To be clear

Earlier this week, Tim sent an email to pretty much anyone whom we could potentially ask for help on our house ... but didn't directly ask for help (yet). It was more of a treatise on some of our vision and hope for what we are doing. The feedback we've received from it has been an encouragement. We thought we'd share it here, too.


Hello all, 

In recent weeks, as promised, we have begun something rash and dramatic - the complete remodeling and reconfiguration of the first floor of our house. 

I have asked some of you for help. I will eventually ask others, and ask you again. (and maybe again). 

So I want to be clear. 

we have thought and dreamed about this for a long time. we have planned and drawn and discussed, and made lists upon lists. We are still shooting from the hip occasionally. Ok - frequently. 

But we know that there will be a cost. We have always known that. And we are ok with that. We have planned and budgeted and borrowed accordingly. We have stocked up on space heaters and microwave dinners. 

So to be clear, 

if I ask for help, it is not because I didn't plan, and its not because I am trying to score something valuable for cheap, and its not because I don't value your time... 

When I ask for your help, it is because I want YOUR help. If I wanted a laborer, I would hire one. (and in fact, we have, now and again). And if I needed a carpenter, I would hire one (and we have). And we have/will hired a plumber, a mason, an electrician, etc etc. 

But I have a weakness. When I look at a house... when I inspect it, and I observe it, and I occupy it, I see it in layers. My mind creates a narrative, for how the house was [probably] built, and by whom, and when, and so on. And moreso for my own house, and any place in which I become familiar.  

And so when I sit in my house someday, with lights and color and flooring, and wideopenspaces, and godhelpusaheatingsystemhopefully, I would like to have with me stories, and memories, and layers to peel back. 

Memories like scurrying bricks out of the house like thieves in the early morning mist of a Saturday after pulling down a (yet-un-re-supported) chimney

Or abandoning the pry bar to attempt kicking out a section of plaster (ninja turtle style), only to find yourself lurching through the wall, which put up no fight. 

Or being secretly grateful that our tall friends often don't need a ladder to secure things overhead. 

Or the many many times I have felt the weight of anxiety - are my calculations correct? is my budget conservative enough? how long will the windows take to pre-order? what if its too cold to lay brick? - and I have seen faces, and heard voices, and laughter from our friends and help - not addressing my specific questions, but providing emotional ballast, to pull me back from a deep rabbit hole of worry. 

Those things cannot be hired out. And those things will be more valuable to me than any increase in re-sale value, or our equity, or a fancy kitchen sink. Much more valuable. And those things live at the mercy of your generosity. And I do not take your generosity lightly. 

So to be clear, when I ask for help, I know I am not simply asking for help, I am asking for your time, and your friendship, and for some great memories. 

If you can make it out sometime, please do. 

If you have to say no, please do. 

But to be clear:

In either case, you are always welcome here. 

Tim