Updates! Months later!!!

Hey everyone!!!
I am soooo sorry it took me so long to give an update on how we are doing!!!
We're doing GREAT! Loving every bit of our Condo and our neighborhood is being built up more and more. They have just completed one more building and I think they may start to build another in January.

We've decorated a little bit. Haven't hung anything on the walls because I want to paint first before putting holes in it. So far, we've had THREE get togethers at our house. We LOVE sharing it and it's PERFECT for the holidays!!!! I've got to find camera charger (LOL) so I can take pictures and post for you guys! I hope all of you are doing well, I bet most if not all of you have settled into your new homes. I hope you're enjoying them as much as we are enjoying ours!!

More updates to come (I promise!)

Alll Went Well!

Hi All:
Sorry I've been MIA for the past couple of days! I have no access to Internet at the new home yet! I'll put up a post when we're all settled. Closing went well and we are LOVING the new place!
Talk to you soon!

Final Walk Through Complete

Yesterday was our Final Walk Through!
It all went really well! Our PM showed us the ropes on EVERYTHING in the house.
There were only a few things that needed to be touched up, minor things:

-Packaging glue will be removed from lamps in kitchen
-Column was slightly knicked on he botton
-(Not sure what it's called) but a strip of wood isn't sealed on the the side of the counter all the way
-Some packacking left on the refrigerator

While we were there, we ran the dishwasher, popped a bag of popcorn in the microwave, turned on the oven and stove, ran a cycle in the dryer and washing machine, tested all toilet flushes, made sure all windows open and closed properly, among many other things....

Then my Father-In-Law (who's a Pastor) blessed the house. I wasn't moving in unless it was blessed first! Most of our neighbors have already moved in. And they are already starting to build another building in our community. We are really happy with what we have!!!!

Now, moving begins and NVR doesn't need ANYTHIGN else from us! YAY~~~!!!!!
Now let the moving adventure start!

Tomorrow is a Big Day!

Tomorrow is Final Walk Through!!!
I'm nervous!
*and itchy because I'm having an allergic reaction to something* LOL
I need a beer! LOL
Will let you know how it goes tomorrow!

Almost there!!!!!!

So, we've got 7 more days! So excited!!!
We went by again on Saturday and they took the protective cardboard off of the floor. I think they did an excellent job on laying down the floors! The Hubs and I decided to get the lanolium now and add tile later and we are really happy with our choice! I love our appliances too! They put blue tape where ever there was a touch up needed and it seems like they pretty much covered everything.
Our apartment is pretty much to the point of being bare bones. Most everything is in boxes. We are doing our last load of laundry tonight until we move in. Right now, we are living out of bags and the rest of our stuff of packed. I am PRAYING that everything will go ok with closing and nothing gets moved!!
I spoke to our PM today to let him know that we are really very impressed with everything. We did notice that the lock on the french doors is slightly off, so I notified him about that. Our PM told us that they be cleaning and touching things up this week. I am so ready to move in! Enjoy the pics below!



First floor Powder Room



French Doors leading to Family Room (Protection for glass still on)



Kitchen with appliances in place



Shower in Master Bath



Laundry Room



Admiring the Crown Molding! :) This is one change order I am glad we made!



Guest Bathroom



Fireplace (It actually works now! It's on in this picture, not sure if you can tell)



Stair railings. They've stained them already.

Intersting tidbit of info....

I thought this was interesting so I'm posting it in case anyone out there is debating single family vs. condo with Ryan.
With a Condo, you are NOT required to have Homeowners Insurance at closing. Although insurance is something we do still plan to have and I think is a good investment in a new construction, it's not required for condiminiums.

The reason for this, is because with condos, we pay HOA fees and that fulfills the requirment.

Nothing too special otherwise going on...just packing and cleaning out our apartment. I'm praying nothing goes wrong and our closing date stays the same!!

Totally In Love....

I can't express how good it feels to know that we chose a house for US, how it fits are personality perfectly, and it's really OURS!!! The Sales Rep let us in (thanks BD!) and we were totally blow away! The pictures don't do it justice! They've added carpet, the lights are working, bathroom appliances are in, and kitchen appliances as well. We didn't want to leave!!!! Take a look at the pics below and I'm off to nap before I pack some more.
Oh yah, they also added grass and a sidewalk in front of the house but I forgot to snap the picture. Will add sometime later!



