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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

"Redi" or not

It's a strange feeling not being at work because of the move and settling in and I find that I need to take more time off more often.  This is nice!  Next week I head back to the office and then it's likely late evening posts for me again.  However, since I'm home this week and my art/craft area is 50% complete and begging me to use it, I thought I'd give toss in a simple crafty idea but first, some background:

Privacy won out over waiting until we get the nice blinds for the 72-inch windows so at roughly $8 a piece, we purchased the white 36x72 light-filtering, temporary Redi Shades and cut them down to the correct width (I opted for 34.25 inches).  Before you go running off to buy these, please note that the tape WILL pull off bits of your drywall when you are ready to take them down.  If you don't want to spackle and repaint later, this is not recommended.  I'm pretty familiar with the putty knife and paint brush so I don't mind.  If you decide to go forth and spend the big $8, make sure you have a brand new blade in your utility knife so as to get the smoothest cuts.  Also ensure you keep the pleat facing you so the shade hides the taped piece and gives a nicer appearance.  (I put one in backwards and this is where I learned it will damage your drywall.)

Monday, October 8, 2012

furnishing in progress

The best part about moving into a new house is filling it with goodies.  Sometimes there are just too many lovelies out there to make a decision (although sometimes the corresponding price tag helps you with that).  Stores are evil.  Everywhere I turn, I see something that catches my eye and if I purchased all that I liked, I'd have one gigantic eclectic mix.  Each room could be its own genre with a distinct color palette and if you had to ask me to choose one coordinating color for the house, I'd be up at all hours of the night agonizing over the decision.  My problem (well, one of them at least), is that I love, love color and cannot make up my blasted mind.

The recent shopping spree has me all giddy and makes my heart go pitter-patter.  OR perhaps that's the sticker shock!  I'm excited to fill the house with grown-up stuff (albeit slowly) and donate the old teenage/college/starter furniture to others.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Demonstration and Inspection

Tuesday has proven to be a very busy day for us.  We knocked out the final walkthrough (aka demonstration) and home inspection, received a preview of our Settlement Statement (HUD-1), and even did some window shopping at Ethan Allen for a nice desk.  

I am soooooooo excited to finally get a P.O.R. shot without the blasted dumpster.  In our excitement, we forgot to get a new rear picture to add to the progressive GIF but it looks like the appraisal picture with painted foundation that matches the siding. (edit:  A new rear photo was taken on 28 September and added below) The progressive GIF for the front has GIFs for both the front and back have most definitely been updated (see Timeline post).

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Appraised (Twice)

Getting an appraisal can be exciting for a new house build but do not forget to read it over in detail.  Last week the first appraisal came in barely over the sales price which we thought to be very convenient.  It turns out that the initial review was done in early July prior to any framing and with the wrong floor plan and options.  In the span of one week (time to perform and process a new appraisal), our gross living area increased by 734 sf (still missing 206 sf) and the appraisal increased by $12K.  Our attic is marked as "scuttle" versus "stairs" which may be in reference to the unfinished attic space and not the finished space (this is maybe a "bonus room" rather than an attic?).  We also did not get credit for our partial porch but are opting not to reject the second appraisal and ask for yet another revision for fear that it will push back our closing (28 September!).  We did document the discrepancies and sent them to NVR so it's on record.  This will also be a topic at closing.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Blue skies

Here's a special treat--an early post during the week!  The last time the boss-man came out to visit (Long Lunch ...with the Boss) was back in July so he's been long overdue!  Thanks, B, for coming out today!

Scaffolding?  What scaffolding?  The exterior stonework is complete and it looks awesome!  I can see my porch!!  I am still annoyed that I cannot physically move the dumpster that is obstructing my POR shot (me = massive weakling).  I need a new image to add to the progressive gif!  #pout   The last two shutters still need to go up but the carriage lights by the garage have been installed ... and holy cow, I just noticed from the picture that the garage has been cleaned too! 

Saturday, September 8, 2012

one hour

What a difference an hour makes!  When we arrived at the house this morning, the bright blue skies and warm summer sun gave promises of a beautiful day.  We, however, knew a major storm front would be rolling through later that afternoon and after one hour exploring the house, the clouds started rolling in.  This was a fantastic opportunity to see the siding and stone in different light.  I happened to get pictures upon arrival and departure, not because I was consciously thinking about the light but because I am a shutterbug and couldn't help myself.  For those of you contemplating Silver Mist siding, Almond trim, Black shutters, and/or Aspen field stone, enjoy the happy accident!

