story!).  However, our bar counter only seats 4 people.  We have 5 kids.  It has become a source of arguments and contention to figure out who gets to sit at the bar counter and who has to sit at the table.  The next kitchen has a peninsula that is 11' long.  We should easily be able to get all 5 kids at that counter - hey, maybe there will even be a spot for me, too!  Plus, with the space at the island, we should easily get 9 or 10 people just at the peninsula and island, never mind at the dining room table!  Lots of seating was imperative.  Unlike our current kitchen, however, the peninsula will not have a raised bar counter.  It will be all one level, just like the island.  Though it will require me to keep the kitchen a bit tidier since I cannot hide the dirty dishes behind the raised counter, it will give another large workable counter area!

From a practical side, I really wanted to have a full refrigerator/full freezer in our kitchen.  Since we were able to find a scratch and dent set for an unbelievable price, we have already purchased them.  They will be so fantastic, offering plenty of convenient cooling/freezing space right in the kitchen.   Since I have a slight cookbook fetish, I really wanted a bookshelf in either the end of the island or the end of the peninsula.  It worked better with the plan for it to be in the peninsula so that is where it is.  I am looking forward to having the cookbooks in an easily accessible spot - maybe I would end up using them more often!  :)

From a design standpoint, I wanted to have windows on either side of my range hood, rather than a window by the corner sink.  It is not super common to have it that way but the few I have been able to find online I really love.  The kitchen will face into the backyard so it will be easy to keep an eye on the kids, if I needed.  Plus with them being north facing windows, I can sit some pretty orchids in front of those windows and have some plants in my kitchen!  I know, small detail that no one really cares about but I am already scheming!  :)

The cabinets themselves will reach up to our 9' ceilings so, though we don't have a tonne of upper storage, with the extra height, we should be able to store plenty of items in those cupboards.  Most of the upper cabinets have glass fronts and that should really give the kitchen a light and airy feel to it, as though there are more windows than there actually are.

The lower cabinets are almost all drawers rather than doors!  When I was growing up, my parents were able to piece together an oak floor model kitchen to fit into our space.  The one thing I remember about that kitchen is a couple of roll-out drawers for the pots.  When we built the kitchen in this house, I insisted on roll-out drawers wherever possible and I am not sorry I did.  They are the BEST solution for kitchen storage and make accessing items in the base cabinets so much easier.  Our new kitchen has roll-out drawers in every possible spot and I know I will love it.  I have already gone through our virtual kitchen and decided where all my dishes will go!  The roll-out drawers beside the stove will hold pots, pans, casserole dishes, pie plates, bread pans, etc, etc.  The roll-out drawers in the island (facing the stove) will hold the dishes I use for baking so Pyrex bowls, measuring cups and spoons, etc.  The bottom drawer will hold flour and sugar and maybe some other basic spices.  I have drawers for oven mitts and tea towels, utensils for cooking and utensils for eating.  Since there are 21 roll-out drawers,  I have drawers for most anything!

You will notice we don't have a tall pantry in our kitchen.  Since we have a large almost 11' x 6' walk-in pantry right behind the fridge/freezer, a pantry in the kitchen was unnecessary.  So, instead of always running downstairs to grab that can of soup or tuna or asking the kids to do it, I can just get it myself with just a few quick steps!

Finally, there is the decorative element to our kitchen.  For sheer beauty, I have incorporated 6 pillars into the kitchen.  Two are the legs for the island, 2 are legs for the peninsula and 2 flank the stove and will be hiding spice pull-outs.  Do we need pillars?  No.  Do I like pillars?  Very much!  The company we are using for our cabinets is Medallion Cabinetry. We are going with their Designer Gold series which means the entire kitchen is solid wood.  The doors themselves will be maple and the drawers and cabinets are plywood.  The drawers themselves are made with dovetail construction, are full extension drawers and have the soft close feature.  The style is called Brookhill.  As for the color, the upper and base cabinets will all be white with a dark glaze accenting it, called Morel Vintage.  The range hood and the island will be a black stain called Onyx.

