Welcome Home

Well we finally made the move and have settled into our new home. It was a long journey to get to this point but we made it!

So to start from the beginning.  Eight months ago we decided to take the leap and build a new home.  After months of looking for homes and trying to decide what was right for our family, we found an amazing new development that felt perfect for us!  We wanted to be in an area that was close enough to our jobs but far enough out to not deal with the chaos of living in a booming city.  When I came across this new development I just knew and immediately and called my husband Chad.  That weekend we took a drive to look at the model home, just to look :)  Well of course we both fell in love with the home and the area and the decision was made this was something we needed to seriously consider.  We also knew we needed to make a decision quickly.  Lots and homes in this area were selling quickly and prices we increasing.  Two weeks later in early September we put down the earnest money to save our lot and to begin the process.  Building a home is such an overwhelming experience if it is your first time and at times not easy.  I truly believe now if your marriage can survive building a home you can survive anything!  Thank goodness I have such an amazing husband who understands me and supports me no matter how crazy I can be at times.

So that was the beginning of what was to come. All of a sudden we had made this huge decision and then everything became very real!  Now we had to sell our current home, if we could, and figure out how we were going to make this work.  We were so lucky to have met our amazing realtor Keith.  He happened to be the realtor on site the day we toured the model home and became our realtor to help us sell our current home.  I feel so blessed we met Keith and he was such a pleasure to work with from day one.  He was honest from the start and never led us astray.  Anytime we had worries or questions he was there to take care of our needs.  If you are in the area I would highly recommend him!  He walked us through the entire process of the build of the new home and helped us decide when to sell our other home.  His experience and expertise were so helpful.

From October to January was such a blur.  We were making decisions on the house plans and back and forth with lots and the city requirements.  We were also getting our current home ready to sell and all the stresses that presented.  I have to say there are a million decisions to be made when building a new home and selling another.  Thankfully we had amazing builders (for the new home) and a wonderful real estate agent that had the patience of steel! By Christmas Eve our foundation for the new home was laid and it all started to happen.  By mid February we were ready to list our current home and move forward.  Our house went on the market at 12:00 on a Friday afternoon and by Friday evening we had multiple showings and multiple offers!  We were shocked and elated.  This was probably the thing we feared most from the start, was not being able to sell our house.  To our surprise it not only sold the first day, but for over asking price!

The next month and a half were chaotic to say the least!  We were packing and designing the new house and making decision after decision and going to appointments with the builder, subcontractors, loan officer, realtor, you name it.  It felt as if we had no spare time and every day, night and weekend was slammed packed with things to do.

Every weekend when we had any free time we would of course go out to see the progress on the new house.  It seemed like some weekends we would go out and not a lot had been done, and then the next we had walls and sheet rock!  It was definitely fun to watch the process from start to finish.  Here are some pictures I took during that time.

Once the sheet rock went up so did everything else.

The kitchen was and still is my favorite room in the house.  I remember meeting with Mark at AJ Custom Cabinets and trying to explain my vision or lack there of.  Originally these were not the cabinet doors I selected but then there was this thing called a budget.  In the end I could not be more happy with our selection and so happy we went with this door vs. the more expensive option.  The whole design process of the kitchen was a hard one and one that changed several times, however when I saw it come together I was so happy!  I have a very hard time conceptualizing things.  I know what I want but question everything in design because I cannot envision the end result.  This kitchen is completely custom and like no other house.  We changed the layout of the kitchen from our original house plan and had the island custom designed with "legs".  We also did staggered cabinet heights which I love.  We talked about taking all the cabinets to the ceiling but again we were exceeding our budget daily.  Overall I am happy with the design and end look.

On Easter weekend it was time to finally say goodbye to our home of 10 years.  It was harder than I thought it would be and very bittersweet.  We had so many memories in that home and it was sad to say goodbye.  Emery also had a hard time letting go and still talks about her "old home".  Being three and a half is hard and a tough age for a big change like this. We also were moving to my parents house for the next six weeks which was also an adjustment for everyone. I have the most amazing parents and they welcomed us with open arms.

Those six weeks flew by, but at times we felt the new house would never get completed.  They had made so much progress so quickly and then for weeks nothing had happened.  Subcontractors were behind which delayed our move in date several times.  There were days when we were ready to give up and frustrations boiled, but I think this is normal with building a new home.  Nothing is ever going to be perfect or happen smoothly.

Finally on May 4th we got the keys.  I am pretty sure at that point we were so ready to get moved in that nothing else mattered. We feel so blessed and are so thankful to have such a beautiful new place to call home :)

I hope to be updating this blog more frequently and to post updates on all things life at the House of Potter's!

Luvs and hugs,
Darcy