Garage door

I love my garage door!!  I think it really spruces up the elevation.

The interior had also been painted and I hope they are going to do an additional coat because it wasn't really great looking.

And I took a pic of my neighbors adorable planter box.  I know this was built into the elevation but I really want my hubs to make something like it for me.

patio set

I didn't get over to the house today :(  We had planned on it but since it's a gated community, the gates shut at 7pm and you have to have a key code or gate opener to get in...which is awesome once we live there but is a bummer right now haha.

We did however manage to snatch up a patio set (and completely fill whatever space we had left in storage so we are DONE buying anything else until we move in!) and it was 50% off, so even better!

I love a good sale!  And 50% off makes me giddy!

Sears

The set came with two chairs, the loveseat and the awesome coffee table that pulls up so you can eat at it.  Not loving the throw pillows but that's an easy fix!

Can't wait to see the house tomorrow or Monday and hopefully see my beautiful cabinets!!!

Driveway and more goodies

PM texted me today...Our driveway is in!  I stopped in later and saw more goodies!  Cabinets are inside and garage door is installed!  Can't wait to see it when the door is down.

Garage goodies :)

There were people working so I couldn't go in but I noticed a coat of mud/tape on the drywall and a bunch of goodies in the garage!

Sliding door screen

Guest bathroom sink and double bowl sink for our bathroom underneath

Stair railings and doors!

Whatever that pipe thing is on my roof is crooked.  Gonna have to bring that up to the PM.

Was at my neighbors for dinner and we both realized her morning room is different than mine and we couldn't figure out why.  She has a Rome but her morning room roof starts at her house and slants outward, where mine is a peak and the highest point is in the middle and slants out both ways from there.  Not sure if that makes sense but the only other difference is that we paid for the extra windows and they did not.

Curious as to why they would do different pitches like that, maybe it's an elevation thing?

Downstairs drywall

Downstairs drywall is in.  This is where I hear it slows down...because there is several coats of mud that go on and need to dry before the next process can start...can anyone verify?

Ok so this house suddenly looks smaller with drywall too!  It's 2112 sq ft which is the second biggest house we have owned but I was second guessing myself today because it looked smaller!  Anyone else have this?

And yes we are closing Aug 2, Friday.  We were supposed to close Aug 5 which is a Monday, and 3 business days after the pre-settlement walk through but we requested to close on the 2nd so we can move in over the weekend.  The PM approved it but did say if there was anything I wanted fixed at the pre-settlement walk through and he couldn't get a contractor in within those 2 days, I would need to let them in after closing which I said was fine.  Because my husband just started a new job, he wasn't comfortable taking Mon-Wednesday off to move so this way we will be in over a weekend.  Woo hoo!

closing date confirmed

I received the final confirmation email today...

Pre-settlement walk through July 31st at 10am

Closing August 2nd at 10:30am

Post-settlement walk through August 30th at 9am

Heard back from NVR, the best rate they have right now is 4.5% so she is going to let me know if they come down.  As of now, I can't see it being beneficial to go with them at all even considering their closing cost assistance, since we already have a much lower rate locked with an outside lender.

My neighbor texted me a pic, all the drywall was in.  Now we wait on the drywall mud process which I hear takes more than a few days due to drying time...after that it should be all our fun stuff like cabinets and flooring...oh how excited I am to see my beautiful hardwoods!!!  And that fireplace!!

Fireplace pic

I stopped by the house today and the drywall people were getting after it.  Nothing different on the exterior so no pics.

I did however get a pic of what our fireplace is going to look like (this is not our fireplace, just a pic of what ours will eventually look like)...I am crazy in love with this!

Exterior almost done!

I just love it!!  Can't wait to see it with my carriage style garage and my porch finished.  I also want hubby to build me a planter box for the bottom window!

Insulation is finished 

They fixed the morning room ceiling so my hanging chandelier has a flat surface to hang from (it was originally on a slant)

Upstairs is dry walled

Attic space in my son's room

It looks a little better in here and not as small

Master bedroom view

Master bedroom looking into loft

Looking forward to what this week will bring!  I sent my GFE to NVR to see if they could beat or match what I currently have locked...doubtful with the recent rate increases.

More siding pics

For anyone wondering, we chose graphite gray siding with white trim and black shutters.

