Hello to Aunt MaryLou

Yes Aunt Lou, Herbie did see his new house already, he has been there quite a few times now, and on the weekends we walk thru the plan together so he can get to know his new neighborhood!

This time however, he was more interested in the peppermint candies in the cupholder than he was at looking at his new house.  Also, he has a tendency to stop and sniff EVERY mailbox on the walk, which is getting really annoying - im hoping that once he gets pretty familiar he will stop smelling the flowers and start WALKING like a good boy.

Photo Update 12/30/11 (Long Overdue)

So, drove up to the house yesterday to find it locked!  Boooo!  I suppose they have mudd-ed the drywall and they have the heat cranked up so they dont want any intruders...There was a crew working on the end (opposite side as ours) I should have asked them to let me into my unit but I was being lazy, and I had the dog with me...so I scrapped that idea pretty quick.

However, I was very happy to see that we have a driveway!

I know that its only primer, but the door is so ugly.  The finished color will be "wine" (burgundy) and much less pinkish red...thank goodness.  They have all of the brick done except some edging around our door ... and our number was put in yesterday too.

All in all its coming along pretty nicely.  There are a few items they still need to repair inside - which we talked to our rep about.  I also got a call from Rusmur last week telling me that they were scheduled to do some tile work on the 30th (today) apparently I had them all confused since I purchsed some marble shelves and some other extras (out of pocket) for the Ryan crew to install.  So now they dont know to call me or to call Ryan when they are scheduling work - I secretly love this because I always know ahead of time when they are planning on coming...

Hopefully we can stop by this weekend and see the inside - I know most of the crews are off so I may have to bring something to pick the lock with - yes - I would go that far.  My next post will probably be from the county jail.

At our current house the carpeting that we had been waiting for has FINALLY been installed.

From what I understand our buyer has received final loan approval and now were all just waiting for the closing date! We have a few other items to fix/repair by January 19th - and then we'll be homeless for a week - im aiming for less than a week but its all depending on Ryan...I never thought Id be 30 moving back in with my parents. ugh.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

And...Merry Christmas to you shawn...I hope you liked your present!

A perfect piece for his first Man Cave!

Ask for what you want!!!!!

So in the pre-drywall I literally grilled our PM for a reason why Ryan Homes doesn't give you shelves in your tiled shower. 

And he said, why do you want shelves?
And I said, YES.
And he said, then just ask.
And I said, Can I please have shelves, two of them , preferably 10" each.
And he said, it will cost you $145.00
And I said, I will get my check book.

So I took a trip the next night to Rusmur Floors and ordered two marble shelves - which Ryan (well rusmur) is going to install.  Best part is, we didnt have to do the change order process, Rusmur let me pay them directly. 

The really great thing is, no shower caddy - thank. you. Lord.
Plus the shelves are beautiful...way more beautiful than something hanging off of the glass shower door or off of the shower head...definitely (in my opinion) worth the money.

Besides, how many shower caddies would you buy in a year, I would probably get at least 3 - because I cannot seem to find  one that doesnt rust, or look like crap, or doesnt break within the first 3 months I own it.

Rant Rant Rant....My apologies in advance.

Christmas, I wish I could take my white out bottle and remove it from the calendar all together.  Maybe this lack of christmas spirit is due having absolutely no decorations up at our old house - and knowing that we close too late after the holiday for me to justify putting up a tree at the new house...I dont know.  I dont feel like shopping - for anyone but me.  So far I got a 55" plasma and a keurig K-cup holder for the counter...all for me, me, me.

They started bricking our unit in Maple Ridge - it looks fantastic. You wouldnt know because I took NO PHOTOS because I forgot my camera last Sunday.  Also, thanks to me, I have no photos from the pre drywall meeting - because I didnt charge the camera.  However, we did sneak in the house a week prior to the pre drywall and I got some good pics of the plumbing etc.  I would share them but, you guessed it, I didnt upload anything from the memory disc yet.  Nice.

And another thing - selling a house is a super duper pain in the ass.  I mean like, im a nervous wreck.  I hate waiting for replies, phone calls, appointments and all of that, because I am SO IMPATIENT.  And selling a house is basically all of that...So we got an offer, took it (it was the first offer) and got the inspection done and now we have a 'punchlist' to complete...and a roof to repair....and a fruit cellar to clean out. 

