Pre-Construction Meeting-DONE

We had our pre-construction meeting today. Everything went well! Our meeting lasted about 1 hour and a half (this includes walking the lot). I came armed with my list of questions. The  PM was really nice and didn't have a problem stopping to answer my questions. He didn't have the latest and greatest list of options so we went back and forth regarding a few items. NOTE: Make sure you have your selections with you (including all change orders). 

My SR is so pleasant. He is a joy to work with. He had all the points of clarification typed up and brought it to us before we left our lot. Please believe the blogs: they DO NOT like to make any (monetary) changes to your house at this point (only points of clarification).

Here are some pics of the lot. They're waiting on the permit (should be in by the end of the week).

Front of house

Flat backyard up until the slight slope

Picture from the back (morning room knock out)

Plumbing in

I don't know what this will be used for

That's enough pictures of my dirt. I can't wait to see the progression as it is being built. My neighbors already had their pre-drywall meeting. They will have walls by the end of the week. There Rome is coming along.

Approval/Furniture

We received our approval from NVR on Friday...YAY!!!

I found the following swivel barstools and scooped up 3 of them for my island.

DH & I continue to have the debate regarding furniture. He has picked out his man cave furniture the past two times. He chooses items that won't last for a long time.Therefore, I am choosing the furniture for the man cave/bonus room this time around. I choose expensive stuff but it lasts. It looks good for a LONG time. He will thank me later when he doesn't have to replace his couch after 3 years. My Bassett and Kincaid furniture looks the same way today as it did 6 years ago when I purchased it.

I found the perfect Broyhill bedroom set for the master and Basset sectional couch for the bonus. I am still trying to get DH on board for the Haverty's desk for the office. Now if I can only find the morning room dining set and roman shades...then I would be done for furniture pieces...for now anyway.

Pre-Construction Meeting

Our pre-construction meeting is set for next Wednesday (1/30). They should be flattening the lot before then. I'm excited! Now I need to make sure I have all my questions together. Please feel free to post any "must ask PM" questions. I would love to add them to my current list.

Thanks,

Insulation

I'm not sure what blog I was on where they added additional insulation to certain rooms. She wished she had added additional insulation to the bathrooms so that she wouldn't hear the water run and toilet flush. Has anyone else added additional insulation to their home? If so, how did you go about adding it (approved by the P M, just did it prior to drywall, etc)?

I would love to add insulation to the following:

• garage
• around the bathrooms (I hate hearing a toilet flush/showers...reminds me of an apt)
• bonus room since it backs up to the master

Inquiring minds want to know!!

Thanks

Cabinets

We didn't get the island in the kitchen because we had the peninsula. Thanks to another blog, I found out that Timberlake (which only makes cabinets for new construction) parent company (American Woodmark Corp) make cabinets for Home Depot and Lowes. I reached out to them and asked what cabinet color at the retail stores closely resembles the Timeberlake Tahoe Cherry Square Bordeaux. They told me the Ashland Cherry Square Bordeaux at Home Depot (via special order).

This is great to know so that we have an option of adding another cabinet to create an island later (if we want). We won't make any decisions now. We will live in it and see how it works! Anyway, I know that one cabinet won't cost $2K, which is what they charge for the island.

It's also good to know just in case we want to add cabinets to the laundry room.

"D" Day

I call today "D" since I am officially DONE! Today was my last day to make any changes. We only made one last change. We upgraded to the 5 burner stove. We didn't change any of our other selections.  

We are getting a head start on purchasing items for the house. Therefore, we went to Lowe's and purchased 3 ceiling fans (2 of which were on sale). I had plans to buy some blinds today but since the ceiling fans were on sale...it was a better deal.

I also ordered some new stuff for the kitchen this week. I have a new digital scale (stainless steel), digital food steamer (stainless steel), roasting pan and Pyrex glass baking dishes. I don't know what it is about a new house BUT I always want some new stuff for it, LOL. Next, I will be on the look out for some new towels and bedding for the master.

Now I have to figure out where I am going to store all this stuff.

Options/Lot

Options

We are nearing our point of no return (i.e. can't make any more changes). Of course, I am going through the option lists over and over again. Debating on whether I made the correct color combinations.  I went and visited two model homes in communities. I wanted to actually see the Tahoe Cherry cabinets paired up with various wood floors. One model home appeared to have the same wood floors that I chose. The other model home had a slightly lighter version but still dark. Luckily my lovely sister came along to help give me some advice. Basically, since they are both dark they are both going to show scratches so she recommended that I go with the one I like most..which are the floors that I picked out. Therefore, no changes to my wood flooring.

FYI- you can see pictures of the model homes along with some other random photos on the "MODEL HOME" tab.

Lot

My lot is staked out now. I am able to see where my property line begins and end. While out viewing my property, I met my neighbors. There foundation is poured and the wood for framing has been delivered. We are scheduled to move in a month apart.

I also stopped to talk to a few people walking around the neighborhood. They said they love the community. The HOA put on a lot of events and that I should join the community's Facebook page.

I am EXCITED and SCARED at the same time. Building requires so many decisions!!

