Pre-drywall Meeting

Hi everyone!  Yesterday we had our pre-drywall meeting and everything went well. We are pleased with the quality of construction of our home.  Our PM gave a detailed review of our home, allowed me to ask questions (I guess I have the reputation of being on "it"), and our PM was aware of the minor issues that I brought to his attention. 

The next step for our house is the sheet rock phase.  As a matter of fact, that happens today and will go until tomorrow.  Our PM reminded us that we not visit the home during these two days.  But, I'm sure I will take a look at the house on Saturday, so I can capture some pictures and see what our home looks like with walls!  I also saw that our neighbors to our right have the foundation down for their house and the lot to our left has been sold! I believe there are only 4 lots left in our community!  I'm so glad that we took the risk to be the first sale.  Who knew that the community would sell so quickly?  

So drum roll, please……we were given a settlement date of October 15 and we could not be any more happier with that date.  We currently live in an apartment, and our lease was to end on 11/10, but I just spoke with our apartment manager, and she is ok waiving two weeks for us, so we'll be moving on the spookiest day ever--Halloween!

Now the work begins (yes, Nadase, I really need to work on that spreadsheet) and we will start to look for movers and will put on our packing hat.  We are so grateful for this experience and thankful to God for blessing us.  With that being said, here are a few pics of the house. I hope all of your homes are coming along too…happy building everyone!

Our recessed lights for the kitchen.

Outside outlet and another example of some brick work that needs to be fixed.  

At first I thought this was a mistake because the brick at the base of the window is turned down. But I learned yesterday that this is a good thing to prevent water from seeping into the home, etc. 

This is the outlet for one of the outside lights.  

If you look closely, you can see a space between the brick and the trim. Our PM said they will fix this.  

We have a garage door. My husband did not understand why I was so happy about the door.

Latest picture of the house. 

New Pics and a Few Other Things...

I have not posted a blog in over a week.  As far as the house, we had a pre-wiring meeting with our Guardian Rep. The meeting was simple, mostly because we did not get any extra home wiring features.  Our PM called on Wednesday to set up our Pre-Drywall meeting.  So, we will have that meeting next week. At that time, we will be given a date for settlement and then I will start my packing process.    Hope you all enjoy a great weekend…check out a few pictures below.  Happy building!

Plumping pipes and a vies of the family room from the kitchen. 

Edenton Brick is on deck. 

Adding the brick.

Side view of the Georgian Clay siding. 

I like our choice of Edenton Brick.  I should note that they cemented the garage. I look forward to seeing the house with shutters. Right now, it looks a little naked. 

House and a Few Other Things….

Here are a few pictures updating the progress of the house.  First, they moved the fireplace to the side wall, the tree stump and roots were taken away, and our brick has arrived!

And that was a quick switch, from the back to the side!

It may still look like it's in the ground, but it is not…those are some strong roots. 

Edenton Brick…looking forward  to seeing you on the front of the house. 

The only question I have and one I will ask our PM, is why did they dig up our front again?  Do any of you have an idea why?  Does this have something to do with the fireplace being moved or do your think they found a mistake?

In addition to these items, I found some other fun things while shopping…take a look and let me know what you think!

TJ MAXX find!  I'm certain they are no longer in the store, but I just loved these chairs and I'm rethinking my colors for the Dining Room. Instead of red, how about yellow?

Good price…if they had four, I would have probably snagged them up!

Love the words!

I brought this  lamp (two in total), at HomeGoods by Tahari Home. They cost $59 bucks a piece. Although I'm  not sure where  I will put them, I  could not resist leaving them behind. I'm sure they'll work somewhere in the house, what do you think?

Finally, here is a shameless plug to support my friend, Paul Carrick Brunson with the launch of his new show debuting on the OWN Network this Sunday, August 19th.

The Big O with my friend, Paul and the other host of Lovetown, USA.

Check out the link and hopefully you will be able to tune in too!

http://www.oprah.com/own-lovetown-usa/Lovetown-USA-Singles-First-Mixer-Video

Welcome Back...

Welcome Back, Kotter's Horseshack passed away yesterday. As a kid, I remember watching this show and getting a good laugh at his enthusiastic, hand-raising gesture.  So, it just seems appropriate to start my blog off today with some furniture ideas that makes me want to grunt: Ooooh, uttt-ooo! Here are some things that I hope to put in our home:

Here is the King Sized bed that we will get for the MBRM.  I have have a nine piece chocolate brown dresser, a chest, and two night stands that will go perfectly with this set.  This bed can be found at www.costco.com.

