The Foundation Has Been Poured!!

Whoo Hoo!  Finally they broke ground on our new house.  I can't wait to see more.  Thankfully we have friends that are taking pictures along the way so we can see the progress.  We still can't believe that our house is projected to be finished in approximately 3 months but apparently it can be done.  I'm still waiting to see.  But I am hopeful since we will be moving out whether it is finished or not in 3 months since my daughter will be starting kindergarten this Fall.

Future Home Site

Here is a our lot for our future home.  It's on the corner which is supposed to be more desirable....we'll see.

House Selections

Floor Plans ~ Courtland Model ~ by Ryan Homes

Here are our selections:

• Brick Front
• Finished Basement - with walkout door to backyard
• Wooden Floor for Foyer, Powder Room, Dining and Kitchen
• Carpet for the rest of the house
• Gourmet Island with Granite counter-top in the Kitchen
• Fire-place in family room
• Stainless Steel Appliances
• Two extra windows in family room
• Two extra windows in formal living
• Valuted Ceiling in Master Bedroom
• Ceramic tiles in Master Bathroom, Guest Bathroom, & Laundry Room
• Bay Window in Dining room
• Double window in one of the unfinished room in basement
• 3 piece rough-in in the basement - planning to finish it later
• Garage opener
• Recess lights throughout house (14 total)
• Chair railing and Crown Molding in the Foyer, Living, Dining room and the stairs
• Gas cook-top, Electric connection for washer/dryer
• Dual sinks in Guest Bathroom
• Granite - Wheat Color - in Master Bathroom
• Maple cabinets in Master Bathroom

(we bought the house in a promotion - so we got free basement, hardwood floor, recessed lighting, upgraded appliance package, granite countertops, maple cabinets

CTI

• Maple Cognac cabinets in Kitchen 
• Gunstock hardwood for the main floor
• Sanasilia granite (went well with Maple Cognac cabinet and Gunstock floor)
• Upgraded Stainless steel appliances with double wall oven
• Upgraded family room carpet
• 6lb padding for the entire house
• Upgraded berber carpet in basement

10 Days to Find a Home to Live in For 7 Years!

So according to my husband's employer we would have 10 days to find our next home. Mind you we will be living in this house for 7 years....or more.  Ideal, right?  Not so much.  With me being 8 months pregnant and having a 4 1/2 year old child along for the ride......it was very stressful. Not until the 8th day did we find a location and house plan that was a good fit for my family.  We chose Ryan homes, Courtland floor plan, and have an acre lot.  We are very pleased that the school is less than 1 mile away and 1 1/2 years old.  On the down side the acre lots don't allow fencing which is a concern.  All of the neighbors use invisafencing but I'm assuming they have "normal" dogs.  Our new Dalmatian is not the sharpest tool in the shed and am worried that the invisafence will not keep her in.  The reason I'm worried is because we use a training shock collar for behavioral reasons and she can fight through even the highest setting.  But, I'm trying to be optimistic and hope that the invisafence using a higher voltage and can really get her attention since this will be her safety we are talking about. 

I thought all was well and was happy as a lark with our decision on building until I got online and saw all of the horror stories about Ryan Homes.  I'm still trying to be hopefull though since our close friends that live nearby have a home built by Ryan Homes and have been living there HAPPILY for 10 years.  In closing, I started this blog to try and document our first new home build.