Neighborhood Development Update

Happy Weekend!  I have been traveling for work this week and it always feels good to have some time at home after work travel. 
Just wanted to give you guys an update on our development for those of you following along.  2014 brought much success with selling lots to builders and they have been very fortunate to sell homes quickly as well.  The neighborhood is filling up quick and it is so nice to see our vision come true. 

Recently Sold

Towards the end of 2014 up to now we have sold 4 more lots and have 4 more under contract.  On the sold lots the builders have already started construction and if the rain holds off it won’t be long before these homes are ready for Spring buyers.

Under Construction

There is one completed home in the neighborhood for sale and one almost complete.  There are 3 in the beginning stages of construction.

For Sale

We are very blessed that things are moving at a quicker pace.  We started with 43 lots and have 14 more available for sale.  The 14 left are in the back part of the neighborhood and they are beautiful lots with more wooded areas. 

We are hoping for the continued success in 2015!

April

Neighborhood Update

It’s been some time since I last gave you guys an update on how things are selling in the neighborhood we developed.  Thankfully the sells have continued to stay steady and we have sold almost 50% of the lots to date. 

Looking back, we started building the first house in Fall of 2011.  We moved in that house in July 2012 and it sold a month later.  We moved in with Will’s parents for a few month while we built the house we are in now. We moved here January 2013.  At that point in time, including those two homes, we had sold 4 lots. 
Things really started to pick up in Spring of 2013.  Fast forward to today, Summer 2014, we have sold 19 lots.  Five are currently under construction.  We are happy to have great neighbors and feel a sense of community again. 
We have finished all major construction to the land and all lots are sellable.  
We are hoping lots continue to sell soon!

April

New Home Completed

Happy Sunday Everyone.  I hope you have all had a great weekend.  I was able to get out to the new house we’ve built in the neighborhood we are developing and I wanted to share some photos of the finished product with you. 

We decided to build this house on one of the more awkward lots in the neighborhood because we would have some control over fencing being added and landscaping to reshape this lot.  It turned out nicely leaving a nice big fenced in backyard.

This house is two stories but the upstairs is currently unfinished.  The back has a small screened in porch that will be nice for sipping sweet tea untouched by bugs in the Summer! The garage is detached with a nice walkway to and from the porch into the house.

Here is a quick little look at the floor plan to give you an idea of the space.  The stairs in this house are closed off and the upstairs is completely unfinished, it would make a great bonus or game room or keep it like it is for lots of storage.

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Here are some shots of the main floor interior.

The living room, kitchen and dining area are all open to each other.  It feels like a nice big space.  The hardwood floors are one of my favorite features.  They are wide plank pine, stained dark and they feel so warm and inviting.

The next area is a short hallway area that leads to all the bedrooms, the guest bath, and laundry room in the back of the house.

The master bedroom and bathroom attached are nice big spaces.  The master bath features a big walk in tile shower with a double vanity sink.  My second favorite part of this house is the big walk in closet.

Quick little tour, cute little house.  We are expected to close on this house January 14th.  We have had some recent interest from a buyer but are a little unsure if things will work out.  As of now, unless things change quickly we are planning to move in after closing. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

 

April

 

New Construction is Coming Along….Quick!

Hey! Sorry it’s been a while, life continues to be as busy as ever.  I wanted to give you a quick update on the new house.  They are moving right along with construction, almost at a scary fast pace.  I stopped by today to get some pictures but it was almost dark before I got there  and so I only have an outside shot.

They have drywall up now so you can see the rooms, but no pictures because it was so dark. 

Just wanted to update you all.  Catch up here on the previous news.

 

April

Land Development News

If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time or if you are friends or family followers you know we are developing a subdivision.  I decided to start a little series to keep you all updated.  This is a home and garden blog after all and currently I am without a home of my own. 

To catch new readers up…

We purchased land years ago to develop into a subdivision in an area near by us that has the potential for strong growth.

With the housing economy being slower than we would like we pushed forward and started construction on the first house in the neighborhood last fall.  You can see that house HERE.

In June we sold OUR HOUSE and moved in that NEW HOUSE because it was still on the market.  We received an offer on it after we’d been living there a month, so we MOVED again in August.   Needless to say it was a crazy Summer. We are out of sorts when it comes to housing, we seriously can’t remember our address most days.  We are temporarily living with my husbands parents. 

Fast forward to today…

We sold two additional lots in the first phase of the neighborhood to a new builder and he has started construction on one of the two.

He will be starting on his second lot soon.

We again contracted with the same builder that built the first home to build another house in an effort to keep building going. Construction has started on that house and it will go on the market as well.  If it does not sell before it’s completed the plan will again be that we will move in temporarily until it does sell. 

We are so thrilled that we have sold a couple lots and we have new builds going in, but we know it is still going to be a long road to finishing this neighborhood out.  We have 39 lots remaining to sell.

The good news is that the housing market is recovering in our area and the location is great.  We are looking forward to seeing all the progress.  It’s so beautiful out there!

We hope to sell some more lots real soon and start the next phase.

If you want to read more look at the Label Land Development to see previous post or click HERE.

 

April

Moved Again, Yes it Happened!

