Does seem strange to me that you're the only lot with issues in a subdivision...especially based on the size of subdivision lots I'm used to (usually 1 - 3 acres). I know I had a similar issue when it was time to build. Our initial excavation showed 100% silt, which you can't build on. They wanted piles (similar to piers) drilled, but the large stones in the area drove the cost up hugely because we couldn't use a standard piling company (that works in clay soils around here). Our engineer offered us a number of options: He said we could do piles, OR we could do a slab-on-grade (no basement), or even to over-excavate the land down to a more suitable soil type and then backfill with granular material. For us, the backfilling would have been the best option since there's a lot of gravel pits in the area and we could hopefully pay someone to crush the boulders we pulled out during the excavation. Keep in mind, we took the soil sample in OURSELVES to get tested by the lab, not trusting what contractors and people who can reap the financial benefits might say. That said, our Building Inspector argued PROFUSELY that there was no silt in our area. Not a lick of silt he assured us, not on our neighbours' place 100' away, not up the hill, nowhere in the municipality. :P In the end, the soil test came back 30% silt at the house-site, and 100% silt in our back field. PHEW. We also discovered that we hit bedrock at 6' of excavation depth. Meaning we built directly on bedrock, silt be damned. (and I can assure you the neighbours have silt too...one has a slab-on-grade, the other is down-hill from us with a walk-out basement sitting on bedrock. The thing was, our building inspector was new, the old logs were crappy and it's not that common of a soil around here). So in part, we really lucked out, but there were a number of options we could have taken to alleviate the problem. I would consider a proper soil sample, and taking it to the lab yourself. The cost is cheap and worth it. Ask your engineer for ideas on what can be done, even things like wider footings. As for financing, I can understand money being tight. I went over budget, and no, didn't have this huge 20% contingency either. Some of these folks would say I shouldn't have built, but I couldn't afford to buy a home, I couldn't keep living where I was, and I built the least home I could, managing the finances carefully and cutting things out where I needed to, for later. In the end, I have a beautiful home that I can afford, for FAR less than I could have bought a much older home for. Consider doing more of the the labor yourself to save money; I ended up digging my own foundation, shoveled all the pea gravel for the basement floor, did the basement floor myself, ICFs myself, installed all the carpet, tile, hardwood, painted, plumbed, HVAC, landscaped, pulled my own electrical permit and completed it, shingled, hung doors, hung baseboards (well, still doing those a year later lol), insulated, vapor barriered, put in all the small windows, hung all the cabinetry, designed my own kitchen so I could pay less for cabinets... What I'm saying, is if you don't want to scale back on the size of the house or the finishings anymore, but need the $25k to cover the piers, maybe you guys can do a bit more work to cover the costs?? Some of that stuff isn't so hard and costs a FORTUNE! Or downgrade stuff that's easy to replace later on, like lighting or countertops :) Heck, I'm not even 30 and between me and my 60 year old parents and the odd begged help from some friends, built a 1400 sq. ft. house in 8 months, for 50% of the cost had I GC'd it. You can do this. If you want it, you'll make it work.

Sorry to hear about the finish issue on your BT. Our brand is Wood Flooring International and their website specifically states that oil finishes react adversely to BT. We purchased prefinished so didn't have a problem with site finishing. I think some of the problem is that this being a product that is fairly new to the flooring market, contractors are not familiar with how to handle it. A quick search would have shown that oil finishing is not recommended for this wood. Also, all wood needs to be acclimated to the environment before installing. The WFI website also gives a very detailed chart with regard to the temperature at installation with relation to the humidity level to determine how long to acclimate the wood. If it is not acclimated, you will get splitting, cupping, etc. This is not specific to BT -- all wood floors need this procedure. Don't let a contractor rush this. We had our floor inside the home for two months before install.

So with 2 little ones your hubby is going to try to figure out how to "do things", while the kids are taking a nap? Down with flu or cold? Sanding? Any allergies in family? As a newlywed we moved into a $60 rental house with wonderful landlady. The lady that had lived in house for years had died. House had not been painted or anything done for at least 20 yrs. Not up to our standards that is for sure. I spend hours washing down walls, sanding & painting as it was a well built 1920-30's house & I wanted it to look like new. The ceramic tile was 1 in squares on bathroom floor, I can not even tell you the hours I spent scrubbing the grout but it sure looked great after it was done. Same with kitchen countertops. I used Tilex back then & windows open as could smell fumes, not good for kids even tho products have improved. You don't say ages of kids but you can't put a paint can down & go out of room without kid managing to stick their hand in it or worse if they are under 3 yrs old. So unless dad is superdad & great at whipping up lunch with a paintbrush in his hand you are heading for trouble in your marriage. Later we bought a new home but just painting or getting new carpet was a hassle & a half with 2 kids underfoot.I removed all the old carpet & horsehair pad myself(very allergic to it) No money for sitters so kids were underfoot & of course as these things happen, it rained that day so furniture was slacked on covered patio & covered with tarps. Things go wrong a lot on this forum so unless your marriage is super strong & you both love,love, love old homes this could be a fast track to a divorce, especially when money gets short. Buy or borrow a few tools & make a picnic table & benches & see how talented you really are at getting angles right, etc. I've done a lot of things & can refinish old furniture beautifully but I can not put together a simple birdhouse for the life of me!! If you can't do simple things you probably will wish you hadn't gotten into this house. It is very attractive(from a distance). Try replacing glass in an old window someone has around & see how much fun that is. After the picnic table & a window or 2 you may have some idea how it will go. Best if wife & you work on these 2 projects together. If you end up yelling at each other or have a ball doing it that will tell you somewhat what is ahead, as far as your emotions go. Good Luck!

Sorry, I missed a bunch of posts here. This "temporary" flooring will be used for the next 1.5 yr or so until I undertake the kitchen remodel. There will be NO salvaging the rug. It's disgusting and while I didnt intentionally spill the paint-- lukki is right that it is a happy accident! I also nix sheet vinyl. I hate it.. would rather do anything else but. My long term vision for the kitchen is only partially worked through so it's hard to say what I envision for the long term. IF I can bring in flooring that will last through a reno, then I'll be more likely to take the time to choose carefully. As I've said a few times, I love the look and features of cork. However, I think I could also be happy with some other options. I am definitely intrigued by the poly plywood suggestion-- and had already hoped to paint the subfloor (until I discovered that it will require a great deal of work). I could move forward with that as soon as the painters are through. I don't mind spending some money on the flooring-- it's worth it to be rid of the carpet. What I don't have much to spare is time... so all of the quick and easy options are high on the list. Bee.. that's funny! I said that very same thing to my bf (who thought Ollie's was a hoot.) Thank you all-- love the range of ideas and suggestions! I just need to spend some time mulling them over now.