Patio phase 1 complete..

Well the patio itself is done and we have started to mulch and plant grass around it so hopefully the mud will soon be gone!!

The angled area of the patio is going to be the future home to a brick fireplace hopefully soon so I didn't want to waste my time or energy on planting grass there!  Then off of the fireplace we are going to have "wing" seating walls.. So basically everywhere that is still just rock and dirt will be fireplace and walls!

Patio!!

We finally pulled the plug and decided to move forward on our patio.. We decided on a stamped concrete with a fireplace. The patio portion will be complete the beginning part of next week and hopefully the fireplace won't be long after. Here are some progress pics for the patio project...

Works in progress...

Here are some of the things we have done so far ... Décor is lacking, I have had a hard time finding the perfect items to complete my "vision"

pendants and blinds installed

still haven't found the perfect light for the morning room ...

furniture and rug added ... but ultimately want to get a different rug for in here ... and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the TV :)

Still need a riser built for these seats and then will add another row of 4

the big screen ... still need to find the perfect component console ...

bar ... Let's Go Pens!!

closed door is the play room and still UNDER CONSTRUCTION!! lol

Want to get new furniture eventually ... not crazy about how the cherry furniture looks with the floors

master sitting room

mirrors added

Ryan Homes failing to meet contract date.... Quick Update

Well my husband spoke with our project manager yesterday and he informed us that our 30 day items will be addressed around mid July and our winter items will definitely not be gotten to and completed by the contract date of June 30..  Fantastic, I have a garage door opener that does not work properly and the door going into the garage doesn't shut properly at all anymore, and my best case of them being fixed it another 2 weeks??!!  And the reason they can't get to our winter items by the contract date they provided, because they have other homes closing that need to come first.  Yup, they have our money already so who cares what issues we have or what promises we were made and not followed through on, right?

Again, ADVICE for anyone thinking of building a Ryan Home, DO NOT CLOSE in the winter or early spring... you will be forgotten about when it comes time for your concrete, ground grading, landscaping, lawn seeding, and exterior trim finishes..

The "Struggles"

Spring has sprung, so it's time for concrete to be poured, landscaping, and grass to be planted ... right??  Most would think so, however, apparently not our project manager.... or according to him the contractors they use.  After being told "at the end of this week", "beginning of next" and so on and so on for SEVERAL weeks, we left for Phoenix to visit my family for 2 weeks.  We left on a Saturday and were told the concrete would be poured that Monday.  And guess what, it wasn't.  It didn't get poured till the following week.  Ok, so at least it was going to be done by the time we got back home and the lawn would be seeded, right??  Again, WRONG!!  We returned home to hear we are next on the list ... and then some how houses that closed while we were in Phoenix moved ahead of ours!  We were livid and that was the last straw of asking politely so my husband had to call a district manager, which finally provided results!!  Within 1 business day of getting higher ups involved we had our lawn seeded and landscaping planted ... amazing how that works, right??  My suggestion with this would be to not plan to close on your home till late enough in spring that it has to be done prior to closing!!

Current struggle, our "30 day" list ... that's right, we've been in the house for about 90 days now but I would say half the delay was ours so no biggie there except he's had our list for at least a month and we are yet to hear a game plan ... and then there is the fact that our winter items are suppose to be completed by June 30, per the contract, and we are being told that may not happen ...  ugh ... the frustrations of building!

On a brighter note, I love my house ... our grass is starting to come in ... and the weather has been decent enough to meet some neighbors!

If anyone has any suggestions on what we can do to move things along faster, please let me know!!

Home Sweet Home!

Well we are all moved into our new home ... and delayed, but as promised, here are the "before" pictures from move in day!!  Moving with 2 very active toddlers and zero help has been exhausting and slow moving to say the least.  While I have most of the main living area unpacked along with my kiddos rooms, I have a TON of organizing to do before I start taking some "after" pictures ... I will post those though as projects are completed...

Enjoy and please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions on the process or on any of the options you see in our home.

Just a quick update .....

Well it's almost time ... we are only a few days away from closing!  Closing is scheduled for Wednesday morning as of right now so hopefully nothing will change to delay that.  Since we are using an outside mortgage & title company we're hoping we get the keys Wednesday.  If we do we will use that evening to paint the kiddos rooms and the playroom and then we have Thursday set as MOVING DAY!!  Boxes are packed ... well most at least, movers are scheduled, bedroom lighting is purchased, & appliances are ordered!  We went over to the house this weekend and everything is looking good ... no pictures to post though, not really anything new to show and the house hadn't been cleaned yet so I figured I'd old off on those till closing day and take some "Before" pics to post.  I guess that is about all for now ... I will try to post the "Before" pics by the weekend...