Happy Holidays!

My Pinterest-inspired wreath finally hung

Since I just made and put our wreath out yesterday (better late than never right?) I wanted to wish you all a very happy holiday season.  I hope your holidays are filled with joy and happiness!  

xoxo

Where is Eboni?

My thought every morning!

Well hello friends and happiest holidays to you!!  

I wanted to check in as I have been catching up on your blogs and it's so exciting to see the next set of homes underway!  

So what's been going on with us and what's next?  

• As far as our home is concerned, there are some very small things to be addressed at our 30-day, but nothing immediate!  Our refrigerator takes about 30 min. to fill a cup with water.  They came to check the line to ensure it was fully open and it was.  This turned into a call to the manufacture by our PM.  He is taking care of this, so I hope to have it addressed soon.  While moving the refrigerator, they scratched a few wood planks, even though they put down a protector board.  Our PM will be replacing those planks. 
• A few cabinets had small scratches.  Our PM called the cabinet guy to address the issues.  He came, made the issues even worse, so now our PM is replacing the cabinets.  Our PM is the best!  We did not have to say one word...he just said "I will have them replaced".  
• Ordered blinds, but they are taking forever...so hopefully the neighbors aren't looking too hard!  HAHAHA I have to change clothes in my closet to keep it PG in the community.  
• We painted the laundry room - boy does paint transform a room!  
• Washer and dryer decided upon, delivered AND used already HAHAHA - we decided on the Maytag Bravos XL (in Granite color) and I love them...oh...did I mention I scored a floor model dryer with only a small scratch that you can't see unless I point it out to you...for 50% off???  Yes...$1199 sliced in half!  
• Purchased paint for secondary bedrooms and master closets - All McCormick Paints because we had a coupon from our builder as this is what they used in the homes.  They also offer a great quality product with awesome colors!  
• Replaced our standard thermostat with a Nest - LOVE!
• Purchased a dining room table and four chairs from Restoration Hardware - I need to do an entire post on this purchase, but to keep it quick, ask about purchasing floor models.  They will possibly have a wait list of people (yes, I couldn't believe it either).  If there is a scratch like on the leg of the table...do you really care?  If not, grab that thing for a huge discounted price.  Well...that is what we did!  After all, a scratch will only add to the whole 'rustic' look! LOL  It should be delivered tomorrow.  
• Painting 2nd and 3rd bedrooms, master closets and great/living room shelving areas this Saturday...and no we will NOT be doing this ourselves.  The laundry room was fun but I dare not put my painting skills to a wall where people actually have time to observe the mess-ups.  HAHAHA 
• Having shelving installed in the great/living room near the fireplace next weekend.
• Currently entertaining quotes for closet systems in our closets.  So far, I am still leaning towards to the Elfa System, but we shall see.
• Entertainment systems, such as TVs, speakers and lighting controls are in the making through Magnolia.
• On the prowl for two more chairs to complete the dining room table.  I wanted airchairs at the heads of the table to mix it up a little.  
• Planning on finishing the garage before the snow comes! YIKES
• I will be putting in a peep hole in the front entrance then adding a peep hole viewer.

We have also managed to get that big heavy mattress to the third floor which will be our guest mattress.  It took us about 3 days to do so, but we made it!  I hope to have the guest bedroom completed soon after it's painted.  

We have a list of projects to do but these are the ones that are more immediate.    

Eboni's Advice Corner: 

• If you want something added to your home and there is still construction going on in your community, ask the guys on-site about completing the work.  Winter is approaching which means they will gladly accept more work.  For us, we thought "why not, they are the same guys who put the home together.  If anyone knows the in's and out's...it's them"!  Our painters actually painted our model homes so that was a score.  It was super easy to tell them exactly what we wanted and you can't beat the price with a stick!  
• Don't forget to ask about floor models on appliances and select furniture items.  This could save you a ton of money and you could still achieve your vision.
• Don't feel obligated to take on so many projects at one time!  It's your home, you just moved in and hopefully you are not going anywhere too soon.  Take some time to plan and get things exactly how you want them.  
• Lastly, ENJOY YOUR HOME! 

Sorry I do not have any pictures of anything as it stands, but as projects get finished maybe I will post them here or create another blog.  

xoxo

We're New Homeowners

It's official (actually official on December 5th but I have been sooooo busy with the move)...WE ARE NEW HOMEOWNERS!!!

I will be sure to update once we have had time to unpack.  I tried to update on my phone but it failed to upload.  Better late than never!  Everything was efficient and smooth with closing.  We decided to move ourselves...which is probably why I am still tired and late on posting!  

Big thanks to NVHomes and to everyone involved!  We had one dynamic team including our broker and his office, the loan officer and her office, PM, SR and the settlement office.  

Now the real fun starts!

xoxo

Final Inspection + Pre-Settlement + Pictures

Happy Thursday!  

This may be a lengthy post, but I want to cover as much as possible as we are wrapping up our building journey!  So let's get to it!!!

