Sunday, March 15, 2015

Gravel, Gas, and Neighbors....Oh My!!!

We went by the house today to check out the progress. We've had a pretty busy week and did not have the opportunity to get out to the house in a few days. Between all of the rain and our work schedules it seemed impossible to get out there to explore. But, we finally made it!! I anticipated a mud pit so I wore my tennis shoes that I could easily toss in the washer when I get home. To my surprise it was not as bad as we thought!
 
It was fairly warm today so the mud had a little time to dry. They'd also spread gravel around the lot, so we were able to get some traction in the mud. Hopefully it'll stay this way....Having said that, there was not a lot of progress to report. Perhaps not as much progress as I anticipated, but still there were some things that had been done...which is a good thing I assume!?! The brick had been laid around the foundation and concrete poured for the basement. You could also see the framing for the welled exit and exterior front stairs.
 
So, funny thing happen. While we were exploring the lot a car passed us by. We figured that it is one of our neighbors, and sure enough a guy exits and starts to head down to our home. He comes up and asks, "hey guys, do you happen to know who owns the equipment here?" He was pointing to a small tractor and truck bed that was laying partially in our front yard and the other part in the shared cul-de-sac. Dwight and I obviously had no clue who left it nor how to contact the owners, so we of course said "no." We then introduce ourselves as his soon-to-be neighbors and explained that we do not know the crew who is "working" on the home. He said that he tried to contact the HOA, builders, and others to have the items removed because he was having a birthday party today for his daughter and he felt that the items were an eye sore.  Anyway, after he realized who we were, he introduced himself and invited us to his 4 year old daughter's birthday party. It was a nice gesture, but we were not able to take him up on it....however, I think he'll be a good neighbor!!  
 
Another interesting run-in.....as we were leaving the lot, we saw a county utility vehicle heading into our cul-de-sac. We decided to turn around to see if the truck was going to our house. Sure enough it was!! Dwight got out and talk to the guy.  He was from the utility company.  He shared that he was out, on a Sunday, to mark the gas lines.  Apparently, all of the gas construction will be taken care of tomorrow....so more progress to come!!
 
Pics Below:
 
This is a view of the house from the front yard. The front yard is going to be huge!!
 
 
Side of the home and a close up of the brick that surrounds the foundation. I really like the color that we chose.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The exercise room (located in the basement) is at the top right of this picture.
 
 
Pictures of what will be the finished basement bath and unfinished storage room that will be behind the bath.
 
 
 
The top will be the finished area of the basement. I kept circling this area because it looks smaller than what I anticipated. But we'll see when it is finished.
 
 
 
 
 
This is where the media room will be (in basement).
 
The welled exit from the media room
 
 
Pictures of/from the backyard, which is huge!!!
 
 
 
Our backyard backs to a conservation. They will not be able to build behind us, which is awesome. It is a small wooded area...so nothing major....but we like the idea that our lot is private.
 
 
The future garage!!
 
 
 
 
Random pics of Dwight walking/standing in the front yard.
 
 
 
Another view of the house/lot from the front.
 
 
Until next time........:)

7 comments:

  1. I remember thinking the same thing about our basement when we were building 3 years ago. I was really disappointed in how small it looked. However, once it is finished, I feel like you need a map to get around in there -- it is HUGE. Fear not!

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    1. Thanks a bunch! I'll keep reminding myself of this :)

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  2. I love the brickwork on the basement walls. We had asked if we could get it but it was cost prohibitive. It looks great!

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    1. Thanks, Kathy! I was nervous about the choice initially, but I think it is going to be a good fit with the rest of the exterior selections that we made.

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  3. LaRon, congrats to you and your family on your new home! I was excited to run into your blog, because my family and I are also building a house with Ryan Homes in Fredericksburg, VA and our timelines seem to, well, line up! I'm curious to see how our experiences will match with each other. :) I'm not brave enough to create a blog, but I am very grateful for bloggers like you to share the same experiences with. I very much look forward to seeing your beautiful new home and I wish you and your partner the best of luck!

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  4. Thanks so much, Joanne! You'll have to share pictures of your progress. What model are you building? Fredericksburg is such the perfect location! Great luck to you with building your home. :)

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    1. Thanks, LaRon! We are building the Rome model, but the Milan was the very first RH model we saw and fell absolutely in love with. It was perfect or us, until my daughter and two dogs were born and then our family went from 4 to 6. :) And thanks so much for your well wishes. When I muster the strength to create a blog, I would be happy to share pictures!

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