I am a post-closing blog slacker...

There, I admitted it. I swore I would keep up with blogging after we closed, but I have been very bad. With decorating for Christmas, a mini-vacation during break, and having the kids home, I just haven't taken the time to write. BUT, to all my fellow Ryan Homes bloggers, I have been keeping up with your journeys these past few weeks. I know DW and Nadase close today and I am SO excited for you guys.
This will be a catching up on what we've done blog, so lots of photos.

 

The  big Christmas present from grandma and grandpa. It has been getting plenty of use!

We have also had some more painting done.This is our master bedroom. I love how the ceiling turned out. Don't laugh at the single, pathetic light...we finally bought a ceiling fan yesterday so Dan will put that up this week. I have all the wall decor sitting in the corner but we haven't put it up yet.....eventually it will happen.

 As soon as we found out that we were moving, and that Dan would be traveling outside of the US, we had this idea to put a map up and pin every place he goes. We also wanted a map of the USA so we could pin every place our family has gone together. Our goal is to visit all 50 states before our youngest graduates high school so we do A LOT of traveling. So far, we are up to 31 states as a family. I found this great map set at Costco for $15 but the world map was huge (over 5 ft long) and I could not find a frame. Our AWESOME friends, Kim and Mike, own a custom cabinet company (Lustig Custom Cabinets) and they made us two frames, one for this world map and another for a map of the USA. The office is still a work in progress so we don't have that up yet.

Kitchen:

OK, we finally had the hardware installed on the cabinets. I LOVE IT! The hubby likes how much easier it is to open the cabinets. Dan doesn't have a jig so we hired the RH handyman to install for us, post-close. Well worth the extra bucks! We didn't want to drill a boo-boo hole in the doors

 

 

 

 

 

On to bathrooms:

Our master bathroom. For my fellor RH bloggers, you know that the shower head is a bit low, and doesn't move side to side very well. If you have a bench in your shower, you won't be able to sit on it and have water flow over you. So, this was the first thing we replaced in the house. We got this at Home Depot. It's not perfect but it is flexible and Dan can fit under it, which is important when you are a tall guy.

 

The kids bathroom: I know other bloggers have written about the darn towel bar and I did not take their advise and ask to have it moved. I really wish I did. The placement is weird. The towel hits the toilet and that is gross. I haven't painted the bathrooms yet because we plan to move these bars to the opposite wall and put a small hand towel bar closer to the mirror. This will require a little spackle but that doesn't scare me. So i really suggest asking your PM to put the towel bar on the wall opposite the toilet.

 

 The media room is complete and we love it! If I can't find a kid or the husband, I know exactly where to look.

 

 

 

 

 



 

We finally found bedding that Leland liked. We really wanted something that was red, blue, and grey but not look like an American flag. I scoured stores and websites for weeks and we just couldn't find one so we finally found this at Target. It is orange, blue, and grey but it looks cool. It just may not be the best match with his Cubs fathead wall art but he doesn't care. Eventually, I will actually get that up too.

 

 

Ok, that was probably boring for everyone except my mom and dad. Sorry!
Our 45 day post settlement walkthrough should be happening soon. I have a list of things we need addressed, but I must say, there isn't anything major. No water leaks, no falling off stone, no electrical problems....basically some cosmetic issues at this point. Next blog will be all about that meeting.

Ahhhhh... I am finally sitting down!

It has been a whirlwind these past three weeks! We closed on a Wednesday, had painters here on Thursday, movers and phone/internet on Friday, satellite/couches/unpacking on Saturday...Trying to find all our kitchen necessities (I was determined to cook a meal in our new house on Sunday), unpack, unpack, unpack....OH, and it's almost Christmas so I definitely needed to shop and decorate for that. You get the picture, it's been busy.
Here is a little of what we've been doing since we moved in....

We still are looking for the "just right" comforter so his twin one is working for now.

 

Our entry! I love the color! It looks so different in the daylight vs. night.

 

Dan putting his handywork to use in one of the storage rooms. I love having a home for all the decorations.

Below are the shelves in the garage. He just finished those last night. We will hopefully get organized enough that I can park in the garage...don't hold your breath, I'm not!

 

Remember waaay back when we wrote bible verses on the door jams and floor? Well my sweet dad printed off those pics, framed them, and mailed them to me. I LOVE IT! The plan is to hang next to the doors but we haven't gotten that far yet.

