Our House Plan

Here's the plan we've picked. The outside will be similar to this except all brick (probably a shade of brown) and with more of a craftsman style on the columns and porch.

HomeFest 2007

The Jackson Area HomeBuilders Association sponsored a show of homes in a few Jackson subdivisions last weekend. I went with a few friends to get ideas and just see what's new. The new design that was in every single house was the bull nose corners. (At least I think that's what they called them.) It's a rounded corner instead of a 90 degree turn. I just can't decide if I like it. How do you change paint colors between rooms when you have a curve? I think I'll stick with the traditional edge.

I am constantly surprised by what people will pay for in Jackson (insert other large town name here)....For a 1/4 acre lot with a cheaply made home, people are paying $400k. These buyers are seeing a large house in a new subdivision and signing on the dotted line before they ever look at the detail. Maybe I went into these houses looking for problem areas, but you would think simple things like uneven seams in crown molding and bad paint jobs would be fixed before hundreds of people take a tour. I also had an insiders guide on spotting "problems". April, a local designer that works with the contractors and home builders, joined us to see the trends. I loved seeing the looks from the builders when she was throwing out all their terminology. It was so much fun to see a woman in a man's world.

I was afraid I would fall in love with expensive elements that I couldn't have in my soon to be house, but I think it only made me appreciate what I'm building. Now if February would only hurry up and get here!

Below are a few pics of some design elements that I liked.

I think I need some of these on our bar.

I love, love, love this tile. Now, I wonder how much it will cost??

How about a separate little doggy shower for Lucy? I don't think Justin is going for this.

This is one design I just don't "get". I want a house not a castle.

And the Dirt Moved.....

Justin and I are starting on our dream house. Back in Feb 07, we met with contractors and decided on a house plan. While all of that was exciting, seeing the actual dirtwork begin on the land is even more. The first picture is taken from the road looking back to where the house will be built. This picture is very deceiving...you cannot tell how much it falls off in the back.

On Sept 25th, the first tractor and dirt pan starting scraping the topsoil off....then it rained for 4 days! We had a pretty nice little pond started where our building should be. Then on Oct 1st, the dirt guys returned with more heavy equipment. It is absolutely amazing what these big machines have moved in two short days.

This picture is at the end of day 3. The back part is built up at least 5-7 feet with dirt from the levees. Tomorrow the people from Bellsouth will be here to help pinpoint the lines so we can move the dirt from the front.

I'll try posting some pics from each day so I can keep track of the progress.

The only problem now is the wait....our contractor is working on a house that is supposed to be finished by the end of the year so we are hoping that the actual building will start in February and maybe (cross your fingers) finished in July. Updates may be slow considering not much will be done between now and then.