If its been 4 years, and no serious plans, you two are purposely keeping things separate for a reason, maybe just offer to help with something else to make up for it, maybe something you are more experienced at helping at. Your friend should understand that if you aren't good at or experienced at this, it wasn't fair for her to take the offer in for free labor. People make a living off using others to get their jobs done, and this is probably not so here, but its good to keep your boundaries and be fair. It's not fair for her to blame you she has to pay for something she would have paid for anyways. It wasn't fair to delay it saying you would get it done, but she should know you don't know much about it. I don't think she should be mad, you don't really owe anything, but what ever you decide to do would be nice. I don't think you should have to pay for anything though, it's her house.

This has always been a political analogy. There is no friend with a credit card. And yes, welcome to the US. Where some people care more about who wins the next election than the well-being of the entire country. Where many, many people vote not on the issues but because of their hatred of certain parties. Where our elected officials fight like stubborn pre-schoolers while we're left helpless with nothing to do but watch. It's just way too over simplistic to just say "well stop spending" because that doesn't solve the problem right now, which is that in exactly 2 days we could have a crisis. People who depend on social security checks might not get them. Loss of our credit rating means car loans, mortgages, all interest rates will shoot up. Our dollar will fall even lower than it is now. All the people who depend on social security, that they paid into, will risk defaulting on their own mortgages and bills because they don't get their check on time. This painful recession will be nothing compared to what will happen if the US can't pay it's bills and loses it's top credit rating. Anyone who relies on social security, on medicare, on medicaid, on disability, on military pensions, on any kind of government assistance will not be able to rely on that income anymore. Everyone is saying "Don't spend more!" but where do you think these checks come from? And trust me, social security will NOT be the first thing the US pays if it has to pick and choose bills. Figuring out the debt, raising taxes, cutting spending...that's all fine and well but those things take time. We don't have time. I hope everyone who relies on this money has a back up plan.

Campanula glomerata.

We have the exact same problem. We started looking at land 2-3 years ago, switched lots 2 times, then finally bought our lot just over a year and a half ago. We have been working on plans for over a year. It seems everyday someone asks how its going. Especially my parents! They constantly say- just build something already! There have already been so many problems and delays. My husband keeps complaining as well, blaming a lot of the time on me (since he's fine with any floorpan, any exterior etc.). With the amount of money this will cost, I want to get things [mostly] right. The house is already so stressful and we have so much ahead of us still