Over all, I think this kitchen is, for me, a dream kitchen!  It will be large and spacious, it will have long counters, plenty of storage and seating, a full fridge/freezer, windows, tile back splash, a large hanging fixture over the island, storage for cookbooks in the peninsula and decorative items above the fridge/freezer, pull-out spice racks beside the range and a pretty range hood.  Mostly, this kitchen will be a dream since I will be able to work with my husband, my kids, my friends and my family without tripping over them, enjoying our time together in the kitchen, creating memories, sharing laughs and secrets, learning and loving, because, for us, the kitchen really is the heart of our home.

Progress Report on House Building

As I have mentioned over and over, we are building a house this summer.  As a matter of fact, we hope to break ground next month.  Woa.  Did I just say next month?  NEXT MONTH??!!  Ahh!  I cannot believe it!  I remember when the calendar turned to 2012 that this would be the year we would build.  I still wasn't sure when this year, but I knew it was this year.  Now we have determined we would like to start next month, towards the end, so it could actually be early June but we are aiming for the end of May!  So excited.  Tonnes has to happen before then but I will update you on where we are right now.

As I write this, Jay is at the property talking with the hydro company to see how much work (and how much money) it will be to move the electrical to where we need it from where it is currently.  On the phone they made it sound like it will be a bit of a job so we will find out what that means.  Then to see when they can actually do the work.  But, it is an important step so we are glad they are meeting today.

Since the septic field that is currently installed is probably neither legal or to code, we will need a new septic tank and field installed.  This requires some knowledge we do not yet have but know people who do, right, dad?!  :)  We will need a soil test done to determine what kind of field we can have and that will only happen when we know where the field will be.  My dad will help us figure that out.  Once we know the placement and have the soil tested we can apply to have a septic field installed.  That application must be approved before we can apply for a building permit.

We are waiting for the final renderings of our blueprints so they can be approved by us and sent to the engineer to be stamped for approval.  The changes at this point are very minor so that work should be done this week (we keep calling every other day and it helps!) and then they can be sent off for approval.  These engineered plans are required before we can apply for the building permit.

After studying all my price quotes and studying the companies and meeting with our top 3 choices, we have chosen the window company we will be using.  Due to numerous reasons I will fully explain in another post, we have decided to use Durabuilt Windows.  I am so glad to have that choice made.

This next Monday we will be placing the order for our kitchen cabinets!  I know, a little different than most people do it!  But, the solid wood cabinets (and I mean all of it is solid wood!) are on a 30% off discount until April 12.  The next level down, which has solid wood doors and drawers but particle board carcasses, are actually more expensive since they are not on sale!  Since this is a sale price that rarely comes around (10-15% off is more common) we are ordering our kitchen before we even start building our house!  I will talk more about the kitchen in another post as well.

Finally, probably the  most exciting decision we have made is to build the house ourselves alongside a contractor/carpenter that we know.  During this whole process we approached a building company to have the house priced out turnkey.  That was too expensive.  When we took out the contractor's profit, we knew we could afford it.  So, we looked at contracting it ourselves and hiring out crews.  That was a possibility.  Then, when the Lord brought to mind the name of a gentleman I worked with during my college years, we contacted him.  He is a contractor/carpenter that has seen many builds through from start to finish, both residential and commercial.  He doesn't have his own crew this summer but was willing to work with us.  He will be there every step of the way (or at least for whatever we want him to do), providing the tools and expertise, working alongside us and teaching us as we do the concrete work, frame the house, roof the house and finish the house.  We will still be hiring others to do the electrical work and the HVAC but the rest of it should be in our hands.  We will hire one other individual to help us as well.  That means that there will be 3 people full-time (our contractor, Jay and our employee), 4 people most of the time (you better believe I will be in there like a dirty shirt - would be all the time but we still have kids to parent) and maybe some others that would be willing to help out here and there.  After spending time in prayer and looking at all the options, this was the one that sat best with us.  We are hands-on people.  We wanted to be involved in the building of our house.  Well, hands-on and involved we will be!  We are so excited and cannot wait to get started!

I will be sure to keep you posted as progress is made.  Given the fact that we will be doing a lot of the work ourselves (but not alone, if that makes sense) it may take a little longer than usual.  However, we are determined and dedicated people so we will be sure to work hard and long to get this job accomplished as quickly as we can while still doing it properly!