Guardian Meeting

Well yesterday was our meeting with Guardian. They were very pleasant (not pushy at all). Jim asked about what items we were interested in. I told him off the back that we only needed the phone/cable jacks and possibly the alarm package. He didn't push anything else on us. He just told us about those products.

PHONE/CABLE JACKS

As confirmed on the other blogs, the price was $125 per jack.

We agreed to the following:

• 1- phone jack
• 6- cable jacks
• 1- data jack (in bonus for the Xbox/Wii)

The house came with 2 phone and 2 cable. He allowed us to change 1 of the phone jacks to a cable jack. I kept one phone jack just in case one day I switch from Time Warner phone to another provider. Therefore, we only had to pay for 4 additional jacks. 

We like the control box that goes in the closest.

ALARM SYSTEM

Initially, I thought I would go with an outside provider since it would probably be cheaper....NOPE! 

Packages started at:

TWC-33.95 (wireless)

Vector- 44.95 (wireless), 39.95 (wired...but Ryan is not going to let Joe Blow come wire the house)

ADT- Not if they were the only people on this earth

I was really drawn to the fact that the system would be wired. In my last house, dealing with a wireless system meant that when my modem went out...so did my alarm. We had several nights when the siren went off because the modem went out. Since it appears that their pricing was aligned with others, I decided to go with Guardian. They give you the first 6 months for free, which basically means they cover the price of installation ($250)! Additionally, they can't raise the price on your package for 3 or 5 years...whatever you choose. All in all I am happy with our decision. We also added an additional keypad upstairs.

What's included in the standard package for 39.95 (if you have a land line):

1- Standard Key Pad

1- Motion Detector

1- Control Panel (in the closet)

1- Siren

3- Door Contacts

1- Voicelink- two way speaker if your alarm goes off

I would recommend scheduling this meeting after your flooring. This allowed me to place a budget on what I was going to spend here. You definitely want to spend more money on the visibile things that you will receive from Rite Rug. The items from Rite Rug adds more value to the home.

FYI- Jim was VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT IT ALL.

New Model

I found out today that the new model home is a ROME. It will be ready in a few weeks. I guess the Middleburg wasn't that popular. I am so glad that it's not a Verona! Usually, the model home is the most predominant home in a community!

Our First Addendum

Today was a full day! We got out this morning on the search to visit several hardwood and carpet stores to see if upgrading was a deal or if we should consider installing after moving in. After several quotes for both, we decided to keep with our hardwoods and upgraded carpet through Ryan. It would cost us just as much if not more to install after the fact once you factor in LABOR (which is ridiculously priced).

So we met with our SR today to go over some changes. Here are the changes thus far:

• Removed the closet from the bonus
• Removed the tile backsplash in the kitchen (would be much cheaper to do after the fact plus I prefer a wider selection to choose from)
• Removed the granite from the 1st floor bath (decided it wasn't necessary since it is just a guest bath)
• Changed the 1st floor bedroom to the front. A study in the front is too much space for us, therefore we put the bedroom in the front so that we can put our existing bedroom set in the room. 
• Changed to full brick front
• Added the garage door with half circle windows ( I think it's called the resort style door)
• Added an additional light prewire for the study (all other rooms have a light or fan...I missed this room initially).

I also received answers to the following questions:

1. Placement of microwave- Above stove
2. Height of cabinets in master bath- Raised vanity height
3. Finish of fixtures in master bath- Nickel
4. Light placement outside the house- front door, both sides of the garage and above sliding door
5. Is there a light in master closet-yes

We are considering changing the color of our hardwoods to a contrasting color. Now I have to set up another appointment with Rite Rug to see the other colors they offer before our deadline (19th).

Here are some pics of the brick and siding that we chose: 

Brick-Grand Caramel, Shutters-Black, Siding- Graphite Grey

 

I need to remember to set up early appointments with my SR since it is SO busy on Saturday's! All of this in a days work! 

1/2/13- RiteRug Meeting

I met with RiteRug to pick out tile, flooring and granite. During the meeting, I was reminded of why I hate building. There are too many decisions and everything is an upgrade!

So here is what we decided on:

                                     Vinyl that will be used in laundry and secondary baths- Initiator 66204
                                                           Carpet upgraded- Collinsville 100 Sahara (stain guard)

                                                       
                                               Close up of master bathroom tile. Changed border to longer tiles.
                                          Stratford Place Willow Branch 12 x 12 tiles and Listello 4 row border
                                                         Master granite-??? Don't see color name

                                    Hardwoods in Kitchen, Dining and Morning Room- Turlington Cherry
                                                          Cabinets- Cherry Bordeaux
                                                        Kitchen Granite- Santa Cecilia

12/19/12- Under Contract

We sold our first home in August after being on the market only 8 days. We searched existing homes before we decided to build a Verona with Ryan homes (thanks to hubby). I wish we would have come to this decision earlier. Now we have to go month to month on our lease.  Living in these cramped quarters until the house is ready in April will be difficult. Although it's not the best situation...I am thankful to GOD that we sold our house and have now found the home of our dreams.

I never thought I was going to build again. Especially with the number of foreclosures and short sales on the market. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find any of those good deals in a desirable school districts and location. So here we are today BUILDING for the second time!