houseplans&more blog
follow a building journey focuses on the process of building a home from start to finish, tips for building smarter, building green and better efficiency.
One of the first things that we wanted to do once we moved into our new home was work on the some of the extras that we decided to wait “to do” until we moved in. Some of these can really start to add up when building a new home and trying to determine what features you want the builder to include. After all, moving into a new home is expensive from start to finish, and you have to draw the line somewhere! Read more
There are definitely some moving strategies that make each move a little smoother. This move was no different. These 10 items below really make the process of moving and unpacking so much smoother and I think you will find them very helpful. Continue reading and learn how to move into a new house with as little stress as possible! Read more
After closing on a Thursday late in the afternoon the movers planned to move us the following morning, but Mother Nature had different plans. Unfortunately, moving day was postponed due to a tropical storm that made its way over the Midwest after moving inland over Texas a couple of days before. Read more
Long before closing, builders email a pre-closing review listing 10 items to be complete prior to closing day for things to go smoothly. This is very helpful for staying organized and completing everything well before the time-frame. The last thing anyone ever wants is an issue at the last minute causing issues at closing. Read more
Our walk-through day is here and we meet the builder at our house. The entire interior is now clean and the floors gleaming. They look gorgeous! Read more
Never more than a day or two go by that we don’t visit the job site. Our builder is very patient with our frequent visits, and that is a definite plus. One thing to keep in mind, the more often you visit, the more flaws you can bring to the attention of the builder. Read more
First tip – have the builder paint the walls because at our last home did not paint them ourselves and well, guess what? They just never got painted! Read more
I want to see the color of the floors we picked along with the cabinets since the first day we chose them for our home. Originally, I wanted the dark chocolate brown cabinets and flooring you see so often on Pinterest and other places, but our flooring color selections for hardwood floors kept me from finding the perfect color without making two more upgrades. Read more
It looks like a complete home once the driveway is poured. Our builder contracts a driveway company, so luckily we didn’t have to find a concrete company to do the work. But, there are some things you need to know about pouring a concrete driveway before you start whether you do the work yourself, or hire a concrete company.
Now that all drywall is up, next is the process of applying mud and tape creating a smooth wall look. This always appears a bit daunting to me. I always wonder how they get the wall so smooth in the end. If you have a large wall with many seams, this is especially the time you want the best person for the job so the wall is smooth and not wavy. Read more