How to Build a House :)

[Guest guest]

I use this analogy so often when I'm talking to SCD parents, I figured I'd

better just write it up.

How to Build a House....

Let's pretend you want to build a fabulous new house.... your " dream house " ,

where your entire family will live happily ever after. This is a home that

you've been able to picture in your mind for a long, long time.... the one

that's exactly perfect for you and yours.

Let's say that your first step was to search and search and search until you

found just exactly the right piece of property.... with a spectacular view.

Once you get this wonderful house built, you know you'll be able to look out

your front windows onto a scene that will dazzle you, soothe you and fill you

with awe, wonder and joy every single day.

But, right now, it's just a rocky hillside... lots of sloping, uneven

terrain, stumps, weeds, etc. You know there will be a lot of work ahead to

bring your dream to fruition.

You hire a great architect... one that shares your values and your vision.

He/she came with sound credentials and references, and in no time at all,

working with your list of " must haves " , they've come up with a perfect

blueprint. So, there you are... standing on your little piece of heaven (in

the rough), with the rolled up plans for your dream house under your arm.

You're so excited and anxious to start building the house, you just can't stop

yourself..... you toss the plans aside, grab a shovel and commence to dig out

for the foundation right then and there. You pretty much know the measurements

of the footing, you've been dreaming about this for so long.... so you just sort

of step it off... no need to measure precisely.... it will be " close enough " . It

soon looks pretty level and all you can think about is heading off to the local

Home Depot for some lumber.

You know you can build this house yourself.... because you have some basic

carpentry skills and besides, how hard could it be?? You pick out all the raw

materials for the framing.... 4 x 8's.... 2 x 4's... and everything in

between. Oh.... and plenty of nails! You can almost see those ground floor

walls standing up now.... and are busy imagining the view from the second floor!

The foundation? Oh, yeah.... well, you threw down a few cinder blocks in each

corner and they look pretty level.... that should do it. Now, it's on to

framing up some walls!! (And, oh yeah, just for the sake of my little story,

let's just pretend there's no such thing as required building inspections every

step along the way. )

You're so excited, you have the walls up and the staircase to the second floor

built in record time. You hire a crew to come in and put on the siding, install

some incredible windows... those expensive double-hung, tilt-wash

windows that everyone drools over in the home decor magazines. The roof is the

best, of course.... genuine slate tiles... to last a lifetime.

Another crew comes in and hangs your drywall, once the plumber and electrician

are done. Then your new gas fireplaces go in... one for the family room and one

for the master suite! While they finish all of that, you're at Home Depot

again, picking out the brushed antique bronze faucets for the kitchen and baths.

You spare no expense... as you want only the best and these details are what

really makes a house! Then, you're off to the drapery and fabric store to pick

out swatches and order your window treatments.... elegant silks and velvets for

every room.

You're putting on the finishing touches inside, waiting for Pottery Barn to

deliver all your new furniture.... and directing the landscaping crew as they

install your redwood fence and deck.... (complete with gas grill!)....

gorgeous stonework, outdoor lighting and a fabulous, curved paver stone

driveway.... when suddenly it starts to rain. Heavily.

It's the first real rain of the fall season (not unlike what is falling right

now in my neighborhood, as I type)... and the thick gray clouds that have been

building up guarantee this weather pattern will be staying around a while.

I'll stop my imaginary scenario right now and let you figure out what happens

next... as the torrents of rain affect the rocky, sandy soil upon which the

cinder blocks were hastily laid down (pretty close to level)... and upon which

this amazingly beautiful house was erected. We can also pretend that this is

California.... and maybe just a wee little earthquake decided to rattle things

a bit at this point, too.

By the way, the view from that second floor master suite was just

breathtaking..... it really was.

I'm sure you all can see the mistake that was made. I have no doubt there is

not ONE of you who would ever consider wasting time and money picking out

expensive draperies and top-of-the-line roofing materials without having made

sure the foundation the house was built on was done completely correctly, to the

last detail..... level, sound and secure. No one in their right mind do

otherwise.... right? Of course not! That would be nuts!

Well..... compare this to your child and all the possible treatments and

therapies you could ever possibly have access to. Think of SCD as the

foundation. There might be a few other core things that you would compare to

some of the other important elements... such as framing, wiring, plumbing and

roofing.

Many of the supplements and therapies can be compared to the windows... the

fixtures, the draperies, furniture... the details. In other words, a lot of

that stuff is really GREAT.... and definitely impacts your experience and

quality of life as you live in that house.... but...

Absolutely none of it matters if you didn't lay the foundation properly.

If you were to build a house this way, this foolishly..... at best, your

investment would be in jeopardy.... and would probably end up being ruined.

You'd waste a lot of money and time.... and you'd end up wishing you would have

taken the extra steps to lay it out right the first time.

So.... take your time on that foundation, folks!! Do it right... take no

shortcuts. Have patience and wait for the concrete to fully cure before you

start building your walls. Hang on to your dreams of second floor views,

redwood decks and velvet draperies.... those will come in time.

----------------------------------------

Cheers to everyone who remembers me...

Patti, former pecanbread moderator

[Guest guest]

At 10:25 PM 11/9/2007, you wrote:

>How to Build a House....

Patti,

WOW! What a powerful analogy!

— Marilyn

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much for this, Patti!

mom to -12

SCD 4/23/04

[Guest guest]

Thanks Patti....cheers to you too

cathy...Mom to brandon,rachel (scd aug 2006)

[Guest guest]

Thanks Patti....cheers to you too

cathy...Mom to brandon,rachel (scd aug 2006)