We Built A House 2019

At the end of March 2019 we found out that the city had one final housing lot open and the builder was planning to start building as soon as the weather was ready in the spring.  When we found out about this open lot, we immediately called a realtor and got information about it.  It really didn't take long and a few days later, we were committed!  The builder had house plans already but since they had not started yet, there were a few minor things that we were able to tweak on the plans.  The house is a 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house plus an office so we knew it would fit our family perfectly.  They broke ground and dug the basement on Monday, May 20th, 2019.  

Before the building started, we talked to the builder about finishing the basement out for us and he gave us a price of an extra $25,000.  To us, this was definitely worth it since then we didn't have work to do, we would have the extra living space right away, and Bennett and Ashley would have a finished bedroom when we'd move in.  Alot of these his finishings are standard to what he builds but there were definitely a decent amount of things that we got to pick out and customize which was fun.  The things that we didn't get to, luckily are still in my style and I like them.  

We got to pick out the following:

• All flooring - carpet in the main living areas and bedrooms, wood laminate in the kitchen/dining, linoleum in the entryway and the 3 bathrooms.
• Paint color - we choose a pretty gray for the whole house.  We'll update with some color in time but for now, I like the gray.
• Kitchen and bathroom cabinet style, color and hardware.  I went with a very dark espresso color (almost black).  I L.O.V.E. it!  The design lady that we met with said that white is a popular choice right now and I'm like nope, how about the complete opposite and let's go as dark as possible.  
• Counter top color in the kitchen.  It is a laminate counter top but the color that I choose makes it look more like real granite.  I upgraded a small bit and had them put an extra coat of something on top of the laminate to give it an added shine - which in my opinion makes it look alittle bit more like granite too.  (We could have gone with granite but that of course would have added to the price of the house.)
• Counter tops in the bathrooms.
• House and shingle colors.  This one was the one pick that made me suuuuper nervous the entire build.  This too, I went with a very dark gray and I do love it.  But it was ordered months before it was installed so the whole time I was doubting myself and afraid I was gonna hate it and that it'd look too dark.  And I knew that this wouldn't be a cheap fix if I really didn't like it and that we'd just have to live with it.  Like I said, luckily I do love the color and glad I went with the dark.  
• Window and garage door style - how many panes are in the windows and garage door windows.  

It was so fun to live just a few blocks away from the new house so we were able to watch the whole thing being built.  About once a week we'd all head over to the new house in the evening when the workers were gone and do a walk thru to see the progress.  

Isn't it pretty!?!  

It really was a fun process and I'm so glad we did it.  I'm also glad we had the builder with the plans and some of his standard things already - so that we didn't have to pick out every single thing.  The total cost was about $275,000.  It's great to have a brand new house and not have any major things to be repairing and fixing for now.  We are on a .22 acre lot (old house was on a .5 acre lot).  We would love to live on an acre or two of land some day, but for now, this fits us pretty well. 

I'll let you know more about the moving in a different post.

We Moved!

In March 2019 we had started talking about moving during the summer and had alot of should we/shouldn't we talks.  At the end of March we found out out that the city had one final housing lot open and the builder was planning to start building as soon as the weather was ready in the spring.  We wanted to stay in the New Germany area but we were looking to find our dream house on an acre of land.  Things were not working out well with that so when we found out about the lot in town, we knew we needed to jump on it fast.  I'll write more about the new house in a different post.  But for this one, we moved!

At the end of March we met with a few realtors - even before this new construction lot was in the works.  The first realtor walked through our house and gave us a sell price of $199,000.  The second one we knew wasn't the right realtor for us and she never did end up giving us a list price.  And the third realtor was the one that we were in touch with about the new build, so he came to look at our current house too.  His list price was $216,500!  Gee, $199k or $216k, which guy should we go with!?!  

April consisted of signing papers, cleaning, packing and staging the house.  In May a professional housing photographer that the realtor hired came out to to take the website pictures and they turned out great!  On May 23rd (which happened to be the last day of school too), it went on the market.  We had a few showings right away that morning and then an open house later that day.  We had 3 offers that first day on the market and we accept a full asking price offer plus the buyer was willing to wait until August 8th, when we were told the new house would be done.  

