#25 Landscaping Ideas

As you all know from a previous post meltdown, that I don't know the first thing about landscaping and lawn care. This is still worrying me, I would love to have a nice garden with really pretty flowers out front and not just bushes.  I joined the Home Depot garden club for some tips and have been getting advice from friends and coworkers over the past few weeks. I am trying to get some ideas of how to design our front yard and what type of materials I'll need. Also, I failed to mention that in the south we don't have dirt we have red clay and from what I'm told it's a ___ to get things to grow. So I'm reaching out to my e-neighbors for help and ideas on what to do with my front yard.

I really need your help guys, my coworkers feel I should just hire someone since I'm clueless, but I really want to learn how to do it myself.

Tornado Warning!!!

We have just received a tornado warning for Gaston, Union, and Mecklenburg counties. Please be safe out there all my NC neighbors.

# 26 Hangover

I know this has nothing to do with the blogs, but some of us really could use a good laugh. The Hangover 2 is coming out tomorrow. Go check out a movie and get your laugh on! Oh and Bridesmaids was hilarious as well.

#27 Gourmet island

I love my gourmet island. I was standing in the kitchen this afternoon and could just see all the platters that will fit on the island comfortably come Thanksgiving. We have always had a small kitchen with a limited amount of cabinet space and counter tops but boy have we hit the mother load with this beauty. I can not wait to decorate for the holiday with the tree back in the front window where it belongs. This year was the first year ever that our tree was not standing beautifully decorated in my front window. Our town home windows are level to the ground outside because the house is a split level, you enter on the landing and you can either go up stairs to the bedrooms or downstairs to the common areas.

I saw Jerry tonight and he was helpful as always, answering all of our questions and taking notice of the things we saw that need tightening up. I was surprised to find out that our property line extends over a little further than what I thought....Yay! we discussed the walk through and the backyard issues. I told him as long as the back is as flat as it was before they started building we wouldn't have any issues. He agreed that they will need to haul some of the dirt out and level it down. Love that he and I are on the same page.

I also inquired about the refer program and found that in N.C they can not pay you to refer people to them so the new buyer gets a credit in options.

Here is the link to the rest of the pics.
https://picasaweb.google.com/102408520675602155175/05262011?authkey=Gv1sRgCPOm65K59_3YQA&feat=directlink

#28 Noey

Well Noey says that the blogs have been slooooooowwww...lol so this post is for Noey.

As much as she says the blogging community keeps her sane, I think at least for myself that is, that she keeps me (insert us if you agree) sane during this journey. Noey is the BIGGEST cheerleader in our e-community! She is often the first of our e-neighbors to post a comment onto the blogs and it's always what you need at the time...supportive, excited, outraged, encouraging, informative, or just a friend; she is always on it! For me this is truly a blessing, I am fully aware of my ability to work a nerve sometimes with my craziness but she, along with all of you are always ready to lend support from a good place. Trust and believe that not everyone’s support is coming from a good place so you have to be careful for who you depend on. So to Noey and all of my e-neighbors I'd like to say thank you for being the support I never knew I would need or find.

Fix on Blogger issue thanks to New Build Noob!

Just uncheck the keep me signed in box and sign in...everything will be good as new!

Anyone having this issue with Blogger?

I am getting annoyed with Blogger or maybe I should be annoyed with our server here at work. Idk. Since my laptop is being repaired, I’ve been keeping up with the blogs on my phone and while at work. I have a desktop at home as well but honestly, when I finally get settled at home the last thing I want to do is sit downstairs in front of that thing; add in the fact that I sit in front of dual screens at work all day….yeah that’s not going to happen. I like to lie in my bed while reading the blogs so when I’m done I can just turn over and drift off to sleep….call me lazy but I only get about 5-6 hours of sleep before I have to get up at 5am the next morning and do it all over again. So what I’ll so is read the blogs on my phone at home and then comment when I get to work. I really don’t like to comment using my phone because it takes forever and sometimes my phone is temperamental…lol

Recently I’ve been having issues with commenting on some people’s blogs. For some reason I am stuck in a continuous sign in loop after I’ve typed up the comment and entered the security word.   No matter how many times I sign in, the site will not post the comment, it just takes me right back to the sign in screen. Has anyone else experienced this? If so what can I do to fix it? Also, what’s really strange is it does not happen to everyone’s blog.

Ahhh nothing like frustration in the morning!

Let the count down BEGIN!!!

Today, I am officially scraping the weekly updates for the 30 day COUNT DOWN! I am still in awe of the fact that we will be homeowners in 29 short days. Excuse me, let me rephrase a little, we will be homeowners of a made just for us, picked by us, meant for us home.  Can you guys tell I’m excited?

So let’s get the countdown started.