Sunday, September 2, 2012

'shrooms and truffles

The vanity faucets finally arrived so another trip was made this weekend -- not that we really needed an excuse to see the house again.  Not much has changed to exterior except the addition of a driveway, doorbell, and some exterior lights.  The interior, however, is another story.  We have electricity, which means the lights and the AC are on!  The attic is still rather toasty but that might be because the access doors were open and one of the vents was covered (hoping that's the case!).  

As for the tiling, most of it is complete but still left to do are the powder room floor and the kitchen backsplash.  This means the plumber can start putting in the faucets and shower trims soon.  Our awesome PM also surprised us with ordering bronze accessories (versus the brushed nickel); the toilet paper holders were installed last week along with all of the closet/pantry shelving.  

Along with the exterior lights (flood lights, door lights), the electrician(s) hung our separately purchased fans and lights as well as the RH-supplied dining room chandelier and some of the bathroom lights.  The vanity lights are slightly different from some of the ones I've seen posted so that was a (nice) surprise as well.  (edit:  lights are "Renovations" by Progress Lighting)  We were told one of the fan globes was broken so we replaced it with the new one.  The store only had white versus amber but it's not that big of a deal.  I have no idea what the foyer light will look like and am excited to see it hopefully by next weekend.  We also tested out a bunch of the switches to see which controls what lights.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Rockin' It

Schedule Update:  Our house is apparently the slooooooooooooowest one to be built in the community so far so please don't use our timeline as a guide.  A little rain here and there and a permit delay really do impact the crew rotation and schedule.  It's amazing how fast these other two houses have popped up and caught up to us.  We're all going to have final walkthroughs in the same week!

We received our official notice that closing will be on 28 September! ... and we have a sidewalk and a walkway from the soon-to-be driveway to the porch.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Spending Money


We opted not to purchase the ceiling fans, fridge, and washer/dryer combo, and most of the lighting for distinct rooms directly through RH.  Now that we are in the clear to finally make some large purchases, we've been going on a controlled shopping spree.  Speaking of shopping sprees, Lowe's, Best Buy, and the Home Depot are offering $5K so don't forget to fill out those customer satisfaction surveys!

Tomorrow (Sunday), we head back out to the house to check out the progress since last week!  More pictures to come later!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Oooh, I'm tellin'

Sometimes it pays to be a tattletale...

I can't believe I almost forgot to post a follow-up from the Guardian incident(s).  While I won't go into detail about what transpired, I am happy to report that I am pleased with the way the GM handled the situation.  Not only will the GM be our POC at Guardian, but he also threw in some compensation without any prompting on my end.  Thanks, M, for handling this.

In my line of work, we go after consideration when a contractor fails to meet contractual requirements.  We're upfront with our contractors to let them know that they will fail (because our requirements are just that hard).  Once they get over the initial shock, we also tell them that we will work through the bumps because we do understand that it's difficult but they signed up for it and consideration may be sought.  The most important advice we have provided to them is that it's not how badly you fail but how you bounce back and resolve the issues.  Own it and move forward.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Locked In and already Locked Out!

Wow.  Within one week, the house exploded ... with goodies!  

(disclaimer:  photo-heavy post with commentary in the captions)

This weekend, we interrupted the the trim crew, who did not happen to be Eastern European or driving Audis.  I was able to get some pictures but stepped out to let them cause a minor dust storm sweep.  Little did I know that they would LOCK the doors!  We stopped by the model for the key and I took way too many window measurements and of course, more pictures!  (If you haven't already started researching the cost of blinds, holy cow can one burn instantly through the budget!)

We weren't able to lock in the mortgage rate the week of the pre-drywall meeting last week and missed out on a killer combo (3.25% with 1% help -or- 3.5% with 2.5% help).  Considering when we first started, the rate was at 3.875% and so locking in at 3.5% with 1.5% help is still pretty awesome.  This means cash in hand to finally buy some appliances (more on a future post) and to do some minor work on the current house.  

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Catching Up

Since I didn't post any house pictures from the Pre-Pre-Drywall Walkthrough, I'll mix them in with today's post, including some shots taken from the Pre-Drywall Walkthrough and this weekend's visit.  Everything passed inspection and drywall started this weekend; finishing and painting to occur this week; trim the following week; and final walkthrough is scheduled for 25 September!