Our bedroom furniture..We decided against the more rustic set that we originally bought and got this beautiful set instead. The painter is coming back tomorrow to paint our room and the media room so I will add more pics once that's all done.

Speaking of media room....we got those sconces on clearance and put wireless puck lights from Costco in them. They come in packs of 6 and have a remote control with two brighness settings. It is a perfect way to have just a little light to manuever around and can turn off before we start the movie. These walls are getting painted a dark gray tomorrow.

 

Our new couch...IT IS SO COMFY! It's called the Collins from LaZboy and we picked Pewter fabric.

Our kitchen in complete disarray. Notice the "bargain" bar stools we scored..Yeah, they are too short:) Hahaha, They will work for now.

 I hate how I can't get a good angle in our room so show you the size. It's much larger than it looks.

My bath...I have waited 8 years to have a big tub again.

 

 

And finally....decorating the tree. It used to barely fit in our old living room...now it looks fun size!

 

I will try to update more after Christmas. I pray that every one of you get to spend the Christmas season with those you love.

Merry Christmas!

 



We CLOSED Today!!!

It took exactly 84 days from a hole in the ground to keys in our hands (pretty impressive really). We got the call at 12:30pm that the funds were transferred and the home was ours. So, of course I headed over as soon as I could (an hour later) and the local phone company was already there hooking up our phone and Internet. Yay!

Our PM and handy man were there doing last minute detail work. But I wasted no time slapping up some sample strips of paint colors to make sure they looked how I wanted in each room. Tomorrow the painter comes to paint the kids rooms, entry, and great room.

These are the two colors I'm deciding on for around fireplace. It was already dark out so it's hard to tell but kids like the darker "pavestone" color. I keep thinking the lighter "amazing gray" will let the fireplace pop. Thoughts? I'll see how it looks in the morning light.
While the painter does his thing, I will be painting the office and sealing granite and grout. Should be a fun day hanging out in our HOME!

Gift for PM ideas please

Ok, my husband and I want to get our PM a nice gift for all his hard work, and frankly, for putting up with me....Trust me, he deserves an award for that!
We have been brainstorming ideas from gift certificates for dinner for he and his wife to GC for hardware store. We even thought about tics for Cleveland Browns game but we don't know if he likes football. We haven't come up with one that feels right.
So, I would love some ideas from fellow RH bloggers.

Thanks.

Walk through: CHECK Sign paperwork: CHECK....We just need those keys!

Oh my gosh!!!! I am crawling out of my skin with excitement! I just want tomorrow afternoon to come NOW! (Sorry for all the exclamation marks....I can't help it!)

The front without all the debris. Unfortunately, it's too late to get a yard put in or our driveway and sidewalk so we have to wait until spring. 

Yesterday was a big day. We had to go to the bank and get that big downpayment certified check. Goodbye money!
Then to the house for our final walk through. That was a great experience. It took 3 hours and our PM showed us ALL about our home. He showed us how to turn off the water from every faucet, the mainline and the hose lines. They actually have locations inside the house to access the hose lines so we can shut them off during the winter. I did not know this but I like it. We were also given a very thick notebook with all the details, warranties, and recommendations for our home. It will be nice to have all that info in one location.
 As we walked the house, our PM had a notepad and any tiny flaw that he saw, he wrote it down so they can fix it by Wednesday. By the time we were done, there were 27 items on his list. He was incredibly picky, which I like, so if there was a tiny scuff mark on a wall, he wrote it down to make sure it got touched up. Most everything was just minor. The only major issue was the half moon shaped window that is up above all the other windows in the morning room. There is water inside that window (Dan and I did not even see it, our PM did) so he is getting that replaced.

Older photo but that top window is the problem. No big deal, they are replacing it.

 



It may not be done by Wednesday, but it will be done as soon as he gets the window. Oh, and because we have the cottage elevation, the windows only have the one longer strip down the middle (not the 6 or 9 panel look), they are having a hard time replacing the front window that is cracked. Our PM said he may have to go to another county to get one, but it will get done.