I’ve been keeping a little secret from you all.  We received an offer on our new home in the Glen Iris neighborhood that we are developing and we have already closed on the sale and moved!  Wow, that happened fast!  We closed exactly 2 months from the day we moved in the house. 
We were very excited to have an offer, but we had 2 previous offers on the house that fell through so that is why I kept quite.  The buyer had a very short closing period so we didn’t have to wait long. 
We have packed everything up in PODS and are storing it for a while.  We are currently living with family since we needed a spot temporarily.
Our plans are to build another home in the neighborhood and we will try and sell that one too.  We need to sale lots and continue to do whatever necessary to sale the whole development out.  It should be an interesting remainder to the year…but the good news is, land is starting to move! 
I hope to continue to share furniture projects with you as well as some decorating projects my Mom is currently working on. 
It feels so weird not having my own home to decorate, but I will make the best of it and hopefully it won’t be long before I can start over with something new.
April

Playing House

That is exactly what I feel like we are doing right now…playing house.  We have moved into our new home and it is what we hope to be very temporary.  The house is great but we are trying to sell this one and move on to the next all in effort to get our developed neighborhood built out.  Being a developer in the current economy has not been easy….especially a first time developer.  We are hopeful good things are to come and soon.  You can read about those adventures here and here.
I wanted to show you guys the progress.  It has been a whirlwind Spring but after our vacation we moved and we are now officially settled in.  I would do a lot more on the house if I knew we would be here long term but we are optimistic that it will sell soon.  Since my current decor is pretty basic I thought I’d show you photos and tell you what I would do if it were going to be mine long term.  I’ll add what I may do short term as well.  Please not in all cases I may hang a few pictures..it does still look a little blank. 
And please don’t judge these photos….not the best but this is the unofficial house tour :)

Living Room

If it were long term….
1) Fabric roman shades would look great. Maybe white with a color border in light blue.
2) Furniture-a white or light beige couch with two side chairs in a fun fabric.
Our short time frame….
Probably won’t change anything big in here unless we do purchase a new couch, which I’d love to do.

Kitchen & Breakfast Area

This ceiling is like WOW!
If it were long term…
1) A tile backsplash with a pretty design above the sink
2) A custom built island with lots of storage
3) Purchase a long runner for a rug
4) Add some cabinet organizers from the Container Store
Our short time frame….
1) Purchase a cheap island or furniture piece to re-do (the current island is borrowed from the builder).  I found an awesome one yesterday on Craigslist for $50 and when I called it had already sold :(

Breakfast Nook

If it were long term….
1) Roman shades to match the living room and nook
Our short time frame….
1) Nada :)

Dining Room

If it were long term…
1) Bamboo roman shades with long drapes
2) Purchase a buffet to refinish & create a bar area
3) Purchase a China Cabinet to refinish
4) Recover seat cushions to a more vibrant color
5) Replace the light fixture with something a bit more casual
6) A nice bright rug under the table
Our short time frame….
I may possibly paint the table at the window a white to match the chairs

Master Bedroom

If it were long term….
1) Curtains, Curtains, Curtains, most likely long  and the same color as the dark pillows
2) Purchase a bench for the foot of the bed with a fun fabric on top
Our short time frame….
I may still chunk out the money for curtains….trying to hold out
**Also, I just purchased the bedding and I love it.  The duvet is the vintage ticking stripe from Pottery Barn, this was a Christmas present and I am just now using.  Thanks Mama! The quilt and white shams came from JcPenny and the two darker pillows from TJ Maxx.  The little sailboats are from a Interiors Consignment shop  (more on that later).

Master Bath

 









If it were long term….
1) New towels and bath mats
2) Add fake built in shelves above the toilet (which you can’t see) for storage and decor.
Our short time frame….
Thinking about removing the towel rack and replacing it with hooks.  The rack is a bit high for me to reach and Will never hangs his towel right…can’t get over it :)
**The cat bowls and water fountain (yes I have diva’s) are not really where I would prefer but space is a bit limited.

Guest Bedroom

If it were long term….
1) Hang pictures
2) Do something fun in the little nook
Our short time frame….
Nada…well I may paint the chest

Guest Bedroom

If it were long term…
1) Change out the light fixture
2) Remove the towel bar and hang hooks on the opposite side and put a shelf up in the spot were the towel bar currently is
3) New shower curtain and bath mats
4) This is the cats litter room and if it were long term I would try and figure out a better solution, right now the litter boxes are in the tub
In our short time frame…
Add a toilet paper holder….oops, guess someone forgot that

Office/3rd Bedroom

Gotta love that cat :)
If it were long term…
1) New taller bookshelf or leaning bookshelves that are the same color as the desk.
2) A wall with map wallpaper and paint this room a different color
3) A storage/shelving system in the closet that can accommodate all office supplies & filing
In our short time frame..
Still debating hanging shelves

Loft/Bonus Room

If it were long term…
1) I would re-do this room completely! A sectional couch a must, a new TV stand, shelving for storage and decoration
In our short time frame…
We may move the treadmill out and re-arrange.
**this room would be a great playroom or office as well, but we would most likely use it as our main living area.

Well, what do you think?  Any other suggestions?
Hope you are all keeping cool in this insane heat!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
April

New Home Pictures

I had planned to share with you my finished table that I painted this weekend….But I thought instead I would share with you some great photos I took today over at the neighborhood we developed so you could see this adorable house in all it’s glory.  I took pictures when the house was finished and shared with you guys but I went over and lightly staged the home and took a few more. 
We currently have this house on the market and I don’t think it will be long before it sells because it is a real charmer.  But if our house sells first I’ll be happy to move in :)

Here you can see the Virtual Tour but take a look at my still shots below.

Love these wide plank hardwood floors

All the doors in the house have an old style

This Dutch door is one of my favorite touches

Bead board in the breakfast nook

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Bonus room or Loft

The other side

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 3

Second Bath

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

See more info on the neighborhood and development at Glen Iris


I’ll be back soon with the table make-over…
April