Booooooooo.
But at least we will make a profit.
I guess in the long run all of it will be worth it.

The first furniture purchase...

Bedroom set - this is shown in antique white but we got it in cherry wood.  It is beautiful! We got two nightstands (they have black marble tops) the chest of drawers and the vanity, withought the mirror because our tv will hang above it...and we also got a matching bench for the end of the bed.

We picked up a sectional sofa for the main level family room, we organized it into three recliners, one corner unit, one console (with cup holders) and a chaise on the end.  The color is "Lucious Chocolate" but its not brown...its like a silvery taupe color.



Leaving the Past Behind...

Sold.  The.  House.

Sad :(
But Happy :)

Signed the contracts last night, now just waiting on home inspections and praying that it's all smooth sailing from this point forward.  I still cannot believe how fast our house sold.  We will close on our old house the 20th of Jan.  We will close on our Rosecliff a few days after. 

Cheers to a new year with alot of change!

What an active day...

So much has happened today I think my head might spin off of my neck.

• We locked in the interest rate...woot woot !!
• We scheduled a preliminary walkthru with Guardian, tomorrow at 930am.
• Northwood Reality called and someone is interested in buying our current home, they were there at 4pm today looking.
• We scheduled the pre-drywall meeting for Monday, as in this coming monday 12/12) at 4pm.
• And (unexpected) we got four tickets to the steelers game tomorrow night at 8pm.

Locked In

Today we checked with Rates with NVR, and we were able to lock in a 15 year fixed for 3.375%.
Very Very Happy with this.

Also, Guardian called us today, they are planning on doing our install tomorrow, which means pre-drywall should be sometime in the next week or two. 

It seems like it took forever to get to this point, but now its flying by.  We should have a closing date right after the pre-drywall meeting is completed.  Im thinking around mid January still. 

Progress Update 12/5/2011

Not to shabby eh?  We now have a concerete floor in the garage, all of the rough plumbing has been completed and as of today they are starting the HVAC work.

They placed the basement egress window well and have backfilled the rear yard so now its almost level to the house...They are very close to completing the shingle roof - so siding is the next step...very excited!

So the reason for this most recent visit was to check on the wall situation in the basement.  We opted to tear out the wall in the basement that separates the living space from a storage room - so we can have a larger gameroom.  Here is a photo from our visit at Thanksgiving, showing the wall that isnt supposed to be there.

And thankfully this wall is no more.

Very happy about the big game room downstairs...now upstairs they have the kitchen island all framed in.

They also have all of the windows/exterior doors installed.  We opted for the 15 lite patio door and nixed the fireplace for a wall of windows...this is how its coming together.

Love the view of the woods.  So happy that no one will build right behind us.

As for the upstairs, our bathtub has been framed in (master bedroom) The window above the tub is alot different from that in the model home we saw...which is kind of disappointing, but it still looks great.

Loft Area

While Ryan is busy building our new house, we're busy fixing up our current house.

Added the porch railing - I love it....adds so much curb appeal.  Now I have to paint the steps. 
The house is being listed THIS WEEK!  Which means I spent all weekend cleaning, organizing, painting, etc.
Were hoping it sells fast!  We were qualified to purchase the new home and keep the mortgage on this home as well - so either way were good to go, but it would be ALOT easier if our current house was sold prior to  closing on the new one.  Were keeping our fingers crossed for now....Happy Building Everyone!

Laminate Countertop Preview

This is the new countertop we picked, to replace the granite...Basalt Slate.

After looking online I am hopeful it will turn out like this....

Definitely something I can live with! 

The Roof ... THe Roof!

Fee. Waived!

If you dont have a good sales rep your experience with Ryan is going to suck.  Point blank.  Our sales rep is awesome. 

Ryan was trying to charge us a $500 fee to change our countertops - since we have already entered the construction phase - and after an hour conversation with our rep last night I came to work and received an email from her stating that the fee has been waived!  I feel like I won the battle!

Im glad they have decided to work with us on this fee because double standards totally suck and Ryan is known for them.  "Hey were going to push back delivery of your home until January - but were not extending your last day for changes..."  How does that even make sense?

....changing our selections...again.

So, last night we went to lowes - we needed to get a bundle of shingles to repair the roof on our current house before we sell.  Anyways, we walk through the kitchen displays and I see about 25 different corian countertops and at least 25 quartz and granite options.  This gets me thinking.