Ten Tips to Save Money When Building a House

As you may or may not know, we are in the process of starting to build a new house.  Our dream home in the country.  We have most certainly outgrown this current home even though we love it.  It was never built for 7 people (yet I always think of the days gone by when this house would have held more than 7 for a very long time).  We would like a new house, not because of dissatisfaction with our current home, but because we feel limited in what we can do because of the size.  3 little girls sharing a room that is 9x9 in size works when the girls are only 3' tall.  What about when they grow?  So, this dream has been in the works for years, really.  We said when we moved into this home we would live here for 10 years.  In 10 years we would build our country dream.  This September will be 10 years.  This is what we have been aiming for for the past decade.  So, as we are trying to work out all the many details required to build a home, like who to hire, which windows to buy, what will the kitchen look like, etc. we are trying to save money along the way.  Now, we don't want to cut corners to save money.  This house is supposed to be our forever home.  The home our kids bring our grand kids to for sleepovers.  We anticipate staying in this next home until we are too old to live there well.  We don't want to cut corners.  Save money?  Yes.  Cut corners?  No.  So, how does a family of 7, living on one income, build a large dream home in the country without mortgaging our self to death? Well, some of those choices started already many years ago in the way we have managed our money.  But for the sake of this blog post, I will share some tips I have been using to try to save us some money while we build this home.

Tip #1 - Buy new items on Kijiji or Craigslist

It is unbelievable to me the number of people that buy something new and either decide they no longer like it or find out it will not work for the intended purpose. They cannot return the item so they sell it for cheap.  I have just purchased a stainless steel under mount kitchen sink for $60.  That is waaaaay cheaper than I would find in stores for the same item, never mind cheaper than a drop-in stainless steel sink.  The reason it was being sold?  The sink wouldn't work with the granite they had cut and they couldn't return the sink so they sold it.  We have also bought a couple of brand new vessel sinks for half the retail price.  I have seen brand new windows, doors, toilets, sinks, faucets, showers, tubs, etc - many, many items one would need to build a home for way less than retail price.

Tip #2 - Scour second hand stores for new and gently used items

I love second hand stores.  And you just may be surprised at what you will find, new and used.  I bought a brand new toilet at the local MCC Thrift Store, just taken out of the box for display purposes for cheap, cheap, cheap.  I bought a slightly used but still beautiful pedestal sink at that same MCC store.  I found 2 boxes of brand-new 4"x4" white tiles by Dal Tile.  I have bought tempered glass shelving.  I found a brand new mirror by Umbra.  At the local ReFit store, I have found many beautiful pieces of tile in quantities large enough for my needs at a fraction of the retail price.  We just purchased a 7-month old Electrolux front load washer and dryer set for about 50% of retail off of Kijiji.  We also bought a gently-used-but-still-looks-brand-new air massage tub on Kijiji for 1/4 the price it would have cost new.  These are very easy ways to save money when building a home. 

Tip #3 - Shop liquidating stores

Some stores exist only to liquidate other stores' items.  Sometimes these other stores have gone bankrupt or they sell unclaimed orders or many other reasons perfectly lovely and brand new name brand items end up on these store shelves for a fraction of retail price.  I have found AMAZING bargains at our local Liquidation World (now owned by Big Lots).  Our Weiser entry door handle set ($88.88 - retails for $165), all our Weiser interior door levers($28.88 - retails for $50+), my Price Pfister roman tub faucet ($78.88 - retails for over $500 [my best deal EVER!]), Delta towel bars and glass shelves and toilet paper holders ($12 each - retails for $30+), our kitchen faucets, chandeliers - so many amazing finds at unheard of prices.  These stores can bring big savings if you take the time to look.

