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This page is dedicated to the finding and finishing of our new house ...

Jan 21 2008.  The house is new construction, still about 6 wks from being complete and not yet listed, but our agent highly recommends the builder and thought we might like it.  We're early enough in the process that we could select stains for the hardwood floors and cabinets, as well as the typical stuff (carpet, tile, appliances, lighting, etc.).  We met with the builder (Nathan Voss) to get the details of how he intends to complete the house.

Update Jan 25:  We placed a contract on the house!  The living room doesn't fit our new TV and couch the way we would like, and the lot is not large, but everything else is really great (and it has a number of features that we really fell in love with as well).  We gave them permissions to hold an open house or two between now and closing to help Nathan advertise.

Update Feb 1:  The kitchen cabinets and most of the lighting was installed this week ... as it turns out, we were not in time to select most of the colors, but we like what they have selected in almost all cases ... we will get to select carpet, faucets and appliances, though, which is good.  Also, Nathan has installed the railings in the front and poured the stamped concrete patio in the back.  Extra photos added below as noted.

Update Feb 10:  Lots more progress ... most of the tile work is done, the built-ins and fireplace mantle are installed, as are the rear deck railings and stairs ... hardwood floors are all in and will be sanded, stained, and finished next week ... we added a few photos of the outside, and will get some more of the inside after the hardwood floors are finished next week.

Update Feb 17:  The hardwood floors have been sanded, stained, and had the initial coats of finish applied ... unfortunately, they had to go back and re-sand and re-stain because somebody walked through the house with their dog the evening after the floors were stained ... the final coat of finish won't be applied until everything else is essentially complete ... we also selected our carpet, appliances and plumbing fixtures in the past week ... see additional photos and comments below ...

Update Feb 24:  They're getting close, so the weekly progress is not always as obvious ... the custom railing has been installed around the stairway and looks great ... trim work and doors are mostly done ... general clean-up has begun ... HVAC and plumbing work the next couple of weeks ... carpet in the master BR and guest room and stairs is scheduled for the first week of March ... only five new photos added below ...

Update Mar 16:  Plumbing is in (so we've posted a few photos of the master bath) ... carpet and HVAC are in as well ... kitchen has been cleaned up a little bit, so we posted some newer photos of the cabinets ... we also posted photos of the master closet and a few photos taken Mar 7 ... Greg met with the builder and the cabinet maker this week to discuss some potential changes to the fireplace surround and mantle to better accommodate large HDTV's -- the changes may not be complete by closing, but we think they'll be worth waiting for!

Update April 26:  Sorry for the long delay!  We're all moved in and working to get settled ... we've even hung a few pictures on the wall!  As you can see from the photos on our landscaping page, we're getting a little grass coming in, but the heavy rains that came in the days and weeks following the seeding washed much of it into the street.  We also worked with the cabinet maker to rebuild the fireplace surround so that our new TV would fit, and we like the end result very much.

(Except as noted, the photos on this page were taken on Jan 21.)

The house has great curb appeal.  Black custom railings will be installed around the front porch and the very large concrete deck out back.  Tons of external lighting ... down lighting on the corners and quite a few sconce lights near the doorways.

New outside photos taken Feb 10:  note the railings and stairs in particular ...

The Living Room ... interesting library ceiling (which will get some crown molding in it) ... built-ins on both sides of the fireplace, and he is planning to put a plasma TV above the fireplace as a standard appliance in the house ... they were just getting started on the hardwood flooring when we visited, and it looks like it will be very nice oak flooring. 

(Feb 1: the ceiling fan and can lights have been installed, and most of the crown molding is in - see photo #6 ... we chatted about colors for the library ceiling but didn't come to a final conclusion.)

(Feb 17: two photos added - #7 and #8 - showing the built-ins, fireplace surround, flooring, etc.)

(Feb 24: added photo 9 showing more trim around the built-ins ... photos 10 and 11 show the recently installed custom railing around the stairway.)

The "Dining Room" (which we would use as a piano room, similar to what we've done at our current house) ... they are planning to put a chair rail around the middle ... the fourth photo is looking from the living room toward the dining room and front entry area. 

(Feb 1: light fixtures installed in the music room and entry - see photos 5 & 6.) 

(Feb 17: photo #7 shows the flooring and chair rail.)

The Kitchen ... the cabinets are expected to be installed later this week, which will make it much easier to visualize, so I only took a couple photos of the area ... the arch between the kitchen and the living room is a cool architectural detail ... the second photo shows the tile that will be used in the kitchen (also in the bathrooms and laundry area).

(Feb 1: tile and cabinets are installed - see photos 3-6 ... it's really taking shape now!  We'll be selecting appliances over the next week or so, and plumbing fixtures soon also.)

(Feb 17: added photo 7 showing the latest overall view.)

(Feb 24: added photo 8 showing microwave, and taken in better light.)

(Mar 16: added photos 9-11, more recent shots of the cabinets, which we took for planning purposes since the new kitchen actually has fewer cabinets than our present kitchen.)

The Master Suite ... huge room ... cool double-tray (or whatever the correct term is) ceiling, which will be back-lit with rope lights ... the fourth photo is a view from the bathroom into the closet.

(Feb 1: ceiling fan is installed - see photo 5.)

(Feb 24: added photo 6 showing the tub area ... tile surround is installed, but not yet grouted.)

(Mar 16: added photo 7 showing the carpet and trim in the bedroom, and photos 8-9 showing the master bath fixtures and the new rugs and hand towels we picked out.  Also added photos 10-12 of the master closet ... photos 11 and 12 may appear to be identical, but are actually of opposite sides of the closet ... photos 10 & 11 are of Beverly's side - and there is a full-height bar on the end, not shown - and photo 12 is of Greg's side - or at least he hopes to get that much of the closet ....)

Den (Bedroom #3) ... nice double window ... should work well as our den, but we'll have to find another place for the "eBay corner", probably in the basement ...

(Feb 1: builder is putting hardwoods in the den, at 45° angle, which will be cool.)

(Feb 17: photo 4 shows the flooring installed.)

BR #2 (not shown) is about 12' square and will be used as a guest room.

Guest Bath ... photo taken Feb 1 showing double vanity & mirror installed.

(Feb 17: photo 2 shows more of the floor.)

(Mar 16: photo 3 shows the fixtures.)

Basement ... completely unfinished ... stubbed for 3rd bathroom (not shown) and laid out nicely for a 4th bedroom and a large family area ... the first 3 photos show the back portion, with doors leading out onto the patio ... the 4th photo would be the best area for a workshop (next to the garages) and the final photo is looking into the two lower garages:

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