Environmental Stoneworks delivery!  I can't wait to see the stone on the house and on the fireplace.  The PM has already marked the height of the stone in the front, including on the garage.  Seeing "Full Stone" spraypainted on the wrap cranked up my heart rate.  (I'm such a girl!)

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Progressive GIF

just playing with software...

(Edit:  GIFs include new pictures from18 August 2012 -- with siding!)


Right now, the sizes are pretty large so it may take a while to load.  Clicking on the image or the link (front, rear) to open it in a separate window may kick-start the animation. Both images will now repeat.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Big sigh (of relief)

We are over the hump!  Our pre-drywall meeting was on Tuesday and we had minimal issues.  Most of our concerns were either already addressed or already noted for repair/replacement.  

Confirmed: 
  • No attic access panels in the bedrooms.  All will be in the attic
  • Garden tub - Access panel via vanity; water shutoff valve via vanity
  • Floodlight switches in respective bedroom and in morning room
  • No light switch for garage within the mud room
  • Bottom of fireplace exterior will have soffit panel
  • Flooring crew will sand down the OSB edges for a smooth subfloor
  • Hole between garage and basement will be parged
  • All gaps/hole to be filled (most were)
  • Locations of the hose bibs

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Pre-Pre-Drywall Walkthrough


Another weekend, another trip out to the house.

We stopped by the model to announce our invasion of the house and just next door, our new neighbors were busily moving in (Congrats, Lot 141!).  Pretty soon we'll be dirtying up our clean floors too.  My daughter dropped off some cupcakes to our SR and while he was attending to customers, she checked out his fridge and asked me why they didn't have treats for Mr. B.  Good question, M, good question.

Last week, a particular employee of Guardian was (and still is) definitely not one of my favorite people and I shared my displeasure with the SR.  Apparently, he has worn out his welcome with my neighbors and with the SR as well with his not-so-stellar customer relations.  It's time for a change and my pen keyboard will be mightier than my sword pitchfork.  (Although, I would feel so much better if I could implement a behavior correction method a bit of wall-to-wall counseling.  Just sayin'.)

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

BLAH! and some progress

I was not planning to visit the house today but I spent a part of my morning there trying to have a conversation with a person who obviously did not want to be there nor want to have anything to do with me.  I am irked beyond belief on so many levels.  I still want to give him a piece of my mind but that's because I held my tongue earlier.  I am right.  He is wrong (not just because I am the customer) and I really don't need to put up with his lousy attitude because he dropped the ball.  (No worries--it's not the PM or SR)

Sunday, July 29, 2012

220 Photos Later

Most, if not all, of RH's houses use pre-framed walls which are then assembled on site.  Granted, I would much rather have the walls framed on site for exact measurements but then, one can't have everything one wants.  While I completely understand the positives from utilizing this method, there are, as with any business decision, accompanying negatives.  Lumber will get damaged and is to some degree expected; however, it also depends on the crew and how they choose to repair or replace the defective areas and how keen of an eye your PM has.  My husband and I walked through the house, which despite my griping, looks amazing!  There is a TON of 2x4s in there and I don't expect every one to be perfectly placed and perfectly nailed ... BUT I do notice the ones that aren't.  I don't think our PM has gone through the entire house to inspect it yet (although one wall was marked via spray paint where the studs were completely missed).  We still have a little over a week until the pre-drywall walkthough so I'll give him time to inspect on his own.  That being said, with the trusty camera in hand, I documented our concerns.  Some were minor like poorly nailed areas, ripped barriers, studs with chunks missing, chipped door frame, etc.  Others were a little more serious such as approximately 4 inches of water in the hole for the basement support post, the ~ 1/4 inch of standing water that the stairs are sitting in and soaking up, broken walls, and gaps in the exterior walls and gaps around the windows. 

Truss Redux

The crane truck made it's appearance late in the day on Monday, many hours after we had departed.  However, our awesome SR, with camera in hand, headed up the street to catch the action for us.  (Many thanks, B!)  He was able to get some great shots -- I really do like the lines on these.  The post-processing junkie that I am was unable to upload them as-is and so after increasing the exposure and correcting for lens distortion, I give you B's photos:

Friday, July 27, 2012

Monsoon Season

Though meteorologically incorrect, it feels as though we are smack in the middle of monsoon season.  July is killing our schedule with all of this rain and heat and rain and rain!  It looks like we just missed the window for a dry build so as a fair warning to those seeking to build in the future, try to schedule your groundbreaking at the beginning of June or earlier if you can to avoid the summer storms.  

