Thursday, October 28, 2010
The Current Word
The current word from the builder is that they will be digging the hole for our house on Monday. After weeks of waiting, it will be interesting to see if they actually do what they say. It will also be interesting to see the Project Manager's time line for the build. Worry not. As soon as I know, you'll know. Stay tuned...
Monday, October 25, 2010
Nothing
Nothing new has happened with the house project for a WHOLE WEEK (actually more than that, a week and half!). I'm starting to get antsy, and I just want them to start building already! Hopefully they will dig the hole and get this thing going this week. I'll let you know when/if they do. Stay tuned...
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Loan and Appraisal
Dan and I received word yesterday that we are approved for our loan, and that the house has appraised for (more than) what we are buying it for. This is very good news, and helps Dan and I to feel like we are starting this adventure off on the right foot.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Final Pre-construction Meeting
Today Dan and I had our final pre-construction meeting with our builder. This is the meeting where they show you all your final blueprints and go through all the fine print about building a house. You have to initial about 1,000 things and give them 3% of the total cost of your house. It was a shock to write a check for that amount of money, and it's even scarier to think about how much more we have to save before we close in 3.5 months.
I'm excited, and nervous. I wish this wasn't going to be such a struggle, but, as they say, "if it were easy, everyone would do it". I don't mean, build a house, what I really mean is take a risk. Dan and I have taken some major risks with our lives and I just hope and pray this one works out. We are certainly feeling the excitement at the hope that it will, but the sting of past risks gone bad is still very fresh...
Nevertheless, today is about hope, about excitement and about another start in our life together. We should break ground before the end of the month - I'll post pictures on that blessed day!
I'm excited, and nervous. I wish this wasn't going to be such a struggle, but, as they say, "if it were easy, everyone would do it". I don't mean, build a house, what I really mean is take a risk. Dan and I have taken some major risks with our lives and I just hope and pray this one works out. We are certainly feeling the excitement at the hope that it will, but the sting of past risks gone bad is still very fresh...
Nevertheless, today is about hope, about excitement and about another start in our life together. We should break ground before the end of the month - I'll post pictures on that blessed day!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Plan Review Meeting
This morning, Dan and I met with the builder and our project manager to go over the blue prints for our new house. It was very exciting to see the drawings for our actual house. We are really getting excited to break ground. Should be happening sometime in the next 3 weeks (we just need to get the permits and everything approved through the code office). Here are a few pictures of the plans we saw today. They will change a little bit, but this is basically it!!
The main floor.
The second floor.
The basement.
The front of the house.
Our ideas for how we will finish the basement space when we can afford it in a few years.
The main floor.
The second floor.
The basement.
The front of the house.
Our ideas for how we will finish the basement space when we can afford it in a few years.
House Selections
***This post from "the finke life" blog***
So, today we went to make a lot of the selections for the interior and exterior of our house. I took photos as we made our choices, and here are most of the selections we made. We're pretty excited. The pictures don't show all the colors exactly, but it's a good idea of where we're going.
Our outside siding will be the dark gray color.
Here is the siding with the shutter color (black) and the front door color (red).
Here are the outside lights.
This is what the cabinet doors will look like.
Here is the kitchen counter granite. I absolutely love this granite. It's called Sapphire Blue.
Here is the wood floor color with the cabinet color with the family room carpet and the kitchen granite.
This is the family room carpet (again) and the mud room tile with grout color.
These are the kids/guest bathroom colors. The carpet, the floor tile, the cabinet color and the counter tops.
This is the tile pattern for the master bathroom shower and mater bathroom tub.
Here is the shower tile color (light one) the floor tile (darker one) the bathroom cabinet color and the bathroom counter top (which is slightly more green/brown than it looks in this picture.
Here again - left to right - the counter tops, tile, cabinet colors and the carpet for the master bedroom.
Half bathroom pedestal sink and the toilet.
Master bathroom sink.
Master tub fixture.
Master bathroom shower fixture.
Other fixtures for the master bath.
Kitchen sink fixture.
Example of what our bathroom lights will look like.
Other lights in our package.
More lights for our house.
So, today we went to make a lot of the selections for the interior and exterior of our house. I took photos as we made our choices, and here are most of the selections we made. We're pretty excited. The pictures don't show all the colors exactly, but it's a good idea of where we're going.
Our outside siding will be the dark gray color.
Here is the siding with the shutter color (black) and the front door color (red).
Here are the outside lights.
This is what the cabinet doors will look like.
Here is the kitchen counter granite. I absolutely love this granite. It's called Sapphire Blue.
