The View

Can we just take a moment to breathe in the view of The Bluff at Potomac Shores. You really can't beat that! We imagine taking bike rides with our future children down to the bluff and having a family picnic here.

Oh and we also stopped by our lot while showing visiting family members the neighborhood and what do you know, they have added the frame work for our neighbors house in about week  but what really matters is that PS has sectioned our lot off from the others.

Lets Get Caught Up (Jun)

June 1 - With all the time on our hands we started to have second thoughts about our back splash selection for the kitchen. We made a second appointment with TAC to re-visit our selections. Once we reviewed our selections we instantly wanted to make a change, so it was a good thing we went. We opted for a different color tile and changed the diamond shape accents from glass to antique nickel; it looked a lot better. We kept all the other options and luckily the price didn't go up since the new selections were in the same price class.

Here is what we originally chose. The dark espresso cabinets, Santa Cecilia counter, with a light beige colored ceramic tile and a glass diamond accent moving across the back splash at an angle. The source of contention, was the overwhelming about of brown and contrasting colors.

But then we chose this kitchens back splash and accent. Much cleaner and less dark. Plus the ceramic tile has hues of blue and grey.

Here is the Antique Nickel accent we are using.

June 11 - We finally heard back from PS and they're ready to break ground! We set up our pre-construction meeting with the Project Manager (PM) for June 26th. Cant wait to see things in motion.

Finally, we're caught up.......

Lets Get Caught Up (Apr/May)

We didn't accomplish anything in April or May, just waited to hear back from PS. PS still hadn't heard anything from Prince William County or the Fire Marshall. The approval was taking FOREVER.....at least that's how it felt.

May 21 - We were informed by our RH rep that our start date has been pushed back a month because the approvals were taking longer than expected. They are expecting to break ground around July 6th with a delivery date of October 9th and our pre-construction meeting will be about 2 weeks prior to the ground breaking. This was especially hard to deal with because we are living with family. While living with family is not the worst solution out there, going from a king size bed to a full in the hot summer nights is trying! There is a constant battle for sheets!! Plus our dog, Rosie, doesn't have the freedom she normally would. She is about 80lbs and is used to sleeping with us in the same room but now she is limited to roaming the main level. There will be a cuddle party with the pup once all of this is finished.

Lets Get Caught Up (Mar)

Mar 2 - Today we met with Guardian to discuss wiring. For additional security, we opted to have Guardian install our home security system so that it’s built into the framework of the house. We also selected the surround sound package for the family room which includes speakers in the ceiling. They had some really nice options to choose from, including an entire home audio package. It was hard not to go overboard especially considering that our home is usually the location for friends and family to gather. Also, hubby is an electronic geek. Guess it balances itself out, she needed upgraded counters and cabinets EVERYWHERE and I NEEDED surround sound.
Cable/Telephone outlets: The home comes with 3 cable entries and 3 telephone jacks and can be interchanged for your needs. So if you need 4 cable entries, you will have 2 telephone jacks left. We chose to add more cable ports because we felt it would be easier and cheaper in the long run to add them pre-dry wall. After talking with Guardian, an electrician would experience some difficulties doing so afterwards and it would damage the wall.
We did cable outlets in the family room, study, master, all four bedrooms, basement finished area and a special drop in the media room so that when it is finished, the cable line is already there.

Mar 4 - Finally received pricing info from TAC which gave us a better idea on how much more the house will cost us. Let us just warn you, the charges for hardwood will BLOW YOUR MIND. Initially, we wanted a wide planked hardwood in either a dark rich color or a light exotic grey but after seeing the prices, we decided to stick with the base level which was already included in the cost of the home. We figured we would get a couple of years out of this one and then upgrade later; which honestly may be cheaper than what Ryan was charging.

Mar 23 - Closed on the townhouse! Yay! Now we're homeless, Boo! We moved in with family the same day and put 95% of our stuff in two storage units. Did the move ourselves with friends and family but we will definitely hire movers when we move into our new home. We sold and donated a bunch of stuff and we still had too much to move. We're very grateful to have friends and family help us with the move, couldn't of have done it without them.

Lets Get Caught Up (Feb)

Feb 3 - We officially signed a contract to sell our townhouse.

Feb 5 - The Milan floor plan has a morning room option, but we were told that PS would not be offering that option because there isn't a lot size that can fit that model with the morning room. At this point we decided not to buy the house and continued our home search elsewhere.

