There are a dizzying array of decisions we have to make. Colors and finishes and materials and shapes. Good thing I’m decisive. And I can also change my mind. These are both excellent qualities in a client. Our contractors think so. They told me.

“Gosh, you guys are easy!”

Easy, hunh? That worried me a bit. Like, what do her other clients ask about? What dangers am I blindly and foolishly strolling into? What don’t I know to be difficult about?

It didn’t seem too complicated. I had goals for the project. I wrote them down. I shared them with the project manager and architect. I have been clipping ideas for years, pinning them on Pinterest and saving them on Houzz. I shared those, too. And I hired the firm to do the design and build because they are pros, and I am not. 

Here’s how it works. They show me some options. We riff on them a little, but they’re pretty much aligned with what I said I wanted. So then I point and say, “I want that one,” and we move on. A few times, after sleeping on it, I email or call (that’s the changing mind part), and we make an adjustment. 

What are these other people doing that I’m not? 

I must admit that I’m not super obsessive about all the details. I have an aesthetic, sure. I want it to be right, of course. Ultimately, though, I have been successfully working within an insane space, so it can only be better. Right?

Speaking of better, there are some really fun selections we get to make on all these fixtures. Sconces and lanterns, spigots and sinks. Even toilets. And–this is really exciting–one of the items on the choosing list was a porch fan! A porch fan! I didn’t know! And I want one so bad. 

Guess who put this on the list? That sneaky Spouse. What a clever partner. 

See, I knew I choose wisely.