Colors, Colors Everywhere

 When I ordered my house, there were several things I had to decide on, such as paint colors, roofing and window placement. The paint and roofing were included in the cost, as well as two windows. I added a nice 9-light door like this one, instead of the original barn-style door.

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I also knew that I wanted a metal roof, so I could collect rainwater eventually. But the hardest part was picking my colors! There are so many colors, how could I choose? I originally thought of going with white siding and a dark roof. Similar to this house. But then I was concerned that a dark roof would cause the house to be hot in the summer. I cleared my canvas and started fresh. We went to Lowe's and looked at all the color choices... That was overwhelming! I picked out several colors, but kept going back to the blue hues. I just wasn't sure...

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Then I found this picture! A cute little blue cottage. I love it. Blue siding with white trim and a gray roof! Exactly what I was imagining!

The builders use Sherwin-Williams paint, so I went to the paint store to pick out my exact colors. I settled on this...

They call it "Tantalizing Teal". A little bold? Maybe. We'll see...

Crazy Ideas Are The Best Ideas

My Mom is awesome! Really, she is.
She always has the best (if not craziest) ideas.

While we were demolishing the barn, she suggested that I buy a small building and finish it out myself. That sounded much more appealing to me. I mean, it really made a lot of sense because (1) it would enable me to get into my house before Winter, (2) it would help me skirt around the city ordinances for getting a building permit, (3) I would be supporting local work, and (4) it would help cut down the cost of supplies.

I was all for this idea! You may not already know this, but about 8 years ago, my family did the same thing. We bought a rent-to-own building, put it on some rent-to-own land and toughed it for 6 months. It was awesome, but it was also challenging. We lived out there in a 12x20 cabin without running water, plumbing or electricity. If that sounds crazy, that's because it was! But it will always be a special memory...

And I want to do it again! But learn from our mistakes and try to do it better this time.

So, Mom and I looked around at different dealerships selling these buildings and she found these guys. Their work and craftsmanship were far superior to the others we had seen.



I originally wanted an 8x16 lofted cabin, similar to this one. But after crunching numbers and thinking it over, I ditched that plan and started fresh. I figured that if I'm paying the money anyways, I might as well pay for more square footage inside the house and build my own porch/deck in the future.



 I drew up some sketches and imagined what I wanted my Fancy Shanty to look like. I eventually settled on the top left building, an 8x12 side lofted barn. I went and put my order in at the dealership. I'll tell you what, the Lord's hand has been over this whole journey! I went and talked with the dealers and quickly found that they were God-fearing, Christian men. They were like a breath of fresh air. I have only known them for barely a month, but I have already been blessed by them so much! Not only was their service great, we also had great conversations. So, if you live in the Ozarks and are in need of a vehicle or out-building, I would strongly encourage you to visit these guys!

By buying this building, it's really going to help me stay out of debt, which is a big priority for me. In three years, I'll have it paid off (God willing!), which is way better than a 30 year mortgage in my eyes.

Now the fun part begins... creating a floor-plan!