Some of the options so far...

So we've selected some of our structural options and some of the cosmetic options (although colors aren't set in stone until we go to the design studio). I'm typing down a pretty extensive list of the additional options we've selected so far, I am interested to see what is regional and what are some things people think I should add or remove. I will probably end up removing some options, I've read other bloggers comment how the under cabinet lighting wasn't really worth it and to just have an outlet installed inside a kitchen cabinet. Also might not add the additional windows in the great room for future built ins. One thing I'm really debating is the dining room ceiling trim, in my area that means coffered ceilings, but it just doesn't really look that good to me the more I look at it, I LOVE coffered ceilings so I'm thinking of hiring someone to install them how I like them, which will probably be more expensive but I just really can't get on board with how Ryan Homes does coffered ceilings in this specific floor plan. 

It looks odd, like it should be integrated with the crown molding, it just looks very cut & paste idk

The exact Landon floor plan we selected is in my previous post and we've selected the following:

Exterior:

•  Elevation C - Partial Stone Veneer Front
• ·      Crawl Foundation
• ·      2 Garage Door Openers
• ·      White Trim

Dining Room:

• ·      Windows in Dining Room Side
• ·      Ceiling Trim in Dining Room

Morning Room:

• ·      Morning Room with Upgraded Kitchen
• ·      Additional Windows in Morning Room
• ·      Light Fixture in Morning Room

Kitchen:

• ·      Kitchen Cabinets Upgrade 2 (w/soft close)
• ·      Hardware
• ·      Cabinet Crown Morning in Kitchen
• ·      Exhaust Vent in Kitchen
• ·      Granite Countertop Kitchen Upgrade 2
• ·      Upgrade stainless steel appliances (home came with standard stainless steel appliances but we upgraded 1 level, there was an upgrade 2 available but we really didn't need it)
• ·      Cooktop Gas Hookup
• ·      Under Cabinet Lighting

Laundry:

• ·      Granite Countertop Laundry Room Upgrade 2
• ·      Ceramic Tile in Laundry Room
• ·      Laundry Room Cabinets Upgrade 2

Great Room:

• ·      Additional Windows in Great Room 
• ·      Fireplace with stone veneer Fl to CLG with Raised Hearth

Master Bedroom:

• ·      Owners Bathroom With Soaking Tub and Shower
• ·      Owners Bathroom with Ceramic Tile Surround
• ·      Owners Bathroom Vanity Cabinet Upgrade 2
• ·      Owners Bathroom Vanity Granite Upgrade 1 (Upgrade 2 was not available for some reason in the bathrooms)
• ·      Tray Ceiling in Owners Bedroom

Misc:

• ·      Bedroom in First Floor
• ·      Secondary Bathrooms with Ceramic Tile Surrounds
• ·      Secondary Bathrooms with Vanity Cabinet Upgrade 2
• ·      Secondary Bathrooms with Vanity Granite Upgrade 1
• ·      Oak Stairs with Metal Balusters
• ·      Trim Package 4
• ·      Window Blinds (26)
• ·      Deck
• ·      5 inch hand scraped engineered hardwood throughout entire first floor
• ·      Fence with 2 gates
• ·      Same upgraded Hardwoods in Master Bedrooms and throughout 2^nd floor hallway

Building and Selling All Alone

Hello ! I'm creating this blog to give myself an outlet for what I am sure will be a rollercoaster ride. My husband and I  are having to move to a different part of the state (military move) and have decided to build our new home. We currently live in a home that was new when we first purchased it (DR Horton) however that was a spec home we purchased, and this one will be a home we are having built for us. 

So here's where it gets a little trickier for us, he will not be here when we are moving, so most of the planning has to be done before he leaves. We do not have any children but we do have 4 dogs, so I have to make sure I stay on top of the ball for all phases of construction, attend all meetings, make sure to schedule all private inspections, put our home on the market, clear the home with 4 dogs while our current home shows, sell our home, and close on the new one, all by myself, while still having my own career which generally has me in the office for around 45+ hours a week. 

I'm pretty stressed, I know things will be rough, I know things will fall through, so I'm just trying to brace myself and try and prepare for the worst but hope for the best. 

So back to the new home, once we knew where we were going, we started looking around for all new construction homes. We saw a bunch of different builders- Great Southern Homes, Essex, Mungo, all the big builders in SC, however none of them really had the wow factor we were looking for. The big thing we had to keep in mind was getting what we wanted in a home, but staying within the price range of the community (no one wants to have the most expensive home in the neighborhood). This is what eventually led us to Ryan Homes, it was pretty far from the new base, but there isn't really much traffic, and my husband was willing to sacrifice a longer commute time to have a nicer home and a nicer community. 

When we met with our sales rep for Ryan Homes, we just knew it was right, and yes I know they have a huge incentive to be nice to you but we had already met with over 6 different sales reps from different communities and they all definitely left much to be desired. 

We decided that the Landon floor plan was for us, I have included pictures of the plan how we specifically want it. 

Now we will not be needing to move in until the end of March/beginning of April, which actually ended up being perfect because the lot we are building on still needs to be permitted, cleared, etc. We were asked to put down a total of 1 percent of the sales price of the home before they start to build which I think is pretty good. We did have to provide a pre-approval letter upfront even though the build will probably not begin until December, which I understand completely as Im sure they do not want to reserve the lot for someone without knowing they can be approved. The SR tried to get us to apply with NVR several times but I was just not having that, I've heard nothing but horror stories about them and personally would just rather pay closing costs out of pocket with a lower rate then whatever incentives NVR advertises and have a higher rate. 

Sorry for the lengthy first post. I plan to post about the following:  the meeting with the design studio, Guardian, the loan process, and of course all the things that happen once the home actually starts being built, as well as how the sale of my home goes and the coordinating of the sale of my current home and the close of the new home.