Tip #4 - Shop on sale

Patience is almost required (unless you have unlimited funds and can buy everything at full price the first time you see it!) when purchasing items for your home.  One example - I looked and looked and looked for the right fixture for our main floor powder room.  When I found it, I was so excited!  It was pricey but it was just what I wanted.  Did I buy it immediately?  No!  I knew this store where I found it would eventually put it on sale so all I had to do was wait.  And watch the sales.  When it finally came on sale, it was 40% off the regular price.  That is when I went to buy it and saved about $80 just by being patient.  We have bought faucets and interior doors and exterior doors and tile all on sale because we knew what a good sale price was.  There is a particular type of hardwood flooring I want for our main floor area and it comes on sale occasionally in varying sale prices.  From past experience though, I know exactly what the lowest sale price it will come to yet and I am just waiting for that right price to buy it - when it does you can bet we will buy our flooring.  If you get to know a store's sale rotation, watch their flyers and have some patience, you will save yourself some big money!

Tip #5 - Shop scratch and dent

As we went to pick up the washer and dryer we bought, we discovered the guy selling the machines worked for an appliance repair store that specializes in Frigidaire and Electrolux machines and sells scratch and dent models.  To be honest, scratch and dent hadn't entered my thoughts but when I gave my head a shake, I realized it was the perfect solution.  Appliances can be terribly expensive but they don't have to be.  We just picked up a brand new scratch-and-dent Frigidaire All-Freezer and Electrolux All-Refrigerator for less than half the price they would have cost none scratch-and-dent.  Since Electrolux owns Frigidaire, the appliances look like the same brand from the outside plus you will never notice the scratches or dents since they are only on the sides or the tops which will be completely hidden by the kitchen cabinets.  For an amazing deal, I was able to get the exact appliances I wanted for a fraction of the price.

Tip #6 - Use in-store credit points or gift cards

Both credit cards we own are store credit cards and allow us to collect points on each purchase.  With one card we collect points to buy groceries but with the other card, I was saving those points for an unknown time in the future when I would find something I really wanted for the house.  I was accumulating those points for a while when I suddenly found the time I wanted to use them.  Remember that chandelier I was waiting for to come on sale?  Well, when it did come on sale, I redeemed the points on my card and ended up saving an additional $100.  That beautiful light cost me $12!  As for gift cards, I have been accumulating gift cards to Home Sense (equivalent to Home Goods in the USA) for a number of years.  People know I love that store and so they have given them to me as thank you's for various reasons or as gifts for other occasions.  Though I did use a little to purchase another beautiful chandelier, I have been saving the majority to use when it comes time to decorate the new house.  I can see myself buying new towels or throw pillows or other accessories to make the house look beautiful and new and it won't cost me a thing, thanks to the gift cards!

Tip #7 - Shop clearance sections

Pretty much every time I go to a hardware store or big box store that may carry home building supplies, I check out the clearance section.  Rarely are those items advertised.  In one store I found our beautiful kitchen light fixture that will be hanging over the island.  It was almost 75% off the regular retail price.  I assumed they were getting rid of a certain style but I was more than happy with the style and the savings.  Funny thing is, in another city, that exact same light fixture was still the same full retail price.  It pays to check the clearance racks!  I also found a beautiful drop-in porcelain sink on clearance at one store.  They only had one so I bought it.  Turns out I found an identical sink on clearance in another store in another city.  That took care of both sinks in the kid's bathroom.  Though it may take an extra few minutes to wander past the clearance section in a store, you never know what bargains you will find.  Don't be afraid to open nondescript cardboard boxes that have yellow clearance stickers on them.  We were able to buy the vessel sinks for our master bath at substantial savings because I was curious enough to open a plain cardboard box that had a yellow clearance sticker on it.  There was no picture on the box so I had no idea what was in it.  When I opened it up and saw the beautiful sinks, I knew I struck gold!  The savings are even better when you find things on clearance at a liquidating store.  It is like the clearance items are on clearance!  I love bargains like that!

Tip #8 - Know your prices and price compare

Being a homeschooling mom of 5 kids, I spend a lot of time at home.  I don't have time to run around to stores to check out what they have or what things cost.  That is where the wonderful world of the Internet comes in.  It is a great place to check out prices so you have an idea of what the regular price of items is so you will know when you find a great bargain.  I knew when I saw our fridge/freezer that it was a great deal.  My husband wasn't so sure.  So, I went online and printed out the regular prices for them - it didn't take him long to realize it was, in fact, a bargain worth pursuing.  Sometimes we have found things on sale and were unsure if it was really a deal worth checking out, especially if we are shopping in the USA.  A little time spent online quickly confirms if the price is a good one or not.  Plus, if you are looking at prices, you can quickly compare which places have the best price for certain items.  We don't have unlimited funds so it is up to us to spend what we do have in the best way possible.

