Whew! Whirlwind time!

Well it seemed like we were always looking at products, but not knowing what to pick and man did we spend A LOT of time doing that! But we just this week met with two companies who I would recommend to anyone and they saved us so much time, hassell and I wish we would have just done them first!


At Probuild we picked out windows, doors, trusses, lumber, decking, closets, stair railings, trim, interior doors, siding, exterior features, door hardware, and more!

At Images Flooring we picked out carpet, wood floors, tile, countertops, fireplace, backsplashes and more!

They both have our bids right now getting ready, so we'll see what those come in at at then finalize things. We're getting there!

NEXT- foundation quotes, HVAC and plumbing quotes and picking lighting fixtures.

Moving Along!

No pictures, but so much is happening!

-architect finished and stamped sets of blue prints
-structural engineer signed off and stamped her sets of blue prints
-getting ready to submit to City of Westminster as soon as HVAC is bid out
-starting bidding process soon (like this or next week!)
-starting final construction loan application from bank this week

A lot has happened, we have a lot to do:

-buy cabinets and pick them up
-get HVAC bids
-get thermo-loss calculations done
-find window company
-get bids on foundation, lumber, plumbing, roof

There's so much more, but that's this week's list.

By the way- we've paid many more bills these last two weeks!

architect (remaining due?) $$$
structural engineer $$$
soil sample $$

Kitchen Cabinets

In January we went to IKEA in Utah on a very quick road trip (AND we got to stay with our very good friends, and really enjoyed catching up and eating a yummy dinner!). Our intention was to inspect IKEA cabinetry to see if it was worth putting in our new home. It is very affordable and we had heard good things, so we had to go see.

Yes... it was very nice (the higher level line). The drawer slides were some of the top quality Ryan had ever seen, the organization was amazing and the customization was incomparable.

We decided on Adel cabinet finish and their own line of appliances made by Whirlpool.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/kitchen/tools/kitchen_style_selector

When we came home we found a consumer reports on cabinets and IKEA placed third, among very expensive custom cabinets!

Next step: return to Utah (the closest IKEA) and buy entire kitchen, load on U-HAUL and come home. We will wait for the kitchen sale and place one big order.

Downfall: you have to install and assemble cabinets yourself... that's why they're cheap!

First of many headaches

Well we have settled on a ranch garden-level. (we had to concede the walk-out basement) The main level is everything we ever wanted, it went just as planned and even better.

However! The backyard deck/patio are proving to be the sleeping monsters. The lower level is not totally important at this point in time because we probably won't finish it right off the bat. We can have a few years to get that finished. But the patio is turning into a nightmare.

Architect and surveyor said, "no problem" on getting a deck that goes into a patio. Turns out it is a problem. Now we've had to include a landscaper as well.

Long story short... when building a semi-custom... make sure you fully understand the capabilities and limits of your lot and land. Everything is possible, for a price. $$$

Costs: People we've hired at this point & paid:

Godden & Suddik Architects- designed interior and exterior of house. Came up with elevations, and design. Working currently on finalizing plans and starting on construction plans so we can submit for approval and start the bidding process. Paid- original deposit, rest of money due next month $$

Long, Gardine & Lange Land Surveyors- did land survey with grades, drainage, measurements and city/county easements and setback measurements. Paid- flat fee, he is helping a lot!

A.G. Wassenaar Soil Engineers- took a 30' soil sample and will do a soil report (this takes about 1 month to prepare from date of drilling) *note* The engineer will need the soil report to stamp off structural plans. Paid- flat fee

Next Steps: Hire a structural engineer to review architect plans and stamp/sign off.

We chose to go with Dossey & Suddik Structural Engineers and the charge seems to be about $1.10/sq foot as a flat fee. Once they sign off (and we pay them), we can get going!

The LOT!

Here are photos of the lot that we purchased

Highlights:
- Corner lot
- Backs to a large city park
- Clean and well developed neighborhood
- Underneath final approach for local airport
- 180 views of Colorado front range

This is the lot from the corner by the other neighbor.

This is the back of the lot, backs to a green park and to a playground

to the west. Lot is gently sloping, so a walkout will work.







This is what you see right above you, BUT the planes are almost
silent since they are getting ready to land, we're not on the take-off side! It's
really neat. Everything from big jets to show/antique planes fly over.


We can't wait to sit on our patio with friends and family
and watch the summer sunsets, it is just amazing.


Looking back on purchasing the lot... we are so thankful we paid a realtor $500 to do the paperwork. It was major peace of mind, especially buying from an owner as opposed to an agency. The title company didn't charge as much either since we had a realtor, which was very nice.


We had already made sure we could get a construction loan (lending market is tough now, so BE SURE!) Also- the guy we bought it from already had a lot of information, like site surveys, soil samples, etc. done, so we used those for meeting with architects.


Next step: look into construction loans, architects, site surveys, soil samples. Start reading
How to Build a Custom Home for Dummies and be your own General Contractor ha ha.

Costs: contract purchase price, down payment of 20%, initial deposit, $400 application fee, county taxes, $500 to realtor