Thoughts on the storm

We got through the storm safe and sound.  Our thoughts and prayers to those who were not as lucky.  I hope that people will not use this disaster to further their own agendas.

Tiled!

Passed by the house today after dropping off my little boy off at Pre-K.  All the bathrooms have been tiled!  We also have a driveway.

Tub in master bath

Shower in master bath

Shower in attached

The driveway

I also saw the cabinets which were still in boxes in the garage.  They will start installing those tomorrow.

Drywall up.

As the title of this post said, the drywall is already up.  I don't think they're finished mudding and taping though.  Was not able to take any pictures as we were so frustrated over the fact that they haven't moved the attic access from the bedroom to the laundry room.  Arrrrggggghhhhh!!!!!!

Pre- drywall Walkthrough done!

Pre-drywall walkthrough is done!  We also did the pre-drywall inspection done by an independent inspector.   No major issue were found.  But my husband and I did have a problem with the location of the attic access.  When they started framing the house, I had called the PM and requested that the attic access be out in the laundry room and he said "no problem."  But they had put the access through one of the bedrooms.  Not good at all.  The PM said it would be no problem to move it.  I hope so.

On a positive note, we met some of the neighbors.  They had two kids aged 6 and 4.  Our kids seemed to hit it off with them.  Yay!

We took a LOT of pictures and video of the pipes, wiring and other stuff that will be hidden once the drywall is up.  Hope that is enough since we won't be getting the blueprints.

Wish list

I wonder how many of us who have chosen to build with Ryan Homes consider the homes they are currently building to be the ONE.  You know the forever house, the one you will grow old in.  For me and hubby, we are leaning towards a "no".  We have our reasons and a lot of it does not have anything to do with RH (It's not you, it's me...).  We have a wish list of what we would want in our dream house and they include:

1. A more modern design.  When we started our house hunt,  we really wanted a house with a modern design sensibility.  But existing homes and new home construction in Delaware are more built on traditional lines, especially those who are in developments.  Yes, I know we could have done what we have wanted if we built outside a development and with a custom home builder but our kids are really young, we wanted them to have playmates close by so we chose to be in a development.  In my mind though, our next home will be built by them.
2. A bigger lot area.  Our current lot size is just a hair over 1/4 acre.  Nuff said.
3. Solar panels on the roof.  Solar panels are not allowed under current HOA rules.
4. Vegetable garden.  Vegetable plots are also not allowed under current HOA rules.  But hey, maybe I can incorporate herbs and some vegetables in the landscaping.
5. Rain water and grey water collecting system.  This is something we will definitely explore once we settle in the house.

I'm not saying that we regret our decision building with RH.  So far, our experience with them has been positive.  And I'm hoping that it will stay that way.

Crate and Barrel sale

For those who are in the market for a new sofa,  you guys better run to the nearest Crate and Barrel and take advantage of their 25% off custom upholstery event.  The selection was really nice and we were able to order a sectional for the family room.    Hubby even insisted that we order an extra set of slipcovers for the inevitable accidents that will happen with our two energetic kiddies.

Hope you guys are able to snag something from them.

On the way to becoming a house...

Our house is becoming to look like a house

We passed by the site just this saturday and to our surprise they have started installing the siding.  We weren't able to take any pictures as we were in a hurry to go home.  With Nascar in town, we weren't too sure how bad the traffic will be. 

We're scheduled to do the independent pre-drywall inspection and pre-drywall walk through this Friday.  I hope everything will go well.