Day 118 ~ Closing and Move-In

Friday, August 12, 2011

Today, was the culmination of a long journey for John and I. Well, I guess it was not that long....only one hundred and eighteen days, but it seemed like forever! This house has been such a dream for us; we were so happy to be able to move and enjoy our first night in the new place! We took a picture of the home from the outside.

This morning, John and I finished up some packing at Jacob's house prior to going to Fidelty Title to close on our home! Around 3:00 p.m., we headed over to Fidelity Title to sign our lives away. LOL! Not really, but when you sign all those papers, it sure seems like it.  We were truly blessed with our interest rate.....the week before closing, John checked interest rates and learned that our locked-in rate of 4.3875 (though a really good rate) was higher than the going 3.875.  We called our favorite mortgage guy, Brock Whisenhut, about lowering our rate to the going rate.  Brock was on vacation at the time in Destin, but he contacted some people and agreed to break our locked-in interest rate.  So when we closed....our interest rate was 3.875.

After closing, we met our family to start the moving process.  We hoped to tackle the moving project over the weekend, but we learned that we would only have access to the Virco Mfg. Corporation furniture truck for approximately four hours that night.  Plus, bad thunderstorms were approaching Arkansas.  So, we rushed around with the assistance of Ron, Jacob, Don, and Jeff and managed to move everything pretty fast...at least, before the storms hit. Thank you to my mom for the pizza delivery from Dominos-our first dinner at our new house. 

We tried to put away as much stuff as we could as the stuff arrived, but we did not have that much success as the night went on! With all of this stuff in the garage, I began to wonder...how did we accumulate so many things and how did it all fit in a 10 x 15 storage unit?

After a long day of hard work, we were finally in our new home-2855 Gulfshore Drive, Conway, Arkansas. I think Bailey was more tired than we were.



Day 109

Wednesday, August 3, 2011~ We have GRASS

Today, the landscaping and sod appeared.  We pretty much like everything, except Allison is not a fan of the pink rose bush. Also, the painters painted the front door and the garage door.

Day 108

Tuesday, August 2, 2011~Hardware and Insulation

Today, the insulation was blown in the attic and the hardware affixed to the cabinets.  The builder also installed the door handles and door stoppers.  Everything is coming along quite nicely.

Day 107

Monday, August 1, 2011~Carpet, Stained Fence, and Framed Mirror

The fence was also stained.  But, we still do not have grass :(

The trim guy came by today and trimmed out the mirror in the master bedroom as well.  He still has to trim out the mirror in the spare bathroom, but the light fixture is presently in the way.

Day 104

Friday, July 29, 2011~Hardwood Flooring

The hardwood floors were installed today in the foyer, formal dining room, and hallway to the master bedroom. They look great! Plus, they look "rough" already, so even if Bailey scratches them up they should not be too noticeable.

Day 103

Thursday, July 28, 2011

We went by the house tonight.  Not much work had been done other than some clean-up. But we decided to take some pictures of the house, fence, and the outdoor lights.

Days 101 and 102

Tuesday, July 26, 2011 and Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The light fixtures were delivered on Tuesday.  Some the fixtures were installed Tuesday and the remainder on Wednesday.  The fixtures look great! 2855 Gulfshore is feeling more like home!

 In addition to the fixtures being installed, the air conditioning was installed. 

Also, the electrician and plumber started installing the outlet covers and fixtures.  

The final piece of the work puzzle on Tuesday and Wednesday were the kitchen appliances, which look great!

By far, our favorite part of the kitchen thus far....the under cabinet lighting. 

By the way, the clean-up continues....

Day 100

Monday, July 25, 2011 ~ Clean-Up

After last night, we went by the house today to discover that the damaged trim in the bedroom, bathroom, and breakfast nook had been torn off and replaced.  We were extremely concerned about the potential development of mold as we were uncertain if the sheetrock had dried sufficiently during the previous night without a dehumidifier and only one fan in the master bedroom.  After discussing what to do, we called Tom, our builder.  We expressed our concern about what steps were taken to remedy the water damage when certain sections of the sheetrock remained wet to the touch.  Tom assured us that he would take any necessary steps, short of rebuilding the house completely, to make us feel comfortable.  We informed Tom that we had discussed the damage with Jared, who previously worked in the restoration field.  Jared came over to the house after talking with John. Jared brought a moisture meter with him.  When inserted into the wall, the moisture meter would beep at different frequencies, which reflected the moisture of the wall.  Several areas in the master bedroom, master bathroom, and breakfast nook remained extremely moist, even several inches above the trim.  Just as Jared was about to leave, Tom showed up with a dehumidifier.  Jared showed Tom the areas of concern. After talking with Jared, Tom agreed to pull all of the replacement trim back off and let the area dry for a few days prior to repairing the damage. So the clean-up is on its way.

Below are some pictures of the master bedroom before the replacement trim was pulled off.

The fence company also came today and built our fence.