When Everything Was Finally Coming Together
It finally felt like everything was falling into place — the foundation was done, the apartment sold, and the house build planned for August. What could possibly go wrong? Well, as it turned out, quite a lot.
The Plan That Made Sense (Until It Didn’t)
Let me explain. We had sold our apartment and transferred all the money to the builder for purchasing materials.
The builder and construction company belonged to a relative, which meant flexible payments and peace of mind that we wouldn’t get scammed.
The bank told us they wouldn’t give us a construction loan until the house structure was complete and there was something tangible to assess.
Once the shell was up, they could evaluate the property and issue the loan for the rest of the build.
So, the plan was to use the apartment sale proceeds to build as much as possible, get the house to the “shell” stage, and then secure the loan to finish.
The Day Everything Fell Apart
We had moved out of the apartment, all our money was tied up in materials, and then came the shock when all the employees at the modular home factory decided to quit and go work for a competitor. It was a circumstance I never even thought was possible.
In short, we had no home, no money, and no house.
All our finances were locked up in a pile of lumber, I was pregnant, we had no home, and we were living with our two kids in a tiny room at a family member’s house, with no one left to build our house. At that moment, it looked like everything was falling apart.
Time, But Nothing to Do
The timing couldn’t have been worse. Mr. Right had scheduled all his vacation time around the house construction, so now we had plenty of time but nothing to do with it.
Sitting idle isn’t really our thing, so while the factory searched for new workers, we decided to head there ourselves to build something.
Not our actual house, but a playhouse for the kids.
Making the Best of a Bad Situation
Since it was a family-owned factory, we were kindly allowed to use leftover materials and tools.
We drew up a plan and started hammering together a small house from wood scraps.
The girls had big expectations and even asked why the house didn’t have a bathroom.
We assembled the frame and walls inside the factory, then loaded everything onto a trailer and transported it to our plot, where we later lifted it onto the terrace.
The playhouse still isn’t finished. We still need to install the roof and finish the interior, but we’ll get there.
I made sure the playhouse had all the nice touches: window boxes for flowers, shutters, and every little detail that makes a playhouse pretty. I took care of everything that made the house beautiful, while Mr. Right focused on the construction part.
As you can see from the pictures, adding real flowers to the window boxes was, for me, an even higher priority than finishing the roof. That’s just who I am. I like to make things look beautiful at every stage.
Now we have a place where the kids can safely play while the house is being built, and a little corner on our plot where we can escape the scorching sun.
Waiting, Building, and Hoping
Building the playhouse was fun, and spending time together at the factory with the kids was refreshing in the middle of all that waiting.
But the factory situation remained difficult. Many people came to try the job but didn’t stay. The house panels kept getting delayed.
Eventually, our patience ran out, and the four of us, me, Mr. Right, and the kids, went to the factory ourselves to help assemble the simpler house elements.
Finally, another worker joined, and what was supposed to take a couple of weeks ended up taking four long months.
Those three to four months felt endless at times, and the uncertainty was really hard to bear.
Life with kids on a dusty factory floor wasn’t easy, but we wanted to do something, anything, to move the house build forward and finally see that light at the end of the tunnel.
At Last, The Build Begins
Now we’re incredibly excited because tomorrow morning the crane is coming, along with the first truckload of wall panels.
The house assembly is finally starting, and by the end of this week, the roof should be on.
The panels don’t have windows yet, but those will come soon too.
I can’t be more excited.
Here you can read all about our house building journey.
Last Friday, a few men installed the sill plates on the foundation. These connect and support the walls, so by Monday everything is ready for the big moment.
