Well, I've called all around and any of the wood "reclamation" companies aren't real interested in pine boards. Those that may be would require me to take it all down, sort by size and stack and bind all the boards up for shipping, and they're in different states I figure they're not going to pay much if anything for it once they figure their transportation costs. I could give it to habitat for humanity I guess, but again, someone would have to carefully dismantle it all, stack and take it there and we don't have a truck. I was hoping against hope there would some company out there that would come and take it down and haul it away - I'd give it to them for free just for their labor. Now if it was cherry, or hickory or something interesting like barn siding I think I'd have some takers! :-)

There is perhaps a bit of misdirected anger/resentment IMO here. Lots towards the BM and the SS but perhaps more should be towards the DH. DH signed on for the time. It really matters not what BM is doing that she won't change time because you have plans. No more so than if you would not change plans if the issue were reversed. It's pretty simple actually. You have plans, your child is going to family during your planned event...now DH can either take the evening off, hire a sitter, or send his son to a willing member of his own family or good friend. Why DH is not already doing this is not really the BM's fault. Sure you feel 'trapped' into staying home, but the problem is DH for not having plans for his son. I would not stay home and cancel plans. Years ago when my SS was still living with us and my DS and our children together, I either hired a sitter or if my family was sitting they sat for SS too. Dh and i did not have bio-parents around to send kids back to, get angry at becasue we needed a sitter or whatever. It was DH, I and kids. Period. We had to figure out together how and when outting events that did not include children would occur. I'd think your BM also needs to figure out something on her end during her times of having the son if plans come up for her.Just because she suddenly wants to go out on any given evening should not necessarily mean she can call you/DH up and say 'you have to take him tonight'. IMHO your DH has taken what should be his responsibilty and 'fixed' it in his mind that it's yours. Your responsible for one of these children, but he is responsible for both. I would not do the calling around trying to see if BM will take the son either. Let him do that if that is his 'solution' to you having plans. Let him do his own 'dirty work' so to say. You can't be expected to stay home every night of your life and finding a 'sitter' should not involve YOU calling around and begging BM. His kid, his problem. Yeah, that sounds a bit cold, but he could take the evening off or change his schedule...if he can't do that , then he'll have to figure out what HE can do. If there were no YOU, he'd have to figure this out. Just becasue there is a YOU does not take his role as parent to this child away. I don't think you're wrong in feeling so resentful, but I do think the resent needs to be placed where in the proper place. This is more an issue between you and Dh rather than a SS/BM issue.

I downsized from my old house into a townhouse a year ago. I’m very happy with my move, but I’m single, so it’s just me, and my old house was in town and not on acres, so I’m used to living close to other people. My utility expenses are far lower than they were in my house, and so are my mortgage payment and taxes and I love that I reduced my possessions and have only my favorite things with me – no more junk in the attic! I have a small patio space outside which has a fence on each side, but it’s open to the common grass area, so it’s not completely private, but where my life is right now is more about being out and not at home as much. I used to love gardening but I don’t miss it at all – now I have time to go on garden tours on weekends instead of doing yardwork. My neighbors are all nice (so far, lol) and it’s much quieter than my old house because I’m not living on a street with traffic. When you’re looking for a townhouse, keep in mind that there are different types -- my place is two-story but it is still considered a condo, which means that I own it from the walls in, and not the outside. I have friends that own a townhouse that is not a condo and they are responsible for the exterior maintenance of the building so they have to work with their neighbors when it’s time to replace the roof or paint, etc. and it’s a nightmare! They also have to clear the snow on their own driveway and sidewalk, so be sure to look at those kinds of things. I have an HOA payment that includes a pool and tennis courts that I use, and of course this fee could go up, but that can happen no matter where you live if there’s storm clean-up or too much snow. Be sure to check the HOA’s reserve funds that they have enough cash to handle emergencies or big deferred maintenance jobs.

"Here is a question...what is it called when you have a look of a saltbox on the front but not steep roof line in the back...just the same façade as the front..." Hi Jennifer, In answer to your question.... I am attaching a drawing (a picture is worth 1,000 words) depicting a soft drop in bearing heights, using an 'uneven bearing' truss. This is the terminology our firm used, but other vendors may refer to the condition as something else. Anyway, you can achieve the same goal using stick frame construction, but trusses alleviate the need for interior bearings. Different roof pitches, front & back on the same roof is referred to as dual pitch . The exterior of the roof shown in my example IS NOT a dual pitch, but it could be. My point is that you can control both the exterior of your roof and the interior of your ceiling heights to gain more room inside and control roof lines outside. This design, a little something I was playing with to learn Revit shows the use of trusses in combination with stick framing. Also ... while I realize you are heading in another direction with your design, that quick footprint I posted for you in our first conversation bothered me after I studied it a bit, so I tweaked it to soothe my own subconsciousness mind. Given the fact that the drawing is done, I thought I'd share the results with you. The closet space isn't what it was in the original layout, but the 2 minor bedrooms are bigger. Hope you found this information useful.