Pre-construction
Archived Posts from this Category
Highs and Lows
Posted by Kaina on 11 Jul 2006 | Tagged as: Pre-construction
The Highs: Got a call from my mortgage broker yesterday that he found us a program that will fall within our number goals. I sent him some supporting documents today and should hear back within a couple of days. So, it looks like the financing will be there for us!
The Lows: After apparently years of miscommunication and misinformation, it turns out that Barbara never wanted to move in with us in the first place. Everything seemed like a done deal all this time, with only one day of fear and hesitation. But, it turns out she doesn’t want to give up her independence just yet. While we weren’t counting on her to get our financing, we were counting on her paying a portion of the mortgage.
Also, Ann is thinking that, if we leave Barbara out of the picture, then this house is just too big for us. I can’t say I agree and she claims she’s going to stay neutral for a while.
So, for those of you keeping up to date, I could sure use your positive energy that we will still get this great new home! I seem to be the only one who is confident and I’m beginning to wane on that.
Final Cement stages complete
Posted by Kaina on 07 Jul 2006 | Tagged as: Pre-construction
Stopped by and took a couple more pictures today. The driveway and garage cement is dry as is the basement. Looks like they put on an oil-resistant coating as well.
All of the lumber arrived and framing should start next week! This is where building progresses very fast so I’m excited to check in a few times a week instead of just once.
Also, now that things are at the framing stages, I’ll call for a meeting with the builder again. We need to discuss the additional outlets we purchased for the basement.
Basement dirt packed in
Posted by Kaina on 28 Jun 2006 | Tagged as: Pre-construction
The foundation must have passed the waterproofing tests. Today, we stopped by the lot to see where things stand and they have repacked the dirt around the foundation and leveled out the back yard. So, maybe this week they’ll finish packing the dirt and pour the basement and garage floors.
This also gave us a good view of just how big the backyard is. Standing in one corner, looking to the back of the house, the yard is quite large with lots of possibilities.
Last visit to the Studio
Posted by Kaina on 28 Jun 2006 | Tagged as: Pre-construction
We got final word that our additional upgrade requests were granted. But, Ann also okayed going back to the darker colors throughout the house. So, Barbara and I took our final trip to the Home Studio to reevaluate our color schemes. Since the walls are a darker brown than your standard wall colors, I thought the very light carpet we picked out would be too white. It looked great for the light cabinets and vinyl we wanted to change to, but it would no longer match the darker walls.
The Lot
Posted by Kaina on 26 Jun 2006 | Tagged as: Pre-construction
After our preconstruction meeting we got a printout of the lot measurements:
- Total lot size is rectangular, 60′ wide by 109′ long (6540 sq. ft.)
- The house is centered horizontally, with 12.5′ of space on either side of the house running the lenth of the property
- The driveway is 24.5′ long and the front lawn is about 40′ between the sidewalk and front door
- The backyard is the full width of the property (60′ wide) and extends 42′ from the back of the house (2520 sq. ft.)
Pre-construction Meeting
Posted by Kaina on 26 Jun 2006 | Tagged as: Pre-construction
We had our pre-construction meeting today. This is where a the builder meets with us, tells us their goals, reviews the plans for the house and its options, talks about the lot and property and answers any questions we have for him. They also review the upcoming meetings as the build progresses and what those meetings will entail. This was a very informative meeting and helped to cement a relationship with the guy in charge of finishing the house of our dreams.
To summarize, their goal is to deliver a 100% perfect home and that involves many checks along the way. Not only are we involved in the checks, but also city officials, structural engineers, the sales team, appraisers and the Home Owners Association. We are all checking for any flaws, no matter how small, so that everything is finished to 100% satisfaction.
So far, all the members of KB Home get a perfect 10 out of 10 from me!
I’ll start a gallery with a few photos I took, but here’s the basement as it stands now.
The Model Home and our plan
Posted by Kaina on 25 Jun 2006 | Tagged as: Pre-construction
I just realized that I didn’t include this information, so here it is:
The community is called Springvale and is at the north side of Thornton, Colorado. The model we chose is called Olympia, part of their Discovery series. 3 bed plus loft, 2.5 bath, 2-car garage, full walk-out basement. It’s 1975 sq. ft. excluding the basement. With the basement it’s a bit over 2900 sq. ft.
Interactive floorplan and virtual tour of the model: http://www.kbhome.com/Plan~PlanID~00840586-235.1976.aspx
Since we are late in the construction, we didn’t get to chose any floorplan options. Here’s what the property will already have:
Landscaping and fencing
Posted by Kaina on 25 Jun 2006 | Tagged as: Pre-construction
A few days ago I found out that the front landscaping is actually INCLUDED in the purchase price. We don’t have any real say in how it’s laid out, unfortunately, but we strolled the community to see what we are getting. We know it includes sod, 5 shrubs, one tree, rocks around the house and a sprinkler system. They also give us one tree for the back yard and the small wing-fences on either side of the house including one gate. Every house had a different layout depending on the lot shape and model of the house, but all had a common theme: Natural stone rocks two feet wide on either side of the drive way and three feet wide around the entire house; sod across the rest of the front yard, 5 little shrubs of various species in the rocks across the front patio and one 5-foot sapling with stakes to hold it up.
Selecting our options and signing the contract
Posted by Kaina on 25 Jun 2006 | Tagged as: Pre-construction
Because we came in late on this community’s construction, the options were already selected for this house. However, we are allowed up to 5 changes for a small fee if we catch it early enough in construction. Since the house is still at foundation, we could change any of the interior options except for things that would affect framing.
We weren’t entirely sure of the color scheme picked out for the home, as far as the interior goes, because none of the models had what we were slated to get. So, Barbara and I talked to Ann about the colors she would like and made an appointment for Barbara and I to visit the KB Home Studio. This is where they have samples of everything to choose from. We set an appointment for an hour and had them pull everything that was configured for the house. The only thing not already selected was the refrigerator.
Prelude
Posted by Kaina on 25 Jun 2006 | Tagged as: Pre-construction
Ann works in Denver, for the most part, and Central City in the summers. Central City is a small gambling community dating back to the Gold Rush era. They have a popular operahouse there where Ann is in charge of the costuming. I’m currently self-employed with clients all over the Denver Metro area. So, we wanted a home somewhere closer to that area than where we are now.
We have been planning on buying a home for some time but have never really pursued it. It was just a vision for the future. Well, as it turned out, three years ago we hooked into a great apartment who’s management company had a special deal: They set aside 20% of our rent, every month, as equity or credits toward the purchase of a new house from one of three particular builders (KB Home, Beazer Homes, Ryland Homes). This is a fantastic deal for anyone! Basically, you cannot use a realtor because the apartment company gets a kickback from the builders as if they were your realtor. That’s how they recoup their expenses.