On Sunday, we went by the house to check on it and the 'handy man' was there, touching up paint and cleaning. He must have stayed all day because when we walked in this morning, it was totally shiny and ready for me to move in!!! I so appreciate his hard work.  I am excited to show you our kitchen. It turned out so great. I took a walk through video of the whole house but it's 6 minutes long so it won't let me insert it here...hmmmm... I may have to make it a youtube video and insert the link. Not sure about that though.
Here are some pics in the meantime.

I forgot to take a close up of the granite but it looks beautiful. Most people seem to choose the Venetian color (which is beautiful, my mom has it) but I love gray tones so I want with Pearl Gray (but we found out from the granite company that they call it New Caldonia). RH should probably change that name on their end.

Here is a pic off the internet.

 



 I think the colors from the fireplace and kitchen are a nice combo.
Also, we found hardware for our cabinets and will probably get those installed next week sometime. I think that will make a huge difference in the look of the kitchen. They are also stainless, so it should complement the appliances and counters nicely.
I counted 41 cabinets total so that's alot of hardware!!!
We get the keys tomorrow. Today I am purchasing concrete sealer so we can seal the garage floor Wednesday night (weather permitting), before we fill it with crap our beautiful things:) The painter comes on Thursday to paint the bedrooms before furniture arrives on Friday.
Oh, and we were issued our new home number yesterday by the phone company....for some reason, that really got me excited!!!
Chat later, gotta go pack this apartment up!!!!

Keys in 3 days!!!

I can't believe we are finally at the end of this home building journey. We do our final walk through and sign paperwork tomorrow. We get our keys in Wednesday. Movers arrive Friday!!
I'm not sure if Dan and I are more excited about having a big kitchen or having our mattress back. We sure have missed that thing!

Today we went by so I could see our granite (home from California) and our "handy man" was there touching up paint, patching and sanding spots that weren't perfect, and adjusting doors. He said he wanted to have it looking perfect before our walkthrough. The handy man is basically the guy who is in charge of the final touches on each house. He has a long punch list and goes through everything, adjusting, replacing, repairing, whatever needs to be done.
We asked him about installing the cabinet hardware and he said he could do it after hours...at a price I can't complain about, especially because he already has the proper tool to do this and the knowledge to do it quickly. He also said he installs ceiling fans, lights, etc. So, RH bloggers, ask your "handy man" about what he/she can do after you close. The price may be just right!

Oh, and I LOVE my granite! I do not have a pic tonight...forgot my phone but tomorrow I plan on taking video and pics to give a virtual tour....as long as most of the clean up is done. If not, I will do it on Wednesday.

One final note regarding appliances through RH....DO NOT pay the upgrade fee for the stainless. I really wish that we did not do this. I am underwhelmed by the appliances that we have. The fridge is not all stainless, it has black sides, the dishwasher feels cheap, and the stove basically only has a stainless door and a panel on the top. Otherwise, it's black. I'm sure they will cook, clean, and store everything just fine but for the price, I wish we would have taken the standard and sold them on Craigslist, then bought what we wanted. From the beginning, my gut told me to do this but my husband didn't want to deal with selling stuff and replacing so I gave in. Next time, I will go with my gut.

Update on bathroom tile: Because the edge tiles do not have the same undertone, RH has offered to replace all of the tiles after we close or cut us a check for the cost. It's up to us. Either way, I am satisfied with their resolution. But it will be settled after Wednesday so it doesn't delay our closing.

Oh my gosh! I can't wait for tomorrow....and Wednesday....and Friday (when we can actually sleep in our new home)!!!

Bathroom Tile: Advice please

At this point, I am a bit disappointed with our options with the tile issue in our master bathroom. Our PM and the flooring manager both agree that the edging tiles have a different undertone than the main parts of the tile. They ordered about 30 new ones but they too are the same reddish undertone. Here is the problem, when the lights are on in the bathroom, the difference is not noticeable but as soon as the lights are turned off, you can see the difference. Our PM called last night to ask me what I wanted to do about it. I think he wants me to say that it's all fine but we spend $1195 on that upgrade and I just can't swallow that cost, knowing it doesn't match. If we tell them to rip out the tile and pick a new one, we will not close on time so that is not an option. We close in 8 days! I asked about getting a credit for the tile but our PM said he will have to ask his manager about that. I don't love this resolution because it still doesn't get us matching tile but at this point, I just don't know what to do.
PLEASE, any suggestions?