Were paying alot to upgrade to Granite countertops in the Rosecliff.  And we were only able to pick from about 6 choices...which sucks.  I literally found about 4 different options that I loved in lowes that were not even known to me during the ryan homes selection process.  So after some in depth discussion, Shawn and I have decided to just downgrade to the countertops (laminate) that are included with the price of the home - then next year do a custom kitchen.  Backsplash / countertops ... maybe some tile art between the stove and the microwave...plus we can then lower the island at that time - and make a bigger countertop in that area and make it all one level instead of having a raised bar.  The money we are saving by not taking the granite upgrade we will set aside to start the custom kitchen. 

Ryan has some nice selections, but my lord the options are endless when you get out and look around...so I think were making the right choice, and I also think that we will get the money back out of the new kitchen we put in...since it will be unlike any other kitchen in that townhouse development.

Did anyone else out there do something along these lines?
If so, are you happy with how things turned out?

Friendly Gossip is Highly Recommended

The framing is well underway!  We visited the site this Sunday - with my parents - and took a few photos.  We actually walked all thru the house and all thru our neighbor's houses as well.  A few of them got the fireplaces - but heres what really gets me, one of them got a SLIDING GLASS DOOR out the back in lieu of the regular man door.  This wasnt even an option for us - and it would have been nice because our back yard will be relatively level to the door...we expect to have one or two steps.  Now, the unit with the sliding glass didnt have the small 2' wall that is there if you get the room extension - so it may not be an option with the 2' extension...

Anyways, after nebbing a bit we were walking out and met another neighbor in the unit across the street, her name is Lucy and she is wonderful.  We got to talking about options and she was saying that her neighbor didnt get a pantry in the kitchen, instead she opted for additional counter space and a top and bottom cabinet - another person living in her row actually lowered their kitchen island to all one level.  I had wanted to do this pretty badly and they told me it was not an option because of the electrical for the garabage disposal - very disappointing!  I love to cook, so having the island all the same height would help when Im rolling out dough or making cookies...she also said her neighbor paid a boat load to get this customized into a level island - now take us for example, we got a 2 foot extension on the garage, so shawns truck would fit.  No one else even heard of that option (because we created it). 

Lucy also said that she hired an outside company to come in and install her garage door opener, saving her $250 instead of allowing Ryan to do it.  She also recommended on getting a laundry tub in the garage, this is an extra, costing $400 - however they supply the tub and do all of the plumbing - which is not a bad price.  I didnt get the laundry tub but the more I think about it the more I want to change my mind, I mean where can you fill a bucket to was the floor or where can you wash your greased up dirty hands? In my new kitchen sink...I think not.

Basically what im trying to say is anything is possible - just ask and be persistant!  Dont just choose from the option list, open your mind.  If you want to change the floor plan a little bit or add a cabinet or a sink, odds are Ryan Homes will accommodate it.  DONT BE AFRAID TO ASK all they can do is say no. 

That being said, here are a few photos of the progress on our Rosecliff...

This is the front of our house, my mom is in the corner trying to pick up her dog.

Standing in the dining room looking into the kitchen, that mandoor will lead to the garage.

the infamous stair case.

My dad insisted on going upstairs, even though I dont think the staircase was completely tied in.

We opted for two sets of windows (no fireplace) and the 15-lite patio door.

Garage.

This is a shot of the back of the house - Im so glad we have a level lot.

This is a view from our upstairs -

And...another shot of the front.  you can see our neighbor's second floor framing...this house isnt sold yet - any takers?  we are awesome neighbors to have!

Bathroom Tile

Remember when I first posted, I said I would try to get a photo of our Bathroom tile and border - well, found one!  Our friends Val and Todd just built a Ryan Home and moved in this spring - and they choose the SAME EXACT TILE.  They have good taste.  Here is a shot - with the adorable Logan (their son).

I love the stacked border.

Moving the Closing Date & Selling our Old House :(

I'm pretty emotionally attached to our current house.  We pretty much remodeled the whole place and maybe thats why I feel such an attachment.  That, and my parents are attached, since it was a huge project for them as well.  So when Shawn brought up the idea of renting our old house I was all about it.  Cause then I get to keep it...forever and ever.  But after some logical thinking we decided that having a rental property is probably not something were ready to take on...especially when Shawn works out of town a lot. 

