maeve, I'm glad your story is now in a thread where we can follow your progress.

The house you've chosen is both smart and beautiful. And while you're marking the anniversaries on the calendar, you live in the now, not the past, so let the joy of the creative act of building this new house carry you forward. It's not just beautiful, it is energizing.

When I moved into this house I built a new garage, and realized that neighbors out walking would pause at the bottom of the drive and visit as they watched the progress. There was also some cross pollination - my contractor and his workers ended up doing other jobs in the neighborhood, construction, roofing, and painting, because people took their measure as they worked on this house. I enjoy driving past those other places, remembering the process. I'm sure you'll find that this is the stone in the water that sends ripples out through your community.

SRS