From the Ground Up! (MOVED IN!) Updt. 9/6/05

[yyz28]

My lovely and gracious wife and I are now the proud owners of a weed patch and some dirt!

…We have contracted to have a home built in StoneBridge Ranch in McKinney, about 2 minutes South East of where Rich and Mel are and 5 minutes North West of where Joel and Trista are. Watch out Keller… the Collin County Compound is growing by leaps and bounds! :)

The process is underway, and they will break ground in 3 to 4 weeks, and we expect to move in in August!

We are VERY excited and wanted to share the good news… Can’t wait to have our first party there! …and don’t worry guys, It’s got a game room, so I’m keeping the pool table. :yeah:

[Shelby]

:D :headbang: :cheers: :inlove: :birthday: :jumping: :yeah:

I am so excited, can you tell? ;)

[Ferret]

Rich told me last night :) Congrats guys! So how many sq ft is it? What colors did you pick out for your brick and carpet, how many rooms, how's the yard size? Who's your builder? Link a floorplan or picture from their website. I'm nosey, sorry ;)

[yyz28]

Well, Pulte is the builder... Sq footage is between 2300 and 2400... Brick is a neutral light brown, almost kachi (SP?) color... We're picking interior colors this weekend, but we're thinking dark woods, neutral earthtones. 3 Bedrooms, huge livingroom/dining room combo, house is wide open, Kitchen is wide open to the rest of the house... (Similar to yours Mel) All bedrooms are down, the garage is generous (good 3 to 4 foot extra on one side for tool chests, work benches and stuff) and a Game Room and Media Room up stairs...

Really, in MANY ways it's sort of similar to your house, Mel, I think you'll like it... front bedrooms are off the entry way, big open space, master in the back...

Link to floor plan is broken on builders site... I'll scan in the floorplan in a bit.

[yyz28]

Agh yes... yard size... Great patio, and it's going to be a nice SMALL yard, just like I like 'em. Take the space that Lo's deck covers... that's the size of the back yard. ...and there was much rejoicing. Mowing sucks ass. Enough room for a spa, some pretty plants and a little play room for any tikes we might have around at some point...

[Shelby]

The floorplan is not working right on their site so we will have to scan it in later. :D

[bud4660]

Someones making to much money....... :D

Congrats you two!!! Now its time to go buy all new furniture.....lol

Oh Scott. Dont forget the lift for the garage...... :yeah:

[Shelby]

Now its time to go buy all new furniture.....lol



HELL YEAH!!!! :yeah:

[Mojo]

That fucking OWNZ!!!!!!!!!

I am SO excited for ya'll and cannot WAIT to see the house!!!

Ya'll are only gonna be about 15 minutes away from me and Gloria now just like Rich and Mel!!!

WOO HOO!!!!!!

[mbaskett]

Congrats! Ya'll are moving in with the old people ;) (my grandma lives in Stonebridge Ranch). Seriously though, congratulations! Building a house is quite an experience, and I think you'll enjoy it

[orangeapeel]

Congrats! Ya'll are moving in with the old people ;) (my grandma lives in Stonebridge Ranch). Seriously though, congratulations! Building a house is quite an experience, and I think you'll enjoy it

<------- Had a great home building/buying experience. :)

[FST FOX]

Congrats ya'll, front or rear entry garage?

[Eller]

Good Deal.. :yeah:

[Joel]

Congrats! We were very ecited when we heard last night! Dylan was so ecited he could not keep from digging in the trash!

[chetta]

Congrats you two. You're in for a treat. Don't forget to check on the building progress at least once a week if not more often. You'll be happier if you do. :) Also, take the step by step photos. They have come in so handy now that we are doing upgrades and what not around the house. Being able to tell where electrical/plumbing & studs are behind the drywall is a plus. :)

Small yards have their pluses but I prefer big dogs and they prefer big yards. ;)

Yep get that floor plan posted and let's hear about your interior choices. :yeah: Moving expense deduction rocks. ;) Moving is also a great time to rack up the donation deductions. It's time now to start going through all your stuff & donating what you don't want to move or what you want to replace with new in the new house. Don't forget to save those donation receipts. Keep your receipts from "house hunting expenses" a portion of them may be deductible next year as well.

Ok, ok, I'll quit flooding the thread with tax advise. :D

[goober]

Lets see this patch of dirt and weeds.

[Ferret]

I believe that area is all front entry garages.... I haven't seen any rear-entry around here... That's all in Mojo's neck of the woods, he loves the rear-entry!!
Hurry up and work on them kids Michele!!!! I bet you had in the back of your head which room would be the best nursery when you were looking at the model, huh? hehehee :D
Are you guys going to hire movers? That pool table poses to be a pain in the ass to move... good luck with that!!
Maybe you and Rich could car-pool to work since you'll be a couple minutes away. Awe, how cute would that be? ;)
I love new houses!!! I think I'm a little too excited for not actually being involved in this, lol. I'm sooo gonna do drive-bys when they break ground to keep those mexicans in check! lol
We should call our new side of town residents the "McAllen Clan" combining McKinney and Allen :) Ok, I'll calm down now. POST THE FLOORPLAN ALREADY... I'M DYING HERE!!!!! :D

[Joel]

Also, take the step by step photos. They have come in so handy now that we are doing upgrades and what not around the house. Being able to tell where electrical/plumbing & studs are behind the drywall is a plus. :)



Best god damn advice in here!!!!!

Mel did you take a breath on that last post? :D

[futant]

Congrats!
North SIDE FOO!


no time to read yet

[yyz28]

Tax advice GOOD!

