We bought our first home eight years ago. The real estate market in Western Washington has exploded since then. As new houses of dubious quality were being crammed on smaller and smaller lots we realized that we would never be able to find our dream home. It was then that we decided that the only way to get what we wanted would be to have a custom home built. We found and purchased a 2.7-acre lot five minutes from the freeway and about 30 minutes north of Seattle. We found a plan by a local architect Nash Jones Associates that we were able to purchase and modify to meet our requirements.  These pages will chronicle the ups and downs of building our new home.