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Mission Possible

Designing and Building Your Own Dream Home

By Suzy Feine

Staining began in the 10th week. After staining all woodwork, the crew sanded the wood to a smooth finish before applying a coat of polyurethane. All interior walls were prepped with primer before painting.

In week 11, the walls were painted with two coats of flat paint. The week ended with the installation of our exterior brick while the cement crew returned to pour the garage and basement floors.

During the 12th week, crews focused on the exterior of the home and installed the siding. At the same time, the final grade of our yard was completed. After grading, the cement walkway and driveway were both poured.

The 13th week brought back the plumber to connect pipes to sinks, toilets, showers and bathtubs. Electricians returned to connect wires to light fixtures. The utility room was stocked with the furnace and water heater. Countertops were installed in the kitchen and bathrooms, finishing up with the flooring before the appliances were delivered and installed. A final inspection was conducted and the certificate of occupancy was issued to our builder.

As you forge through the building process, watching subcontractors pass through your home, perform their magic and then leave, you become somewhat overwhelmed by the complexity and magnitude of the entire project. Each person who enters your home is a small piece in a very large puzzle. Each, an expert in their field, completes their portion of the work so that the next subcontractor can arrive and build upon what has already been done. In the end, each puzzle piece has been carefully placed and, right before your eyes, up from the ground grows a home.

As I reflect back on the process, it is probably an adventure I will only do once in my lifetime. We have toiled over colors, wall placement, structural decisions and visited our home almost daily during the 13-week process. In a sense, we also became subcontractors of our home overseeing the work, making dozens of phone calls and delivering final decisions. Building your dream home does come with a price, but it's a small price to pay for building a home exactly as you envisioned, for receiving your dream home come true.