[Shelby]

I believe that area is all front entry garages.... I haven't seen any rear-entry around here... That's all in Mojo's neck of the woods, he loves the rear-entry!!
Hurry up and work on them kids Michele!!!! I bet you had in the back of your head which room would be the best nursery when you were looking at the model, huh? hehehee :D
Are you guys going to hire movers? That pool table poses to be a pain in the ass to move... good luck with that!!
Maybe you and Rich could car-pool to work since you'll be a couple minutes away. Awe, how cute would that be? ;)
I love new houses!!! I think I'm a little too excited for not actually being involved in this, lol. I'm sooo gonna do drive-bys when they break ground to keep those mexicans in check! lol
We should call our new side of town residents the "McAllen Clan" combining McKinney and Allen :) Ok, I'll calm down now. POST THE FLOORPLAN ALREADY... I'M DYING HERE!!!!! :D

WOW! Let's see if I can cover most of this :) You are right, front entry.

Kids....hmmm....I think I will get us in the house before I start bugging him about that. ;) Besides, he was the one that mentioned little ones in the backyard :halo: (But I do know which room would be a good nursery ;) )

DEFINITELY hiring movers this time. Don't even want to try and move that pool table.

Carpooling....too cute.

I promise we will get that floorplan up asap! And when we get out there Sat. to pick colors we will take a picture of our dirt pile.

And we need to come up with a name that includes our Denton clan as well....maybe the McDallen clan? ;)

[Ferret]

Mel did you take a breath on that last post? :D

Hahahaaaa...... ahhh, no :( :D ;)

[Joel]

What is the name of your florrplan? I went to Pultes site and found you community.

[Ferret]

This Saturday huh?? *cough cough*.... *whistle* Me and Rich will be home alllllllllll day ;) Let us know when you're heading out to your dirt pile so we can come cruise your soon-to-be neighborhood :)

[Ferret]

What is the name of your florrplan? I went to Pultes site and found you community.


Heheheee.... I did too! "Fountainview" ooo la la ;)
I don't think their floorplan is on there though.

[Shelby]

We can do that! It would be fun. :)

Our floorplan is called the Norwalk. You can see it, but unfortunately you can't click to enlarge it. :(

[Joel]

I took the virtual tour :D

[yyz28]

Ok... here's the Floorplan, the Elevation and the 2nd floor rooms... Pardon the chicken scratch on these pics, we were taking measurements at the model the other day...

Image is a little big, but since you wanted to see, I wanted to keep it decent sized so you could see some detail.

...this thread is worthless without pics... :headbang:

[Fireangel69]

oh damn! I am so hyped for you guys! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! That's bad ass! Can't wait to see it! I'm so happy we'll have even more ppl close by! *now just to get the time to socialize w/ them! ;) * YAY!! :D :D :D

[Ferret]

Ok... I thought there may have been another room there on the virutual tour. So there is a seperate media room off the gameroom? Awesome. Does that mean that it's time to buy another big screen?? :D Or that could be a playroom whenever a little one comes along too.
Do you have direct attic access through the second level?

[2k-lbs]

AWESOME!!! Congrats guys! Figures that y'all would move out closer to me, now that it looks like I may be moving even FURTHER out into the boonies! ;) (long story... will fill you in later!) :D

[Mir Hussain]

Sweet Man
Sweet

[AgFormula02]

Congrats on the new casa

[yyz28]

Ok... I thought there may have been another room there on the virutual tour. So there is a seperate media room off the gameroom?

Yes...

Awesome.

Hell yeah it is...

Does that mean that it's time to buy another big screen?? :D

We're going to put the monster TV we have in the living room and the surround sound system in the Media room when we move in. We'll live with one of our 27" TV's in the living room for the time being. I want to put a smaller DLP or wall mount HD TV in the living room eventually, so we have a cool TV downstairs, but it's not overpowering the room.. The living room is the LIVING ROOM... not the watch TV room. ...we'd like to have the TV be more of a removed focus when we entertain.

Or that could be a playroom whenever a little one comes along too.

Nope... Daddy's toys are going to be UPSTAIRS when we have little ones... they will be given limited access... :)

Do you have direct attic access through the second level?

Yes, we do... Good little amount of storage too. I think we have a 2nd attic access in the Utility room or garage as well, if I remember the model, but I'm not 100% sure

[Joel]

That's so awesome you guys!! I was so excited when we heard!! And now that I'm officially a senior and I start my internship soon, no more Saturday classes.. so.... if y'all aren't.. BUSY.. saturday!! ;) Hint Hint...

We wanna peek at the dirt too!!

Yeah.. we need to start having GTGS in the McAllen area. :) I mean, Rich and Mel, Joel and Trista, Pat and Pat and Layne and now Scott and Chele and Chris and Gloria.. we need to have some big McAllen BBQS :)

And none of the Keller folk are invited!! :D :D Just kidding.. But man.. what a convoy this will be going to races from now on!!! :)

OOPS!!! This is Trista.. didn't realize I was logged into Joel's profile!! :eek: :eek:

[yyz28]

Joel's a Senior and in an internship? Fuckin' A!

LOL! Yeah... If you guys are up to come see the dirt Saturday morning, let me know.. We have a 10:00AM appt. to do color chosing and then we can hit the lot. I don't know how long color selection will take, because we're fairly sure we know what we want... We can hook up after.

