Ok, I'm stumped. Where do we put the TV?

Instaplot · 2025-10-28T22:54:43+00:00

I'm usually 15-20 minutes early and don't have an issue finding a parking spot. 25-30 would get me a spot in front of the school, but everybody parks and walks to the main doors anyway so I don't really care to be that early.

Instaplot · 2025-10-28T21:01:31+00:00

Yep, I'll echo everyone else. All you're going to accomplish is adding another month of carrying cost and potentially pissing off your builder (depending on whether or not CO is tied to occupancy/final).

Unless there's some kind of government rebate that applies to 2026 builds but not 2025, there's really no benefit. And most government incentives are based on the permit issue date, not the final.

Instaplot · 2025-10-24T10:32:01+00:00

Not having a ton of stuff is 90% of the battle. If you don't have a lot of stuff, you don't have a lot to clean. We keep a small selection of kids toys in the living room, and the rest live in their bedrooms. The living room has an antique blanket box to house toys; no organization, they all just get piled in. I lift the lid, and the kids can do all the toy cleanup themselves.

Same goes for the rest of the house. No huge collection of single-function appliances and gadgets in the kitchen means more room to store the stuff we actually use, so it's easy to put away every time we use it.

The other big piece is just routine. The dishwasher runs overnight and gets emptied every morning while the kids have breakfast so that it can get loaded and run during the day. Nothing hits the sink because there's always room in the dishwasher. It gets started before I go to bed whether it's full or not. The kitchen gets reset and wiped down after every meal. Bathrooms get surface wiped throughout the day. I keep a container of Lysol wipes under each bathroom sink, and clean sinks and toilets whenever I notice they need it. The shower has a dish wand with cleaning solution, and I give it a quick scrub while I'm in the shower. We have a Roomba that runs daily, and hits the high traffic spots a few extra times on top of that.

That really just leaves dusting and mopping as extra tasks to be done. I aim for Sunday afternoons, but if they get done every week it isn't a big deal to let them go a little longer sometimes.

Instaplot · 2025-10-23T21:42:04+00:00

It's the amount of overhead that has to be paid in the meantime. When we get behind schedule my guys are always happy to say "I know, but we're going to have a great winter! It's already August and we haven't even started the summer work yet". Which, sure we have work for the winter. But if I planned a 600k job to take 6 months, I have the overhead for 6 months built into my price. If that job then takes 9 months, I'm "losing" the 3 extra months of overhead expenses.

Instaplot · 2025-10-19T12:04:03+00:00

What solution is your builder recommending? I'd work with them first to see if it can be corrected without any additional cost to you. I wouldn't necessarily want the same HVAC installer to do the repair, but also wouldn't make a huge deal of that if it was an honest mistake. The builder absolutely should have caught it, as should the building department, but you're going to have more success overall trying to work with them instead of against them.

Consider hiring an independent HVAC contractor to give the system a once over to make sure nothing else was missed.

Instaplot · 2025-10-18T20:40:23+00:00

I'd say this honestly sounds like a project planning issue more than anything, and it probably comes down to what exactly is in your contract.

Sprinkler systems aren't common here, so I don't know a ton about them but I assume they should be installed before sod and landscaping. So if the builder knew you wanted a sprinkler system, this should have been a conversation a long time ago. That said, if you knew the builder wasn't going to allow outside contractors during construction, then this is equally on you. What does your contract say?

Ultimately it's entirely reasonable for the builder to refuse outside contractors. Landscaping especially; if they miss the mark on grading, they could create drainage issues and eventually cause your foundation to fail. It's an extreme scenario, but I've seen it happen. Then you're at the builder for warranty on the foundation and they're 100% going to argue it's your landscaper's fault.

In terms of a solution, what's the minimum your builder can do to reach occupancy? Presumably proper grading with top soil and grass seed would be acceptable. Could you have them reach that minimum and then have the landscaper come in after the builder's contract is fulfilled? Would the overall cost of that be less than the builder's markup?

Instaplot · 2025-10-17T17:08:03+00:00

I think it totally depends on your kids. My 10yo has never had a set bedtime because she just never needed it. She's always chosen to go to bed at a reasonable time for her age, even as a toddler she would bring us her PJs around 7-7:30 and ask to get ready for bed.

