30 Day ALREADY?!

I know... we have been MIA since moving in. No one told me that at 30 days my basement would still be filled with boxes! With 2 little kids unpacking, organizing, and decorating has proven to be a slow process! But, we are making strides.

We have ceiling fans/ lights installed in the morning room and 3 bedrooms upstairs (we got the rough ins). The master bedroom one is laying on the floor waiting on my lovely hubby :-) We need to seriously organize and unpack the basement area, mostly kids stuff and office stuff. We have some stray boxes in the garage and dining room we need to go through, and of course picture hanging. We got cellular blinds installed in the morning room and family room and faux wood in the master and guest bedroom. The kids are sticking with the room darkening temp shades for now because we would rather they destroy those than expensive ones :-)

We chose not to get the extended laundry room, opting to keep the "nook" area in the garage for strollers and other big things. I wondered if I would regret not having the laundry room and mudroom but... along comes the hubby and problem solved! He moved our W/D to the far end of the laundry room, which gave us plenty of space for a mudroom bench with storage cubbies and coat hanger! Great compromise! I will take a pic of it. So for those of you on the fence, depending on your needs, this works just as well!

We are also very happy with our carpet selection, another thing I was worried about. We did the lower level carpet for the basement and top floor. It is GREAT! You would never know is is level 1! We did do the upgraded pad, which I think makes a difference. When the dog decided to have numerous accidents in the basement, I was very happy we didn't pay more :-) That being said, I also LOVE the upgraded carpet we have in the family room. Perfect placement to spend a little extra money on the space where we are the most right now (until the kids' play area is done in the basement!).

I LOVE our lot, yard, and the fact that we are on a shared driveway pushed back. I LOVE our neighbors and a few of us are already planning a ladies' night. There is also an annual block party June 1st! The final house going up near us looks like it is about to break ground and the other 2 are nearing completion (within the next month or two). So our area will be virtually construction free soon!

Energy Star... WORKS! Our old house was set on 71 when it was colder and we were STILL cold. At 69 degrees it is toasty and it stays warm consistently in each room (except the basement, which is COLD). Haven't really used the A/C yet, but I will keep you posted. I love the 2 zone heating and cooling.

Only pain: watering the sod and seed! We do it A LOT so our yard will come in nicely but I think our water bill is going to be HIGH!

Our 30 day check is next Wednesday, time sure does fly! I have to say, our issues have been very minimal, thank goodness!! Our PM has been amazing and the A/C company we were working with has also been incredible. Everyone has been responding promptly and things that needed to be done have been done.

We had an issue with our upper level A/C and it was making noise. Fixed next day! The door to my youngest son's room wasn't closing and our PM had someone come quickly to saw it down and fix it. It will be painted and touched up at the 30 day. We also had an issue with the pilot light on the fireplace being fairly large, which was causing the glass to always be heated on the fireplace. PM made some calls and came out, turned off the pilot light and fixed!

Issues needing to be addressed:
- Biggest one: standing water in the yard (of course right where the new swing set is!). We have a muddy mess and puddles that never go away. Our PM is taking a look at it but feels it should be an easy fix (I hope so).
- Had a creak in the master bedroom which seems to have resolved itself
- Some chips in the hardwood
- A sharp piece on the border of the master shower
- Some dead sod we want to find out about and find out about and if the seeding in the back will sprout better
- Basement is cold. Not sure if that is something that is fixable though!

We are going to walk around the house in the next few days and see if there is anything else.

I have to say we are truly pleased with our home and there is not one second that goes by that we are upset or disappointed. Our kids love the house and the neighborhood and so do our dog and cat! We feel so grateful to have had this opportunity and we are pleased with Ryan Homes and our PM.

I will get some pictures up this week of the more finished rooms. No decor in the kids' rooms yet. We want to wait until any settling happens and we want a break from painting! We settle on our old town home Friday, so we will truly be able to move forward.

It is so worth it to those experiencing the stress of building and any issues. The house has become a home and we are LOVING it!

Happy building and living!