[00SS]

Congrats Scott.. we would have almost been neighbors as well.. but we joined the dark side in keller. Our new house will be done mid June.. and were about 5 min. from Baskett and Lo. :yeah:

*tilt's the scale back towards the west side* :cool:

We'll have to have some back to back parties this summer :) :)
hell, i even have my car running again.. it's still slow though ;)

This is my second new build even tho i said i would never do it again. However, they make such great offers on them i couldn't pass it up. Did they give you any 'perks' for upgrades? we got 15k in upgrades for 3k :yeah:

again.. congrats to you and your wife

[Mojo]

That floor plan is the motherfucking bomb, yo!!

Can't wait to see the game and media room!!

*happy dance*




Now we need to come up with a TC gang-sign for the East and West sides.

We can have us some McAllen vs Keller throw downs! Woo hoo!!

[Mojo]

And we need to come up with a name that includes our Denton clan as well....maybe the McDallen clan? ;)


Or how about McAllton.

Personally since our house is damn near in between McKinney and Denton I'm cool with McAllen. But Ken is actuallin IN Denton so maybe McAllton or McDallen is better.

Maybe we should have a poll...

[30birdy]

LMAO @ ideas for East/West TC signs.

We can have an "M" (ring, middle, and index finger pointing down) and they can have a "K" Thumb up index and middle straight out veed , ring finger curled in and pinkie down.

:D :D :D :rotflmao:

[orangeapeel]

cool! you even have a "Nook". :D

[Ferret]

Joel's a Senior and in an internship? Fuckin' A!




HAHAHAHA!!!! I was thinking to myself, holy shit... Joel's got a lot to say today! :funny:

[30birdy]

Yeah yeah yeah... :)

So help me one of these days I'm going to erase his profile ;)

[chetta]

LMAO @ ideas for East/West TC signs.

We can have an "M" (ring, middle, and index finger pointing down) and they can have a "K" Thumb up index and middle straight out veed , ring finger curled in and pinkie down.

:D :D :D :rotflmao:

Or you can just use the american sign language K which is pinkie & ring fingers curled down. Index finger straight up, the middle fingers straight & slightly angled forward & the thumb resting between the two fingers.

[chetta]

Congrats Scott.. we would have almost been neighbors as well.. but we joined the dark side in keller. Our new house will be done mid June.. and were about 5 min. from Baskett and Lo. :yeah:

*tilt's the scale back towards the west side* :cool:

We'll have to have some back to back parties this summer :) :)
hell, i even have my car running again.. it's still slow though ;)

This is my second new build even tho i said i would never do it again. However, they make such great offers on them i couldn't pass it up. Did they give you any 'perks' for upgrades? we got 15k in upgrades for 3k :yeah:

again.. congrats to you and your wife

Congrats Steph & Devin. We can't wait to have our new neighbors move in. :yeah: Which development did you end up building in?

[yyz28]

I think the East side sign should just be the finger, pointed west... :)

I talked to the builder today... He's going to let me do my own low voltage... we're gonna cable the FUCK outta this place... We'll need extra support beams to support the CAT 7. :) BWAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!

[Ferret]

Well,
We're out for seeing the lot. Just found out that Rich doesn't get the whole weekend off.... so we're not heading out. :(

[00SS]

Hey Lo.. it's in the Wilshire development. It looks like it'll be done about mid June.. now just have to sell our current house .. lol

We will def. have a move in party and we will have plenty of room.. oh and the deck is going in right when we move in as well. All of the girls are exited.. i'll get more exited once we get our current house under contract ;)

[chetta]

I hear ya Devin, I felt the same way once I got the house in Michigan sold. Y'all will have to come hot tubbing it. :D

[yyz28]

Well,
We're out for seeing the lot. Just found out that Rich doesn't get the whole weekend off.... so we're not heading out. :(

Oh, CRAP, that's right... He's got to work Adam's shift so he can stay home this week, since I'm sending out Adam... (I'm not involved daily in the HD Schedule daily...)

...well, I just adjusted the schedule to make sure he gets fair time off. I'll PM you details and call him to let him know...

[mbaskett]

why bother with CAT7 when you can straight up do fiber..... :D

[yyz28]

Fuck that... I want copper. :) I can get a friggin' gig outta 7.

[Mr_Will]

congrats man i like the floor plan
:yeah:

[ken cryder]

Congrats. on the new house, looks awesome, such an exciting time...Must post progress on it...

By the way this is Vicki not Ken :stick:

[30birdy]

LMAO.. you know... I'm always expecting Vicki nowadays.. one day it's going to be Ken and we're going to be shocked!! :eek: :D

[Phat3800]

Cool. Happy for ya'll.

[CornBread]

congrats.... i am a little dissapointed was hoping for rear entry but i guess it is all good.


you will be so excited. justi and i could barely sleep at night once we got our home in the works. you will be so happy and i am glad it is a small yard so i don't have to whack your bush.... lol

congrats guys.

ps i will post warning signs in the neighborhood about wandering pets......it is no longer safe..



VIVA-LA-SQUISH

[Fireangel69]

That floorplan is awesome! I can't wait to see it. :)

[Mojo]

We should have a TC orgy to celebrate!

[yyz28]

Yeah, sounds good to me...

...actually, all joking aside, we're not paying the builder to paint the house the way we'd like it... we're going to pick a few colors and paint the Kitchen, media room, the game room and probably our bedroom and bathroom BEFORE we put any furniture in the house, like right after closing. We MIGHT have a beer/pizza/paint orgy one day just before we move if anyone is handy with a paintbrush/roller and/or painters tape, and tarps...

