I should have proof-read what I wrote. Daycare is ridiculous. I don't even remember how we paid for it back then. Now I just need to worry about helping my kid through College.
Finding contractors right now is hard. They are all busy and booked out, so it may take time to hire one who can work with you. You may want to also hire a local Architect/Designer to put together a set of plans you can bid with, that way you can make sure your getting a good price for the proposed work. That's what my wife and I do. We each have our day-to-day jobs but also have our own company because the need was there. We do everything from small interior renovations to full blown million+ homes. People are leaving the cities in droves and are looking for places to live. This is driving up the values of existing and new homes astronomically. We've seen the appraised value of our own go up $100k in a little over a year.