There’s been a lot going on lately - not the least of which is major progress on my new home (and the new season of So You Think You Can Dance)!

Let’s see now - the last we left off, the trim trades were being done, cabinets and flooring installed - and I was (not so) patiently waiting for my granite!

I went in a couple of times to see some less impressive work being completed - but still very important. The door handles have been installed, toilets, plumbing and all that good stuff.

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Between the fires, weather, crazy heat and pollen in Orlando - I’m sick… again. This is getting old, really. And the biggest problem - I can’t go see my pretty house! I’ve been waiting for this week for months. It’s finally here… and I have to rely on pictures from Leona to get me through the day! How sad.

I feel like everything is happening, and I’m at home… laying on the couch and watching Judge Joe Brown.

So let me tell you a little bit about what’s happening -

Exterior trim paint is being done right now.

Cabinets are being installed, probably almost done by now.

Kitchen cabinets in Cherry Tahoe Spice

Kitchen cabinets with microwave pop-up and Fridge build out

Laundry room cabinets in a lighter maple finish

Master bathroom cabinets and hardware in maple finish (paper to protect the tile floors)

Upstairs bathroom cabinets for the kids!

All of the tile has been completed. Here is a picture of our bathroom shower tile wall and listello details.

Blue and green listello detailing on our shower wall (floor to ceiling tile)

I’m going to attempt to get out there tonight or tomorrow to take some more pictures - but I’m super excited! The brick paver driveway is being installed as well as the A/C. Once they get that in, the rest of the trades will come in to install the staircase, counters, door hardware, plumbing, etc.

I’m also ready to get our closing date! So I’ll be working with our closing coordinator, Kim, to find out when we can close! Then it’s back to Roxanne, our Home Mortgage Counselor, to coordinate the closing with them and our insurance.

Leona has been teasing us all day with pictures of our tiled floors, so we decided to run out tonight to see them for ourselves!

After we got the pictures, Anthony had a quick short circuit thinking the tile was the wrong color (it has been 2 months since we saw the sample) and the pictures make it look a little darker than it is - so the visit helped us to visualize! I mean, really - how many versions of beige could there possibly be? We couldn’t go in because it was just set and hasn’t been through grouting yet - but we poked our heads through the front door and it was beautiful!

Foyer (stairs on the right)

I love the brick-laid pattern that the designers chose and I’m soooo happy we decided to keep it.

Tomorrow they’ll be doing the wall tile in the kitchen (backsplash) and bathrooms, and we’re on track to start cabinet installation on Thursday!

Here's the main hallway. On the left, BEFORE the tile with the mapei installation. On the right, AFTER with the tile applied.

Um, who knew that it was a sweltering 95 degrees today in Orlando?

But you think that would keep me away from my beautiful new home?! Forgetaboutit!

So here’s what’s been going on:

All of the interior paint has been done in our color, Burberry Beige. The trim work (close to the ceiling and around the doors) are still left yet.

Kitchen and Dining Room

All of the doors have been hung inside, and trim work completed - including baseboards where there will be carpet.

Kitchen and Family Room in the background

We chose a 3-panel interior door because I thought it was a little more contemporary than the 6 panel or 2-panel arched doors.

Master bedroom door

They also just put in the beginning wire work in all the closets and pantry.

Kitchen pantry

Monday they’ll be installing Mapei, which is a dark, sticky, tar-like substance that serves as a foundation for the tile floors. It helps protect the grout from cracking if there are any shifts in the foundation of the home.

Master bedroom

Once the Mapei is installed, the tile floors and walls (kitchen backsplash and bathrooms) can start to be installed - hopefully on Tuesday. The cabinets are all scheduled to start on Thursday!

Master bathroom tub

So what’s the significance of cabinet installation? That signals the builder that we’re only about 6 weeks out from closing - so I can ask our Closing Coordinator, Kim, for a close date once the cabinets start! Not to mention, they just look pretty

Wow! So much has happened on our new home in the last week while I was (living vicariously through someone with a lot more money than me) furniture shopping!

Kitchen to the right, family room ahead.

So first, and most obvious, is that the drywall is now up! Anthony and I took a little field trip out there yesterday to take some quick pictures. It’s amazing how much different it looks from the first trip out there. It’s really starting to look like our first home

Kitchen and Island to the left. The first door is the laundry room, the second door is the pantry

One of my favorite features is our coffered ceiling and french door in the master bedroom. Both of these were options that were originally planned by the designers. We were lucky to get them since we didn’t start the home from scratch ourselves.

Master BR with the coffered ceiling and french door that goes out to the patio.

That’s really a great benefit of buying an inventory home. We got there in great time to have some structural options already picked out, but in enough time to still make a couple of changes on cabinets, tile and colors.

Family room and doorway to the master bedroom.

So this week, they’ll be mudding the drywall, finishing Stucco-prep and having another inspection to verify everything looks good. The exciting stuff will start in about 2 weeks when the floors and cabinets start coming in! That’s when the home will get a little life of it’s own That’s also when I can go ask the Closing Coordinator, Kim, when my closing date will be.

Stairs leading up to the loft.

Leona and Terry, my super awesome sales associates, had another status meeting today to discuss the progress with the Eric, the Builder; Mark, the operations manager; and Colby, the VP of Operations. They like to make sure everyone is on the same page, verify the progress and talk about upcoming inspections and any issues that may arise during the construction process. They have these meetings once a week and then Leona will usually send me a quick email to update me, the homeowner, about what was discussed in the meeting.

Standing in the loft, facing the door to my home-office!

On the financing side - we just got confirmation that our loan was approved! This was totally exciting for me because I think I’ve been the most stressed about getting that figured out. I never knew how many hoops you have to jump through to get the financing done. I’ve heard it’s a lot more difficult to get financing now than ever before - so I’m very grateful that Roxanne, my Home Mortgage Consultant, has been there for me every step of the way (uh, except when it comes to photos…)!

Me and Roxanne!

Today she handed me the approval with the “conditions list”. I never knew this even existed… but it’s basic stuff that they (the mortgage guys) want to make sure I have before closing. It looks really overwhelming, but she went through each step with me and it’s really a lot simpler than it looked at first! There’s really only 2 things we need to give our underwritter, and we already knew about them. So… easy-schmeezy!

somewhere in this mumbo-jumbo, I've been approved!

I hope these next 2 weeks fly by! Anthony’s mom is flying in from California on Wednesday so we’re going to take her by the house this weekend to show her!