The weather, once again, interfered with progress so the trades weren't able to start this week.  The good news, per our PM, is that they'll be in early next week and we are still on target to have our pre-drywall walk-through the week of the 6th.  We're planning to have our real estate agent and a family friend, who is a certified building code official in another state, as extra sets of eyes.  I hope we can finalize the date and get on his calendar. 

If the little one is feeling up to it, we'll be making another road trip to the house this weekend to fill up the memory card!

And because I need a little color and some blue skies, here's a picture of the area taken earlier in the summer.  I grew up in a semi-rural area and seeing the farms and cornfields just makes me feel home again.  I am so going to love this little town!

a-maize-ing

Monday, July 23, 2012

Today's post brought to you by the letter T

T is for trusses and great big triangles.

We decided to take another long lunch and headed to the house today, which by the way is now semi-wrapped.  At least the second floor, that is.  Check out what we found propped up against the dumpster!  Do you notice anything missing?  That great big hole will be for extra living space.  I can't wait to check out the attic!  Hurry, guys!  (note to self:  get case of Red Bull for crew) 

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Rain, rain, go away!

Between the extreme heat and the downpours, the framing crew has had a fun time this week.  Despite the weather, though, they were mostly done with the exterior walls of the second floor and maybe only a day or so behind.  Needless to say, Mother Nature did not want the trusses up on Friday.  Nor did she want me to have a dry visit on Saturday.  While J and the little one waited in the car, I donned the rain gear and headed into the sopping wet house.  Even with the second floor down, it felt like a steady rain on the interior (just not as bad as outside).

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Garble, translated

Apparently scuba diving while leaving a message is not recommended...
The only word I really needed in Friday's update was indeed permit.  The county took a little longer to approve the plumbing permit so that put things a little behind schedule.  Framing did begin yesterday (WOOT!) but because of the heat, they left a little early.  The temperature reached the triple digits this afternoon so I suspect they didn't stay too long today.  Our PM is hoping to have the trusses up on Friday and the house wrapped by Monday.  Given the heat, we may slide a few days.  I'll have to drop off a cooler of ice and bottled water the next time we make a lunchtime drive-by.  Despite the potential slip, the house may be completed earlier than anticipated (prior to mid-September).  Once the framing is complete, we'll have a better idea of where we are on the schedule. 

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Garble, garble, garble?

I am soooo making a print and hanging this in the house!

Two posts in one day!

Based on last week's PM update, framing would have started on Wednesday or Thursday.  Because we couldn't get out to site during the week, we were looking forward to this Friday's weekly update and this was waiting for us on the machine:

Garble, garble, garble, garble, permits, garble, garble, garble...

One week later...

One week later and my photos from another Courtland Gate model home have finally entered the blogosphere.  I didn't take quite as many pictures of this one since the majority of the house is very similar.  All of these (minus the one of the duct) are now available on the Model page with the other model photos.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Geez, I'm picky...


Q&A with the PM
  1. Waterproofing:  We get the tar waterproofing but no rubber membrane wrap.  To my State:  pooey for lower building code standards.  The slope of the tar will be the grade as well.  Perhaps it was the angle that was throwing me off sine I didn't venture too close.  I guess we'll just have to wait until the next visit once everything is backfilled.
  2. Sink traps:  No  cleanouts on the sink traps.  Here's hoping I don't drop anything of importance down the drain!
  3. Framing Schedule:  The lumber is scheduled for delivery tomorrow (Tuesday) and they hope to start framing on Wednesday or Thursday.  SQUEE!
  4. Porch Downspout:  According to the elevation pictures, the downspout on the porch will empty into the landscaping area between the porch and the garage.  I've asked to see if can be moved to the other side.  The PM will need to review the gutter system layout but if it comes out near the porch, he'll have it buried and resurface it further out in the front yard.  (Can you tell that I am paranoid about water damage??)
  5. Attic Access Doors:  There will not be any attic access doors in the ceiling of the second-floor bedrooms.  (Yes!)
  6. Shower rod:  The secondary bathroom comes with a shower rod.  It'll likely be a standard, straight rod so some time in the future, I'll be swapping it out with a curved rod.
  7. Family Room Windows:  The "last Courtland" has transoms above the family room windows.  We are told that those windows are smaller (3052) which presumably is why the transoms were added and that the Courtland Gate will have taller windows (3062).  Works for me.
~*~

Road Trip to the Other CG Model
 
First of all, here's a big shout out to *colette* for offering to take pictures for me on her next road trip.  (none needed now, thank you!)