Looking to bring in color, and these chairs will definitely do it for our dining room.  I have a glass hexagonal shape table with a neutral stone base.  Our dining room will be fun and informal.  To find this chair, go to www.overstock.com.

This is a storage ottoman that I will incorporate in the MBRM. To find this ottoman, go to www.JCPenney.com.

Plantation Shutters that I will use for the bathroom window coverings. www.overstock.com
 

Simple, timeless and practical console table. I will use this in the morning room space. To find this console, go to www.overstock.com
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This will go in our Dining Room. Great for storage and for entertaining. To find this buffet, go to www.overstock.com.

At first I thought I would use these chairs in the dining room, but instead they will be in our study. To find these chairs, go to www.overstock.com.

Storage is a must for us, and I really like this table for our family room or potentially the basement.. www.overstock.com

I really like the curves of this piece. I think this sofa table will look great in our family room and will accent furniture we already have.  www.overstock.com.

A Lesson in Gratefulness

I think you remember from a previous post, that it has been a week since I've been by the house. I admit, as a Type A, control freak with OCD tendencies, not checking in on the house in over a is HUGE.  Last night I took a drive to see the house, and there she stood, with her roof on, a door, and windows!  

Here is our Savoy.

Wow, I thought to myself, this is really coming together.  So, for the first time ever, I walked into our home. 

We have a door!

 Carefully taking in the absence of walls, but still able to envisage the house; I  talked out loud stating which room each open space represented. Walking I said outloud: here is where the powder room will be, here is where the study will be, here is where the dining room will be, and then I walked into the family room, and shouted:  No, No, Nooooooo, this is NOT where the fireplace is suppose to be! 

This is where the fireplace is now, on the rear wall.

This is where the fireplace will be replaced to, the side wall (the empty wall straight ahead). This is a view of me standing in the middle of the kitchen.

Immediately,  I could feel the blood start to boil in my veins, and if that was not enough, there I saw the tree stump of the tree that was supposed to be saved! 

Here is the stump that will be removed...roots and all.

What in the world has happened?  I'm absent for one week and all calamity breaks out?  Yes, this control-freak was about to have a conniption fit and you know when you let one negative thought in, they're like a gang of thugs that travel in a pack.  Therefore, I  started thinking things like:  "yeah, this house is too small, too bad you could not afford the bigger house, or  the bathrooms are so tiny, and what about the walk-in closets, didn't you think they were bigger?"

Oh, I was having a time wrestling with this negative energy, but I had something for these thoughts. Through God's grace I was able to muster up the spirit of gratefulness and started speaking words of truth, such as recognizing the blessing of building a house in today's economy.  Unlike so many others, we were able to get a mortgage, we were able to afford a down payment and closing costs, and  if that's not enough, we're able to move into a lovely, well established community!  So, take that negativity!  Oh, and it's true  the fireplace and the tree thing are obstacles, but there is always a solution to any problem.  Getting into my car, I looked back at the house and said to myself, things will get fixed. Turned on my new favorite song that has become my morning mantra for startig the day so that I can face any adversity and I knew that tomorrow represented a new opportunity, a new start to make things right.

And sure enough, this morning my SR and PM responded to my email message and confirmed the tree was an obstruction, but the roots will be removed and the fireplace placement was a mistake, and Matt, our PM was already on it!  So, things do work out and I will continue to be in a state of gratefulness.  Below,  please enjoy my morning mantra gospel tune, Gratefullness:

It's a House!

I have not been by the house for an entire week.  The PM called and said that the frame is up, roofing will start over the weekend, and the windows are in.  My sister was kind enough to drive by for me today and when she turned in the development, she exclaimed: "You have a house!" And from the look of the pictures she sent, we certainly do!!!

Our Savoy…the windows at the bottom of the house, are long and gorgeous!

Our PM told us that there are only 5 lots left in our community.  I think there is a total of 3 Savoys (so far).  A Courtland Gate is up now, so when we move in, we'll have neighbors!  Matt, our PM said by the end of next week the brick and siding will be done.  I know that I have a walk-thru on 8/20 with Guardian. So, I guess we should have our pre-drywall meeting in about 3 weeks. Time is moving!