I can't wait to see it with the shutters.  We left about 5pm and they were still working on the trim.  I bet it's done now though.  Can't wait to see what's going on tomorrow!

Siding

It's starting!!!  So exciting to see my color scheme go up!

PS: the new fridge was delivered this morning and its perfect!  Thanks lowe's!

Fridge delivery

So to remind you all, we are living in an apartment, 2 stories up, and 85% of our stuff is in 2 storage units which reside right next to my apartment building.  I can see my units from my patio.

When we purchased the fridge, it was this beauty:

Samsung RF263, price $2599 on sale for $1696!

We spent over an hour with the sales guy and he told us all the features, which we were happy with and while the fridge was on sale, we were never led to believe anything other than ours would be new.

So yesterday they deliver it, and well they unload it and I'm looking it over...it's not in a box or a wrap or anything.  First red flag.  I mention this and they tell me they always remove appliances from the boxes before delivery.  They wheel it down to the storage unit, unstrap it and start to put it in my unit and I tell them to stop.  There are 3 dents on the front and a big scratch near where they attached the handle.  I told them this was not the fridge I wanted, it looked like a floor model.  They tell me that if it was on clearance then it probably meant it was a floor model.  But it didn't say this on it when we bought it......

I reject it and close up the storage unit and they go to put it back on the truck while calling the manager to inform him of the situation.  I told them that I did not know I was buying the floor model with dents...they get my sales guy on the phone who says he told us it was the floor model...flat out LIE!  And I left him several messages with other associates...shocking that he never called me back, ha!

Ok so no big deal, the fridge goes back and they say I will be refunded as soon as it gets back.  But I'm bummed, that was such a beautiful fridge for an unbeatable price!

Unwilling to settle, I get back on Lowe's website and find that they have the fridge online, and nowhere does it say anything about being a floor model so I call another store nearby and ask if they have it brand new in a box.  They did!  So we rush over to purchase it.  We looked at it and it was still wrapped in plastic and was brand new.  So we go to the register to purchase on our Lowe's card (so we could get 6 months no interest), and our card declines because we don't have enough credit left.  The other fridge hadn't been credited.

I spent 15 min on the phone and waited for a call back from the other store.  Just my luck both the manager and my sales rep were out to lunch.  But they finally called back and said it was refunded.

So I try to purchase the fridge again.

Declines even though we had more than enough credit per her screen.

The cashier calls the credit hotline and is trying to sort it out and my phone rings and it's a random 800 number.  With all the mortgage stuff going on, I decide to answer it.

It's the fraud protection line from Lowe's.

Because there was a back to back credit and purchase, we were flagged and denied...

I had to go through a 15 min fraud call and answer a bunch of questions, at this point I am just completely pissed.

They finally release the hold, we make the purchase, set up delivery for Saturday and leave.  I don't even have it yet and this fridge has been a royal pain in the butt.  LOL!

living room with 2 focal points

I think I may have found a solution to the 2 focal point living room that we will have.  This will be our living room and the TV will be on the small half wall across from the windows and adjacent to the fireplace.  I wanted to find a way to make these two walls look like they belong together...

And I think I just may have.

Modern Spaces by Saratoga Springs Design-build Firms Witt Construction

Now, our fireplace is not on a corner but I'm thinking our TV would be in the corner...what do you think?  It would be similar to this, not exact because our fireplace is in a different spot but I think this is a great way to tie in 2 focal points and make them into one big one!  

I also found this image which is a more accurate depiction of our fireplace and TV placement

Traditional Family Room by Rochester General Contractors OasisDesign&Remodeling

I love this one too and it would keep our half wall free so we could put a few chairs there for extra seating!  

I'm thinking my husband's to do list just got longer...  :)

Pre-drywall meeting

The pre-drywall meeting this morning went awesome!!

It was really neat hearing all the ways my house will be super duper energy efficient!  All the light fixtures we added were there, the side of the house where there was a gap was fixed, the hole in the plywood was fixed, and everything looked great, even admist the chaos!  While me (and my 3 year old!) were there, all the insulation was going in and the drywall was delivered so there were two huge crews of people there and it was crazy!  PM hopes our siding will go up tomorrow or Saturday and drywall will get started tomorrow.  I am just so so so so excited and can honestly say all of that stuff that happened in the beginning is all in the past.  I'm very happy with how things look!

And...I was given a closing date of August 5th but after a little begging, my PM said he would approve August 2nd (a Friday!) so that we could have the whole weekend to move in and enjoy!!!

