Okay, so I made numerous lists this morning and did not resort to housework as a means of avoiding new experiences. I collected my courage and my lists and went to see the nice people at Matthews and Fields lumber, where they drew up a materials list for me and gave me a quote of . . . $735. After stuttering and sputtering and looking generally like I really didn't know that was coming (and I didn't; like I said, we are not a building people and this is kind of new for me), I fled the building and called my husband to bemoan the unexpectedly high price of building materials. After receiving from him many different versions of "could we please stop pinching pennies and start doing something fun," it occurred to me that perhaps I had an unrealistic idea of the cost of lumber in general (and grooved plywood siding in particular, which was coming in at $42/sheet). After all, if we thought it was a great deal to have paid $400 for a leather upholstered chair and if we had no problem understanding that a tiny little spinning wheel could cost $500 or that a bunk bed could cost over $600, why should I be so shocked that it would cost me over $700 to make an entire building?
Having adjusted my expectations--and gotten a tolerably cheaper quote from another lumber yard-- I am on the verge of ordering lumber to be delivered for the "Shed Project." Although, I have to admit that as confident as I was that we could figure out a way to build a decent shed with $300 of materials, I am feeling a little more intimidated by the idea of making my carpentry debut on $600 worth of wood. Here's a chicken for courage:
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