Honey Make Money

With the decision to hire out the job of building my office came a great relief. No longer would I be stressing out over when and how I would tackle each task. No longer would I be scouring the internet to figure out how I would accomplish something. No longer would I care about how much concrete to buy.
On the other hand, a new set of responsibilities fell on my shoulders. While Sammy, my hired hand, would take care of all methods and materials, I now have two responsibilities; 1) make money and 2) manage the project.
Flipping through the channels the other night, I heard a woman on HGTV say 'You can't build a house with monopoly money'. It true. You need real money and it goes very fast. When it's not me at big box doing the purchasing, there is a lot less time wasted because Sammy doesn't really care if he saves a dollar or two; he just cares if he has the materials he needs. When you are trying to complete a project, that's a healthier way to go.
In slight contrast, I can't just let Sammy loose on the thing and expect it to come out the way I want it. I have to stay vigilant to ensure that boxes are put in the right place, supports are at the appropriate height, and every other little detail is made.
So for the past few weeks, my 'job' has been pretty different. It has no longer been hours in Home Depot; rather it's a quick stop, pick up a $100 gift card or two and I'm done. It has no longer been early mornings quietly sizing boards or measuring width; it has been staying ahead of the carpenter to make sure shelves will have something to hang on.
Sammy finished his work about a week ago. Now I have a pretty much completed room except for shelves, desk and low-voltage jacks (phone, network, cable). Although it was nice to have the job accelerated back to a better timeline,it was amazing how quickly things slowed down once the project was back in my hands.
Maybe another week or two and it will be all done.

When to say enough

After spending a couple weeks traveling on business, I was ready to return home and "bang out" the office. Really, it's a pretty simple job. Demo one wall, pour a 3 1/2 overpour in a 3'x9' space, frame out about 9 linear feet, pop in two windows and a door, insulate & seal. It's not that much work and none if it is very tricky. Except for a couple things...
It's early June now in Arizona. That means that by 9 am, it's about 100 degrees. That's pretty hot. When you are staring at the idea of hand-mixing about 12 bags of ready-mix, "pretty hot" turns quickly to "oh no, much too hot". Add to the heat, this slow realization that I am not really in my early 20's anymore. And, to top it off, the clock is ticking; I have too many other things lined up.
I stood in the open space - soon to become my office - and contemplated the important things in my life. Being able to proudly say "I built this", is pretty low on that list. So, I will dip into the coffers and pay someone to do it for me. The things that are very critical (electric and HVAC) were planned to be hired help, and the areas where I have no skills (stucco) as well. However, after deep consideration, the rest of the work too will be outsourced.
Wow, what am I going to do with all this time?