First floor Powder Room



Kitchen (stove hasn't been set into place just yet)



Bannister leading up to 2nd floor, you can see some of the carpet.



Formal Dining Room and Living Room (I think it looks like a palace!!!)



Me in my Kitchen!!!!! (well it will be officially ours in 16 days lol)



Entryway chandelier



Master bath tub, I plan on adding some nice colorful tile and paint!

Moving Right Along...

We're moving right along with the packing and stuff. It's crazy how much junk you can accumulate in a 1 bedroom apartment in 3 years! Lots of throwing stuff away and wondering why I still have certain things.
We found a movers site through U-Haul called MoveHelp.com which seems like it's going to shape up to be great! The way the service works, is it pulls up all the moving companies available for the date you need. You hold the date by paying with your card, HOWEVER, the money is not authorized until you provide a payment code AFTER you've been moved in.
What's even better is you have 60 days after you move to actually authorize the payment. I spoke to the movers we selected today and the guy seemed really great about everything.
So far, so good! I'm just glad we found a reputable moving company on Memorial Day Weekend. Can't wait to have those keys in my hand!!!!

Can't Believe It....

Not much to say today but..
I can't believe we'll be moving in 20 Days!!! This is totally unreal!

Column Update & Response

Spoke to our PM about the columns and he said the small stapel like holes will be filled, sanded, and painted. I really hope this will actually happen because the holes are tiny, and I as a homeowner definately notice them! I hope a contractor will as welL!
It's going to be difficult this week stopping by again, but hopefully we'll make it out there. The multiple trips sneakign in have been very helpful!!!!!
Our PM mentioned that the sidewalk and landscaping has begun, plumbing and electric will be completed, and our toilets and faucets will be installed this week. It's hard to tell that they are really almost done because when we go, it seems like they have A LOT to do! I'm counting on them to get it all done and I have a feelign all will be ok!

My advice to those in the intial stages of building: WHEN YOU CAN JUST WALK IN (EVEN WHEN PEOPLE ARE WORKING INSIDE), DO IT!!!

Staple holes in columns

We went by the house (AGAIN)to see if they did anything different from yesterday LOL and we noticed little holes in our columns. They look tiny stapel holes from the packaging or something. There is also a scratch and small dent on one of them. I will notify my PM about this tomorrow! I hope something like this won't hold up our settlement date. Will keep you posted on what happens....

Slightly new pic...and a slight confession :/

We went back yesterday with my Husband and there were some minor updates. They added the counter top to the counter, put in some doorknobs and layed down lanolium and finished tile in the bathrooms. Enjoy the pics below!

Now for the slight confession.....I had a freak out yall......I don't know what it is about my fear of the bathroom not being right! But after seeing the bathroom being more complete, I swore that they gave the wrong bathroom! I was pissed! I called our Sales Rep and she wasn't in...so the Hubs and I kinda gave it to some Sales Rep still in training. After our Project Manager talked us down and reminded us of what we chose, I felt really bad! I remembered back in October, that the Hubs and I decided to downgrade the bathroom because of budget constraints. TOTALLY Forgot about that! So I owe some people an apology for gettting upset. I was wrong and they were not. I really am glad that they handled everything so professionaly though! I mean, I wasn't irrate or anyting LOL but I was definately ticked off and upleasent. I feel bad :(....But I'll sort it out tomorrow when our Sales Rep gets in. Phew..feels better now that I got it off my chest :).

Ok, for real now here are the pics:



Doorknobs




Countertops!



These are the French Doors I added to separate the Family Room from Formal Dining and Formal Living Room (glass panels still covered for obvious reasons)



Guest Bathroom upstairs in the hallway

Walk Through Today!

