Counting Down

Now we are playing the waiting game.  The application is in to the bank.  The builder has put in for the permits.  The property line has been measured and marked.  The utilities are shut off and we’re waiting for them to be disconnected.

We got a call from a guy from the gas company who was there to turn off the gas asking if we would be willing to let him and a buddy come collect the siding from the house for recycling.  And the lightbulb went on!  It’s all aluminum siding and people pay for that, so why not reap the benefits of that gas guy’s great idea?!?  So, we called up some friends and went to work…  Sorry, gas guy!

We used hammers, crowbars, and the sheer excitement of being able to carelessly demolish something to take down sheet after sheet of siding.  We removed the styrofoam or particle board backing (learning in the process that the house was sided in two different kinds of siding – who knew??) and stacked it up in the garage.  Now the house is stripped of siding up to about 10 feet because that’s all the ladder we had.  Hopefully we have some more beautiful days (and a taller ladder!) and we’re able to go back and do more before the whole house comes down.

In the last talks with the builder, he said we’re looking to tear down sometime in mid- to late-June and start building in the beginning of July.  Keep your fingers crossed!

And once again, a million thanks to the friends who came over to help us.  We could never get through the whole process without you! 

Let’s get it started!

Until recently, I have been consumed by feelings of overwhelming work.  But now I can see the sun shining through the clouds!  We are going to have a home!  It  seems like it has been so long since anything really happened in this process, but I got a collapsable folder for all of the contact information and paperwork (a definite must), and I can see that the ball has not been dropped in the last two months, it’s just been rolling really slowly.

This past Saturday, we officially signed a contract with our builder and gave him enough money to know we’re serious about this project, but not so much that we’ll have to eat ramen noodles until the project is over.  Our builder had been working on some prelimary things while waiting for us to sign the contract, so we know we have a winner – he seems to want to get this project going just as much as we do.  He will be applying for demolition permits this week and said the house should be down in the next 4-5 weeks, which coincides with my husband’s birthday.  I’m not sure how my husband feels about that.

We also filled out the paperwork for the bank and were told that we could be approved for a loan that is way higher than we want, which is always a good feeling because it means that with the amount we actually want, at least the bank won’t think we’re poor.  As soon as I gather the appropriate pieces of paper that should be in the filing cabinet but are not and mail them in, we’re set.

So, excitingly enough, this is really going to happen!!  Now, instead of looking back at all of the things we’ve gotten done, I can look forward with anticipation knowing what’s really to come.

Off to do a happy dance!

Slow Going

I know it’s been a long time since I’ve added anything, but it’s been slow going.

We have chosen a builder, but we are waiting to sign the contract.  We found out that we need to work with a title company to disburse funds and they sometimes get a little freaky if you give your own money to the builder.  So… we have to sign with a bank and title company before our ever-faithful builder gets paid.

We have also been stripping the planting beds of any perennials we would like to share or replant when the new home is built… daisies, peonies, iris… They’ll be beautiful and it will be sweet to have part of the old landscape with the new home.

I’m still holding out hope that we’ll have our home by Christmas, but time keeps on ticking.