Tip #9 - The sooner you start, the better deals you will find

We have known for a long time we would be building this house.  But only since we purchased the property (2 1/2 years ago) have I been collecting building items for our house.  When you have the time to start soon and start early, you are able to get the best deals because you are not forced to buy something RIGHT NOW!  I am not in a hurry for a kitchen sink so I don't need to buy something at full price just because I need it.  I can wait and look and wait and look.  When I do find a bargain, I can buy it and store it until it is needed.  I may be spending my money a little sooner but I am spending less of it!  I know that takes some forethought in your finances - you need to be in a place where you can afford to buy items for your house long before you have your mortgage plus you need to find a place to store those things.  But if you can do that, you will save big money in the long run.

Tip #10 - Be flexible

This may be the most important tip to saving money.  Be flexible.  I have an idea of what I want my new house to look like.  I want it to be beautiful and warm and inviting but I also want to be able to afford it.  When I find something on clearance or on sale, I usually ask myself if I love it, if I hate it, could I live with it, could I live without, etc.  If I really can't stand the item, I won't buy it.  If I am not sure, I think about it for a while.  But, in general, I make decisions quickly and can adapt my vision of the room in question to whatever it is I find.  If you must only have certain items and you won't flex from that view, you will probably end up spending more money finding those exact things. If you allow room for flexibility, you will save yourself some money.

Well, there you have it!  Ten tips to help you save money while building a home.  Actually, these are tips you can apply to your life in many other areas, not just when it comes to building a house.  Tell me, what are some tips you follow to try to save yourself some money?  I would love to learn even more money-saving secrets!

Window Shopping . . . Literally!

The temperatures this week are promising to go into the double digits to the positive which means spring is finally here (not that the winter was typical of Manitoba - it was VERY mild - but I do so enjoy spring and summer!).  And, that means, house-building draws ever nearer!  YAY!!  So, while Jay spends many hours talking with various trades people learning all he can about the very best way to build our house, I have taken upon myself two very important factors in a well-built home.   First of all, I am solely responsible for the design of the kitchen. And that is so much fun (especially since, at this point, I have only seen the drawings and not the price!).  The other is windows.  I have taken upon myself to request window quotes from various companies and then learn all I can about those windows and companies and hopefully make the very best choice for the budget we have.  Currently I have 5 window quotes in hand and I am awaiting 2 more.  Sending in a request for a window and door quote is fairly easy.  I have done most of it online from the comfort of my own home.  I write a nice email asking for a quote, attach the house drawings and a couple of days later a quote appears in my inbox.  That is the easy part.  The hard part is figuring out why one quote is more than double another quote, especially when the windows are essentially the "same" (I am sure window company reps would disagree that their windows are the same as another company's windows!).  So, I have spent many, many hours looking up SHGC (Solar Heat Gain Coefficients), U-Values, Condensation Ratings, BBB Business Reviews, warranties, options and accessories to try to figure out which window company is right for us.  In case you are wondering, right now I have quotes from Gienow Windows, Thermo-Tech Windows, Hi-Tech Energy Windows, Durabuilt Windows and Polar Ray-O-Max Windows and I am awaiting quotes from Duraco Windows and Inno-Tech Windows.  Some of these companies I found through the recommendations of friends, some through Shel Busey's Home Discovery Show, some through radio jingles and some through the Kitchen, Bath & Renovation Show we attended earlier this year.  The window company that is prominent right here in the town where I live is Jeld-Wen windows but I refuse to use them again so I haven't even requested a quote.  Though this house is only 10 years old, we have had to replace almost every single window due to failed seals!  The window units are covered under warranty but installation is not so every year these windows cost us more.  We have 2 more units that will need replacing this spring.  No matter who says what, I will not install those windows again.  So, pardon me as I break out the spreadsheet and try to conglomerate all this information I have collected into something usable that will magically show me which company to use!  I am looking for highly efficient windows that block the sun in summer, keep the heat in in winter, aren't cold to the touch and don't fog up with condensation at the drop of a hat.  Shouldn't be too much to ask, should it?  All in a budget I can afford?  I will let you know what we decide, whenever that may be!  :)  In the meantime, if you have any experience with any of the companies I have listed above, please feel free to share.  I would love to hear what you have to say.

