Serendipitous Disappointment

Could it be that neurotic indecision can work out in your favor? Nah. I don’t necessarily recommend this approach to decision making, but at least it’s nice to know that it doesn’t always lead to disaster, and can even be an asset... sort of.

We were wavering back and forth about that darn siding for the barn when we finally bit the bullet and went with vertical. We ordered shiplap boards and of course at the zero hour, when I was at the lumber yard, I had to make a split second decision and decide what width to go with. We had planned on getting 8 inch boards, and I just assumed that’s what our choice was, but the guy asked me if I wanted 10 inch boards. Great, now I had to choose.

My good friend GS built his house with 12 inch shiplap, but he had to get the boards from Cote and Renney (I think that’s what they were called), and they went out of business. 12 inch shiplap is not easy to find. I think the wider boards look a little better, but didn’t think they were an option. Standing at the lumber yard, I had to make a quick decision because I was submitting the order, so I did what I always when I have to make a quick decision - I called my Mentor.

I figured it would be fine because I had just spoken to him a few minutes earlier, but he wasn’t answering his phone. Total bummer, I had to decide for myself. I went with the original plan and stuck with the 8 inch, remembering my Mentor’s one directive to avoid getting siding that looked like T111. I also saw our good friend DB there, he was getting supplies, and he said 10 inch boards make it easier because the job gets done faster. They are wider, after all. All his info was making my head spin and I said forget it, I’ll stick with my choice.

Of course, driving home I kept thinking to myself I should have gone with 10 inch. I saw DB again a day or two later, and he said you save money with 10 inch because it’s cheaper per square foot. What?!?! If he’d have told me that in the first place, it would have been a no-brainer. Money talks, right? It was too late, however, because they said the wood would be delivered the next day. Oh well, life goes on.

Well, as luck would have it, they didn't deliver the wood. Sure I was bummed, but thought that there might be a window of hope. I called Brittions and it turns out that they were behind schedule and hadn’t even put the order together yet, even though they said I would get it the next day. I asked if I could change the order to 10 inch shiplap, and they said yes. Woo-hoo, how cool is that?

In the end, I got what I wanted, or at least what I thought I wanted, and now I’m ready to rock and roll on the siding. At least until someone tells me otherwise.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Tony for the pic.