And if you remember this post about my stone fireplace...well I was very excited today to hear that not only was I getting a half stone fireplace but I was also getting this beautiful moulding package that goes with it!  I guess the SR only sent me the bottom half of the fireplace and I never got to see the top.
Here's a pic from the model:

Our top half will have that beautiful crown package, and the bottom half will be similar but we will have stone and a raised hearth.  This is quickly becoming my favorite thing in the house.  I can't wait to see it finished!!

they aren't winning any points...

2 days in a row and I still can't manage to get a rate from my LO at NVR.  I don't care how busy you are...I've dropped many, many hints that we are looking elsewhere and wouldn't you think they would be on it to try and keep my business?

After reading the Perkin's blog (see blog roll), I thought about trying to see if I could still get my closing cost credit if we went with another builder but the consensus is a resounding, familiar "NO".  My contract even states that we lose the closing cost assistance if we choose our own lender.  So I think some of you all are getting an actual "credit" that buys down your purchase price of the house and that is different than "closing cost assistance" through NVR.  My LO told me that the only way you will still get it is if NVR can't approve your loan and you have to go with another lender because of that.  Not if they can't "beat" another lender that you find.

So basically it comes down to this:

closing cost assistance +  higher rate (by 0.5%)

or

lower closing costs altogether + lower rate

Doesn't really compare!  The only way I will entertain NVR any further is if they are willing to match what I already have locked.  But it doesn't look like they are going to get there.  So fellow bloggers...I'm not saying NVR is bad, I'm just saying shop around.  You might find a better deal elsewhere and I even read in my contract that if you do choose another lender, Ryan Homes will not in any way make the process take longer (something I was worried about since they push the whole "streamlined process" with NVR).

Tomorrow is my pre-drywall meeting!!!!!   Can't wait to start seeing some house progress, every time I go there, there are always people working so I haven't been inside in 5 days or so!

By the way, are any of you building in S.ou.th Ca.r.olin.a?  We are building in an area near Gr.e.en.v.ille, curious if any of you are neighbors!

Guardian (updated)

Stopped by the house today and didn't see any exterior changes...so no pics.  I did however see a Guardian truck parked there, so our cable and phone jacks were installed today.  We did the bare minimum, only what came free so we have 2 cable jacks in the living room (on either side of the fireplace in case we ever move the room around), one in the "man loft" as my husband so lovingly calls it, and a phone jack in the kitchen.  That's all!

I'm so excited and anxious for my pre-drywall meeting on Thursday.  The hubs can't make it because of work so me and my kiddo are going alone.  I'm excited to hear all the ways our house is energy efficient.

I am waiting to hear from the settlement coordinator with our closing date...I stopped in the model today and the sales person told me it's showing anywhere up until Aug 13 on her paperwork but that would be an absolute worst case scenario.  Even if it does go that long (which would mean the house would sit vacant for 2 weeks?  My PM promised he would finish it July 31), our rate is locked until Aug 14 so we are good there.

And again about the outside lender thing...if you qualify for a VA loan, I highly suggest checking out Veteran's United Home Loans.  I found them by doing a "mortgage rate" search on Zillow's website.  They have been beyond fantastic...their mortgage packet even included a little bag of confetti for me to throw at closing.  Their rate has been holding steady the past several days at 3.375%.

I emailed my LO at NVR today at 3pm for the rates...no response.  It was 3.75% a few days ago though.  That's a difference of $50/month between the two lenders.

Is it obvious that I've been doing my research?  I hope this helps somebody!  Even if you are doing a conventional loan, I would still do a search on zillow to see if you can beat NVR's rate.  

Oh and did I mention that I asked my neighbor who has a Venice what her electric bills usually run and she said $35???  And my other neighbor with a Rome (3200 sq ft!) had her first bill and it was for 36 days of use and was just under $100!!???  I'm so excited about this (and you can see why every little bit off our interest rate helps, it will pay our electric! ha!).  We just moved from a 900 sq ft townhome and my January bill was $230!  So I'm super excited at how low our electric bills will be.  Less money in bills = more money for fun (and home projects)!

Updated to add: looks like the rates jumped today...now the lender I am using is at 3.75% so I can only imagine what NVR is.

Monday PM Update !!!!!!!

Well I patiently waited ALL DAY for that coveted call...

