That reminds me of Jeff Foxworthy's joke ... "If you see a poster that says 'Say No to Crack,' and it reminds you to pull up your pants... you might be a redneck." I'd make the neat-pants-w/belt a part of company policy, as in dress code. Just as we'd tell an employing that there's no alcohol-drinking on the job, it's just as important to have a neat appearance - hair, shirt, hygiene and pants. Shirts tucked in, too.

Took us a year to find a house. After selling our home of 40 years in NY, we retired to Florida. We were lucky we had family with vacation condos where we could stay during that time. We must have seen hundreds of houses and worked with 5 different agents....don't ask! It was a nightmare and we wound up buying a house we had seen at the very beginning of our search. We liked it initially, but it lacked certain things we thought we couldn't live without. It also was out of the area we wanted to live in. Over the year, the market (Florida) began to change from buyers to sellers market. Investors were snatching up properties quickly. But, we also saw many short sales which were tempting. We had put offers on a few but the banks never moved. It became depressing. We had all our belongings, furniture, clothes, etc. in storage which was expensive. We felt so displaced and unhinged. We had accepted offers on quite a few houses during the year but they all fell through. Most failed inspections and the buyers wouldn't allow for major repairs (roof, plumbing, mold). Others had permit issues where the work they did was not legal. Their only option was to try to get permits but they all choose not to do so. So we wound up with one of the first houses we saw. By that point the seller dropped her price and we raised ours. She was underwater with the bank and would only accept her price to cover her mortgage. We gave in and covered her. Are we happy here? Still not sure, bit we are finally settled. After 7 months I still don't feel this house is home. It took me almost 6 months before I could call it 'home.' I still have issues with that word. But, we spent a year living in limbo, working with agents who didn't fit. When we finally found the right Realtor we knew we'd find our house. I don't know if you'll ever find the right house. I do know the longer it takes the harder it becomes. You begin to settle, you get tired of looking and you just accept. I still feel we should have kept looking. We call this place home now. We are slowly putting ourselves in the house making it feel like home. Not there yet, but at least we aren't living our lives looking for the 'right' home anymore. Good luck, Jane

Saw you other thread and just came here to read your OP. I haven't read all the replies, but the best options for a DIY jumpstart in my book area 1) get some help -- friends, family or paid help, to get you over a hurdle and feeling like progress is being made. I'm sure it's been pointed out that you can hire demo help cheap or might find a taker for the old cabinets who will take them out as the cost of getting them or even pay something to get the cabinets, just less for having to remove them. Maybe you can make a little money and some progress at the same time -- or at least get someone else to remove the cabinets while you finish your wiring (which would cost a lot more to hire out). Clearing the slate and getting started on progress you can see should really help with motivation. 2) Take a break. Get out of the house and go do something else. At a minimum, get out in the yard. Go to a park, visit some friends, Do something you enjoy and haven't done while you've been spending those hours doing things that aren't showing yet. I would not move in new appliances -- the chances for things getting damaged and making you feel worse are too great - at least in my world. Try not to log hours if it is making you more tired or frustrated. It is a huge job, especially if you have a day job, family and other commitments. Remind yourself it isn't a race, but you are saving money and adding value with everything you do. You are doing things that most of us who pay others to do the work don't do -- like that audio wiring. You are going to have more than average when you are done, but t is going to take more than average to get there. Realize there will be baby steps and some that seem non-existent -- like your wiring, but others will be huge leaps. Most of those come later. BIG improvement already with removing the dropped ceiling and lighting already. Look up and see how good the rest will look. You're doing great things. In the meantime, you can borrow my mantra -- Patience and Perseverance And if a bet will help -- I have a house full of my own stuff that has gotten out of kilter from lack of time, stuff from my mom's memory care apartment, stuff from my dad's apartment and stuff from their house together before health issues separated them as well as the last details of my kitchen undone, a master bath with bare walls (no paper, no paint), a tub that leaks, cabinets I hate and a shower I can't wait to replace but all put off while I dealt with my parents the last couple of years. We just had the memorial service Tuesday and I'm catching my breath and dealing with a graduating high school senior. I have to finish clearing my dad's apartment this weekend and then i can START to work on sorting and getting my house back this summer. I bet you will finish your kitchen before I finish these projectsr. Winner buys the other dinner. (Maybe I should just send you a gift card now -- LOL). It only looks easy on TV. Hang in there.

We built custom because there were no homes available (size and features we wanted...large floor to ceiling windows in just about every room of the house) on the type of land we were looking for. I desperately wanted privacy and I was so so tired of the typical subdivisions where you’re on top of your neighbors and every home looks and feels basically the same. Even many of the upscale neighborhoods with large lots and custom homes just didn’t suit us. We didn’t need neighborhood amenities and had no desire for a “showy” community). In addition , we were finished with HOA’s (I can see the value of them, but I didn’t want to have to ask permission every time I wanted to plant a flower. I wanted to be able to look out every window of my home and not see another house and also have enough land that if the surrounding area was clear cut of every tree, we still would be private and have only nature as our view. BUT (and this was a big but, it could not be in the boonies. We wanted property very close to everything (grocery, mall, restaurants, drug stores, airport, etc.). And another absolute requirement was that the lot was situated in such a way that the main living areas (which I wanted in the rear of the house) faced south (but also with open east and west exposures). I need sunshine and bright cheeriness flooding my home all day long, so even though we needed trees on the perimeter of the property for privacy, we also wanted the building pad to be fairly open so sunlight would be able to flood the interior spaces. So, finding a suitable (and affordable) lot was the tough part. We finally found pretty much exactly what we were looking for....almost 7 acres surrounded by trees (privacy!) but with a fairly clear open area for building. It is in a “subdivision” but there are only 7 lots (all with decent acreage). There also is an HOA, but I am the VP so no problems there :). It’s gated which is nice, but does not have the feel of the typical gated community....much more relaxed. And.....the grocery store (as well as a bunch of other stores) is 3 minutes up the road and “civilization” (the mall and restaurants etc.) are a 10 minute drive. There are also a bunch of other subdivisions very close by along with elementary, middle, and high schools....so there is not that feeling of isolation. Perfect setup for us. Now, as far as the building process goes, hoo boy, it was not without its problems. We’ve built several times before....and it’s never been just pure joy (although each time I somehow thought it would be different because I had learned so much from the previous build....that was not reality though). I’m glad it’s over. Making so many decisions in such a short period of time hurt my brain and having to babysit and nag my builder was a pain and nuisance that I didn’t enjoy. We’ve been in the house almost 6 months. Was it worth all the pain and suffering? Not quite ready to say yes to that yet....still need a little distance between the building trauma and our move in date. But i am truly enjoying the house and setting....I’m sitting here this morning and enjoying watching the birds from my comfy window seat. The sun is streaming in all my windows and doing exactly what I anticipated ......flooding the house with light. And I’m sipping a delicious cup of coffee to boot...so it’s definitely getting closer to being worth it. A few more months and I think I’ll be there. This is it though, we will NOT be building again :) Link to Our build