Here are some of the website listing pictures.  Like I said, they turned out great and it didn't even look like our house!  We had a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom house on a .5 acre lot on the edge of town.  

Living Room

Ashley and Jonah's Room

 

Bennett's Room, Downstairs

Mike's Office

Basement Bathroom

A few small hiccups during the summer... During the inspection, we were told that the front windows in the living room and dining room needed to be replaced.  It was something we knew needed to be done but we were hoping it would just kinda sneak by during inspection - nope, $3500 later, we had two new windows for the new buyer.  And we had to give him a $500 allowance because the radon inspection also failed.  

We really did love this house and it served us well for the 13 years that we lived there.  I did not want to leave and shed many tears during those couple of months but we were out of room and knew there was a baby coming too so moving was the best option for us.  

Final picture before we moved out. 

Pregnant with Micah

It's been awhile since I've been on here...a long long while!  Time to catch up alittle bit!.... 
In April 2019 we found out we were having a baby!  After our miscarriage in October 2018, it took longer to get pregnant than I expected and was hoping.  I was seriously almost to the point of 'giving up' and thinking we would just be content with the three kids that we have - I probably would have given it maybe one more month of trying.  Luckily I wasn't faced with making that decision!  God answered our prayers one more time.  The due date is December 29th, 2019 (Same day as Ashley's birthday!)

The 1st trimester was pretty rough for me.  With any of my pregnancies, I never felt the best and this one was following right on track.  I never throw up but feel pretty nauseous.  The worst part for me though is how exhausted I always feel.  From morning to bedtime, I am so tired and need naps to get me through the day.  In May, to make the tired feeling even worse, we decided to sell our house and build a new construction house in New Germany.  So the end of April and beginning of May was consumed with getting the house cleaned, packed and staged to sell and get it on the market; along with the end of school year activities for the big kids.  The rest of that summer I was feeling better but still so busy with the moving process.

Facebook Announcement done in July.

The 2nd trimester was much better but the exhausted feeling was still there.  We moved at the end of August and then school started for Bennett and Ashley right after that.  So, needless to say, things didn't slow down at all.

20 Week Ultrasound

Dr. Ford on duty.  Jonah had been going to many appointments with me and one day he got the doctor kit out and knew exactly what to do to check on the baby.  He did this many times, along with 'taking my blood pressure' throughout the pregnancy.

The 3rd trimester started out good.  By the last month of pregnancy though, we had a few minor concerns and things to keep watch for.  #1 - my blood pressure was alittle elevated.  It was not too high that we needed to do anything immediate, but it was higher than my normal so my doctor was having me do weekly blood pressure and urine checks.  Luckily, it stayed in my new normal range and didn't climb any higher during those last weeks.  #2 - my weight.  I was not gaining any weight at all towards the end and my belly was measuring smaller.  This too, wasn't a huge concern but just something we were keeping watch of.  During the whole pregnancy, I only gained maybe 10 pounds - if that.  We figure I was on the run so much during the 1st and 2nd trimesters that I was burning more calories than I was putting on so even though the baby was gaining weight and growing, I was losing pounds.  I also had a hard time with heartburn again this pregnancy.  It wasn't as bad as it was when I was pregnant with Jonah, but still bad enough that I needed to watch what I'd eat or I'd feel miserable all night long.  Tums were my friend until the end.

37 Week Pregnant Belly

By the end of December, I was soooo ready to be done being pregnant.  With all the Christmas related things and business of December, I was tired, and just ready to be done.  On December 19th I was dilated to 3cm so hoping baby was gonna decide to quick just come out yet before Christmas.  But then on December 23rd I had another checkup and was at 4cm.  We considered going to the hospital right then and there to get induced - just to be done and then not have to worry about the chance of having a 24th or 25th baby, but a 24 hour hospital stay is needed.  So because of that, the chances of me and baby being out of the hospital and able to make it to Christmas Eve church and have Santa come to our house like normal, were slim - I probably would have been stuck in the hospital all of Christmas Eve.  So the plan is that if baby hadn't come by December 27th, I'd be going in that morning to have the baby!