...gonna paint garage walls, celing and floors before moving in...

[Ferret]

Yeah, you should get all your peg board up in the garage before you move in too... will make unpacking the tools easier.
I'm not sure I'd trust a lot of these people with a paint brush in my house.... ;).. you never know who will be sneaking off and sniffing all that paint!

[yyz28]

I'm going to put it up before I paint, as I want it painted to match the walls. Garage is gonna rock in this house.

[30birdy]

<--- Good with a paintbrush and spotting variations in shades.. willing to help..

we also have 2-3 tarps we can bring :)

[yyz28]

THANKS TRISTA! :)

Ok... here are some lot pics... Can you tell Michele likes it?

[chetta]

Do ya get to keep the portapotty? ;)

[Toolman]

thats really nice, I love that area of town.
I dont live too far off from ya, im in frisco, building a house was the coolest thing I have ever done yup.

[yyz28]

No... those fuckers want 600 extra for that option... sucks.

Thanks Toolman.

[Toolman]

whats property tax like there.. isnt like higher then all the surrounding cities..

[yyz28]

Don't know off the top of my head. McKinney is lower than Frisco and Allen, I know that, as they have more industrial area to support infrastructure, where the other two areas nearby are both almost totally residential.

[30birdy]

Bastiges in Allen and their freaking taxes :mad: :mad:

Stupid freshman center is what we're paying for!! :stick:

[Toolman]

frisco is pretty low, but only because we have the mall and all the cool resturraunts paying all the taxes.. but its still higher then I like..

[Toolman]

just pay off that house fast, interest is a bitch..

[Joel]

Bastiges in Allen and their freaking taxes :mad: :mad:

Stupid freshman center is what we're paying for!! :stick:

And that nice indoor practice stadium for the HS football team.. :D

[Toolman]

who is your builder..

[Toolman]

oh I just read its pulte.. very good choice man.. my house is pulte also they took care of me very well.. havent had many problems yet in my first year living in my house..

But the problems we did have, they fixed ASAP and they always making sure everything is cool..

[yyz28]

oh I just read its pulte.. very good choice man.. my house is pulte also they took care of me very well.. havent had many problems yet in my first year living in my house..

But the problems we did have, they fixed ASAP and they always making sure everything is cool..

Good to hear... I feel very confident with them!

[mbaskett]

Do ya get to keep the portapotty? ;)

That's exactly what I was thinking.... Stick it just outside the garage... no issues with draggin greas inside to the shitter anymore....

[Mr_Will]

That's exactly what I was thinking.... Stick it just outside the garage... no issues with draggin greas inside to the shitter anymore....

thats the greatest idea i have heard in a hell of along time

[CornBread]

yea and we can get ken to use it and have another "tip over the pooper" day.

[CornBread]

i looked at the floor plan and you are getting riped off. it has the nook but no cranny. make sure they don't charge for the canny since it is not there. if they do charge you for it keep the pota crapper.

[yyz28]

Looks like we're changin' lots... I'll keep ya'll posted...

Joel/Trista, it's two doors down from the current lot, so not a major change.

[Joel]

Why are you changing lots? That is odd..

[yyz28]

Why are you changing lots? That is odd..

It turns out the other salesperson had contracted on that lot right before we came in and signed the papers... Their contract was in before ours...

...it is NO PROBLEM. The new lot is virtually identical, and Pulte stepped up and compensated us nicely for the mixup. We lost nothing, and gained a nice amount.

Here are some new pics of the new lot!

From the front:

[yyz28]

From the back:

[yyz28]

...and Michele likes this one just as much. :D

[yyz28]

We've got our Pre-Construction meeting this Thursday. We'll be breaking ground next week. I'll keep this thread up to date as things move along.

[Joel]

It turns out the other salesperson had contracted on that lot right before we came in and signed the papers... Their contract was in before ours...

...it is NO PROBLEM. The new lot is virtually identical, and Pulte stepped up and compensated us nicely for the mixup. We lost nothing, and gained a nice amount.

Here are some new pics of the new lot!

From the front:

Cool, looks like the new one is the second to the right of the old one.

[yyz28]

Cool, looks like the new one is the second to the right of the old one.

That's right... basically the same spot, only 2 lots west...

[Ferret]

Nice to have a one story behind you. Hopefully you'll get some one stories to your sides as well.

[yyz28]

We do... they are all sold. All 1 story.

...and the one house you see behind us to the right, those are big windows that shine onto their 1st floor living room... no floor under those windows, so we don't have ANYONE who can see into the yard. :)

[mbaskett]

and Pulte stepped up and compensated us nicely for the mixup. We lost nothing, and gained a nice amount.


SO you ARE getting the port-a-potty! Sweet! ;)

[Toolman]

So what kind of deal did they give you, when I got my pulte they gave us 15 grand worth of upgrades so we added a gameroom and upgraded the kitchen and bath..

I hope you didnt use them for your fridge and washer dryer and blinds..
They will rape you on them, best to buy as much of that stuff on your own..

Pulte wanted to charge us 1000 to put in a backsplash in the kitchen, I hired someone to do it for me 2 weeks after we moved in and it cost 400 and we have the best backsplash on the street..

I dunno if you went with a gas stove or not, but if you didnt you can never add it in later..

Also once they frame it, it would be a good idea to run cat 5e into all the rooms and setup the living for surround sound..

and one last thing, LOCK IN YOUR RATE AT THE BANK.. if they tell you you cant do it, they are lying.. if they try to broker you out, tell them you have your own lender.. They tried to rip us off so I got my own loan..