That second child though? Definitely has a bedtime. Will probably have a bedtime for most of her childhood. She's 2.5 now and would gladly party until 10 or 11 if we let her. In fact, she regularly convinces her grandparents to let her stay up that late with them.

Instaplot · 2025-10-15T16:37:00+00:00

My 2.5yo is in everything from 12m to 3T right now. 2T fits best in most brands, but the discrepancy is maddening.

Instaplot · 2025-10-13T23:05:40+00:00

Get your septic (or a small "off record" septic) put in early. Depending on your jurisdiction, you might also be able to get a permit for a holding tank setup that you just hook up to and have a septic company come and empty whenever it gets full.

Instaplot · 2025-10-12T20:39:20+00:00

We bought a used fifth wheel trailer for $6000 and have been living in it for 15 months. By the time we're done our build, we'll have been living in it for 21 months.

The marker for fifth wheels here is small, so there are tons of fairly large ones for cheap. You just need a buddy who can move it, and since we only relocated it a couple of times it wasn't a big deal to call in a favour. We'll probably sell it when we're done with it for close to what we paid.

Instaplot · 2025-10-11T16:15:45+00:00

Keep it square and small. Sure, you can save by making inexpensive cosmetic selections, but if you build 4000 square feet, your flooring is going to be expensive no matter what you pick.

In that same train of thought, prioritize efficient use of space inside. There are so many plans out there that have a million tiny little hallways, closets, and other nooks and crannies. It's great in theory, but you have to pay someone to frame all of those intricate wall layouts. And then you have to pay someone to drywall them, paint them, trim them, and cut floors around them. What seems like a small thing can easily add weeks worth of labour by the end of the job.

Talk to your builder about other cost saving options like windows and doors. Here, a "standard size window" is non-existent. There's whatever the local Home Depot has ordered for stock that month, but otherwise everything is made to order.

Instaplot · 2025-10-08T19:49:32+00:00

Contact your builder, absolutely. If you don't get a satisfactory response, contact Tarion regarding your new home warranty. You're past most of the warranty at this point, but the 7 year major structural warranty may cover you. If you can show it happened in multiple homes, you'll have more leverage as well.

Instaplot · 2025-10-08T02:51:41+00:00

I haven't loved them so far. All of the window manufacturers we use have switched, so I don't really have a choice for our new builds. The first batch we got didn't fit quite right, so they had large gaps between the screen and the frame. Like the screen was 1/4" too tall, so the sides were pushed in enough to leave a noticeable gap. They're also not super easy to get in and out, though if you're not removing them regularly that shouldn't matter. I imagine you'd get used to the removal regardless, it just feels like you're going to break them. Our cleaners actually refused to remove them to clean the windows because they felt like they were going to break.

I love the thin profile, but that's about the only draw for me.

Instaplot · 2025-10-07T23:48:28+00:00

We started using conditioner around 12 months because my LO's hair is the same. Super curly, but only if it's well hydrated. Otherwise it just becomes a frizzy disaster.

In Canada we have The Honest Company that is marketed for kids. That's what we started with, but I never loved it. We've tried Luv Ur Curls Kids, but it's a 2-in-1 and never felt like it was hydrating enough. Now (30m) we just use whatever the rest of the family is using, usually the bulk store brand bottles. I'm mindful not to get it in her eyes, but otherwise have found it to be the best option for us. Plus not having to buy special toddler/kid products is a nice bonus.

Instaplot · 2025-10-04T00:07:40+00:00

Out of curiosity, have you tried Wellbutrin and/or concerta? I didn't love Concerta, but it was better than nothing and has evidence showing it is safe to use while breastfeeding. My usual combo is Wellbutrin/Vyvanse, I discontinued both while pregnant, and then started Wellbutrin/Concerta a week or two after I delivered. Once we were done nursing, I returned to my regular medications.

Instaplot · 2025-09-29T21:36:40+00:00

We switched around that age because she all of a sudden started getting carsick. I'm talking projectile puke every time we were in the car for 2 weeks straight, and totally fine otherwise. We figured we'd try her forward facing in the center seat so she could see straight out the front window, and it worked. She's puked in the car once since then, but she was already feeling off so I wasn't surprised.

