Preach it Brotha, Preach it!

Wiser words have not been spoken. You are saving money by spending time.

I read somewhere that the current rage of reality fix-it shows, where a home is renovated in 30 minutes, has led to an increase in builders and handymen being called to bail out homeowners that started a project and couldn't finish. Unrealistic expectations of the time and effort involved to finish were the #1 reason cited.

Pic looks good. Keep us posted on your progress.