Sunday, July 8, 2012

The Earth Moved ... a little

We were out and about on Saturday and decided to make a detour to get a few quick pictures. Maybe it was presumptuous to think that the crew would have completed the backfilling by Friday evening but we were a little surprised.  The good news is that the dirt was pushed around a bit (by the stoop) and we have rocks in our drainage ditches around the foundation.  There's a layer of black (not sure if it's tar, liquid rubber, or asphalt emulsion) on the foundation walls that are directly opposite the living spaces and will be touching earth but no rubber wrap yet.  Hoping on Monday.  (edit:  they won't be wrapping)

Judging by the black, the right side of the house will have a pretty steep grade, which we expected but the left doesn't look like it starts sloping until beyond the garage.  I wonder if it's higher because of the holes they patched (recall the dots from Tuesday's post).  We'll add this to the list of questions for the PM. (edit: the slope of the tar will be the grade)

Friday, July 6, 2012

Pushing Dirt

With this heat, I certainly feel for the crews out there!  I haven't made it out to the site since Tuesday (perhaps this weekend) so photos will be forthcoming!

The waterproofing is complete!  At the time of the afternoon update, they were getting ready to backfill so that portion should be complete as well.  They are hoping to have everything prepped and ready for inspection on Monday or Tuesday which means the basement slab could be poured on Wednesday.  No ETA on the lumber yet but the framing should start soon!

In light of my confusion earlier this week, I finally reversed the floor plans.  I don't have any excuses now!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Dungeon but no Dragon

We were kicked out of the office early granted paid leave so we headed back up to the house to find all of the forms stripped and no trucks--Yes! Another POR shot! Looks like we're on track for waterproofing on Thursday.

timid foundation walls peeking over the dirt

It's a good thing the exposed external walls will receive a coat of paint/sealant that mostly matches the siding.  Otherwise, we'd be out there with sidewalk chalk playing a game of Dots! 
i haz wallz
That little notch on the right is my sole basement window.  Let it be known that the other two windows shown in the floor plan are only available when you get a finished basement.  Oh well, lesson learned for the next house!  We'll just have to put extra lights in the dungeon basement when we finish it.  The good news is that our media room will be nice and dark without an escape hatch a window and we won't be blocking all of the sunlight when we put up the deck.  Lemonade, anyone?
wee window

insert door here please

Seeing how much space the double patio door is consuming on the longer of the two side walls below the morning room made me wonder how much of a wall will remain on the shorter wall in the morning room itself.  Again, I am grateful for the 'Last Courtland' because they have a similar layout (MR with family room extension) and there's really not that much space between the exterior walls.  Definitely doable but it'll be tight.  There's a longer interior wall that separates the MR from the family room extension so it won't look odd from the inside. 

For a glorious few seconds, I thought RH had surprised us by moving the walkout to the other side wall so it would align with the morning room doors.  Reality hit as I remembered we have a reverse plan.  (note to self, flip the floor plan images so I don't confuse myself again)

The patio door ate my wall!
rising from the dirt  #zombiehouse
 grr! argh!



Monday, July 2, 2012

Long Lunch ...with the Boss

I hadn't planned on visiting today but the hubs and our boss (Thanks, boss!) convinced me otherwise.  

Road Trip!  

Having anticipated a full day at the office, I was mildly disappointed that I would be making a trip without my trusty camera.  (Fortunately?) there was a truck parked in front so I wouldn't have been able to get a good POR shot anyhow.  I did, however, have my camera phone which actually takes quality images, even with the post-processing to downsample for optimal web viewing.  

Lesson of the Day:  Travel with a camera in case of impromptu visits to the site.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Barefootin' in the Dirt

Of course, we made another obligatory detour to the playground again, which had received a nice new layer of mulch.  With the recent unpleasantly hot weather, there was little time for baking in the sun playing; however, playtime was cut even shorter as the little one needed a bathroom and the model home had not opened yet.  So... down the street we went to the horrid stench box conveniently-placed portable toilet.  The heat shimmers were a good indication of the intensity of the pungent aroma we would encounter inside.  For the sake of the guys working on site, I surely hope a replacement comes soon...

Friday, June 29, 2012

Surprise!

