Anxiously Waiting...

Well…. No we have not begun construction quite yet. There was a bit of a delay with the bank (mostly due to the appraisal) but we got everything straightened around and now we are off to the races (almost). We got word from the back at the end of last week that our house over appraised. I always thought this was a good thing, well it is and it isn’t. While we will have equity built into the house immediately, it also throws up a red flag that we will not be able to complete the house for the amount we borrowed. Not a huge issue, that bank was very easy to work with on this problem, it just required a little more time. We are hoping to have final commitment today or Monday and be able to close early next week. I am pretty anxious to close and get things started (as is Mike).
With that said, we are looking to put a hole in the ground sometime during the week of May 5th. I am just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that we can get started soon.
We are planting some trees tonight. I will try to remember to take some pictures of the trees and post them. Have a great weekend!

We Have A Drive Way!

Let the dirt Fly! We took advantage of this semi-nice weekend to put our Drive Way in. Yes, I know it is just a drive way, but to me it is still exciting. One step in the right direction. We did go to the bank on the 21st of March and got locked in at a great rate, so I am very pleased about that. The appraiser was out on Friday evening to take pictures of the land and finalize everything on his end. I anticipate closing to be sometime in the next two weeks. We used Northwest Savings Bank (for anyone considering buying or building) they have been absolutely wonderful to work with; I cannot say enough nice things about our experience. Here are some pictures of the position where the house will be (the first picture you can see the four flags marking the corners of the house) as well as some pictures of the drive way construction. Enjoy!

You can faintly see the flags for the corners of the house.

My Grandpa, Clearing the Way!

My dad, moving the stone into place!

Mike, loading up Dumpy!

More Stone!

Even More Stone!

Were almost there!

Move That Dirt!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

All is quiet on the western front, But not for long! We went to the bank on March 7th and went through the pre-approval process. We did not have all of our prices back on some of the materials so we could not lock in the rate or finalize our application. The pre-approval went very well and it was a great learning experience for both Mike and I. We have a meeting with Uncle Chuck (Contractor) on Thursday to get our final contract and get everything set to go. I made an appointment to finalize our financing on Friday (Good Friday, so please keep your fingers crossed that rates stay nice and low). We are getting anxious to get started!

For those of you who may not know, we purchased 6.5 acres about one and a half years ago to build on. Below I have posted pictures of the property before breaking ground! In the first picture you will notice a darker spot of grass in the middle, this is approximately where the front porch will be setting, which makes for a great view in the spring and fall months!

Not much longer to go and there will be DIRT! We are so excited! I never thought in a million years I would be so thrilled to see a hole.

From The Bottom of DriveWay Looking Up

From the Garage Side Looking West

From the Top of the Yard Looking Out Over the Hill

Found Rear Elevation Picture

Thank you for the email responses about the Blog, we are glad you like it! I was able to find an electronic copy of the rear elevation. However, the picture is in Brick, we are not using Brick on the house, but at least it gives you an idea. Here's to hoping the land scape looks just as nice!

Rear Elevation

Once Upon A Time

I know the title is a little Cheesy, but it feels like Mike and I are ready to walk into our own fairy tail. We are so excited to start the house. We decided to create this blog so that for anyone who wants, they can check back every few weeks and see pictures get updates and keep track of where Mike and I are! I have really good intentions to keep the Blog updated, but also keep in mind I will be neck deep in construction too, so if there hasn't been an update in a while and you just cannot bear to wait another day to see the house, stop by and see us (but be careful, you may find yourself with a paint brush or hammer in hand, HAHA).

I know many of you have been asking when we will be breaking ground; I finally have an answer for you!!!! We met with our contractor last night, February 13th (who by the way is my Uncle Chuck, for those of you who didn't know that already). He said that as long as the weather cooperates he is expecting to break ground toward the middle of April. So please keep your fingers crossed that we have seen the worst of winter already!

Now for the fun part and the Million Dollar Question???, WHAT DOES THE HOUSE LOOK LIKE! Well I am pleased to say we found an electronic image of the front of the house and an electronic version of the floor plan. See the pictures below. We are open for any and all suggestions. Obviously we do not do this every day and we are counting on our friends and family to steer us in the right direction. And NO, none of Mike’s dead animal mounts will be going anywhere upstairs, I have to draw the line somewhere!

Front View of House


Floor Plans