Month #1 How to build a house.

First, move a lot of dirt.

And more dirt.

Get some good piles of dirt!

Make sure you advertise who is building your house.

Second, water all that dirt so you don't annoy your neighbors with all the dust. Buy some ditch boots, while you are at it.

Because some of your neighbors will be snakes!

Third, pour your foundation. In our case, a slab.

Fourth, build some sturdy walls. Our builder, Mike Rohlfing, specializes in Insulated Concrete Foam (ICF). The outside walls have 2.5 inches of styrofoam on either side of 6 inches of concrete. This makes a home very airtight and energy efficient.

Don't forget to have a little fun while you are at it.

Fifth, make sure you don't forget you need a garage. Garages were meant for storing stuff AND your vehicles so make it big!

Make sure you get enough sleep because this is hard work,

Sixth, frame your interior walls. It will help you figure out how much space you'll have in your rooms. Maybe even pretend to take a shower?

This building stuff is easy!! (Especially when your spouse is doing most of the work :)

We could use some suggestions about what kind of retaining wall to put in on the side of our home. Our lot is on a hill and there is about 13 feet of elevation difference from one side to the other. Unfortunately, the builder of the lot above us, didn't do much excavation. We ended up having to dig out quite a bit of land to make our yard flat. I think this is going to be one of those "unexpected costs" of building.