Siding!

My realtor sent pictures of the house with the siding installed and one that shows the cabinets waiting to be installed. I'm driving up this weekend and I can't wait!  Until then....

 

Today Was a Good Day ( Ice Cube)

Today was pretty exciting...Navy Federal offers a free one-time rate re-lock option so I decided to go ahead and re-lock our interest rate today. So our new interest rate is 3.5%!!! I'm SOOOOOO happy!
I also spoke to my PM today and he said that they have installed the siding. He suggested, however, that I wait until next Saturday to drive up because the cabinets will be installed, the first coat of paint will be done, and the vinyl flooring will be installed (kids' bath & laundry room). So I've decided to wait until next Saturday to drive up as there will be more to see. The kids were a little disappointed, but not too much. I told them that I will let them write on the floor of their room. My daughter was pretty surprise so I explained that once the carpet is laid whatever she wrote would be covered--she smiled and said, "No one will see it, but it will be a part of the house." I smiled back and said "Yes, it will." Today was a pretty good day :-)

Is My Rome the Same Size as Yours? :-/

I'm not gonna start with the it looks small thing again, but I'm just saying...

My realtor sent me some pictures of the house (the family room looks smaller than usual to me, but I'm not going to go there). I'm happy to see the drywall up...so excited, that I've decided to drive up this weekend instead of waiting for the following weekend. Big or small I know I'm going to love it.

---I'm taking my tape measure with me though...just to be sure I didn't get the mini Rome version...lol

 

 

 

I know I’m jumping the gun BUT they were 15% off so I had to pull the trigger

So I plan to hang curtains/valances and put shades in the windows. The house we rented while living in Minnesota had cellular shades in the windows instead of the standard mini blinds that most landlords use. That was the first time I had ever seen them and fell in love with them right away. I was still able to hang my curtains over them so I decided to do the same thing in the new house. The only thing is that there are a LOT of windows in the Rome so dressing them with both cellular shades and curtains will be VERY expensive. So, I’ve decided to use Redi Shades instead of the cellular shades which will cut costs substantially. I believe they will look just as nice and provide the privacy we need while the curtains/ valances will bring color to the room and give each room an overall finished look.

While window shopping last night, I discovered that Redi Shade was offering a sale on their website of 15% off. I wrestled with whether to buy them now or wait.... I haven’t measured the windows in the house yet so I don’t even know what size to buy plus buying window shades for the house now is like counting your chickens before they hatch…and we all know you’re not supposed to do that! But I’ve been on their site plenty of times before and never saw any promotions....

I thought to myself, I better buy now---and I pulled the trigger.

I tried goggling the window size for Ryan’s Rome model and discovered that the window sizes can vary. But they seem to all be around 36" give or take a few inches, so I decided to buy 4 boxes (each order has 4 shades so a total of 16 shades) of 36” width light filtering fabric shades and 1 box (4 total) 48”width light filtering fabric shades in the natural color. The 36” shades were $8.99 each and the 48”shades were $10.47 each (before the discount). My total cost with the discount $175.04. I saved $27.86---well actually I only saved $22.91 because I had to pay 4.95 for shipping. Overall, I think it was a good deal. I hope I’m not sorry.

 

 

Drywall Delivered!

My realtor sent me more pictures of the house. It doesn't look much different--but I can see the progress that has been made. The walls have been sprayed green, the plumbing has been fully installed, and most importantly--THE DRYWALL HAS BEEN DELIVERED! 

My project manager calls me every Friday, and when we spoke this past Friday he said that they would begin installing the drywall, and perhaps the siding, this week. I'm hoping it doesn't rain too much more so they can get the siding done.
 ---I'm going to give them 2-3 weeks then the kids and I will drive up to see the progress. I'm thinking that the  drywall will be completely installed by then so that will be a great time to visit.

Finally, 60 Days From Closing...Locked Interest Rate. YAY!!!!

I've been so worried with all that is happening in the economy. I've never been a gambler so I knew that I would lock as soon as I could. I've been watching the market closely http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com for a little over a month now, and closely tracking & recording the mortgage rate changes. I’ve watched rates slowly rise over the last 6 months then drop rather quickly in a 2 week period. I was reluctantly awaiting the jobs report that was to be a precursor of future increases or decreases in mortgage rates, but due to the government shut down, that report has not been released. And while there is still a good chance that rates could drop further once the shutdown ends and that report is released, the opposite is just as true, and as I stated before, I’m not a gambler. So with that being said, I will be happy with my 3.75%---I’m cashing in my chips and leaving the casino while I'm still a winner!

It's a good day! :-)

 

My Painting Plans!....Too Much Brown/Tan?