#30

I am a little sadden because the drive by’s are not as exciting as they use to be now that the house is under lock and key. Due to our work schedules, we are not able to get up to the house until the late evenings when everyone's already left for the day. Recently, I found myself driving as if I’m participating in the Indy 500 trying to rush over to the site before they lock up. Even still sometimes that’s a bust because the agent is not always on duty in our development. =(

Honestly, I really would rather not ask the agent to let us in because she will not let us into our house until all the people leave the model home, and then she stands and waits while we are looking around. One thing that really boils my peanuts is when you have someone who does not know how to give you space. I can’t stand it when someone follows you around while you look. It is soooo annoying! It also makes me feel like I have to rush because clearly the impatience they are trying to hide is very apparent. I want to be able to look around my soon to be home without someone looking at me with the wrap it up face. LOL

Well griping aside...

I spoke with our PM Doug today and he said we have an extremely busy week.

Today: Cabinets are done and the painters are in there (as of this post) finishing up.

And for the rest of the week we have:

Flooring

Plumbing

HVAC

& Electrical

The last 3 are supposed to only take 1 day to finish.

Hearing all of this being done this week it sounded as if the house was ready for us to move in next week. So I asked if they are pretty much done with all the trades this week, what do they need the remaining 24 days for? LOL

His response, well we have to go through and make sure it’s all perfect before we put the bow on it for you. Love it!

We also talked about my access to the house and how we are not able to get in by the time we get off from work. He said he's fine with leaving one of the windows open for us as long as we make sure to lock it back up before we leave. I can only imagine one of the neighbors or a passerby calling the cops on us to report a B&E. I’m not sure if the cops will believe we are the soon to be owners without having us take a ride down to the station. Although the thought is really horrifying, it does not deter me from doing what I need to do (by way of tossing one of the kids through the window to open the door) to see my house. LMBO!!!!

#29

Loan updates: I received our final, final approval! According to my rep with NVR the underwriters are done with my file and sent the final approval. I just need to submit the next 2 paystubs and provide employment verification right before closing. YAY!!!

She also shared even more fabulous news than the final approval. She said she is pretty sure that our final amount to bring to closing will be a  WHOPPING $1131.76. What !!! (in my Despicable Me minion voice) I knew she had overestimated the figures but I didn’t think it would be that low. This is such great news because I certainly had a MUCH larger figure in my head.

Well that is all the update I have for today. I’ll only post pics if I see something really different than the last ones I’ve posted.  I will also try to make sure my #28 is not a report of my conversation with Mecklenburg’s finest.

Pics

Living room

Dining room

Powder room mirror is in.

Kitchen!!!!!

Butter rum counter tops.

OMG so much usable drawer space.

Hubby in the morning room.

I really like the mantel and fireplace.

Master bedroom

Double sink counters are in.

IDK where this is...lol

Mirror in hall bath is in.

Hall bath.

Last one on the way out the door.

Week 6 Updates

My day to day PM doesn't really give us a breakdown on what is happening each day, he just kind of gives me all the info for the week.  I don't really mind either way as long as I'm being informed. The agenda for this week:

Finish any drywall issues

Painters

Trim Package ( interior doors...etc) He did say this will be delivered tomorrow.

Cabinets will be coming in this week.

Then the painters and drywall subs will be coming back again to fix any dings caused by the cabinets.

He informed me the house will start to be locked up within the next day or so to keep all the rift raft out...his words not mine. LOL Said he wanted to make sure there will not be anything walking out of the house or any kids playing in it now that the drywall is up.

We also discussed the concerns I have on my yard space. Per the city we are required to have a drainage ditch in the back and I have no issues with that as long as the drainage ditch looks like it did before we started building. Currently, it looks like we have a small hill in the back and not the small drop off we had before. I also saw puddles at the bottom of the windows under the morning room which I think stem from them packing the dirt higher than it was before. Doug said he would go out and look at it but it may look like that until the landscapers come and level it out. He said the graders can only do what the city required and won't alter it. I advised him that I had no problem with the ditch as long as my yard is a flat as it was before they started building. 

At this point I have expressed my concerns and will wait and see what it looks like after the landscapers come. 

Weekend Pics

We went by the house (of course) this weekend and we got to meet a few of our neighbors. Some are very...ummm how do I say it?  Let's just say some are interesting and some are nosey. They seem very nice but ummm yeah...lol It is really hard to form a solid opinion but let's just say first impressions say a lot.

While standing in front of the house with my coworker/neighbor we were approached by two other neighbors who had just left looking around the other home under contruction right next to us.  As they are walking up the driveway one of the guys says you want to buy this house? Now maybe it's just me, but I would think that it should have crossed his mind that we are the buyers. Why? Well...outside of the two big fat SOLD signs on the property; and the fact that our car is there almost everyday often mulitiple times a day that he would have maybe seen me a time or two? IDK maybe not.  Now, regardless of the fact that we're standing in front of the door we can tell they are about to just walk on in and take a look around. So I decide to go ahead and invite them to have a look see. Although, I did leard while in the house it's not the first time they've been in.

