Our big idea

Yesterday I wrote about selling the car, and that we have an idea of what we want to do with the proceeds.  In trying to be a bit more transparent (because I know you all want to know how much we got!), it wasn’t a huge amount.  The car was in excellent shape but did have a smidge over 100,000 miles.  We accepted an offer of $4,500.  Nothing earth-shattering, but still a nice amount to add to our savings.  We are also getting $467 back from our auto insurance, as I had just paid our six-month premium. Since I already accounted for that money, I’ll throw that into savings as well.

Now for the big idea.  It is about our future house renovation.

Given Hub’s job uncertainty, it probably seems odd for me to even think about our house renovation.  Until his company has another secure contract, we won’t be doing much of anything.  Well, that is, other than getting the plans.  We wouldn’t be doing that either, had it not been for a certificate that will (should) cover the cost.

We bought our house, knowing that we would make significant changes.  We are blessed to live on a lake, plus have four acres of land, and this was one of the few places we could afford.  You know the old saying ~ a house can be changed, but you can’t change the location.

I can’t remember if I had written about the first designer getting canned from her job.  That happened in Feb/March, and then all this COVID stuff hit.  Fortunately, we didn’t have too many hours into the design, as we have now decided to scrap the first plan.  The reason being is that as (in my opinion) as fabulous as it would have been, the cost of making the actual changes was getting out of hand.  Another concern was that our property taxes would have likely tripled.  So, we went back to the drawing board, and I drew up another chicken scratch idea.

When Hubs was home, we met the designer and the builder at their office.  The plan to them did make sense, plus the builder said the cost would be significantly less.   One significant change is that we will first be building a barn. The original plan was for our existing garage to be moved and used as a shop.  The barn will be larger than the garage, so it means more storage, which is something we desperately need.  We aren’t packrats, but mowers, storing lawn furniture, kayaks, a future boat, and all of Hubs shop stuff, does take up space!  If all goes as planned (does it ever?), our house renovation will happen a year or two after we build the barn.  The barn needs to happen first since that will likely become our home for 6-8 weeks.  (Isn’t that how many weeks these renovations take on HGTV?)  Something tells me One Family would have something different to say about contractors and their timelines!

Later this month, the designer and builder plan on coming out to our house for a site check.  It was over two years ago that the builder came out to our house, so it makes sense for him to review it again.  He can also give us a better idea of how much all this is going to cost.  Hubs did get two other estimates for the barn, which are in line with our builder.

Providing we don’t have any negative financial changes; we may be building a barn next summer.  We intend to cash flow it without using any inheritance money.  For us to make this happen, we need to focus heavily on saving.  Getting our house paid off before Hubs retires is still on track ~ I just like the extra cushion paying extra provided.

So, now to get to that saving!  I may need to check out Kim’s savings chart for added motivation.