Life's a dance....

That is a lesson we are learning time and time again. We have had several moments of the crazy "up and down" battle. It began with a little misunderstanding on our parts with our construction deposit. We thought we didn't have to pay our construction deposit, (the up) and then we quickly found out that not only do we have to pay the 3.5% deposit, we have to pay it by Wed. (the down). I must admit we were a little anxious about where we were going to just come up with that kind of money, since I have learned, thanks to Papa Bob, that money really doesn't grow on trees (yes another down) but it too was followed by an up when I checked our bank account this morning to start trying to figure out where I could get that money from. Thanks to Mr. Obama our 1st time home buyers tax refund was nicely delivered into our checking account for the full amount of the deposit minus a couple hundred dollars (which we were able to tap into our house fund for anyway)!!!! What a huge blessing! And the best part about it, at closing we GET THAT MONEY BACK!!!!! So basically when we close we will transfer some of the construction deposit to cover closing costs, and then we will actually get several thousand dollars BACK at closing! Who makes money when buying a house?!??!? Thank you Jesus for the blessings you are giving us in this house!
So we are back on the "up and down" rollercoaster....we had our final visit at the showroom, which was bascially going over every item we have picked out and confirming it so we can continue moving this process forward! Everything was going wonderful, our refridgerator actually went down in price almost $100 because the newer models don't say "Whirlpool Gold" they just say "whirlpool" so even though it is the same fridge, just the updated version, it is cheaper! (a huge blessing) Another huge blessing is we misunderstood our closet shelving. We had requested closet organizers (so we didn't just end up with empty closets) since that is the way the paper work was making it appear that that is what would happen. Well, our consultant told us how wrong we were. We actually do get some organizers standard, we just don't get the extra shelves (which is fine) and spot for shoes (again-not an issue). So yet again, we saved almost $250 and another blessing! But as we all know "what goes up, must come down!" We were on cloud nine heading into the bathroom section. And of course I was already getting gitty as I was remembering my tub! We went to the tub in the hall bath and confirmed that was the correct tub and then she hit us with a huge bomb! She said "and this is the tub for both bathrooms, correct?" And of course I said "NOPE! I want that one in the Master!" and pointed to my dream tub! Well, the down is apparently we can't have that tub in our floorplan as there just isn't enough room between the tub and toilet. And since we are in a "cookie cutter" house, we can't just change the floor plan. Well to say the least, I was bummed but was trying not to be too vain, as I kept reminding myself "this is our first house. Our first house is going to be WAY more than I ever dreamed it could be. Why am I so upset about a tub?" So although I was bummed I got over it and we moved on. (but wait, the story isn't finished yet) Our consultant could tell out disappointed I was and said "do you want to go look at other vanities to maybe upgrade to since you have already saved so much money?" Well I must admit, my vain attitude came out, instead of just taking the savings and being thankful, I caved to the power of consumerism! I asked Brent if it was ok to upgrade our vanity since I couldn't have my tub. Of course being the wise man he is, "whatever makes you happy" was the response that came out of his mouth! So we went back to our consultant and said yes we wanted to upgrade. Her response floored me the most of all....she said "well good, I was hoping you would because we are going to upgrade you for free since you can't have your tub!" I was a little embarassed at my childish response to being told I couldn't have something I wanted, but then to have her TRY to make it right and give us the upgrade for free was pretty darn cool!!! Although I can't soak in the new vanity after a hard day at work, at least it has more storage and she was very kind to try to make it all right!
So in the end of the showroom visit we ended up saving almost $650 (since there were a few other items I charged myself for, but they were actually included-hey I never said I was good at math) and got EVERY little thing we wanted and more (except my tub) for our first home! Not bad if you ask me!! They will be submitting for permits today so hopefully in about 2 weeks they'll be able to lay lumber and start pouring foundation and then the fun will begin!!! Stay tuned, more is sure to come!