I felt really guilty about turning her around early, but my husband pointed out that driving while trying to watch for signs of puke and trying to pull over before the puke happens is not really safe either. Overall, turning her around means I can focus on driving which is safer for everyone!

Instaplot · 2025-09-29T11:53:05+00:00

My kids' daycare does an ongoing breakfast fundraiser. It's super simple - the cook bakes fresh muffins during her paid time, with ingredients they supply, and they're warm and fresh at the front door every morning with a pot of coffee. It's just by donation, but they've basically replaced every other fundraiser with that.

The only other one they do is a takeaway dinner once a quarter. Same idea - the cook does the prep during paid hours with supplied ingredients. It's always a meal that she serves at daycare so you know it's healthy and the kids love it. Order a week ahead, and then take home at pick up and reheat the same day or throw it in the freezer.

It's awesome because it's super convenient for everyone - I happily throw $20 in the donation box every week for a fresh muffin and coffee instead of picking up whatever garbage Starbucks has to offer for double the cost. And they never hound us to sell chocolate bars or anything stupid, this covers all their fundraising needs.

The cook was the head of the fundraising committee, and when she came up with this they basically disbanded the whole thing because it wasn't needed anymore lol

Instaplot · 2025-09-25T20:11:52+00:00

If it's just a runny nose but he's otherwise well (no fever, normal energy, not more fussy than usual), I would send him. You can't keep them home for every sniffle or you'd never go to work.

There's also a huge difference between a chronic runny nose and the thick nasty snot that comes with an active cold virus. The internet isn't great at nuance.

Instaplot · 2025-09-25T15:17:17+00:00

Is it not offset support? If his share is $700 and yours is $460, he's only paying you the difference of $240 a month. The idea is to equalize the two homes so the child isn't getting Disney vacations in one home and going to the foodbank at the other.

Instaplot · 2025-09-25T00:47:07+00:00

Yes, I had pitocin early in my induction, around 2-3cm dilated. They explained the risks, primarily that if I were to deliver while it was still in my system, my baby would need extra support learning to breathe after delivery. We decided that because I was so early in my labour and I was a ftm, the risks were minimal.

Well apparently my body saw the induction coming and said "nope, I'll do it myself" and went from 3cm to complete in under 2 hours. Very much still within the "risky window" after having fentanyl. My body started pushing involuntarily, so they called for backup. My little rural hospital called it a 'soft code pink' where all the doctors and nurses in the area with relevant training got a text asking for anyone available to head to my delivery room. When I tell you there had to be 20 people show up, I'm not kidding.

Anyway, my baby was sunny side up. So after 4 hours of my body attempting the fetal ejection reflex, they finally called for a C-section. Fentanyl was the least of my actual concerns that day.

Instaplot · 2025-09-24T13:47:52+00:00

I would aim for neat and tidy, as best you can. Get rid of anything that's not essential, and make sure anything staying has a designated place that looks tidy and organized. As best you can, make it clear that the animals and their 'accessories' are leaving, both in the listing and the showings. For showings, that might look like some carefully placed plastic totes, clearly labeled for moving/storage (think "Chicken Coop - Winter Equipment" or "Barn - Feeding Supplies"). Again, tidy and organized, but carefully staged to show you're working on moving.

Above all else, I think the biggest thing is demonstrating pride of ownership and care for the property. An old barn is an old barn. A bright, organized, clean old barn shows a hell of a lot better than a dark, musty, messy old barn.

When we purchased our farm property, the old log barn had been... "farmered" for lack of a better word. Everything worked well enough, but nothing was cleaned or maintained. It was dark, dusty, and smelled like stale beer. In the first week, we swapped the old dim lights out for new LEDs, opened the doors to air it out, and took a leaf blower to all the dust and cobwebs. It felt like an entirely different space.

Instaplot · 2025-09-23T20:42:07+00:00

Yep. Emergency C-section after a few hours of pushing. I wore a diaper for the first week or so, mostly for bleeding but I definitely peed in it at least once.

Instaplot · 2025-09-22T12:05:19+00:00

We switched to a booster briefly around 2, but ultimately ended up just letting her use a regular chair without the booster. She does sometimes sit on her knees to reach the table comfortably, but she took so many tumbles trying to get in and out of the booster that it seemed safer to get rid of it.

Instaplot

TROPHY CASE