I’ve been looking at model homes and homes that are for sale on-line gathering ideas and inspiration for decorating the house when it’s done. I’m not as concerned with décor as I am color. My current house is decorated quite nicely, and I’ve already bought a few things for the new house (there’s always room for improvement—e.g. new furniture, but I’m content for now). Because I’m currently a renter, I don’t have any color on my walls— so that is the part I’m excited about! Color adds dimension and depth, and it transforms a nice looking room into something you’d expect to see in a magazine.

I’ve been doing my homework and I’ve noticed that most of the model homes have several different colors throughout the house, and that (as well as the furnishings) is what gives it that look that everyone wants. I personally love two toned rooms. I think having two colors in a room versus just one gives the room that extra oomph. So that’s my plan…There will be no rooms in my house with only one color (except for the bathrooms & laundry rooms). I plan to paint a few days before we move in while the house is still empty. I won't paint the bathrooms initially because of the detail required, but they will get painted later on after we get settled in.

 Here are my preliminary color choices. Please try to envision this: (any areas not listed will remain the color painted by the builder--e.g. halls)

 Formal living room
      

Main Color                           Accent wall (the wall facing the foyer)

               

    Formal Dining Room                           

         

   Main color                               Accent wall (the wall with the window/facing foyer) 

                                   

 

 Family Room

 

This color will go on the wall furthest from the kitchen and the well with the 2 windows that face the back of the house. So the paint will be in a "L" shape. The other wall will be the color the builder paints it.

 Morning Room    

  Main color                          Accent wall (the wall with the 3 windows)

 

_____________________________________________________________

UPSTAIRS

 

Loft

     

 Main walls                            Accent (the wall with the windows)

 

 Mikey's Room

         

Accent (not sure which)         Main color

Master  

    

         Main Color                  Accent (the wall facing the entrance--I think)

                             

  Ashley's Room

   

            Main Color                 Accent Wall ( not sure which wall yet)

 

I haven't decided on the color for the guess room yet but it will probably be the colors from the loft or some other variation of the previous colors depending on how much paint is left from each color.

 

Now, in my mind---this looks beautiful. LOL If you think I'm about to make a big mistake, please feel free to voice your opinions. I might not listen cause I'm kinda hard headed, but then again--I might! Who knows, you might help me to "see" something that I wouldn't have otherwise thought of so PLEASE, let me know your thoughts!  ;-)

Update on the Driveway being Curved

I was so bothered by the driveway not being curved that I decided to call my SR to ask about it. Turns out I'm only partially crazy--I did hear something about a curve but it wasn't the driveway it was the WALKWAY that is to be curved....

Pre-Drywall Meeting Complete!

Okay, so I completed my pre-drywall meeting yesterday—it was weird, the house seemed smaller than I expected. I expected it to feel bigger since there aren’t any walls but it didn’t. The rooms looked smaller than I expected them to be, and I wasn’t mesmerized like I thought I would be. Don’t get me wrong—the house is coming along beautifully and I can’t wait to live in it, but I wasn’t in awe when I saw the house.  I was actually very critical of everything instead—which is unlike me. My PM said that the master bathroom door would open INTO the bathroom—I don’t know how I feel about that. I’ve seen pictures that other bloggers have posted and their door opens OUT to the bedroom. If it opens into the bathroom then it will open against the shower—perhaps I’m just making a big deal out of nothing….

 My vents are located in the ceiling which I DO LIKE because I won’t have to worry about blocking them when I decorate—but I wonder if the ventilation is the same for vents located in the ceiling as vents located in the floor? I’m also a little disappointed because I could have sworn that my PM said my driveway was going to be curved when we had our pre-construction meeting, but yesterday he said that it would be straight.

Overall, I am pleased with everything so far---I REALLY WISH I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE TRAY CEILING REQUEST IN ON TIME (sorry, I may have a touch of ADD)--- My closing date has been set for December 9^th (I requested a December closing). My PM said that we’ll do the pre-closing final walk through on December 6^th so I’m not scheduled to go back up there until then, but I’ll probably take a trip up there to see the progress sometime in November.

Summary of the Experience:

 I’ve looked at millions of pictures of the Rome from fellow bloggers and I believe it has dwarfed my ability to appreciate my own Rome. Because I’ve seen it all before and my realtor had just sent me pictures of the inside of the house earlier in the week, I wasn’t surprised or emotionally moved by the experience.

With that in mind, when I see the house again instead of only looking at the house for the beauty of its details, I will envision my family in the house and allow myself to be captivated at the thought of the memories we will create. For a house is nothing more than a building made from wood, but a home is a place where memories are made, dreams are fulfilled, and even tears are cried. It is a safe haven. It is a place of escape from the treacherous world we live in. This blog is not about building a house, it’s about building a home in a building named Rome….

 

 

                                                                        Entry/ Foyer View

 

                                                                 Living Room                                                              

                                                                Ashley's  bedroom

Mikey's bedroom

                                                                        Loft

Guest Room

                                                                  Master Bedroom

                                                                         Master Bath