Our health plan does not give us access to an HSA, so that is off the table for the foreseeable future. I will check out the wiki, so thank you for that!
It does, and it largely mirrors what I was expecting. I had hoped that there is more concrete advice, but I suspect that we are beyond the level where advice is straightforward.
"Congratulations! You will never be able to do your own taxes again," was the advice from those coordinating our current co-investment opportunity. I suspect that may be the last direct advice we may get for a long time.
I would strongly encourage you to get standard-sized appliances, especially for ones that slot into a specific space like a dishwasher.
We recently needed to buy a new refrigerator. Our opening could not take a standard 36" French door fridge - or must be either a single-door 36" or a French door 33". Neither of those are the current standard. While on the surface there are several models that could work in this space, it quickly became clear that we have virtually no options. Fancy ice maker? Not available. Door-in-door? Nope! Multiple interior layout options? Hah, no!
It turns out that companies only make significant options in the most common size. Thinking that you do not care about those options? I believe that you do not want them now. That may well change in the future, and then you will be stuck. A family’s needs change as everyone ages, and the things that feel great now may not be good choices for you later. Flexibility is king when it comes to long term planning.
A couple friends have asked me if I would do this for money. I had to politely explain that they can’t afford me. It’s not that I am that good - I am just that slow! I can fake a lot with enough time and trips back to the garage to fix things.
Thank you! This was my first big project after a few years of big health issues, so it was a real test of where my skills are now. Thankfully, it seems I haven’t lost much.
Those are kind words - thank you. He is a good big brother who puts up with a lot. The kid deserves and needs a space that is just his, where he can get away from the chaos of life (and his younger brother).
I think this is a case where getting someone to look at it would be wise. Depending on your foundation, those stairs could be part of the structure of the foundation. Even if they were not pissy or the structure, removing them could damage the surrounding foundation.
I will share more once the whole build is done. If you look back a month or so in this sub, you can see the notes page there I planned my layout for the mountains. I think the room will be finished in a week or so, and there will be plenty of pictures then.
It’s not black, but instead a mildly dark blue-green. The lighting is awful today, and my phone is struggling to pick up the actual color. I’ll see if I can upload a photo that better grabs the color.
Edit: I can’t get Boost for Lemmy to accept my image upload in the comments. I don’t know why. Boo. Maybe I’ll upload to another service later.