Building a house can cause you to do some pretty strange things. Not strange as in running around naked barking at the moon or anything. But things that when you look back at, you wonder just what good it did… You make hundred’s of little decisions on the way to actually completing the house. Things like which way a door swings. Does it swing in or out? What kind of knobs and hardware? What color is the trim? How high do you want your cabinets in the kitchen? Will kids be using the bathroom? How high to make the seats on the toilet? Sometimes you just shrug and ask the builder what do other people do. If you have a good builder, they give good advice.

Our builder is a good one. I learned early on when something was a not-so-smart decision. He doesn’t exactly come out and say it. Just pauses and then looks slightly puzzled. Then acknowledges they could do it. Now on the other hand, if the decision is a good one, you get praised immediately. I sometimes wonder how other home buyers must react. Sometimes the guys get this, don’t-hit-me-look on their faces when they disagree with you. We don’t scream, we don’t yell, and we go out of our way to make sure they know we like what they are doing.

I don’t know if I want to do this again. There is something to be said for limiting choices.