It's the Final Countdown

Things were really moving on the house before Thanksgiving. In our weekly email update, our PM shared that he would be on vacation for the holiday and provided the contact information for another PM in the community in case we had any questions. With that in mind, we drove by the house over the weekend to see if there were any changes.

In the last photo of the previous entry, you can see a bit of snow despite being mid-November. We’re really hoping that we would have a driveway before we move in, so we do not have to drive on gravel all winter. Chris did point out that if we have a gravel driveway, we would not have to shovel it…well, he wouldn’t have to shovel it… But, when we swung by on Sunday, our driveway was poured!

Other than that, we couldn’t really see any differences between the PM’s update on Friday and this day. Although, we have a mailbox too! It’s a standard plain black, metal box with the house numbers on top. As long as it functions, I’m not picky. We will be getting a decal sticker with the first letter of our last name for the sides of the box after we move in.

This photo also shows that we have lights outside, and they work! In addition to these nice garage lights, we have ceiling LEDs in the kitchen and basement, a pendant light in the dining area, a hall light in the foyer, and the vanity lights in the bathrooms. We will install ceiling fans with lights in the bedrooms after we move in.

Even through our PM was on vacation, our substitute PM sent us a Friday update. He shared that they primarily worked on all of the interior and exterior finishes.  You can see how lovely our house looks in the daylight from his photo.

What he didn’t share in the update email but is clear in the photo of the kitchen is the installation of our appliances. The range, microwave, and dishwasher are included with the house. Chris and I purchased a refrigerator a week before, so we’re set once it is delivered.

After Thanksgiving, we drove by the house again, and they’ve been busy. Despite another small burst of snow, the front lamp post was installed but not lit, the yard grading and landscaping was completed, and the sidewalk and edge of the driveway were poured. Our front door has also been painted the maroon color we chose, although the night light doesn't really show it.

Again, you can see more detail in the photo from our PM shared two days later. Things are really wrapping up. Because the landscaping has already been done, I doubt we are receiving our sod before we close. Our PM shared that there’s still a possibility, but it’s not guaranteed.

The inside photos show even more progress. We finally have carpet and the outlet covers have been installed meaning painting is finished. The doors have also been painted white to match the trim. In the second photo, you can see the ceiling lights and the light in our dining area.

You can see, we have plenty of space above the pantry and cabinets with the cathedral ceiling to store random decorative knick-knacks and collect dust. That will be fun to clean; we’ll need to buy a ladder.

Our New Homeowner Orientation aka the final walk through is tomorrow, so I’ll post the notes from that and final photos of the house soon.

Oh! We also received our closing disclosure today from NVR, so we are clear to close!

Estimated Completion: December 10, 5 days (based on when I wrote this on Dec. 5)