Home Design Inspiration

It has been a few weeks since my last post. Things at the lot have not changed much. There is still a large hole. See this week’s construction update here. I am actually really excited about the interior design phase of the project. After the initial selection at the Design Studio I’ve had time to sit and think about what I want my new house to look like from a design perspective. I enrolled in an interior design course to help my design ideas play out. I have always been interested with interior design. I designed my condo but the furnishings and décor were on the budget friendly side because money was a little scarcer purchasing at 24 compared to now having two incomes and purchasing in my 30s. I can now really “afford” to buy those show stopping pieces without breaking the bank. I’m really exciting about that! Although my budget will not be as tight I will have some budget friendly pieces along with the statement more expensive pieces throughout the house. Buying all expensive pieces will not go over well with my husband and his budget restraints. Even with the budget restraints some items I cannot see myself spending top dollar for when I know I can find it cheaper elsewhere. A lot of research and shopping will be involved in finding those key pieces at a decent price. See my Inspiration and Mood Boards here.

Back and Forth and Back Again

After dragging my husband to just about every model home in the county, we finally decided to build our beautiful home at a master planned community called Marlboro Ridge. This is a fantastic community with wonderful amenities, beautiful homes and an equestrian center. We wanted to purchase a home in a community where we can raise kids and ultimately spend the rest of our lives. I love that this community has community events for both kids and adults throughout the year. The community events are a very exciting feature that we were happy to hear about.

Major Key: Talk to people who live in the community. I found a few coworkers who lived in the community and talked to them about the home’s structural integrity, the construction/building process and other general questions. Most importantly I asked if they liked the house and if were they satisfied with the results.

My husband and I made an appointment in mid-April with the representative to pick our lot, put down a deposit and pick the elevation that we wanted.  Before we sat down we walked through the house and had the sales representative point out everything that came standard and what was an upgrade. I did this a few months ago but I wanted to know if they added new options to the standard list. I also wanted my husband to hear everything before we signed.

Major Key: Make sure you know what is standard and what an upgrade is. This will either save you or cost you more money in options at the design center. One of the most confusing things in buying new construction is looking at the model home and knowing what an add-on is and what is not. The agreement of sale will list out all of the standard options as $0 line items but it’s good to know them before that point. Also ask about incentives. Some builders offer monthly incentives. These often include structural options such as bump outs and finished recreation rooms or the upgrading of cabinetry, flooring or granite. The incentives and closing help sold me!