We got to take a walk-through of the house today and it was UHHHHHH-MAZING! They still have a lot of work to do, but a lot has been done! :) There were still people working while we were visiting. I didn't venture upstairs because it sounded like they were shooting a pellet gun or something..I don't do too well with flying projectiles LOL, so didn't go upstairs. We are going to go back tomorrow though because the Hubs wasn't able to make it today. Enjoy the pics. Can't believe we move in 25 days ahhhh!!!!!! Sooo exciting! :)



Isn't the exterior gorgeous! :) Can't wait to see the sidewalk and landscaping!



My 'must have' columns have been installed. Maybe I shoule paint them lime green?? Just kidding! :)



I forgot what cabinets we chose. Now I remember why I liked them. Not too dark and not too light.



Haven't installed the sink yet.



Pretty railings!



Tiling has begun in the bathroom. Couldnt' fit in there because someone was working.



Our fireplace! For a split second I regretted getting the standard black granite, but I figured it would pick up the spec of black inthe kitchen counter really well. So I'm swell!

I may be able to take more pictures tomorrow if we are able to get upstairs. This process is so exciting! Can't wait to move in!

Apartment is clean...

Parents will be here tomorrow and I graduate from Grad School this weekend!!! Yay!!! Even better, my parents get to see the house on Thursday. Our PM is giving us a tour. I can't wait to see what it's going to look like!!!!! :)

So we put in our official notice to our apartment building that we will be moving out on March 31! It was a bit of a hard decision on our part. Since we are on a month to month lease now, we couldn't be pro-rated (which sucks big ones!!!) So if we moved out on June 1, we'd have to pay for the whole month of June! So let me build the scenario here....

Final Walk-through: 5/27
Closing: 5/31
Final Move-out date: 5/31

Get the picture?? So how on earth are we gonna do this?? LOL Well we're going to have to PLAN (which is not complete quite yet lol)!!!! I will need your support!!! I'll be posting regular 'moving/packing' updates to keep us motivated.

Cleaning Day Tomorrow!

So cleaning day is tomorrow! Time is running out and my parents will be here later on this week and staying with us. This means we must CLEAN and start to purge some of the junk we have, and begin to pack!!! Here's hoping we actually do that lol......

We stopped by the house today but I didn't have my camera. We have a driveway! We couldn't go inside because the door was locked, so we are guessing it's locked because they've been installing things maybe? That's ok though, because our PM will be giving us a tour on Thursday, so I can wait. :)

Anywhoo..hope you all are having a good weekend!

Operation: Let's Sneak in on Easter Sunday!!!

*Insert: Mission Impossible Theme Song*
LOL

So we went to Sunrise Service this morning and we figured there wouldn't be anyone there working, so we could just walk in. WRONG!!! There were some guys working on the outside of the house putting shutters on. So we snuck in and took pics of the house with drywall! It was so thrilling! LOL

After taking another look at the tub..I decided to let it go. Now that it's all set in, it looks huge and I'm actually happy with it now! :)

Enjoy the pics below! A lot of it looks like a bunch of 'white' so it's hard to tell what's what in the pictures, but you get the idea! Can't wait to move in!



Fireplace



Part of Formal Dining and Formal Living Room



Beginnings of the Kitchen



Another look at the tub



Laundry Room hookups







Now we know why the garage was locked! All of our stuff is in there! We found our cabinets, columns, and even our staircase railings!!!

HAPPY EASTER & Garage

We stopped by today since we are not sure if we'll have time to tomorrow. HAPPY EASTER by the way!!!!!! HE IS RISEN!!!!!!!
I hope you and your family enjoy this Holiday weekend!

We tried to go inside, but couln't lift up the garage. We think it may have been locked. We walked around to the other side and they layed cement in our doorway so we didn't want to be losers and mess that up LOL.

Also...I know what you are going to say!! But I'm going to call my Sales Rep on Monday to see if there's any way we can get the other tub. I know...I know..I know....I just want to try and exhaust all options.

Hope you like the brand spaken new countdown! We got our letter from Ryan letting us know our final walk through and closing - May 31!! Yipee!!

Tub Update

My Husband drove down to the other Model and guess what! They've already converted and sold the Model so he couldn't go in to take pictures since there are people living there!

The Sales Rep at that property DID, however, confirm that the tub at the other Model is bigger than the one in the older model we saw. So that's the verdict folks. I would say the moral of the story is to truly know your floor plans before signing for them so you know EXACTLY what you have. That was our bad. HOWEVER! I also believe that Ryan should do a better job of showing customers our options.

