Amen ... and I'm still MONTHS from our due-date!

Just keep remembering, homebuilding is like pregnancy and labor. The very end is the hardest part. Keep breathing, push at the right times and relax and gather your strength between contractions/battles. Eventually the baby/house gets born/finished and it was all worth it.

Do you really not have your HVAC turned on yet? How in the world did they acclimate your wood floors/trim/cabinets??? I have never heard of only turning on the HVAC and power at the end of a build.

Good luck on getting the remainder of the items completed...hopefully they will go smoothly. :)

Oh and you said "I understand that he can't control his subs but it just so frustrating to be expect things to be done at certain times and not have it happen." That is exactly the job of a GC...to control his subs and get them to perform when they said they will. If he can't control his subs, then what is he even doing on the project?

sprice, Hang in there. We are in exactly the same position. Our cabinets are installed and they are finishing painting, starting tile work. However, we will be happy to be in mid-August AND we are getting kicked out of our rental at the end of this month. We are in the process of packing up EVERYTHING and moving it to our basement (which is unfinished). The furniture will go in a pod and we are moving to our in-laws. I know about the depressing days. But I've seen your house and it is beautiful, as our you glorious cabinets and counters. It WILL be worth it.

The OB/GC guesses at the due date. For the sake of the nerves of impending parents/owners, when computing the due date add 3 weeks if a baby or 8 weeks if a house; 3 years if O/B house. OBs use a greater database for statistical estimates and are correct 80% of the time.

However, statistics show that 10% of the time, the GC is correct within one week, and .01% of completions are ready prior to the due date; while the remaining houses will be able to join the family 1 month or more after the expected due date.

disclaimer: none of the above is based on any sort of valid research, but one definitely feels better thinking that others have the same misery.

If it makes you feel any better, I'd give ANYTHING to be at the stage you're at. Our early July completion is now looking like November... all of our defective 'custom' cabinets are being ripped out this week.

Paying outrageous 2 mortgages and our Supervisor's weekly salary, plus all the extras is really driving costs up.

Take a deep breath, treat yourself to a massage or something fun - better yet, a movie or something to totally get your mind off of it, and hopefully return a bit more refreshed and motivated. This is the time good wine can also be quite helpful... although I'm rather worried about my liver after this build :(

our 8 month estimate turned into 13..seemed like nothing would get done for weeks on end.

I will join the ranks of the depressed. we closed on our construction loan in mid april and the builder didn't start until the 1st week in july(he got behind on another job). Now, he and his crew are gone for at least a week and a half finishing other jobs. hurry up and wait. hurry up and wait.

I agree with dixie,

The main reason to get a GC is that they can manage / they know directly the subcontractors - or they have the crew to get the job done!

If I had a real solution to this, I wouldn't be going through so much beer.

On a good day, can't wait to move in. On a bad day, don't care if I ever do. Neice was asking me the other day for some advice about building [she hopes to start soon], and I said: Don't. Just Don't. Buy something existing, buy a modular so all you have to do is choose the color of the carpet, live in a pup tent-- just don't even think about building from scratch.

But today, I called her back and told her to dis-reguard all that: Sun was shining, finished another tile floor, started to believe there might really be an end to this endless stress and constantly crushed expectations someday. Maybe.

Just try not to put too much effort or worry into things that are easy to change, like paint color; or impossible to change, like the neighbors. Don't expect to enjoy every step of this very long journey, and don't forget to stop beside the trail to take stock and gather strength every once in a while.