[yyz28]

So what kind of deal did they give you, when I got my pulte they gave us 15 grand worth of upgrades so we added a gameroom and upgraded the kitchen and bath..

I hope you didnt use them for your fridge and washer dryer and blinds..
They will rape you on them, best to buy as much of that stuff on your own..

Pulte wanted to charge us 1000 to put in a backsplash in the kitchen, I hired someone to do it for me 2 weeks after we moved in and it cost 400 and we have the best backsplash on the street..

I dunno if you went with a gas stove or not, but if you didnt you can never add it in later..

Also once they frame it, it would be a good idea to run cat 5e into all the rooms and setup the living for surround sound..

and one last thing, LOCK IN YOUR RATE AT THE BANK.. if they tell you you cant do it, they are lying.. if they try to broker you out, tell them you have your own lender.. They tried to rip us off so I got my own loan..

They dropped another couple of grand of PRE-PAID upgrades on the table.

We got 15k in upgrades up front. I did go with Gas. I DID buy the fridge from them, but it's because I want it wrapped in the mortgage.

...I also don't intend to do ANY upgrades myself except paint after we move in, so I paid for the backspash, etc. I'm not a home type of guy. I'll do stuff outdoors, but I'm not going to be a big home improvement guy. Gameroom and Media room included. :)

Our financing is NOT through Pulte. We have our own mortgage company.

[Toolman]

yeah the pulte brokers really suck we almost didnt get the house cuzz of them..

[Toolman]

what model did you go with over there..

[yyz28]

Norwalk. Floorplans are on the 2nd page of this thread I think.

[Toolman]

The price on your model is really good, way way cheaper then my neighborhood..

[Toolman]

one thing you will learn to hate, is when they start building the houses around you, and they block the road so you cant get home..


But it will pay off later, cuzz when they are all done your house should go up in value.. they just finished my area and the last model with less stuff then my house went for 30k more then what I spent..

[Shelby]

actually, our neighborhood is already almost built out. It should be pretty close by the time we move in. :)

[30birdy]

Just gotta watch out for all the construction debris.. I went through 4 tires with roadhazard warranty before they were done. Of course we were in at the beginning but hey.. they don't exactly pick it ALL up ;)

Congrats guys!! Can't wait to have a champaigne toast when they break ground!

[Toolman]

I remember when they were building my house, the city kept on failing our house on every inspection.. that pushed things out further then I wanted..

But it wasnt too bad, my neighbors house failed frame inspection 4 times, and it cost them 2 months..

[Toolman]

I would always come to the house and make sure things were getting done.. they messed up big by not putting a wall in the gameroom.. it took a week to fix that..

[yyz28]

Well, there's finally some movement - Pulte has broken ground on our house. Nothing major yet, but a roughed in pad outline and some of the trenches have been dug preparing for plumbing and the foundation. It won't be long now. The house next door you can see there with bricks and a roof... wasn't there in the first pictures we posted. Not even it's foundation.

We expect lots of movement and will update here often.

...here are 3 pics of the lot and a pic of the electic meter at ZERO! :)

:yeah:

[bud4660]

We expect lots of movement and will update here often.

...here are 3 pics of the lot and a pic of the electic meter at ZERO! :)

:yeah:

Wait till next month when you get the light bill..... :yup:

Looking good!!! Nows the time to bury the body before the concrete gets poured...... :D

[yyz28]

We won't get that bill... :D

[30birdy]

Yeah wow.... hard to believe how fast it goes huh? :)

[Toolman]

what pissed me off is waiting for inspections.. your house will be kicking ass, then sit for 2 weeks and nothing gets done it sucks..

Oh and about the bills, I didnt have to pay for gas for 2 months after we closed.. I forgot to get it turned on, I didnt even know I did.. pulte stopped paying after 2 months haha..

[DolamiteWS6]

better watch out for oak cliff clique dawg

[Toolman]

Hey did faron move over to the sales office over there.. He has the white cadi with the bling rims..

[Shelby]

Yeah, he just did recently.

BTW, what model did you build Toolman?

[Toolman]

I dont remember the name of it..

[Toolman]

http://www.pulte.com/homefinder/model.asp?commOrg_acctCode=1009&plan_acctCode=35447

with the gameroom option..

[Toolman]

faron sold me my house, he is a cool guy im going to have to go pay him a visit..

[Joel]

Looks awesome guys!

[yyz28]

Nice house... I'd KILL myself if the master was upstairs though... :D

[Toolman]

we looked all over Dallas for a Model with master up.. Thanks man..

In cali no one has the master down unless its a one story..

We normally dont go upstairs unless its bed time, or if im in the gameroom playing poker on xbox..

[yyz28]

we looked all over Dallas for a Model with master up.. Thanks man..

In cali no one has the master down unless its a one story..

We normally dont go upstairs unless its bed time, or if im in the gameroom playing poker on xbox..

Well, I've always said they do shit backwards in California. LOL! :D

[Ferret]

blah blah blah....


Just let us know when you're moved in and your babysitting services are open :yeah: ;) Or if you just feel like walking some dogs.....lol.


So what exactly is going to happen to the house you're currently in? Your coworker going to move back into it or put it up for sale?

[Shelby]

blah blah blah....


Just let us know when you're moved in and your babysitting services are open :yeah: ;) Or if you just feel like walking some dogs.....lol.


So what exactly is going to happen to the house you're currently in? Your coworker going to move back into it or put it up for sale?

