Construction Crazy

Allow me to go on record as saying that I love my General Contractor. He is fabulously attentive and responsive. He has a certain attention to detail that can only truly be appreciated by a fellow member of the OCD club (and we all know my dues are well paid up there). My "allowances" are top notch which has done wonders for keeping me on budget, and he has been receptive and encouraging to any suggestions or changes that I have brought up. He believes in "building homes not houses", and really wants my personality to be reflected in our finished product.

All of that being said, please remind me to never build again. Building, even with a wonderful contractor, budget and good weather is STRESSFUL, and don't let anyone try to convince you otherwise. I have found myself obsessing over ridiculous details that I would never have noticed in a home that I was thinking about purchasing. However, when building, these details become things for which I lose sleep (a high cost for someone who spent 10 years as a surgical resident).

Have you ever walked into a tile store and looked around? It's not as simple as knowing your color scheme which I naively thought. One has to decide natural stone vs ceramic or porcelain. Shape and size factor in to the overall look. What pattern or style should the tile be laid? Are you kidding me????? Quick - can you tell me what color the grout is in your bathroom? I can't, but I have now spent entire hours of my life (which I can not get back) discussing "different, but complementary" grout colors on the floor vs the shower tile.

I am still having nightmares about chrome, brushed nickel vs oil rubbed bronze finishes - three concepts that until recently did not have meaning in my vocabulary. Entire websites are devoted to which is best and if they can be mixed. Please explain to me why one really needs an entire room of faucet fixtures from which to choose? My neck still hurts from the hours spent looking up for the "perfect" light fixtures.

Please don't remind me of the entire afternoon of my life spent at the cabinet makers. Did you know that you have to actually go to a granite yard to pick your slab? Even within the same color, the slabs differ so you have to pick which pattern most appeals to you. The same goes for marble, and I now know more about the care of quartz than any girl ought to know.

All of that being said, I am assured the "tough" decisions are almost finished. I only have to pick the stain for the wood floors and the wall colors. However, I am now being told I have to meet the electrician for a walk through regarding switches and outlets. I also have to meet the sound guy - seriously I have a sound guy??

Hopefully this house is going to turn out beautifully because I am fairly certain that I am going to end up to traumatized to ever want to move again.