BFF 144 Hindsight --> I Got It!!!!

Hindsight? Oh yeah, I got that! I’m wearing bi-focals for all my other sight, but my hindsight just keeps getting better!!!

My house isn’t finished, yet, not even completely dried in, and there are dozens of things that I can now say with all certainty, should have been done differently. That is, now that I know what I know now. I can’t count the times that I’ve said to myself, “If I were going to do this again, which I’m not, I would do this first or not do that at all.”

The outside walls are made from stacked concrete block held together with Surface Bonding Cement. On the outside of that is a layer of Styrofoam, covered with brick. My original plan was to seal up the bottom of the brick part of the wall so that no moisture would come in. That was dumb!!! No matter how water-tight you make a thing, it’s a good idea to have a place at the bottom for the water that does get in, which is what water does, to escape. I knew this. Daddy told me this a long time ago. So the first walls that I did, which fortunately are in the greenhouse, seem to be holding moisture. There was enough time in between that part and the next ones I did to show me the error of my ways. Now, I’m putting weep holes at the bottom of the brick and using gravel to back fill a good part of it. The SBC is reported to be water-proof, but I’m still kind of wishing I’d put some black stuff over that before I laid the brick, but the consequences of that remain to be seen.

And then there are the timbers! I’m still making this part up as I go along. At this point, I know that it’s best to cut them in the fall or the winter. The bark shouldn‘t be left on them to be removed later. Even if they aren’t getting directly rained on, they still need to be waterproofed. If they do get directly rained on enough, no amount of waterproofing will keep them from getting discolored some. And I’m not done yet, so I have the notion I’ll learn some more about that.

Daddy also told me that he hated to use ½” PVC conduit, ’cause it was so hard to put wire into. And I told myself, this isn’t Daddy’s job! Hell, I saved $30 or $40 using ½”. It wasn’t worth it. I struggled with that crap, but now the wire’s in it, and I’m a lot wiser.

That’s what hindsight is for, learning stuff. If we see what we should have done differently, hopefully we’ll know a little better what we should do in the future. Even if it’s not exactly the same situation, hopefully, we’ll be able to apply something we’ve learned from hindsight. Life should be an ongoing learning experience. That’s what growing is all about!