Posted on by Emily

Day 26

Well, it’s a good thing we’re not trying to break ground today because it’s a whopping 17 degrees Nashville.

We do, however, have a stamped site plan.  Woohoo! I’m ready to move some dirt!

….rather, I’m ready to see some dirt moved!

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This is the area around the house and driveway that will be graded.  To the naked eye, this area looks relatively flat, but from the garage side of the driveway to the front corner of the house, it’s nearly a 10 foot drop.

See that orange star I put on the site plan?  That is the location of the tree that Josh’s truck is parked next to in this photo below (taken facing East).  Looks pretty flat, right??

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Meanwhile, final rounds of redlining continue on the house plans.  We are 99.37% there, just catching little things here and there to tweak.

I love finding these notes from Josh.  Can’t wait to see him discover other details in the house as it is being built!

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Posted on by Emily · 2 Comments

Day 17

Now that it’s November, it is time to get serious. We are SO close to getting things rolling on the house build. This week, we met with the bank to get the construction loan process going, which is NOT for the faint of heart. To my knowledge, they will need at least the following to approve us for a loan:

  1. Paperwork detailing all of the money we have, have had, and will ever have
  2. 13 forms of identification
  3. How many pieces of lumber it will take to frame the house, +/- 5
  4. What color we intend to paint the dining room
  5. Our first born child as collateral (I suppose we’ll have to offer Bu, the cat, at this time.)

That is by no means a comprehensive list. It may take us longer to get all of that together than it will to build the house.

In other news, during our car ride design plan review session on the way to visit family this weekend, we solved the butler’s pantry dilemma. The section of the house with the powder bath, pantry, butler’s pantry, and broom closet just wasn’t feeling quite right. My sister and brother-in-law suggested we get rid of the broom closet and enlarge the butler’s pantry so it is more open and inviting. Eugene (sister) said with the revised layout, she would love to come and mix drinks in that space. I agreed, because after all craft cocktails are more important than cleaning supplies.

In closing, I’d like to share a photo that will not be making the cut for our holiday card from our attempted holiday card photoshoot at the property this afternoon. We were hoping to catch the 5 minutes of Fall foliage in Tennessee as well as the golden hour lighting. There weren’t many leaves left on the trees and the sun was especially blinding, but we did manage to get a few good ones for the holiday card.

 

 

Posted on by Emily

Day 8

No major developments in the last few days. No builder contract signed (though in the works), zero utilities on the property, and nothing submitted to the county yet, but rest assured that I have nearly every last selection made for the finishes and fixtures in the house down to the grout colors. I also have all cabinetry and tile detailed to 1/16″ of an inch.

This is what I do for a living after all. I live in the world of interior design plans and detailing, tile, countertops, lighting, custom cabinetry, paint colors, trim profiles, and selection schedules and budgets. This has come in handy as we try to get a precise bid for construction. We will not need any of these items, however, for the better part of a year, but now I can sleep at night knowing which faucet is going in the hall bath.

Now that I have all of those things selected, detailed, and budgeted, I have moved on to deciding where all of our current artwork and mirrors will be going in the new house. At least 12-15 months ahead of schedule on that one.

This is what I do when waiting on other parties for things out of my control: I make lists, spreadsheets, diagrams, and design boards. Please send help. And wine.