Zen and the Art of Remodeling your home

For the last several years, my wife and I have been remodeling our house. Alas, as with all things in this life, there have been many more problems than we expected. So many in fact that we have just settled the litigation with our first contractor. Suffice it to say that I am not at liberty to mention the contractor's name (part of the standard settlement agreement) nor the outcome of the settlement (that really SUCKS OUT LOUD!).

Regardless of the experience with the first contractor (who was also the designer/architect), we must contiue forward and expect another 12-18 months of construction. We have been stuck in a this quasi-complete (about 75% complete if there wasn't a lot of damage that needs to be fixed) state of remodel for almost exactly two years. In that time my wife and I have strengthened our relationship (virtually unheard of I'm told) and have managed to not only create an outstanding garden, but have also started a company (Grey Sparling Solutions). All this while Miranda (my wife) has made not one, not two, but three job changes. Also, our cat came down with diabetes which requires me to give him shots twice a day for the rest of his life (another 5-10 years).

I'm not really complaining just venting. In the end my wife and I have become much closer, we've learned a lot about construction, we've made the time to build a wonderful garden (thanks to my in-laws Suzie and Doug!), have created a company that doesn't require me to leave the house too often, and will have a wonderful house to share with friends and family.