Here is the wood floor color with the cabinet color with the family room carpet and the kitchen granite.
This is the family room carpet (again) and the mud room tile with grout color.
These are the kids/guest bathroom colors. The carpet, the floor tile, the cabinet color and the counter tops.
This is the tile pattern for the master bathroom shower and mater bathroom tub.
Here is the shower tile color (light one) the floor tile (darker one) the bathroom cabinet color and the bathroom counter top (which is slightly more green/brown than it looks in this picture.
Here again - left to right - the counter tops, tile, cabinet colors and the carpet for the master bedroom.
Half bathroom pedestal sink and the toilet.
Master bathroom sink.
Master tub fixture.
Master bathroom shower fixture.
Other fixtures for the master bath.
Kitchen sink fixture.
Example of what our bathroom lights will look like.
Other lights in our package.
More lights for our house.
New House
***This post originally from "the finke life" blog***
I don't know who I've told about this, and who I haven't, so hopefully everyone's cool with learning about our new house building project through this blog. If you wish I would have told you in person, I'm sure I meant to, so I'm very sorry! Anyway, Dan and I have decided to build a semi-custom home here in State College. We've picked out a .33 acre lot and some floor plans. We are going with the builder S & A - mostly because they've purchased all the good land and also because they make the process so easy. We also found their new E-Home very appealing, and are excited to have a fully energy efficient home. Below are some pictures of our chosen lot and the chosen house plans. I will continue to post updates throughout the building process. We are scheduled to be in our new house in early February, so we're excited about that (not excited to move again, especially in the middle of winter, but excited to be in our own house again).
This is the outside of the house. I don't think ours will have stone on it (that costs extra), but it will have the porch. I've always wanted a house with a porch!
This is the main floor. We did get the sun room addition in our house as well as the kitchen option with the island. The deck will be off from the sun room.
This is the upstairs. We will have a linen closet across the hall from the second bathroom and double sinks in the second bathroom. The master bathroom will also be laid out a little differently.
This is the basement, which will be largely unfinished for the first little while. We will have the bathroom rough in down there and we will be getting washer and dryer hook-ups down there too so I can have a bigger laundry room. We will NOT be using the small space by the garage as the laundry room, we are going to make that a mudroom with a place for the kids to put their shoes, coats and backpacks when they come in the house.
This is the view of our lot from the street. It goes all the way back to that line of trees.
This is the view from the left side of the lot.
This is the view from the back of the lot. I was standing just in front of that line of trees you saw in the other picture. You can see the Swagger Wagon waiting for me on the street.
This is the view from the right boundary of our lot.
So, that's it, really. We're excited to get going with this process. The next step is to make all the selections for the house - flooring, counters, paint colors, etc. I'll try to get pictures of what we choose. Talk to you soon!
I don't know who I've told about this, and who I haven't, so hopefully everyone's cool with learning about our new house building project through this blog. If you wish I would have told you in person, I'm sure I meant to, so I'm very sorry! Anyway, Dan and I have decided to build a semi-custom home here in State College. We've picked out a .33 acre lot and some floor plans. We are going with the builder S & A - mostly because they've purchased all the good land and also because they make the process so easy. We also found their new E-Home very appealing, and are excited to have a fully energy efficient home. Below are some pictures of our chosen lot and the chosen house plans. I will continue to post updates throughout the building process. We are scheduled to be in our new house in early February, so we're excited about that (not excited to move again, especially in the middle of winter, but excited to be in our own house again).
This is the outside of the house. I don't think ours will have stone on it (that costs extra), but it will have the porch. I've always wanted a house with a porch!
This is the main floor. We did get the sun room addition in our house as well as the kitchen option with the island. The deck will be off from the sun room.
This is the upstairs. We will have a linen closet across the hall from the second bathroom and double sinks in the second bathroom. The master bathroom will also be laid out a little differently.
This is the basement, which will be largely unfinished for the first little while. We will have the bathroom rough in down there and we will be getting washer and dryer hook-ups down there too so I can have a bigger laundry room. We will NOT be using the small space by the garage as the laundry room, we are going to make that a mudroom with a place for the kids to put their shoes, coats and backpacks when they come in the house.
This is the view of our lot from the street. It goes all the way back to that line of trees.
This is the view from the left side of the lot.
This is the view from the back of the lot. I was standing just in front of that line of trees you saw in the other picture. You can see the Swagger Wagon waiting for me on the street.
This is the view from the right boundary of our lot.So, that's it, really. We're excited to get going with this process. The next step is to make all the selections for the house - flooring, counters, paint colors, etc. I'll try to get pictures of what we choose. Talk to you soon!
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