What a Difference a Month Makes

August 19: We signed the contract with intent to buy the center construction zone, which was scheduled to be finished and turned into a house in the far-away month of October.

September 15: We go visit "our" house and find the exterior of the structure is basically finished. Paint, siding, decorative stonework (it's around the garages, but the super-bright sun really messed with the exposure in the picture, and the driveway are DONE! I think the only work left to do outside is the balcony on the 2 bedroom unit on the front. There's even some landscaping done around the sides and back, though you can't see it from here.

August 19: Scott stands in the area that will one day be our kitchen. At this time, the only interior work that has been done is drywall installation. Strangely, the bathtubs were already installed upstairs. I think maybe they built the house around them!

September 15: It looks like a kitchen! Floors, cabinets, counters, sinks, a dishwasher (the wrong dishwasher...for now...but at least it's the right color!), paint and ceiling light fixtures make the construction zone look like it might one day be habitable.

additional photos of the inside from yesterday's visit are on my Facebook album

Other new things in the house include lighting, sinks and toilets in all the bathrooms, smoke detectors, and a light in the upstairs hallway. The bathroom sinks all have the same tacky "crystal ball" handles that I think I've had everywhere I've ever lived. We asked about them in the sales office, since the girl in the design center specifically said "we just changed over from the tacky crystal ball handles." I think the girl in the design center is going to be ratted on for that! No big deal - we'll probably tackle that project right after the kitchen sink, but just go for something cheap that isn't butt ugly and won't break the bank. (can you tell I've hit my mental spending limit?)

They also installed a sliding glass shower enclosure in the master bath, which we DO NOT want. We asked when we went back in and were told "no, that's an upgrade. you don't get one of those." OK then, will you please take it out? The answer was yes. Good thing - I don't really want to tackle ANY project that involves large sheets of glass!

They were also really cool about the wrong dishwasher, and we were assured it would be switched out. We've decided to go back next week to check and see if our stove and refrigerator are in there. After that, to my untrained eye the only thing left is carpet and touch-ups.

To continue my "one month" theme...

One month from now: If all goes according to plan, we will own this house. It'll take a lot of hard work (and possibly a small miracle or two) for us to have actually moved in by this point. As I mentioned before, I'm scheduled to work the entire week that we are scheduled to close. I'll get the day off of the actual closing, but that's it. I plan to take the entire next week off, and maybe part of the week after that.

We want to get the ceiling fans installed (umm...and buy a ladder, I guess!) before we bring in any furniture. I would have the cable guy come to run the line for the modem in advance, but I think perhaps they actually need the computer/TVs there to check and make sure everything works.

And of course, at some point we'll need to pack up our existing belongings and move them! And then, we will sleep in our bedroom that overlooks the pond, and we will soak in our doorless tub, and we will cook in our beautiful kitchen...

And we'll never have to renew another lease, or write another rent check, or lug groceries up to the third floor, or drive around the building multiple times looking for a parking spot... I'll stop, but you know I could go on all day!