Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Woohoo! Final signoff has occurred!

By the time we pick up our keys tomorrow, paint touchups will be done, the fence will be installed, the lawn will be rolled out, and the A/C unit will be installed.

Here's a couple of final shots of the finished kitchen (the fridge is arriving Friday - not through the homebuilder, but we bought it separate).





And the dining room:

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

:(

That would be because the field manager called us at 5 p.m. to reschedule our final signoff from 8 a.m. tomorrow to 4 p.m. tomorrow. :( That means we definitely won't get keys tomorrow (a faint hope anyway). It means that the loan won't fund until Thursday, and the county has to record the deed by 1:30 p.m. on Thursday or we won't get our keys until Friday. Please, keep your fingers crossed that we get our keys on Thursday - I'd hate to reschedule appliance and furniture delivery.

I'm trying to be happy....at least it isn't delayed until Thursday...but close enough.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Well, the granite slab wasn't quite installed when we got there this morning. Apparently, it arrived yesterday, but wasn't installed. The guy was working on it while we were there looking at the house. He said he was working on two houses at once - while one was drying in place, he was working on the other. I sure hope they get done today.





They did install the microwave/hood, but still no cooktop, oven, or dishwasher until the counter is installed.



They also have set up the concrete forms for the back patio.



And they've installed the blinds!

Friday, December 15, 2006

I have the cashier's check in my hot little hands! :) We got a call at about 9:55 this morning, saying the title company had received our loan documents, and they were ready when we were. We set the appointment for 4 p.m. this afternoon.

I promptly rushed to the bank and had our cashier's check drawn up. Wow....a lot of money in one place, but it's for a good cause: HOUSING! :)

We cannot wait to move. Here are the things we *WON'T* miss from the apartment:

- Not enough space (1000 sq feet doesn't cut it with two humans and three cats)
- Being 20 feet from a major thoroughfare (which is less than a mile from the closest municipal airport, and traffic is constant on day and night)
- Mr Stomper upstairs (who has "heavy" feet and stomps all around his apartment)
- Guaranteed parking for only one car (carport) and potluck parking on the other....
- The cougher next door, whose bedroom is on the other side of our bedroom wall...

Here's what I'll miss:

- Being 2 miles from work (10 minute commute during worst traffic)
- 2 blocks from the nearest Starbucks

Thursday, December 14, 2006

The "Heart and Soul" kit is now available here: Heart and Soul kit for a cause

Just 7 days and counting now....as long as the paperwork comes together! :)

Rachel

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

We had the blue tape inspection/walkthrough this morning. In addition to minor paint and drywall issues, they have the following items to complete before next Wednesday morning, when we have the signoff.

1) Left side cabinet door above refrigerator rubs on wall
2) Back patio pour and fix siding
3) Can light burned out
4) Finish trim on left and right of fireplace
5) Adjust handle on den door (it sticks)
6) Install window blinds
7) Pour fence posts inside concrete on back patio
8) Chirping smoke detector (needs new battery)
9) Set sinks
10) Cabinet touch up end panel hall bath upstairs
11) Light bulb over shower & mirror
12) Finish carpeting stairs (bottom half)
13) Receive and install granite slab, then install appliances

One more thing needs to get completed, but not before signoff: landscaping and irrigation. Unfortunately, the wettest November on record played havoc with pouring concrete or doing any yardwork.

And the technology guys are coming on Monday the 18th to hook up the wiring and install the plates for all the structured wiring.

All in all, it was a good inspection. I just hope it is ALL finished before we come back next time.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Just a quick sneak peek! This kit will be a fundraiser at the Digi Chick this coming Thursday. This charity kit was created by the Digi Chick designers and Valerie Fowler to help raise funds for a member of Valerie's church who lost their child to SIDS. Please consider helping out by purchasing this kit! 100% of proceeds go to funeral expenses.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Okay, okay, my patience ran out! We went to the house today before going shopping with friends. What a shock to pull around the corner and see our house had been painted. COOOL!






Gotta a little closer, and you can see the front door color (it's not very apparent in the previous photo):



And yes! They fixed the fireplace! Although most of you probably didn't notice that the fireplace was not centered (therefore the tile wasn't centered), we did. The field manager agreed - it looked horrible. It's been fixed, now there is an evenly spaced gap on either side of the tile, rather than the pushed up against the right side look.

Cool, heh? :)

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Just arranged to have movers come on 12/23 to move our stuff. No packing, just moving the furniture and boxes. I get to be at the apartment to meet the movers, while my husband gets to meet with Verizon at the house to install the fiber optic service. Fun fun fun! :)

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Yes! I just got off the phone with the field manager for our house. Preliminary walk through (buyer orientation, blue tape inspection) is scheduled for 12/13 at 8 a.m., and final signoff from the inspection (after they've fixed stuff found in the first walk through) is on 12/20 at 8 a.m.

That means we'll get our keys, at the latest, by the end of day on 12/21.

WOOHOO!

What a Christmas present! :)

Rachel

Sunday, December 03, 2006

It's hard to visualize that in exactly three weeks, it will be Christmas Eve, and we'll be in our new home! We took our traditional Sunday trip to the house, and took new pictures.

We now have hardwood flooring in the kitchen and dining room, but they aren't done installing hardwoods - it still needs to go in the half bath, entryway, and hallway from the front door to the kitchen.





They've also installed the vinyl flooring in the master bathroom, guest bathroom, and utility room. We could have chosen different vinyl for each, but I used the same pattern for all three. Looks pretty gorgeous to me. :)