Garage Update: We don't need no stinking garage (right away)

The garage saga continues:
Turns out $35K will buy most people a garage, but not us. Our garage requires a lot of site prep work and that is causing the cost to skyrocket. A serious amount of dirt excavation and moving is needed. The cost for the cement footings, retaining walls, driveway and garage slab isn't helping either. This prep work alone is half the budget. Granted, this high cost DOES make sense when you look at what we're working with:New Plan = We'll get all the site work mentioned above done now. That way we'll be able to landscape, build gardens, get our cars off the street and have some outdoor space to hang out in. We'll still punch a new door on the South side of the house allowing easy access from the back of the house/parking slab into the basement. Then, we wait. We'll live with that set-up for a few years (maybe less if we get lucky) and then come back in to build the garage and deck on the pre-prepped site.

The upside to the new plan is it will free up enough funds to redo the kitchen, redo the three bathrooms, finish the (VERY) unfinished basement including a 4th bath and 4th bedroom, refinish the floors on the main level and repaint the main level. This is all pretty exciting stuff and we can't wait start the proverbial balls rolling!