Now onto something a little annoying. I was asked if we wanted to keep a tree that was on the side of our property and I said yes. Guess what I see today?  The tree is gone!  Why would they ask and then do the exact opposite?  I guess I will send my PM an email and inquire. I am not going to dwell on it, and realize it's gone now. I'm learning to not get so frazzled over issues. It's bad for your health and takes away the joy of all the good things that are happening. But, I must ask, what is it about me and trees?  Funny story, my old neighbor in VA hired a contractor to cut down a tree in her yard, the contractor got confused and ended up cutting down a BEAUTIFUL Cherry Blossom tree in my yard.  I guess, I'm not meant to have trees for some odd reason!

On another note, we have decided to wait on stainless  appliances until we decide on the colors, the backsplash, and counters for our kitchen.  I keep telling myself that this house will be a work in progress and everything does not have to be perfect before we move in.  I want to take my time in creating a unique, beautiful space for us. I have my idea of what I like from a backsplash. I am sure we'll do quartz counters over granite. Quartz, unlike granite doesn't need to be resealed and has the same durability. I also will do under cabinet lighting. I like glass for a backsplash but know that subway tile is pretty cheap too. So maybe we'll be able to do both.  Here are some pictures that I like:

Glass…I like that it offers some bling. This is something I would do behind the range. 

Here is glass and smaller subway tile (I think).

Below are the appliances I'm going to check out to see if I like. I decided on a side-by-side  because I had a French Door with the bottom freezer in my old house, and frankly felt the freezer on the bottom was annoying.  I do want a counter depth fridge, and this one had that feature. I like the front load machines, they seem to hold a lot of laundry at one time, so here is a Samsung model that received rave reviews.  It prices close 3K but that includes the pedestals.  If it comes in silver, I will go for that color.

Outside of the fridge, by Electrolux.

Inside of the fridge. 

Let the Decorating Begin...

Since we were told not to make any major purchases, I have decided that doing a little virtual shopping will suit for now.  I have always liked home decorating. In my first house, I played it very safe with color.  My carpets were neutral, my furniture was neutral and my carpets, well you guessed it, were NEUTRAL!  The mindset then was that of resale. But this go around, I'm  going to  be bold, brave, and creative. I'm going to decorate with out fear!  We plan to live in this house for 10-15 years, so why not make it fabulous? Once we're done with our building process, I look forward to blogging about decorating; so stay tuned for more fun to come.  Until then, here are a few re-purposed items that I will incorporate into my first planned room, the guest room. And as pictured below, the furniture will be re-used from what we have.  I have a transitional black table with silver handles.  And the artwork…well, TJ Maxx and HomeGoods will certainly be my first places to visit, but for now, I have these great black and white photos that I framed.   Also, for the wall, I have this cool wall art that I picked up at HomeGoods last week. I thought I could find a great picture of the Eiffel Tower and faux frame it on the wall.  I still need help with window treatments and wall color--any suggestions?  

Right now my sister is "borrowing" this end table to house her cable box. Now that I  have room again for my furniture, I will use this and the sofa table just like it for furniture in my guest room.  I bought this table about 5 years ago from Target.  

I've had these lamps for 10 years. Another HomeGoods find, I will paint a pattern on the lampshades. On HGTV Design Star, one of the contestants used painters tape to create a pattern and it was so unique. I think I will go with the lime green color, and try a zig-zag print. 

I purchased these bins to place my wedding keepsakes, guess they will get front and center use in the guest room. 

This is not a re-purposed item, but a good find at HomeGoods two weeks ago. I paid 5 bucks for this faux wall art. I think it will look perfect in the room.  

So although I have been to Paris twice, these pictures were in a calendar. Yes, I purchased the calendar from TJ Maxx about 12 years ago and then decided to frame the pics.  

By the way, the frames are from HomeGoods and they're about 10 years old.

Bedrooms should be fun, luxurious and a statement of your personality.  I tend to decorate in themes so for one of our guest bedrooms I'm going for French-fun-chic.  Yeah, I'm making ups phrases now too!   But, I have decided to go with twin beds, only because I have guests over for a weekend, like my college friends and I'm sure they'd much rather have their own bed, than share one.  So, to round off my French theme, I'm going for big color but with an elegant, classic flair.  I will have a nailhead headboard with still a neutral tone (I know, I said I'm going bold…but you still need something neutral in the room) of charcoal grey.  For the linens, I'm going for simple, black and white but with a contemporary bright, like lime green.  Here are pictures below of other pieces to round out the room:

The linens for the room

The headboard enlarged, found on JCPenneys.com

The color we're going after, charcoal grey