Well actually, we moved the house, subdivided the block, sold the existing house, and built a new house on the vacant block. Now we've sold it and we're moving onto our next adventure.
Would I do it again? Yes! Have you seen this current real estate market?
Would I do it the same way? Hell, no! I'd be an idiot not to learn from the mistakes.
I started this blog to create a resource for anyone interested in / contemplating a similar exercise, so it'd be silly of me not to give some kind of summation on the most important things...
Top 5 things I wish I'd known before starting....
1) It will take longer than anticipated...like years longer!
2) The emotional cost will outweigh any budget blow-out.
3) Be an expert on paperwork.
Learn everything you can about any plan / contract / diagram with your property on it, as ultimately it will become your responsibility and / or problem. You need to be in the know - don't EVER leave this to a 'professional'.
4) Check your trades.
Not only their work history and references, but check their work on a daily basis. Make a diary with photos on your phone of any progress made and write down any conversations where decisions / alterations were made, then back this up with an email confirming the conversation.
5) Keep some perspective.
Crappy tradespeople do get away with it.
Courts, insurance policies and contracts are not very sympathetic to home owners.
Learn when to stop fighting...and being angry.
It's just a house.
You'll laugh about it one day, I promise.
Lastly, I had a ball working with my husband, brothers, friends and parents on the property...we couldn't have done it without their help.
One of my best days involved retrieving some rubbish out of a pipe (so glamorous!). My father and I couldn't reach far enough in to collect it all, so my clever Dad engineered some BBQ tongs to fish it out (with a rope looped through the end so we didn't lose them down the pipe too). I had the skinniest arm, so I was able to retrieve the most debris. Towards the end, the tongs started getting mucky. I asked my Dad whether the tongs were covered in mud or sewerage, to which he replied "Don't. Worry. About. It"...it's probably the best advice I've ever been given.