Wednesday came.  No news on the permit.
Thursday came.  Still no news.
It's Friday (I'm in love).

This morning we starting thinking that either the county was taking their time or maybe there was an issue with the Courtland Gate. Lo and behold, there was a message on our machine from the PM.  Squee!!!  We got our first weekly Friday update!

Not only did the permit get approved, but they broke ground already!  The update was prior to today's inspection so if all went well, the footings were poured today and we can expect to have the foundation walls poured on Monday, forms stripped on Tuesday, waterproofing on either Tuesday or Thursday, and then the drain pump...

It looks as though we'll be making a trip out tomorrow on Sunday for some pictures!

Monday, June 25, 2012

Update: Permit Pending

PM sent a note that the permits haven't come through yet so we may not be able to start on Wednesday.  Keep your fingers crossed that this little town will have some good news for us soon!

While we're waiting, here are two more shots of the playground.  I'm in love with the gazebo and the playground is fun, despite the lack of swings.  I can't get over the HUGE open area beyond the playground.

I <3 you, gazebo

Fun for mommies too!

Friday, June 22, 2012

Miscellaneous Friday

It's Friday (for another hour at least)!  Once construction officially begins, our PM will provide updates every Friday.  I was hoping to hear that our permit passed the plans review stage today but alas, we must wait some more.  However, we did get a nice update from our SR stating that our last minute (minor) change orders went through without any resistance. Yay!

Glass inserts in kitchen cabinetry.
We noticed many kitchens with glass inserts in the cabinets over the hood/vent and finally got around to asking about them.  So for all you highly organized people who love to show off your cabinet contents or those who are curious, this one's for you!  If you opt for the built-in cooktop and wall oven, you're more than likely to get this as a standard feature. (disclaimer:  check with your SR early to make sure this is an option in your community and/or house plan)  

Monday, June 18, 2012

Pre-Con Postmortem

I'm not much for words tonight but we did have our pre-construction meeting today with the SR, PM, and realtor.  I am pleased to report that there was not any loss of blood or threats to reclaim the cookies.  The only heartache (and a minor one at that) is that the oil-rubbed bronze finish is not an option at all for the bathroom fixtures.  (Is anyone interested in purchasing slightly used faucets, toilet paper holders, and towel rods in a nickel finish?)

Not only are we getting sod (thank you, thank you!  I am grateful that I won't have to wash muddy dog paws every time it rains) and some landscaping out front, but we are also getting trees and shrubs at the back of the lot.  Thank you, RH!

We swung by our lot to get another shot of 106 again for the starting pictures.  Lot 105 is going up rather quickly--the framing is near completion and there isn't much lumber still in our lot.  We also met our neighbor across the street (Lot 103).  His Courtland was the first house built in this new phase of the community.

Shout out to Holly, an RH online consultant, who is tracking down the SR for another community with a CG model which might have the luxury owner suite (and possibly send some pictures).

Sunday, June 17, 2012

A Lot to Love

 Welcome to Lot 106! 

We're located at the top of the hill so the neighbors' roof lines shouldn't interfere too much with our sunset view.  (Fingers crossed!)  The breeze that comes up our hill is awesome.
 
The lot will have a slight grade and then drop near the end.  It's still a 1/3 1/4 acre so I can't complain.




View from the playground.  I have a feeling I will be here.  A lot.
 
Our neighbor's lumber arrived last week!  This means they're one step closer to breaking ground on our lot.  Woot!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Pre-Construction Points

We have a date for our pre-construction meeting with the builder and have compiled a list of questions and discussion points, some of which were gleaned from other RH bloggers.  (THANKS for the tips!)  Is there anything else we should address?


Saturday, June 2, 2012

Floor Plans

Reverse Plan with our options


The community originally offered the Courtland, which was replaced by the Courtland Gate (CG). We were pleasantly surprised to see the addition of a luxury owner's suite, an attic, and a second-floor laundry room. Shortly after finalizing our selection, the CG was removed and replaced by the Rome. We're currently the only CG in the community and kind of like it that way.

We opted to do the 4-foot extension on the family room and add the morning room, which translated to a larger basement and the ability to add the luxury owner's suite, which also meant a larger laundry room. Our other options included a fireplace in the family room; side windows in the bedrooms 2 and 4, living room, and family room; and a gourmet island in the kitchen. Check out the Options & Selections page for a more comprehensive list of options, including cabinets and flooring.