List of Never Ending Projects

So we knew this was going to happen when we bought a house, especially a new build. There was so much that needed to be done to make it functional. We could have had the builder hammer out our wish list - but that would have come with a huge price tag - so we decided against it and kept a running list and chiseled away at it for the first couple weeks we lived in the new house.

To do list:
1.) Install blinds throughout the house
2.) Install 2 garage door openers
2b.) Install extenders for the garage door openers because once assembled we found they were too short ... fuck!
3.) Install attic ladder and frame
4.) Buy plywood planks to put in the attic for added storage space
5.) Install 2 flood lights in rear of house
6.) Install 3 pendant lights in kitchen which were prewired
7.) Buy furniture!!! (my favorite part!)
8.) Find a dog run on craigslist and assemble
9.) Install dog door with access to the dog run
10.) Get fill dirt and rock to make a pad for the dog run

Most of this had to be done in the first couple weeks. It didn't help that my boss wanted me to go on a work trip the week of our move (typical - business trip the week of my wedding, business trip the week after a big move....it's like he waits for life events to throw a big wrench in it...we'll see what happens when I have a baby).

The biggest priority was the dog run. Once we moved in and started unpacking we realized how frustrating it was to have to take the dogs out 3-4 times a day. We can't trust the dogs to be off leash, they just don't listen, especially when their in exploring mode. After all, they're just a bunch of hound dogs. Another thing we weren't expecting was how stressed they all got after the move, it was sort of a big deal for them. I have moved in the past with the little dogs, and they never seems this stressed before. I think it might be because we've been stationary for the last 3 years. Anyway, long story short... since I was going on a work trip and Paul would be at home alone with the puppets (the emotional Dixie was a real concern) he wanted to make sure the dog run was set up before I left. So we were hard at work getting that all sorted out. Finding the fence was the most difficult part. We didn't have a lot of time to search for used fence. But we got pretty lucky and found someone near by that was selling a bunch of fence panels, the price was a bit high, but we needed it. We then went to a local landscaping business and got fill dirt and rock for the pad of the kennel then started on the project ASAP. Luckily it wasn't in the hundreds yet (degree weather I'm referring to) so it wasn't too unbearable. I still had to take lots of breaks - shoveling is hard work!

Here is the finished product:

Paul bought some shade material at The Home Depot for the top - not only to provide shade, but keep scary hawks from swooping down and grabbing a weenie for dinner.

I don't have a picture of it... I'll look and update if I find one.... but we built a raised bed/stand to put out here. It's just to the left of the ramp, and the dogs can go out and sun bathe and lay out and listen to things around the neighborhood when they get the urge. Arnie spends lots of time out there! I can't wait to get the rest of the property fenced in so we can let them wander on a larger scale! ..... hopefully very soon!

A couple more things to show for today.... blinds hung. We chose a dark wood (faux wood actually) for the windows as it matched our decor better. Here's the dining room, with our new dining room table. I still have to figure out a center piece for the table - it's a work in progress (it's changed since this picture was taken).

Well that'll do it for now.... and if you were wondering, we did get all that was on that list completed. I will update a little later on.

Move in Day!!

So after a lot of back and forth of when we were going to get our keys for the new house, we got them right before the beginning of the Memorial Day Holiday weekend.

We were thrilled!! We already had people lined up to move us and to paint, both the rental house and our new house's garage, so it was nice to know we didn't have to delay the process any longer. That was a lot of stress taken out of the equation.

we took a selfie in front of our new front door! It's ours!!! Friday, May 22 , 2015

Paul and I are so cute...just wait for it... we both unlocked the door front door for the first time. Both hands on the key and everything! Then he carried me over the threshold, for good luck you know ;)

So we got the keys Friday, and slowly started moving things over to the house the next day. Paul arranged for painters to come and paint the inside of the garage with glossy white paint which we had to be there for. While they were on that, Paul and I tackled our master closet. I feel like closets get left behind a lot when it comes to fun colors and decorating, and I wanted to paint it!

The color I chose was a soft green, it came out darker than I anticipated, but it's not bad!

Here is a before and after:

I wanted to get the paint over with while the closet was still empty. I think it turned out pretty darn good!!

Next, was move in day!!! Movers arrived around 8 am on Sunday, May 24, 2015....and  boy did it take WAY longer than we anticipated. Paul and I helped to keep the costs down. Here are some pictures I snapped along the way:

After that long ass day, we didn't want to do it again!! Hell no, looks like we're going to be in this house for a long time!

Until next time love bugs!!

Carpet and Inspection

Mid May, we have house numbers and an AC Unit! And what's even more important, we have CARPET!!! We're sooo close to moving in!

5.9.15 - hmmm, is it a 14 seer?! Yes, yes I think it is..

guest room 5.9.15

Not too long after this, we had our inspection (May 12) and our walk through (May 14). The superintendent and Mike, the stupid realtor on the builder's side, met us there and scheduled about an hour to two hour walk through. It took us closer to 4 hours! We were very thorough, and I'm almost certain we pissed Tim off pretty good, the superintendent... but who gives a shit, this is OUR house!