FOR EXAMPLE: When we were picking out kitchen appliances, they had a nice booklet with actual pictures and sizes, and colors so that we could choose.

It would have been a great asset to have the same for bathrooms.

It's neither here nor there, after all is said and done it's just a TUB lol and it's still larger than average and that's what we wanted in the end.

Not sure if I'll have an update later on in the week since Easter's on Sunday. We'll be in church and with family all day, so hopefully we'll get to take updated pics before Monday!

Bathtub Shinanigans.....

Ok, so here's the deal....
The bathtub that is in my Pre-Dry Wall meeting post seemed strange to me. When we saw it and I snapped the picture, my Husband and I remarked that it seemed small. We both blew it off because we figured it was because of the stage of construction around it.

Yesterday, I went back to the tour on the Ryan Homes site and took a tour back to the model bathroom. It's a different tub! We instantly fell in love with the model bathroom and were told that that's the one we had.

So I left a message with my Sales Rep letting her know that I think we have the wrong tub.

Spoke with her today and it turns out that in each model, the tubs are completely different. Although they are both larger than the standard tub, they are different in shape. We've been looking at two different model homes. The one that we asked for is in the original model we looked at back in October.

So I said, ok...I guess that's what we agreed to and signed on. HOWEVER, now I'm curious. I'm going to go back to the original model we looked at and compare tubs to make sure this correct! Not sure when I'll be able to get down there because it's a little out of the way, but I'll keep you all posted!

Dry Wall In Progess....

We stopped by today not really expecting to see anything, but lo and behold! They've started putting dry wall up already! We were tempted to go upstairs but we heard workers in the building, so we stayed out of the way. So the only pics we've got are of the garage. All I gotta say is....those are a lot of nails! They also progressed a little with the bricks. It rained like CRAZY on Saturday, so I'm guessing that is holding up most of the brick laying.

We're planning on walking through again with our PM the first week in May. Our final walk through is set for May 27 and closing is supposed to be a couple of days after that. Our PM said we should be getting a letter confirming all the dates, so as soon as we get that, I'll put up a countdown! :)

We've slowly started the process of moving and cleaning some of this stuff out. We just can't seem to decide what to get rid of or sell!! So we started clearing out stuff we don't use and throwing away old papers and stuff. It's amazing what you accumulate in 2 years living in a tiny apartment!

Here's a question for you all.....do any of you plan on getting used furniture insead of purchasing new? I always wanted to purchase new, but I've been surfing Craigslist in my area and there's a LOT of quality stuff out there! I just wouldn't buy anything that's fabric like a couch. I would only buy wooden or things I could easily clean. Thoughts??

Enjoy the pics below!

Pre-Dry Wall Meeting

Our Pre-Dry Wall Meeting was on Thursday and I have to say it was a really special feeling to be able to walk in our home for the very first time! It really just looked like a bunch of wood LOL and sometimes we didn't even know where we were standing LOL, but it was just a big ball of specialness! We found out that our final walk through is May 27 and we should close a few days after that.

Now, it's getting more REAL than ever! We have to MOVE!! OMG What are we going to do with all of this stuff! LOL I have so much to do! Work, thesis, exercise, graduation, and moving! The exercising in particular is very important. I'm on medication for high cholesterol, so it's been a passion of mine to get the weight off so I can stop taking this medication! But the building up stress isn't helping much! I just have to take it one day at a time. I will be working all day today!

Well take a look at the pictures and I hope you enjoy them even though I forgot what some of them actually were LOL...



Living Room



Ceiling



View from the front door. There will be a lake here as well. Isn't it pretty!



Inspection Stickers



Master Bathroom Tub. I was surprised this was here so early!



Laundry Room



Hallway

So that's the gist of what it looks like now! I'm not too sure how much we'll be able to post of the outside of the building because most of the updates will be on the inside. Our PM said because they'll be putting the "goop" in (I can't remember the real name for it, so I call it goop lol), we won't be able to enter for another 2 weeks. Until next time...I have school work to do!!