Now don't get me wrong, the fact that they've been in while I'm not there doesn't bother us, what does bother us is the fact that we're standing there and they're just getting ready to walk right on in. Also, I found it a little invasive when one of them decided to ask how much it cost. I thought it was a little rude.  If I  decide to tell you then that's fine. But I don't think it's a question you ask within the first two minutes of meeiting someone. What do you guys think? Am I being too sensitive?


We got to see the completed tile in the master and hall baths and saw they installed the garage door.

Love his socks...lol

 .....And just because I'm tired of packing already...it's only been like 2 hours if that, I've thrown in some pics of what our current place looks like in the bonus room.

More boxes.

All of these shelves use to be full.



Boxes courtsey of the Home Depot




All of these are books and dvds



New pics

I said I wasn't going to drive by until next week, but I guess in my moody state yesterday I wasn't being honest with myself. I am glad that I did because look what I saw!

Fireplace in.

In the hall looking into the living room and dining room.

Looking into Kitchen and Morning room.

Hubby's closet.

My

My picture wall.

In the loft looking into our bedroom.

On of the other rooms.

Loft

In the bedroom looking into the loft.



Looking into the master bath.




Our bedroom.



bedroom again...

and again.

In the kitchen looking at the front door.

Family Room.

Morning Room.

Dining room looking into the kitchen.

Living room.

It looks smaller to me now that we have more than a shell...lol

Sorry I'm late Noey...Week 5 Updates

I have been sooooooooooo busy this week, and it's only Tuesday. First and foremost Happy Belated Mother's Day to all!

This weekend I received my letter from NVR regarding my closing information, I guess this makes the date official 06/22/2011. I had to read the letter a couple of times because I didn't recognize the attorney's office and had to wait until yesterday to confirm it was incorrect. See, my employer offers a legal plan that will allow me to use any attorney in the network at no cost for things like wills, traffic tickets closing & etc...so I thought what a great time to take advantage of this service and save a few bucks!

Way before groundbreaking I advised both the sales rep and the loan rep that I would be using my own attorney for closing. Both ladies said that would not be a problem and to just remind them to bring the keys when we go to closing. Well apparently neither one forwarded that information on to the "settlement coordinator" since she had no knowledge of such conversations when sending the letter. I ended up having to forward her the original email I sent back in March providing them with all of the contact information for the attorney I was using. She then stated that would be fine, HOWEVER, because I am using a different attorney I will not be given the keys to the brand new home I will have just signed my life away to until...idk maybe later that day or the next...depends?

Excuse me?!?!? What do you mean I will not be getting my keys? She said well since it is a different attorney we can not release the keys until they verify the attorney wires the funds.

Now I'm really confused because I was under the impression that Ryan Homes and NVR are under the same company...are they not? If so, and the money is coming from NVR why are you holding my keys until I don't know when? She went on to explain that because the funds are wired from NVR to the attorney, they have to hold the keys until the wire is confirmed and that's not until after the attorney completes the required documents at the courthouse.

I am very annoyed at this! I feel like my keys are being held hostage because I have exercised my right to save myself some money and not pay their attorney un-needed fees! Her response...you will need to schedule your closing early and make sure to stay on top of your attorney to get everything completed. So much for not taking the day off...you guys know how I am...I will now have to take off a whole day to sit around doing nothing and waiting on someone else =(

After this conversation I immediately call the attorney to let him know I will need him to do what ever is necessary to make sure I get my keys the same day! No problem he says, as long as Ryan sends him the request for title information and whatever paperwork required BEFORE closing, everything should go very smoothly and I'll get my keys that afternoon. Closing as at 9:00 am sharp!

Ok...to make sure there is no additional chances for someone to say they were not aware, I sent a mass email to everyone involved with the purchase of this home.

I received a email back from another settlement coordinator..apparently the first lady I spoke with that day sent the letter on behalf of "B", who is my SC. She did not come relaying good news...not bad news either, just new request. I think I am just a little cranky and frustrated with all things house this week. More paperwork is what she is requesting...bank statements, retirement information, homeowners insurance proof..good thing I don't really wait for someone to tell me to do something or else I may not have had this. Anyway, today I was able to fax them over 18 more pages of my personal life to satisfy whatever new curiosity the underwriter has now. She told me they just want to finalize my file for closing...you didn't do that when you gave me my approval?

Can you guys tell I'm moody...lol

Well that's all the griping I'm going to do today.

Week 5 Updates

Nothing much to really report this week. Siding is about 99% completed, some of it fell off within a day of them putting it up...not a good impression of their work btw. During our talk Doug said he was waiting for the inspector to approve the insulation and then they will start to put up the drywall. I'm assuming the garage door will be installed soon since he also said the cabinets will be coming soon.  He said once the cabinets come they will be addding the locks to the doors to keep me and all others out...jk. Since the drywall can take about 5-8 days I won't be driving by until next week since there is really nothing new to see yet.

Forgot to mention we have 3 box and a tote packed as of today!
Here is the most updated pics I took today.



The fallen siding is on the right side.



There is drywall in almost every room.

Insulation upstairs

Upstair drywall

Updated pics

Hubby went by the house today and this is what he saw.