LOL! Scott and Michele Sitting Services. :D

He's going to put our current house on the market when we move out. Since he is going to need to fix it up some, he's just going to wait til we are out of it.

[Toolman]

Some houses in Cali have the kitchen living dining and family rooms upstairs and bedrooms down..

[Mr_Will]

Some houses in Cali have the kitchen living dining and family rooms upstairs and bedrooms down..

now that is some bassakwards shit right there
go figure the land of fruits and nuts :rolleyes:

[Ferret]

Some houses in Cali have the kitchen living dining and family rooms upstairs and bedrooms down..



Odd.... I know of houses like that in Ohio, where they have a "tri-level" set-up, but you'd think what you just said would go against all of the building codes that they have in place because of the earthquakes..... And no one's house that I knew when I lived in Cali ever had it like that.

But you're........ "special".... and know amazing things.......

[Joel]

I think it is only the blacks and gays that have houses with the kitchen upstairs..

[yyz28]

Just let us know when you're moved in and your babysitting services are open :yeah: ;) Or if you just feel like walking some dogs.....lol.

I'll babysit, but I ain't walkin' the dogs... :D

[yyz28]

Well, there is some real movement now. The lot has been trenched, and we've got some plumbing installed. I believe we're underway in earnest. We'll have a slab by this time next week... Here are some pics!

[Shelby]

:jumping: Happy day!!!!!!

[Toolman]

When they start framing it it coes up fast..

[yyz28]

WE HAVE A SLAB!

This morning, the slab for our house was poured and a retaining wall was placed in our side yard between our home and the one next door. The first 3 pics is how the lot looked at 8AM this morning, the last 3 is how it looked at NOON today.

The thing that's REALLY amazing is how fast those guys can work! I expect that things will start really moving fast now, especially in these early days. The stage from slab to brick you can see LOTS of change, especially from the outside. Should be lots of fun, and we'll keep the pictures coming!

:yeah:

[Toolman]

if this rain stops you might have a frame up by the weekend..

[Mojo]

Did you write your initials in the fresh concrete?

[yyz28]

Nope, we're going to do it on the concrete pad the AC units are going on - Yet to be poured.

[txsmiley77]

I think we should all go over there and put our initials too.

:jk:

[mbaskett]

butt cheeks would be better ;)

[Toolman]

They will pour the AC slab when the house is almost done..

[Ferret]

Is it just me..... or does it seem like you guys are keeping an obsessively close eye on the progress of your house??? LOL.

~here are the pictures from 8am, then noon, then 4pm, and 6pm...~

Those poor mexicans are probably thinking you're gonna be doing a driveby!!! :funny:

[Toolman]

man I used to visit my house twice a day..

[yyz28]

Is it just me..... or does it seem like you guys are keeping an obsessively close eye on the progress of your house??? LOL.

~here are the pictures from 8am, then noon, then 4pm, and 6pm...~

Those poor mexicans are probably thinking you're gonna be doing a driveby!!! :funny:


You would be too, if you were building... or rather, you'd be smart too... We've ordered several things that are NOT standard in the plan, and I want to be darn well sure they happen...

..as for the time elapsed pics, I don't think you'll see that again... I was just friggin' amazed how different the place looked at 8AM vs. Noon.

They are framing now, we'll put some new pics up tomorrow!

[Toolman]

When they built my house they didnt put a wall where it should have been, if I didnt catch it it would have been fucked..

they fucked up a few other things too and i made them fix it..

[yyz28]

Well, this is really incredible. On Tuesday Morning there was nothing more than a slab. These pics were taken on Weds. afternoon! I can't believe it. They claim they will be finished on Friday with the frame and we will have the roof planked by this weekend! Here are some new pics.

[yyz28]

When they built my house they didnt put a wall where it should have been, if I didnt catch it it would have been fucked..

they fucked up a few other things too and i made them fix it..

They already did that to us... we've got them moving a doorway - they installed it in the default location, not where we asked for it to be.

[Toolman]

yeah be on top of there every move this week cuzz it takes 3 days to frame the house..

[Shelby]

I must say that the communication with the builder is surprisingly great! He is quick to answer questions and when I brought up the problem he went out to check it and have it fixed immediately. AND, I have bumped into him on our lot when I was out looking at progress. I am really impressed! :)

[Toolman]

thats cuzz he will make a bonus if your happy with him..

[yyz28]

Well, one day makes a massive difference. The framing is 99% finished, we've got windows in place, the "walls" are taking shape, we've got some trim work showing up on the front of the house so you can actually start seeing it all take shape. I still can't get over how fast these guys are moving... it's REALLY amazing.

[Toolman]

just wait till the inspections come it will sit and do nothing for weeks..

[CornBread]

you gotta keep the porta crapper. it has been in every picture and i will personally feel a loss when it is gone.

[yyz28]

you gotta keep the porta crapper. it has been in every picture and i will personally feel a loss when it is gone.

Get ready to feel a loss then. :D

[Toolman]

I still have mine..

[Joel]

Looks awesome.. I rember our house slowed down a bit once they got the siding up...

[Shelby]

Looks awesome.. I rember our house slowed down a bit once they got the siding up...

Yeah, we are kind of expecting that. So we go out every day to catch the real fast exciting part! ;)

[Toolman]

Once the dry wall goes up, its a race car finish to the end but you have a lot to go yet..

[yyz28]

Well, there has been a great deal of progress. The electrical & coax has been roughed in, the Air Conditioning vents and units have been installed, the roof is up, the plumbing has been installed, tubs and showers are in, fireplace is in place, and we pull the cable for data and voice this weekend. Haulin' ass!