And at 5pm my phone rang and I excitedly ran out on to the patio to take the call...

And it was the PM with excellent news...

Our house will be completed July 31!!!!!

We have our pre-drywall meeting scheduled for this Thursday at 9am!!

I am hoping to receive an email from the settlement coordinator in the next few days with our closing date but from what I am seeing on everyone's blogs, it's typically 3 days after but we are hoping we can close Friday Aug 2nd and move in over the weekend!!

OMG so excited!!!!  Finishing up the loan paperwork now and getting that sent off, super happy about everything related to that aspect as well.

Finally things have taken an upturn and everything is going smooth and fast.

Guardian is going in this week, drywall next week.  Exterior siding and trim, cabinets, flooring...it's all going to start happening very soon.  So excited to see my choices in person and in my HOUSE!!

Question for you

Hey all!

Question:  To those of you with a side-wall fireplace...how did you set up your living room?  We do not want to put our TV over the fireplace, well at least right now we don't.  I really want to have a pretty mantel and decorate it all fancy and it's a little harder to do with the TV up there.

We are thinking of putting the TV/entertainment center on the small half wall with our couch centered in between the windows and a few occasional chairs.  My main issue is I don't want a couch closing off the space between the kitchen and family room because I'd really like to watch the fire while I'm cooking dinner, lol.  Never had a fireplace before :)  So the only real option is how I described then, right?  The half wall is not going to be big enough for a couch, it's only about 7 ft I believe.  

Ducts and plumbing

Overhead ducts

Fireplace and hearth

Fridge water line

Kitchen plumbing

Love love love my morning room. I think it's the best feature in the house!

Love the open floor plan (and my wild son)

Checking out his tub

Checking out my tub and shower.  Sure feels small in there!

This is still an issue.  It's both upstairs and down stairs as well as the hole in the plywood downstairs.  This should get fixed before our pre-drywall meeting right?

shop crazy

We spent the day at a few furniture stores, but in our true fashion ended up at Ikea and scored!

The only couch we really liked elsewhere was $2000 and we really just didn't "love" it so we had to check Ikea before any definite decisions.  Oh and that couch at Pottery Barn wasn't comfortable in my hub's opinion so it was a no go.

So we scored this couch in "gray" at Ikea

Who knew such an inexpensive couch could meet the hub's comfy approval?  But it really did!  Especially since the seat was so deep!  And the color is perfect, just what I wanted!

And then we found the most perfect table...only it said it was oversold and when we asked a specialist, they said it was discontinued!  Ugh!  We resolved ourselves to keep looking, but we stopped in the "as is" section before leaving, and it was there!!!  It was a floor model and had a small scratch on it but the price was 45% off so we snatched it!  It seats up to 10 people which I like but the middle leaf comes out and it's perfect for 6.

 We didn't have room in the truck so we have to go back next weekend but these are the chairs I want.  Not completely sure but I'm thinking 4 oatmeal and 2 gray or vice versa.  I kinda like the idea of mixing them up.

And then, after all that money saving...I splurged on this ottoman from West Elm.  My friend has it and I have been obsessed with it ever since I first saw it.  It's big too which I love since our couch doesn't recline, we can put our feet up on it.

So this is what my bottom floor is looking like:

In other news, I HOPE we have our pre-drywall meeting this week!  All the plumbing and wiring were being worked on the past few days, and the shingles were going on!

Guardian called me to confirm where our cable/phone outlets were going (and to also try and sell me an alarm package again haha) because they were putting them in next week so that's a good sign!  And I hear once you have the pre-drywall meeting, nothing slows down the process!  My neighbor said the day of hers, she was given a definite date and that is the day they closed!  

Up for this week is filling out the packet for the newest new lender lol...here we go again.  But this lender has been awesome and their rate is unbeatable.  I even mentioned this to our LO at NVR and of course she came back with "if you don't use us you lose your $4000 closing assistance".  I expected her to say that but really our bottom line is MUCH MUCH less with a lower interest rate, and closing costs that have zero lender fees (NVR's origination fee is $1800 on my paperwork).  So I just said "yeah, we are still looking at numbers and thinking about it" because I'm not real sure I want to let them off the hook just yet until we get approval from this new lender.  If you went with another lender, at what point did you let NVR know this?  I'm afraid if I tell them now, they will stop processing my loan lol.