2243 Middlebury Lane

I could go on and on about the stressful weekend we spent house hunting.  About a real estate market in Fort Collins - where houses are sold within a week and sellers are getting several offers and more than asking price - that is polar opposite of the one we left in Lawrence.  And, unfortunately, we were on the wrong side in both cases.  About a new development that we've had our eye on since January where 100 available lots became 7 and the base price increased $20,000...in just 3 months.  About considering the suburbs, where you get WAY more house but miss out on so many of the every day amenities.  About being forced to make a decision much faster than we were prepared to.

But all of those stories lead us here.

We don't have a house yet, or even a hole in the ground, but we have an address.  And barring any major construction delays or a totally unexpected catastrophe with the lender we will be closing on our brand new home at the end of June.

2243 Middlebury Lane.  It has a nice ring to it, I think.

Now that the decision is behind us and we are done over analyzing it from all angles, we couldn't be happier.  We are building a house in the development we first saw in January and fell in love with at first sight.  It is in the school district we wanted most of all.  It is about 5 minutes from Drew's shop.  It is less than 5 miles off I-25 which gives us easy access to Denver and makes giving directions a piece of cake.  It is 20 minutes or less to all Fort Collins has to offer from shopping to dining to entertainment to the mountains.  We will have a private neighborhood park and pool.  It's perfect.

And now that I've spent some more time in the model, with a tape measure and a critical eye, I am in love with the floor plan, too.

Here is the site of our future home.  The pool is labeled and the planned park, the size of 1 city block, will be located directly across the street from the row of houses behind us. 

I believe they will be pouring the street and digging the holes this week.

Here's a picture of the model for our floor plan.

It's not a custom build so we are not able to alter the floor plan and we don't have free reign when it comes to all of the finishings (hence the ability to build an entire house in 8-10 weeks), but we are able to make many selections - from carpet to light fixtures to counter tops to cabinetry to paint colors.  In fact, here's a sample of the exterior options alone.

And of course there is an entire list of upgrades you can choose from as well.  I can hardly wait to get to the design center and start making decisions!

While weighing our options between this house and some of the others we had seen (specifically in the suburbs where the houses were tricked out but still quite a bit cheaper) I found myself focusing on the things I didn't like.  Rather than top of the line finishings, things will be more builder grade.  Formica instead of granite.  Stainless drop-in sink instead of composite or under mount.  Horrible (seriously, they're horrible) faucets.  But all of these things are aesthetic and can easily be changed down the road.  The fact is, we are gaining a lot of things that we didn't have in Kansas.  Like a five-piece master bath, a 3 car tandem garage, a full unfinished basement, a killer kitchen pantry, a huge laundry room right off the bedrooms, a massive walk-in closet in the master, white trim and doors, and wood floors throughout.  The square footage (until we finish the basement) will be less than what we had in Kansas, but the floor plan suits us perfectly.

I absolutely love the open layout of the main floor and the vaulted ceilings in the entry and living space.

Note:  Notice the tool belt and tape measure?  Jack came prepared.  He took us quite literally when we said we (emphasis on we) were going to build a house!  Silly kid.

And, of course, my mind is already swimming with room arrangements and decorating ideas.

 

I still can't believe it will be ready in just a couple of months.  Then again, everything else in this process has happened so quickly I don't know why I'm surprised. 

 

Stay tuned, I'll be documenting everything along the way and I have a feeling it will be a wild ride!