Next pics will be of the inside, as the prgress on the outside will slow down some!

...not very far away from the first party guys!

[Doc]

Damn, that there looks like a house.

[Ferret]

Kudos to you guys!!
I can't wait to see the finished product!

[chetta]

Looking great guys. :)

[WS6Fanatic]

Awesome!! Congrats guys!! Dont piss off the neighbors :D

[Toolman]

I heard his neighbor was a democrat and runs a union in TX..

[Ferret]

:stoopid: :yyzown: :asshole:

[yyz28]

I heard his neighbor was a democrat and runs a union in TX..

I'll fix him if he is. ;)

[txsmiley77]

Mucho Nice-o!

[AngelEyes]

Kick Ass! Hard to believe just a couple weeks ago we were out there & the slab hadn't been poured yet..... I can't wait til you guys move in!! :yeah:

[mbaskett]

looks good, but wasn't the point of building a house to get away from 45 degree driveways? ;)

Bet ya'll are gettin pumped. Make sure your hands are ready for closing day... soooo many signatures it'll hurt

[Toolman]

I drove by your house to see if you might be there, looks like they dropped off all the brick..

[1bad6]

I drove by today also. Just in time to see cornbread loading all your brick into his pickup. :eek:

[Shelby]

I drove by today also. Just in time to see cornbread loading all your brick into his pickup. :eek:

That's cool, doesn't cost me more....just the builder! ;)

[Shelby]

looks good, but wasn't the point of building a house to get away from 45 degree driveways? ;)

Bet ya'll are gettin pumped. Make sure your hands are ready for closing day... soooo many signatures it'll hurt

The driveway is not NEARLY as steep as the one we have now... It looks worse in pics than it really is. Current one is about HALF that long, with the same rise, so it's much steeper!

[Christy]

The house looks great! We're excited for you guys!

[yyz28]

Still moving VERY fast... We're bricked and sheet rocked... thought I'd share some new pics.

We're about a month away from closing! Things are really picking up now! We can't wait!

[Joel]

looks awesome! When you moving in?

[Doc]

I see at least 3 places a Kegerator could fit nicely.

[Ferret]

The local kids are sure going to be dissapointed when that mound of dirt in the driveway is gone!
Rich and I saw a bunch of them playing in it a couple weeks ago when we did a drive-by

[Shelby]

I think right now the plan is to paint the weekend of Aug. 20-21 and then move on the 27-28th. That is if all works like it should :)

[Toolman]

Are you going to have them fix all the bugs after the walkthrough or after you move in.. I have a list after 6 months..

[yyz28]

Walkthrough... we're closing about 3 weeks before we move.

[Toolman]

closing at the end of the month right.. thats the best way to do it..

[yyz28]

I need to get some new pics... I'll do it this weekend.

Walls are textured and painted, most of the trim is in and painted.

Tile is in. Cabinets are in, as are countertops. Light fixtures, electrical switches, covers, etc, are in. Plumbing fixtures are all in. Shelves, hangerrods, the works.

Sprinklers are in, fence is up, AC units are installed, brick is finished (though there are some issues they will have to resolve.

We're pretty much down to carpet and touch up the walls. We're getting really close now. I'll take some pics and update ya'll more shortly.

[Joel]

Awesome! What is wrong with the bricks?

[Toolman]

probably looks like shit, iv seen some bad brick jobs..

[Shelby]

Oh, just some poor workmanship in some VERY obvious places like our brick hearth in the living room! They are working on it, and I know it will look right eventually. :)

[Joel]

Did you get Acme brick?

[Shelby]

Yup! :yeah:

[Joel]

Sweet! You got holes!! We would like to come see the house when you all going to be out therer?

[Toolman]

yeah I want to come down and check it out.. im right up the street from you..

[bud4660]

yeah I want to come down and check it out.. im right up the street from you..

Well there went the neighbor hood........ :D

[Toolman]

yeah I know haha..

[Shelby]

Sweet! You got holes!! We would like to come see the house when you all going to be out therer?

Not sure, but I bet we can arrange to meet there sometime this weekend. :)

[yyz28]

Sweet! You got holes!! We would like to come see the house when you all going to be out therer?

RIGHT! NO HOLES!!!!

Let's hook up this weekend... When are you guys available?

[30birdy]

I think pretty much any time after 10am :)

I don't know of any plans this weekend for a change :)

[Toolman]

do you guys have a spec key made.. I have my old one if you want it.. it might work at your site..

[Toolman]

Any new pics of the house yet..

[yyz28]

I goxt a key... I need to post up some new pics... ...but it's all but finished at this point... Walkthrough is next week. ...and there was much rejoicing...

I'll steal my camera from my lovely wife and post up some new pics tomorrow!

[chetta]

That's great news Scott!!

[Mr_Will]

sweet

[yyz28]

Ok... Final WALKTHROUGH is next friday, 8/26, we Close on the 30th or 31st. We'll move in labor day weekend.

Here's some pics.

[yyz28]

...and a few more.

...the tile isn't as yellow as it looks in the picture... funny how cameras see things different than the eye does.

[Shelby]

Yeah Yeah Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[chetta]

That tile doesn't look yellow, it looks tannish...

I bet you can't wait. :yeah:

[Joel]

Looks awesome!!

[Toolman]

Corinean counter tops and a gas stove, very nice..

[Mr_Will]

looks really nice yall !!

[yyz28]

Thank you very much.