What Causes an 8 Year-Old Boy to Mature

Our eldest child and eldest son has always been the most apprehensive of all of our children.  He has always been hesitant to try anything new, to talk to anyone he doesn't know or to go anywhere he hasn't been before.  I don't like using labels but most would call him shy.  Very shy.  And I am okay with that.  For the most part.  I love watching how he thinks through things rather than just jumping right in.  His apprehension can be a very good thing - he would never willingly wander off with a stranger like some of my other children would.  But it has really been a struggle to get him to grow past all the fears and apprehension.  I don't mind a thoughtful child or a hesitant child but a child full of fear about every and any situation is not a healthy child.  I have been praying for him to grow in confidence for a long time and I think the Lord has been using many health-related situations to cause him to grow and mature and gain confidence.  Over the last number of weeks I have taken him to many different appointments and it has cause me to think back on his life, short as it is, to all the experiences he has already had.  I think each of them has brought him to where he is today, growing in confidence.  When he was just an infant, less than 6 months old, there was some concern with his health, some wierd facial thing that would happen in conjunction with lack of breathing when he would nurse.  After expressing my concern to my doctor, we went through a series of tests with him to try to get that situation to repeat itself in the presence of trained doctors who then could discover what was going on.  He had a number of EEG's, where they wrapped him mummy-style, stuck all these electrodes to his head and got me to nurse him - or at least try to.  He was on a bed and was supposed to stay there so I had to hang my breast over his face and try to get him to drink while all these staff and cameras were watching.  A little nerve-wracking for me, terrible for him since he was so hungry and had cried so hard he usually fell asleep, and in the end, they didn't learn anything conclusive though they did say he had some "seizure activity" which, apparently, can be normal in some people and never present itself as a seizure.  Not fun for a first time mom, or any mom, for that matter. 

Just before he turned 2, he broke his leg in 2 places and needed to be in a cast.  That was a terrible situation.  We didn't realize he had broken it until he wouldn't put weight on his leg.  We then suspected a broken leg and x-rays confirmed it.  They put on a back-slab and wrapped his leg in a tensor band and sent us home, telling us we would need to go to the city sometime the  following week (this happened on a Saturday night) for a cast.  The next night, Sunday night, he screamed in pain for hours.  We called in to see what we could do and they suggested Tylenol and Advil.  If the pain persisted, we should bring him back in for some morphine.  He wouldn't quit screaming (and he was never a screaming/crying kind of kid unless something really bad happened).  He screamed the entire 15 minutes back to the emergency room but as soon as those doors opened to the hospital, he quite crying. This was in the middle of the night and the doctor was not happy to have been woken from her sleep.  The first thing she said was that he looked just fine.  Oh, I could have blown a gasket.  Like we had nothing better to do than to race to the emergency room with our 4 month-old and 23 month-old sons in the middle of the night.  The caring and understanding nurse pushed for the morphine and it is what he needed to be able to sleep that night.  Then we got a call on Monday saying we could take him back into the city 3 days later, on the Thursday, for a casting appointment.  That was completely unacceptable.  Because he was only in a backslab and a tensor band, anything touching his leg caused pain.  Sleeping was painful.  Everything was painful.  I told that lady I was not waiting until Thursday - something had to be done right away.  So, I took him back into the emergency room that day and she put on a cast that came over his knee, stating that when we went in on Thursday to the city hospital (these emergency room visits were in a completely different town in the opposite direction of the city) they would probably remove the cast and put on another one.  That was fine by me.  At least with the cast, his pain lessened.  They did remove that long cast and put on a shorter one that Thursday and then 4-5 weeks later it was removed all together, just days before his 2nd birthday.

