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If tearing it all down took so long, how many hours will it take to put up
new walls, including wall overlooking staircase? (Did I mention I'm afraid of heights?)
How long will it take to cut and place trim (baseboards, casing, crown molding, and a new window sill – I broke old one trying to pry loose a lathe strip)?
How long will it take to hang a new door? To sand old floor? To clean up big mess? To lift wallboard to second floor? To return to store for more nails or to replace lumber I wreck or to pick up a few dozen items I forget? To replaster corners I plaster wrong first time (and second and third and ...)?
I sat my wife down for a heart-to-heart. "Honey, we have a business to run, a toddler to nurture, family members to help, a house to clean on occasion, and a jungle that will need mowing one of these days. We need ductwork to thaw our bedroom this winter, foundation needs crack-filling and this nursery would take Hercules many long days of hard labor to complete. I don't know if we can find time for all this before baby is born."
"Maybe we should put something off," my wife suggested.
"Great idea!" I said, looking at my agenda. "Now, let's see. How long do you want to delay delivery?"
I ducked just in time.
The easiest thing to reschedule turned out to be my sleep. Right now I have a house to upgrade. There'll be plenty of time for sleep next year. That is, if I don't grow too old in meantime and need to be torn down myself.