[30birdy]

Wow.. amazing what a difference appliances, sinks and carpet make ;)

Looking really good guys!!! :D

Let us know if we can help.. although if you are moving laborday weekend we may be out of town :(

I like that stove :)

[FST FOX]

Looks good ya'll So when is the house warming party?

[Toolman]

after the party it wont be so pretty..

[yyz28]

after the party it wont be so pretty..

...treadin' thin for an invite there, bro! ;)

[Shelby]

Wow.. amazing what a difference appliances, sinks and carpet make ;)

Looking really good guys!!! :D

Let us know if we can help.. although if you are moving laborday weekend we may be out of town :(

I like that stove :)


Thanks for the offer. I think we are going to take a few days off work to get things in order for the movers so we should be good. :)

And thanks, I love the stove too. ;) I asked for black as stainless is so hard to clean and ended up with one with stainless panels on it. It looks nice and I don't want to give it back. :D

[Toolman]

What kind of partys do you throw hehe..

[MiniMatt]

Btw....Scott and Chele....congrats on the new dwelling and I wish you nothing but happy future memories in your new casa.....maybe one day when I am not working I can come bye :p

[yyz28]

We would love to have you over! Keep an eye here... we'll post up a housewarming party not too long into the future, and we are planning on hosting new years per the norm...

...we're saving all the tarps from painting next week for that party! ;)

[MiniMatt]

Now why would you......wait.....I forgot....prolly a good idea to keep em.... :p

[FST FOX]

party, house, tarps :D just as long as I can still crash under the pool table we'll be good :D

[yyz28]

That's fine... just don't hurl in MY bathroom this time... Please keep puke relegated to the spare bathroom. ;)

[FST FOX]

To think I underestimated the lemonade :eek:

[yyz28]

Well, today was the big day. Michele and I went and closed on our house today. The process was somewhat long, as the HUD was not ready when we arrived, but we had no surprises, and were presented the documents as we expected them. We are now happy home owners!

...I want to thank those who gave us such good advice along the way, it made the process much easier. It's nice to know folks who have gone through this recently.

...I also want to thank my staff, specifically Tim and Rich for covering the shop for me today while I took off all afternoon to get the paperwork handled.

Painting begins tomorrow night, and Michele and I have taken off all day Thursday and Friday, so we will be painting the parts of the house we want to paint before move in for the next few days, and we have the movers scheduled for Saturday. That gives us Sunday and Monday to get semi organized. It's going to be a lot of work in front of us for the next few days, but it will be worth it.

We WILL have an informal "come see it" party which will really be just come over and have a few beers in a couple of weeks, so I'll keep everyone posted. If you're in the area Thursday, Friday, Sunday or Monday, and just want to stick your head in, call me or just feel free to stop by if you already know where it is. Saturday will be really hectic, but the rest of the time, we'll be around just working.

:yeah:

[chetta]

Congrats Scott & 'Chele. That's great news. Now aren't your hands still numb today? :D

[Joel]

Awesome congrats!!!

[30birdy]

That's awesome guys!! Congrats! Can't wait to see the "finished" product!!!


Maybe we'll drop in Friday evening before we leave town so Dylan can turn your fireplace off and on a few hundred times ;)

[Shelby]

Yes Lo, our hands are a little numb ;)

And Trista, Dylan is welcom to turn it on and off as many times as he wants :)

[70StreetRacer]

hey scott if you need a hand moving let me know i got alot of friends with trucks. and i ahve 2 myself. id be more than happy to help.

[yyz28]

Well, we're in.

We spent all weekend painting and moving, and we got further than I thought we would. We're 60% unpacked and setup, and 90% of the way done with the painting. I have to give a HUGE thank you to the folks that helped out this weekend.

Jeff, thanks for coming over Thursday to help us slave the paint! You rule bro!

Marian, Brenda and their crew (Michele's boss and coworkers)! You guys really helped get us as far along as we did this weekend. Without your help on painting day, we'd have MUCH more in front of us!

Lisa and David, (Michele's Mom and Stepdad) thanks for the gifts and your labor. You guys worked later than anyone (myself included) a couple of nights! Thanks so much!

Barry and Robbin, (Michele's Dad and Stepmom) thanks so much for the plants and the great advice along the way!

Mom and Dad, thanks for kitty-sitting this weekend, and for the grill! We'll have steaks at my place soon!

Rich and Larry (poor Larry came to the wrong place at the wrong time and got sucked into manual labor) thanks for making the trip with me to the old place to get the rest of my stuff!

Mel, Callie and Herme, thanks for the comic releif!

Scott (MATLACK!!!), thanks for helping me haul the bed and the grill up to the new casa!

Tim, Paul, Rich, Larry, Rick and the rest of my staff, thank you so much for doing such a great job of holding down the fort while I was gone on Thursday and Friday. I have no fires to put out this morning... Thanks!

Gary, thanks for your company and for helping me unpack.

I'm sure I'm missing somebody. Thank you all so much for all your help, advise and support through this process. We've got lots of work ahead, but I'm looking forward to it as it's OUR HOUSE! Good times!

Give us a week or two and we'll have everyone over to see it (with old ugly furniture and all) and play some pool, drink some beer, good stuff like that!

[30birdy]

Boy Scott, if you ever receive an award for anything we know you'll have no problem making an acceptance speech ;)


Jamison 2016!! ;)

[Phat3800]

I would have come up there, but I had a prior engagement... Plus I'm driving a car with expired inspection AND registration stickers...and half a front end..