Feb 6 - A day after declining to build the house we were notified by RH that they located one (1) lot that could fit the morning room option. They apparently did some re-measuring and realized it would fit, but it would be the only Milan model in the neighborhood with that morning room option; we shall see. The downside is they will not be able to break ground until June with a deliver date of September 1st. This was due to the needed approval from Prince William County and the Fire Marshall before they could proceed. Not for the special morning room but for the entire Milan floor plan in general. It had not been through this process when it was released and because we were the first to buy it, we would also experience the longest wait.

                                                                        Our Lot

Feb 6 - Townhouse inspection happened without a hitch. Not much to fix, just a few electrical issues and some cosmetic things

Feb 9 - Since the Milan model was brand new, PS doesn't have a model home or a previously built home to show us. We drove to Stephenson, VA to view the model up there in a different site.

Feb 10 - After looking at the model in Stephenson, it had everything we needed/wanted. At this point we decided to build. From this point we had to move quickly because RH has timelines in which everything must be complete. We had to meet with the loan officer, TAC Ceramic to pick out finishes, and Guardian to decide on electrical.

Feb 13 - We had our meeting with NVR Mortgage to discuss the process and all the required documents that are needed to proceed. The meeting was good and our loan officer is pretty awesome. He was down to earth and laid everything out to us in simple terms.

Feb 15 - Met with our RH rep to finalize colors of the home exterior, the granite, and the cabinets. For the house we chose a light bluish/grey color; the granite is a light brown which looks great with the dark brown cabinets

Feb 16 - We sat down with TAC Ceramic to pick out our back splash for the kitchen, our floors, and our tile for the bathrooms. We decided to go with a ceramic tile back splash with a glass tile diamond shaped accent which looked great with the dark brown cabinets. As a note, PS only had one cabinet knob selection to use, which we didn't like, and they won’t install anything that you purchase on your own. We have to buy are own knobs and have them installed later which kinda stinks because you would think they would have more range to offer or at least put on the ones we provided at no cost. We prefer the sleekness of a simple bar handle rather than a knob. Most of the flooring on the main floor is dark cherry wood except for the carpet in the family room and the office; we opted to add additional padding to the carpet in the family room. See the floor plans and options page for details.
We chose a beige color carpet but not too light because we don't want it to show too much dirt or the puppy prints from Rosie. We chose to upgrade the tile in the master bathroom floors and shower but kept the standard tile for the other bathrooms. PS also duplicates the granite from the kitchen to all the bathrooms, which is a plus but of course not without an upgrade charge. The wife has a real issue with consistency and balance so of course all of the bathrooms HAD to be upgraded.

Feb 19 - Contacted TAC Ceramic to get the final prices for our selections. Unfortunately there was a miscommunication between PS and TAC so we didn't get pricing up front; or on this day. We also asked to add shelves to our master shower.

Lets Get Caught Up (Dec/Jan)

Dec 29, 2014 - Started our new home search with our family realtor. We figured it was time, we were out growing the space of our townhouse and we wanted to get a single family home now before prices became too ridiculous. We really were not looking to build, but stopped in Potomac Shores (PS) to take a look around....and pretend lol. The Ryan Homes (RH) rep we worked with was awesome. She took us through the options and process and did a great job breaking down the numbers. And when we say breaking down the numbers, she worked her tail off trying to find ways to make the house affordable for us! She was so amazing and creative but something didn't feel right about the floor plans that were currently available.

Jan 27, 2015 - Officially listed our townhouse for sale. We saw a house that we loved, located elsewhere, but we needed to sell our house quick. Unfortunately, we lost that house to another bidder. Wife was really upset for awhile....I was too.

Jan 30 - We initially declined to build a house in Potomac Shores because we weren't in love with the available houses in our price range but on this day we were notified by Ryan Homes that they were releasing two new models, the Milan and Venice; we liked the Milan.

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog as we document our adventure building a new single family home at Potomac Shores located in Dumfries, VA. We are a fairly newly wed couple, <2 years, who decided that we were outgrowing our town home and the market was right. We don't have any children yet, but we are truly blessed and a bit obsessed with our dog, Rosie. You really cannot resist her face! Join us in our adventure into the unknown,

Unfortunately we started the blog after design decisions were made so our next few posts will be dedicated to getting you caught up. We welcome any comments, questions, or any advice that can aid us in our process. We're new to this so any advice is appreciated, as this blog is mostly intended for educational purposes. Enjoy, hopefully our experience can help others!