We found some minor issues with the paint and wall markings, some of the tile grout needed to be addressed and a couple tiles replaced (one or two). There were also some issues with the cabinets that needed to be smoothed out and fixed.  And the outside of the house needed to be painted too, seems like they may have forgotten to do a second coat.

They assured us it would be about 5-7 days for them to fix all of the issues, then we could get the keys and move our happy asses in! Time for more packing at the house! pack pack pack!

Busy Busy Busy

Wow have we been busy!! (thus the reason for the title!) Paul and I have been doing a lot of work around the house we are in now to prepare it to be rented. We've also started packing (about 4 weeks ago) so that we're not overloaded with packing at the last minute. And let's face it, we're anxious to get moved in.

One of the most exciting parts was when we walked in the house and had CABINETS!! It made the house feel so much more complete :)

Kitchen Cabinets!

Anyways, lots of progress on the house, we got our ceiling fans installed, lighting fixtures, and the roof tiles were laid out.

4/21/15 - roof tiles on!

Here's my panoramic - the tile guy is doing the work around the fireplace :)

here it is, with all that gunk around it 4/18/15

fans and lights! 4/18/15

Along with all that, we got a few other things installed, like the GRANITE! (finally!) Along with the facets, toilets and shower glass.

Paul in his spot!

What I remember is that once the cabinets went in, it took FOREVER for the granite to go on - and along with the counter tops are the sinks and faucets. Totally worth the wait!

5.3.15

babe in his spot!

This kitchen is AWESOME!

One thing that we didn't get that we requested was the big sink. We got a 70/30, and we actually wanted just the big farmers style sink. That was a bit disappointing, but this was our second choice, so we couldn't complain too much. And who wants to wait for them to cut the granite again to accommodate the different sink. We were impatient and wanted to move in already!


An unexpected surprise was the shower glass and toilets :)

5.3.15 - you can bet that this was the very first thing I cleaned when we moved in!

We upgraded the glass for the shower - the extra protection to protect from water spots

Paint, Doors & Tile

Well hello! It's been a while since I've written on here with a house update..I'm a slacker. Regardless, the house doesn't look much different since the last update.

We're mid-April and the interior and exterior walls have been painted, baseboards are installed and we have garage doors. Since March 8th to now, it seems like not a lot has happened. I think the builders are putting more focus on the house across the street, because they seem like they're almost done....it's ok fellas, we'll sit here, patient (not!) and just wait...it's not like our contract started first or anything.... I'm pretty peeved about it, I want to move in already dammit!

Anyways, the bedroom color we chose is a bit darker than the rest of the house' paint color, especially when you look at the paint sample that you find at the store (I didn't take a picture, I suck). However, the color doesn't have them same darkness when it's on the walls. Our real estate agent was a bit surprised, she said she didn't even see a difference between the master and the rest of the house.

Here are some pictures:

after they painted the interior walls, the garage doors were installed
3.25.15

here is the outside view with the doors on, and dirt piles to fill in the land some
3.28.15

right after the first paint day, they still need to cut in
3.22.15

after they cut in and touched up any last spots
3.31.15

we have air vents!!
4.8.15

here is the outside, painted and looking fabulous!

We did have a few more updates that I didn't mention earlier in this post. The tile was laid in both bathroom showers, and a little bit around the floors: vuala!!

Here I am, super duper excited about my new, clean bathtub! Finally able to sit in it!
4.5.15

here's Paul in his spot
4.5.15

best upgrade of the house, the floor in the shower is tile! Screw the white plastic pan! 

here is the bathtub surround in the spare bath

just starting to lay tile throughout the house
4.8.15

That last picture, I'm afraid, may be the last panoramic I am going to be able to take of the house until we move in. The builders caught on to our secret open window in the spare bedroom, so we can't climb in anymore.. :(  We did stop by the house on Sunday, 4.12, but were unable to get inside. They did appear to have laid more tile in the kitchen, but it didn't appear to have the grout installed yet. Again, I think the builder is putting more efforts into the house across the street.

Well, that's it, I'm finally caught up (timeline wise) since I started this whole house update deal. We have a projected close date of mid-May, so we're hoping for 5/15/15...FINGERS CROSSED!!

That's it for now........

Doors!

Just a quick update here, we have doors! I am IN LOVE with the doors we picked for our house. The interior doors and the front door. We picked a "cheyenne" door for the interior doors, they remind me of a cute country cottage. Of course when I go through the pictures I took, I see that I didn't take a very good pictures of what the doors look like, I gotta pay more attention to taking good pics.... but here is an idea of how they look (3.18.15):

Our front door is HUGE! There were 3 different stains to choose from, and we picked the one in the middle, not light and not dark. The house across the street chose the dark and it looks really good, so I think I would have been happy with the one we got, or the dark one:

working on the baseboards and door frames - check out that front door!

We also got a back door, our full intent was to get the builder to install a french door with a dog door in it, but we never put it in the contract, so we ended up not getting it. Which is OK, because we have other plans for the puppets.

Along with the doors, all of the baseboards/door frames and the closets and pantry shelves have been installed:

spare bathroom storage space
3.18.15

spare bedroom closet (must have been dark, these pictures suck!)

pantry

master closet

That's about it for now....