When he was about 2 and starting to talk, I began to suspect he might have hearing issues.  His speech was so muddled, and as he grew he needed everything much louder in volume - the radio, the TV, even me talking to him.  He often needed things repeated and eventually started reading lips.  It was so inconsistent that I wasn't sure if he had hearing issues or just attention issues.  When he was 3 1/2, they did a preliminary hearing test where a sound is played in your ear and they wait for the echo to return.  That little test is supposed to print out a bell-curve on the testing machine.  Pepe's gave a straight line.  They didn't know what that meant and chalked it up to his cold.  We went back about 6 months later and the same thing happened.  At that point we were sent to the audiologist for the first time, about 5 years ago.  After about 1 year of numerous hearing tests, it was discovered he has chronic fluid build-up in his middle ear causing hearing loss.  This type of hearing loss can be sporadic as the fluid levels can rise and fall plus it most often will affect the lower registers and lower tones or an area where lots of sounds compete.  Exactly as we had noticed.  It came to the point where he wouldn't talk to his dad in the van because he had such a hard time hearing his dad - he only talked to me.  Surprisingly, he never had any ear infections.  Just days before his 5th birthday, he had t-tube surgery for the first time.  It was horrible.  He kicked and screamed and cried.  He wanted me there.  They tried to pick him up but he was so heavy they couldn't.  Once those big doors closed, he had no choice but to go with them, which he did.  When he woke up from the surgery, he was agitated and crying, wanting to be with me, practically crawling into my arms when he was supposed to stay in bed.  I had to walk with them leaning over the bed holding onto him while they wheeled him to the recovery area.  The results of the surgery were immediate and dramatic.  He could hear everything and it was so overwhelming, he cried most of the way home.  Toilets flushed too loudly.  Rocks bouncing on the van were too loud. His siblings were too much for him.  It was a very hard day.  But, he also discovered the sound of pop fizzing, which he had never heard before.  Eventually, the tubes came out, just as they are supposed to, but once they were out the hearing decreased.  He went back for his second t-tube surgery just a couple months after turning 7 and it was a much easier transition for him.  He even got to drive a large kids car into the surgery room!  Once again the hearing improved.  His latest audiology appointment, just last week, showed that the tubes are still in place but are beginning to make their way out, as they should.  It leaves us wondering what will happen when they come out - will he be able to hear without them or will we have to go back for surgery again?

Then, at the end of 2011 we took the kids to the dentist for the very first time.  I know, a long wait, but we were not sure who to go to that would be good with the kids and take all of them at the same time.  Some places would only take 2 kids per family per day.  We weren't about to make 3 trips.  Finally we found a pediatric dentist, recommended by a friend, and we love him.  The staff and doctor and environment are fantastic and the kids loved the experience.  All 7 of us were in one room with 2 dentist chairs and never once was there any irritation or harsh words said.  It was great!  But, with that appointment we discovered that Pepe had 2 cavities between his teeth due to overcrowding plus he needed to see an orthodontist to consult on the overcrowding and the apparent missing teeth.  We saw the orthodontist just a little after that and learned that Pepe already needed a retainer on the top to deal with the narrow jaw and large space between his front teeth and partial braces on the bottom to deal with teeth in very wrong spots.  So, that meant more appointments for him and more courage to be found.  But, with the first appointment, just the consultation, his little brother joined him to see where he was at.  Because his little brother is a bit more adventurous, he had no problem going by himself with the lady to get all sorts of photos taken of his teeth.  Not willing to be outdone by his brother, Pepe went by himself as well.  That was a HUGE step for him!  Since then, I have made him go into all his appointments by himself, unless they specifically ask for him.  HE still tells me he needs me to come with him but I know he can do it and so does he.  So, he does and with a good attitude to boot.  He needed to go back once to get the retainer and then again for the braces.  Plus, he had to return to the dentist twice to get the fillings dealt with, all without me by his side. 

When I look back on where he was to where he is now, he really has matured and grown in confidence like I never expected.  But I don't think it would have happened as clearly if he didn't have so many appointments to attend.  It really is neat to see how far he has come and I am thankful the Lord has used all this things to grow and develop him into someone growing in courage.  I am so proud of him but know he will continue to grow since the appointments aren't ending any time soon!