NEW HOUSE UPDATE: The Walk-thru!

 

Sit  back and grab your favorite drink because this post is wordy and picture heavy. I am about to take you inside our new home for the  very first time.

Thursday was the start of our move towards moving into  our new home. We did our walk thru. This is when the builders orientation rep. walks the new owners through there home, and we check out how things work. 

We open all doors, drawers, windows, turn on faucets, fill up sinks, start the stove, and run the dishwasher, etc. as she walks us around our new home.

I am continuing to learn that our builder is very conscientious about their customer service. She already had marked some areas with blue painters tape, and had written some notes.

She told us almost first thing that our counter top would be completely replaced due to two scratches that were too deep to buff out. 

We were very glad that they were replacing it instead of trying to buff it out, even though we do have a bit of concern that it will be in before we actually move in.

As we walked thru our new black door…

We were like kids on Christmas morning when we stepped through this door we were greeted by our new hardwood floor running from the front door all the way back to the Great room back wall….

Even with the dust and smudges we loved it. 

She told us once they fix all of the items that we mark with blue painters tape there will be a final cleaning before they hand over the keys to us. 

This is more true to the color of the wood, it is a very warm medium value brown stain, nice and neutral with warmth.

If you turn to  your left you will enter a little hallway and that is where the laundry room, guest bath and the guest bedroom are at.

Small guest bathroom. I opted for another shower vs. a bathtub because we all use the shower in our home and when my Mom comes to visit I did not want her to have to step in and out of a bathtub.

The guest room is at the very front of the house, You can see the window in the center is the window with the black shutters in the front. As you leave the guest wing ( it is a very small wing, but it is a wing ;) you will start your way down the hall to the rest of the house.

You probably can’t see it but my sweet hubby is grinning from ear to ear. The door on the right goes out to the garage and the door on the left goes into the office den.

We have 8 ft. French doors leading into the office. 

We put carpet in here, but plan on replacing it with the hardwood down the road after we get a few other projects done. 

I already have plans in my head swirling around on how I would like to decorate this room. All in good time!!

As you pass the office/den if you look to your right you will see the kitchen….

At the end of the kitchen is the dinette. We have an island that is 9 ft long and 4ft deep. I call it a heli-pad, and I am convinced I can use it for a dance floor!!

I am sure you are all wondering why I did  not get my farmhouse sink. They did not offer any for this model.

Stainless was standard so I upgraded to porcelain, I am not a big fan of stainless sinks. I love to have a clean, white , shiny sink.

The kitchen island sink looks straight into the Great room, and you can see out the back windows.

The orientation of the kitchen is one of the reasons we chose this particular model. Most of the other models kitchens looked out to the side of the house. I like to be a part of family activity when I am in the kitchen.

My sweet hubby checking things out!

We got a 5 burner cook top and the microwave is also a convection oven so now I have two ovens for the Holidays!! 

Another new thing for me! I am feeling very spoiled and fortunate.

We are beyond delighted with the way the kitchen has turned out and it is definitely the Ta-da for this part of the house. 

We will be having a subway tile backsplash installed once we get somewhat settled. All the cabinets, molding and walls are painted swiss coffee. 

This will be the very first time I have ever lived with white walls. We figured it was wise to do the white and change as we go if we feel we want some color on the walls, since they did not offer any colors that I would use in my home.

Looking back towards the kitchen.

You can see the side windows of the great room, next to the windows is a door that goes out to our side patio that is covered and will have a ceiling fan. 

I am excited about that since we use our patio as extended living area here in California throughout the year.

At the end of the Great room we have three more windows. For a gal that loves light I am definitely going to get enough light in this house.

Across from the side windows on the left hand side of the great room is our fireplace and media niche. 

This is my biggest decorating dilemma. I know you will all say why did we not have them center the fireplace. Trust me we asked, but in a production home you get what you get and there are no changes. 

So with that being said I have plans on how to make this work for us, and it will take some very serious planning, but we are up for the job. This one wall should give me some really good blog material.

I have to have a fireplace, it is all a part of the  ambiance in our home during the cooler months. You can see the fireplace screen leaning against the wall, she was showing us how it works.

I love our fireplace mantel and I am looking forward to placing my Dad’s black antique clock front and center.

You can see we are already hooked up for the TV to be hung on the wall, another new first for me. I have not had a TV in plain view for years, it was always hidden behind the armoire doors.

To the left of the media alcove there is the opening to a little entry hall that takes you to the master bedroom. I like the way the master and guest room have their own little hallways off of the main living areas, almost like a little wing, a very little wing.

We added the large window in the middle for more of a view to the backyard. I am so happy with the look of all the windows.

Our bed will fit perfectly between the two windows.

The entrance to the master bath area, toilet closet and closet is to the left.

I have to mention that we got the standard counter tops and shower walls, and I was so afraid I would not like it. 

I did upgrade the flooring to a 12 X24 creamy natural looking stone, porcelain tile, and had my fingers crossed that it would look creamy and white. 

I even chose the over mount sinks in a rectangular shape to make your eye see more white. 

The verdict is out, and I love it, and  I am so pleased with the results, my fears were not warranted after all it is creamy and white and reminds me of sand at the beach.

Our walk in closet and the toilet close are straight across from the sink area.

You can see the reflection in the mirror.

We walked all around outside and in the garage as she explained the inner workings of our new home. The last thing that needed to be added was the garage door hardware.

To say we are  overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude to be able to have this home is pretty much an understatement. 

Once they check everything off their punch list she will be ours.

Yesterday was such an exciting day for us,  and I know that when they hand over the keys to us we will be excited all over again. 

The move will be a lot of work, but the end result is we will be in our retirement home, our last home if all goes as planned. Lots to think about, lots to do, but for right now I just want to enjoy this very special moment.

Thank you to all of you who have been with me from the beginning of this blog, and to all of my faithful readers that leave comments, or email me from time to time. 

I feel as if you are all part of this journey with me and I am looking forward to more adventures in our new home, and on my blog. 

I hope you will stick around for the rest of our story!!

I AM STILL....

ENJOYING THE PROCESS!!