Boy, it's a good thing our builder isn't writing a column about his experiences with us.

It's taken the Land Titles office three weeks to register our mortgage and make it active. Why is this important, you ask? It basically means our builder doesn't get paid until our draw mortgage is set up.

So, even though he's extremely ahead of schedule on our construction, we haven't been able to pay him beyond the original deposit.

A mere mortal would be spitting nickels at this point, but Trevor has been downright cordial in our dealings.

Now, that doesn't mean he isn't going home and talking ill of us around the dinner table, and I wouldn't I blame him for that. Being paid for your work isn't too much to ask.

To that end, he's legally able to penalize us financially if we take too long to pay, and he can go to the next step - if warranted - of stopping work entirely.

Luckily for us, he isn't letting it affect the work going into the product. And it's a reminder that there are many things to consider when taking on a custom-build project. While the results are the bottom line for most people, the process is just as important to others.

Custom-building is a labour-intensive process, and it can be overwhelming at times.

But the trade-off is the end result - the perfect house built to your exact specifications and wants.

Speaking of hands on, we went to the house Wednesday night and worked on some of the speaker wiring.

Essentially, we bought some bulk Monster Cable, and ran it for the surround speakers in the living room.

While this doesn't exactly qualify as a major component of the construction process, we can now actually say we had in hand in the completion of our home.

Other construction news from the week:

• The roughed-in central vac was installed early in the week. While we haven't decided on whether we'll finish that off or not, it's much easier to add later if it's roughed in now.
• All of the rough ins were done for the plumbing and the HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator) system.
• Tyvek house wrap was installed on about two-thirds of the house. The wire mesh for the stucco was added on top of that.
• The gravel for the driveway and sidewalk was delivered and spread out. It was also added to the inside of the garage in preparation for the pouring of the cement floor. It's recommended that the concrete for the driveway not be
  poured for about a year to allow the soil to settle and avoid cracks down the road.
• Things heated up in the living room as the gas fireplace was installed. It's a gorgeous model (if a fireplace can be called gorgeous).
• Technicians were on hand Thursday to do the pre-wire for the alarm and security system. They also finished off the work I was unwilling to do for the remainder of the pre-wire, like crawling in the rafters to run speaker wires to the screen porch.
• Also on Thursday, the insulators were in to do their thing, and add the vapour barrier to the mix.

Of course, this means the drywall is up next. Once that starts going up, we'll be able to see the room sizes in three dimensions for the first time. I'm positively giddy at the thought.

If the drywall gets me that tingly, they'll have to tie me down when they start the painting.