The blocks are in!!

So DH was a darling and decided he would: 1. Go get my car inspected because I procrastinated the entire month AND 2. Stop by the lot and see what he could see... To his surprise things were everywhere! Guys, trucks, equipment! All for our lot! Oh yeah! I'm happy! I can't wait to check things out for myself when I take the kids by later, after dinner. He snapped a couple of pics for me to share. That was like pulling teeth... But nonetheless we got em done!!! With all this great weather we've been having I suspect they will start building in the next 2 weeks after the foundation is inspected of course!

Breaking ground!!

So we ratified our contract April 17th. Permit went up May 10th and foundation digging May 28! The other house behind us has their foundation prepped as well. I had a chance to walk around the lot and with the house dug out it actually takes up way more of the lot than I originally imagined. With a little shy of 1/2 acre, after the house is built I suspect we will only have to worry about cutting 1/4 of it which is fine. Maybe even less once we add the shed and they pour the patio? Either way its cool. I'm excited to see some action on our lot and I'm done peeping at the neighbor's place. Can't wait to see how ours looks — reversed with additional sunroom! I called DH to let him know and he's happy. That gave him the strength to get thru the shift tonight... Guess it's going to be a long one... I told myself I wouldn't go back to look at things until Friday. Let's hope we can fight the urge. DD gets excited to go see the progress which doesn't help lol. I'm glad I'm not alone... Can't wait to get out of our teeny apt. We hear and smell everyone's tv/music and food. Ugh!!!!

No news to report...

I wish I could say they've started the foundation but as of yesterday - our lot was looking pretty level and untouched... I'm starting to notice a trend in Chesapeake from the time the permit goes up to the time ground breaks is usually 3-4 weeks. I could be wrong with how the inspectors operate but I may be right.  In other news - they wanted an exorbant amount of money for the changes I requested. No thanks! I would've like the changes to be done but I'm fine with doing work myself.  Each change was had a change fee associated with it on top of the cost for the additional granite and cost for materials. It is really important to make sure you get the house the way you want it in that first 2 weeks because after that - be prepared to potentially be charged an A&L for add-ons.  If you're an area where you have flexibility - great! Not so much here in Southern VA...  I look forward to blogging about my changes and upgrades I do on my own! I can't wait!!!

TGIF

So clearly I forgot to post the last post on Wednesday... Oh well no biggie! Since then — building permit was put on lot with our exceptions. I would post the front of the permit but well... It's got our addy on it and well... That's not for the world to see. Now that we are in the apartment I can focus on preparing for the home. Many of our neighbors opted for having fences immediately installed by the recommended companies but with us being on the lake I think I'm fine with not being in a barricaded environment. Most have 6' tall fences and personally I just don't get it... Maybe because I'm from the city but I love my home and hope to have enjoyable neighbors just as I've just left. A shorter fence is fine and doesn't take away from the house. Actually, I'm thinking about shrubbery to act as fencing... That's not rush... In the interim, finding the right blinds are top priority for me! Plantation vs mini? Plantations are nice and at our old home I bought a few at a time. They're pricey but the look is absolutely gorgeous. The home in the neighborhood has them and although they spent over 2k to get them, it was a nice investment! We won't be doing that but I look forward to mixing and matching my treatments.

Still waiting to hear whether the changes we requested can be accommodated. Not sure what the delay is... And we requested blueprints. I encourage everyone to ask for those upfront if you're the least bit interested in room dimensions and properly organizing your room. We didn't get printed plans but instead we got the basic floor plan with handwritten room dimensions. I'm not crazy about that but it does give me a rough estimate of what to expect wall to wall. Going to go by evening. DD is so excited about another new room. She loves this apartment and how close we are. Lol when she found out she would be getting another new room she was soooo excited! DS is just a toddler so he's not the least bit interested. He won't remember ever living anywhere but HOME... Gosh I can't wait!!

Move. Check. Settlement. Check!

I am exhausted!!! We spent the past weekend moving and although we hire movers we still ended up moving stuff Sunday... Moving into this apartment was the worst move ever! 2 homes and 2 kids later makes a big difference with the amount of items!!!! The good thing is we know what to expect for the fall...

And we're off!!!

I drive by everyday. Obsessive huh? So we drove by the other day - yes Tuesday and Monday and look! They're starting on our lot! We are waiting to see if they approve our work order... We will see what happens... I keep getting emails from Ryan homes even though I've unsubscribed. Nice homes but I'm no longer on the market.

Getting a better picture. So far so good!

So after we ran out of boxes we went and picked up some more and decided we drive by to see if they started clearing our lot yet. No progress but we did stop by and peek in the other home that's mirror to ours. I noticed the wall between family room and kitchen is so low. I requested they make the cutout bar height and extend the island in the kitchen for us. Blah blah nonstandard. I hope they just agree. It's not like we are asking for add-ins more like modifications that are easy fixes... I can't wait until they start with our place!

The neighbors are coming!!

I decided to go ride by our lot to see the progress and the house next was a foundation last week and now it's almost done! Gosh they move fast. I'm starting to think we won't need 6 months in our apt. If we move next weekend and they being construction next week, they will be done by August! Since our rent is so cheap I might actually use the vacant months to get some things done with the house (i.e painting, hardwood steps... We will see. DH thinks I will change my mind and want to move in as soon as I can...