Some more showroom fun

Sorry for the delay of posting new picturs....the work week has been insane Jane for the last several days. We are contininuing to make progress ont he whole process and are just waiting on final loan approval and such. We had our final lighting meeting on Tues. and will have our final showroom visit on Thurs! Once this is done (and we have final loan approval) they will begin getting permits and will be able to lay lumber!!!!!!!! That's when the fun will start-also that's when the clock will start. We're hoping for a late July-Aug. close date!!! So far the process has been mostly fun and to date we've only had 1 ummmmmm how should I put it...."disagreement". I do now see why they say building a house CAN be tough on a marriage! Thankfully we have gotten most of the tough issues out of the way at this point with only 1 ding to speak of! :-) Not bad when comparing to some of the nightmares I have heard! OK now for some more pictures.

This is our sink in the powder bathroom downstairs...

The color of our house outside...Harbor Gray with white trim

Here is the style of front door we will have...except ours will be black per Brent's request to make it really stand out and add to the curb appeal! It will be SHARP!!!!! We will have a nickel (silver) peephole , no knocker as I'm not a huge fan of the look of knockers and a long oval type doorhandle.

So that's what I have now. I'm heading back to the design room today to show off our selections to my dear friend Jen so i'll try to get some more pictures! And hopefully within the next few weeks we'll start getting some actual house pictures!!!!! ENJOY!!!

The Showroom-Part 2

OK so here are the results from the last trip to the Showroom....although we picked most of the big "fun" stuff at the first visit, I forgot to take pictures so those picts will have to come later. Here's what we have so far (all these items are subject to change until my Jen Moore gives her seal of approval this weekend). They don't really go any real order so here's what we have....

First up- The Kitchen Faucet- This is a hose type with sprayer all in one :-)











Next, Zepper's kitchen sink (Whoa baby!!!), our kitchen flooring, cabinets and counter tops












Now we have our bathroom(s) flooring and carpet (this will be throughout the whole house)-the carpet is called Morning Dove












Now for the best part of all....my tub!! I LOVE MY TUB!!!!










Stay posted...we'll keep the pictures coming! We want to keep you in suspense!!!! Vanity sinks, house color, appliances, fire place, etc. Enjoy!!!!!!!

Happy Easter!

My "design team" and I finished designing the house yesterday...however you'll have to wait another day to see more picts. Today is a celebration of Christ's resurrection and that is much more important than seeing new pictures from the Showroom. We pray that you are blessed by God's amazing love and grace today! Brent and I are so blessed by how God has used difficult trials in our life over the last few years to bring us good and blessings beyond our imagination and we hope that you too have see Him working in your life! Happy Easter! The Lord is risen...The Lord is risen indeed!!

The Showroom

Brittny is taking a break from the blog tonight so Brent said he'd do one....yes we can all get the male point of view in building a house!!!
Well the other night we decided to meet Susie and Hillary to start making choices in the showroom. I went in and loooked around there were lights, carpet, flooring, paint, firplaces, doorknobs, bathtubs, windows, trim, counters, appliances just sooooo much. I decided this process would work much better for everyone if I went to The Ram, had a beer and watched basketball and let the girls do the designing. It turned out to be a very good decision on my part. Brittny, Susie and Hillary completed more than half of the designing in just a couple hours. We can really start to visualize our house now. It has kilm beige colored walls, morning dove colored carpet, pretty flooring to match, dark bronze handles, black appliances, a sweet fireplace, cider colored trim and doors. Wow this house is going to be pretty sweet. I think this house is going to be more beautiful than I ever thought our first house could be!

Zepper

We finally made a decision on a house

April 5, 2008

After what seemed like a never ending battle of previewing listings online, driving through a million neighborhoods, walking through a bunch of houses, falling in love with a house and putting an offer in on the house (and quickly loosing that love), we finally reached the decision to take a leap of faith and BUILD A HOUSE!!! We decided on a Quadrant Home in Tumwater, WA in the Ridge at Suncrest neighborhood! We are anxiously awaiting on a few more minor details to go through tonight/tomorrow but should be good to go as of Wednesday. Of course more details will be coming! Pleae check back on our site to see pictures of how the house is coming and updates on our progress. Also if you have any house building advice, please post that as well! Thanks for all your support in advance as who knows what stresses building a house may bring! We know God has amazing plans for this new adventure in our life and we hope you can join us for the ride!

Here is our first picture of our house.....