Final Inspection

I spoke about hiring your own inspector for pre-drywall and post (right before your complete your final walk-through).  I will spare you the time of all my personal opinions on this topic...but let me just say it has been well worth the money.  Not that anything major was found on either inspection, but having a professional not emotionally attached to the home to give you the piece of mind is priceless!  

We had the same exact guy from our pre inspection complete our post inspection.  Overall, it was a great inspection but here are the things he found:

• Electrical panel not installed correctly - the electrical panel located in the 'Man Cave' was installed that in the event the fire department needed to remove the panel, the trim surrounding panel would prevent the panel from being removed.  During our walk-through, our PM noted that he will have the electrician out before we settle to move the panel over a few inches.  This will fix this issue.    
• The stopper located in one of sinks in the guest bathroom did not stopper correctly - when fully engaged, the water still drained from the sink.  Our PM noted this will be fixed before we settle.  
• The water was not hooked up in the refrigerator.  Our PM noted the guys will be there today to hook everything up and test it.  
• The air filter was dirty - our PM noted they change this out the day you settle because there is clean up still going on.
• One of the outlets in the kitchen was wired with reverse polarity.  This could be a potential safety concern.  Our PM will have the electrician out to fix this ASAP.

So again, nothing too major, but it's nice to have someone know what exactly to look for.  

Pre-Settlement Walk

Our PM had our home smelling soooo good.  He used some type of pad thing placed in the vent...and boy was it welcoming!  He had the fireplace going and I was instantly in love!  This was my first time seeing the fireplace because I did not attend the inspection.  For me, this is where it started to become really real!  In attendance, there was my hubby and I, our PM and a representative from our Real Estate Broker (he was on travel so he sent someone from the firm whom we've worked with before).  Our PM had water waiting for us (very much needed) because this is where we went over the huge binder with all the information about our new home.  We did not go over each and every page because we would probably still be there!  LOL  What he covered was very sufficient for us.  Afterwards, we had some questions then we went on the tour.  Each room at every level was covered.  We had our own blue tape to mark the place up again, but our PM gave us free range to use his green and blue tape as we walked through.  He covered all of the workings in the home from the utility closet to the dishwasher.  

After we walked through, we signed a few documents and my hubby and I were left alone to mark up the place.  We marked as much as we could, and yes we were very picky.  We saw a couple of scratches on the cabinet, so our PM scheduled the cabinet guy to come out this Saturday.  #score 

Like other builders, NV Homes will come out for the 30 day inspection to fix anything we may have missed.  However, we thought since they offered to fix anything before we moved in, why not?  

In the pictures below, you will notice tape that either we or our PM placed throughout the home.  We have a settlement date for tomorrow so we are super pumped.  

OHHHHH two more things...

• I noticed that our garage door opener was missing, so our PM will check on this and have it completed as well.  This is big because manual lifting a garage door in the winter is not for me.  HAHAHAHA (not to mention it was included).  LOL
• I do not think I will be painting large rooms upon moving in.  I saw enough settling that caused me to rethink that plan.  I will be paint small rooms like the kitchen pantry and garage but no bedroom or living room spaces.  #ICanWait

I will miss blogging about our building journey, but I will just start a new chapter on making this house a home.  

As always, if you have any specific questions I am here to help.  I tried to make this post informative without creating a book for you to read.  LOL  Enjoy the pics and I will post final pics once we move in.  

It's almost official!

I love our fireplace

Fireplace with lights on

Touch-screen fireplace remote

Kitchen view

One less extinguisher to buy!  Thanks NV

Our PM used a little marketing here! Smell good pad in vent

Pantry - we will most likely replace the shelving unit with the Elfa System

Dining room

Dining room

'Man Cave' wired for 5.1 surround sound - electrical panel discussed above pictured to the left of the windows

I love our cooktop and we will add a backsplash too

Great room with tape (LOL): wired for 5.1 surround sound and I will get shelving put in those spaces

Switch controlled outlets identified - weird angle but they are aligned

xoxo

Hello December

Helloooo December!  Where has this year gone?  It seems like December was such a far thought not too long ago...and BOOM...it is December 1st!   

This year has been yet another memorable year for us!  I know a lot of you are embracing your new homes, and we will be joining you soon.  We are scheduled to close this week (Yaaaayyyy), so you could imagine how excited we are about our next steps.  

I have not been to the home since returning from my travels (partly because I wanted to leave a little unknown for the surprise factor when we do our final walk-through).  As you know, we hired our own inspector for our pre-drywall inspection and we hired them again for our final walk-through.  The inspection will take place tomorrow (which my hubby will attend), followed by our pre-settlement walk-through on Wednesday.  We will be moving in soon there after.  I have been on pins and needles about announcing an official date because it always seems like something will "come-up".  I hope this is not the case, but I will let you know once we are IN the home!  LOL  

I look forward to making some big purchases (finally) and making our house a home.  I hope you all are settling in well and filling your spaces with lots of love and laughter.  

xoxo