Thus, we are meeting with a realtor on Monday to discuss a sales price and possibly list our house!
In the meantime, someone is looking at my grandmother's house - so lets just keep our fingers cross that someone buys her home and she can buy ours!!!

That being said, Ive been dealing with the mortgage company about qualifying without the rental income if our current home isnt sold by the closing date on our new house, plus trying to decide who were getting home-owners insurance through (were going to bundle cars and home so were trying to get a really good deal)...plus on top of all of that the Holidays are coming up.  Which means were busy anyway....THEN to top it all off - shawn may be getting an offer from his company to relocate 4 HOURS EAST of pittsburgh...which means were screwed out of a deposit on the Rosecliff and were moving.  We wont know whats going on until Mid / End of November....love the waiting game.  Its so much fun. 

Literally I am living off of "comfort-time tea" from Salada...to try to calm myself down.

I just called our Rep to see when they were planning on framing - she said they had hoped that framing would be done by this week - but instead they are just starting the first framing crew on Monday.  Which means that our closing date is being pushed to January sometime.

Which, considering all of the above, its better for us in the long run....and I may be able to get my christmas tree up in our old house just one more time before 1. moving into a new home or 2. moving 4 hours east.

Happy Building Everyone & try the tea, it is wonderful!

We have a basement with a dirt floor.

Drove up to Maple Ridge this past Saturday, and found this

What I wanted to do was crawl thru the window of our basement and take photos from inside.
But I was not allowed to get mud in this

because if i did, i would have had to walk several miles back home.

We were very glad to see that they remembered our 2'-0 extension on the garage so that DeShante (thats what we call shawns truck, I name all of our vehicles) has a home to live in as well.  And it was pretty slick how they accomplished it.  As you can see in this photo, the concrete pad for the front door sticks out two feet farther than the garage....

In our home the concrete pad will be flush with the garage.  thus adding the 2'0 extention we paid for.
You will not even notice it when you drive by.

Were gonna need some concrete!

Just talked to our rep for the latest update.  They plan to finish the block Tomorrow or Thursday of this week, then they will start the underground plumbing.  Id imagine after the undergound pipes are done they will pour the basement.  Shawn is out of town until Friday, so hopefully I can make it up there with him on Friday / saturday and take some photos!  Im quickly becoming obsessed with this project.

Progress Update 10/17

So visited the site this weekend.  Pleased to see that the blocking has begun...and suprised that most of the building materials have also arrived! 

Is is ok to leave everything out in the rain?  I mean I know bathtubs are supposed to get wet, but im still worried.  Also, i found the perfect sign for our lantern post....$5.99 how could I NOT buy it.

I also managed to take a photo of the "newly completed" rosecliff's.  These homes will be right below us on the same side of the street.  Our elevation is the middle one.  Ours will have black shutters, a "wine" colored door (burgundy) darker beige siding and the brick has offwhite black and a reddish color mixed in...im very technical in my descriptions.

Any last but not least, here is Herman.  My post wouldnt be complete without him.

Hacked up Floor Plan

So, this is our floor plan for the build...dimensions match with the floor extensions, added the upgraded bath, no walls in the basement...etc.

Ground Breaking - FINALLY

So, our pre-construction meeting went well...got some new about Cool Valley, the new Southpointe-like mixed use 900 acre establishment which will be behind our plan.  We also were able to walk thru one of the almost-completed rosecliffs right beside ours.  The backyard was huge.  We live in a single family home now in a residential neighborhood and the backyard was bigger than what we currently have fenced in for Herman...very happy...and it is all level and it backs right to the woods - so no houses behind us as Ryan only ownes about 50' into the woods and there is a 25'-0 right-of-way between Ryans property and Cool Valley.  I love waking up and looking into the tree line.  Thank God.  Anyways, we also got invisible fencing approved through the HOA so Herman will be leash free in the spring!

At the pre-construction meeting (9/30/11) they were expecting to break ground 9/7/11 that was pushed to 9/14 then pushed to 9/21 FINALLY they broke ground on 9/26.  They have our closing date set right before Christmas (merry christmas to us!) they have said that we will definitely still make the closing date, but man, that only leaves 3 months. 

As of 10-6 the foundation was dug out and the footer was being installed...as of 10/12 the footer was completed and they are starting to block the foundation!

More pictures to come soon!!!!