Moving In....

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It has finally happened...I have moved into my new home in Sedona. There is still plenty yet to to from the finishing touches to the unpacking and sorting, but the rental is no more and this is my primary residence. It was a long and hectic week, I started it off with a pretty bad sinus infection and a flu. What I really wanted to do was lie down and sleep until I felt better but there was no chance of that happening. My friends rallied and helped me with m y move out and I have slowly been going box by box unpacking. The one up side is I get to weed out unnecessay stuff and put is aside for the next garage sale. My last one made more than I expected, hopefully this one will do the same. I just feel the stuff should be used rather than packed away...less is more, right?

It will be a couple of weeks before it is copmpletely done from the builders end. There is trim to paint and touch ups to be made...funny how the seemingly little things drag on. I know Terry and Jeanette are feeling it more than me. I can not imagine how people can stand this process for 12-18 months...I would have to shoot myself, and it has been pretty painless.

So, little by little. I am feeling better though still congested with the sinus stuff. 5 more days of antibiotics and I should be good as new. Work is good, still keeping me busy but starting to slow down a bit with the end of the school year. I am looking to more into a new direction within my work combining some face to face facilitations with the online development piece, which I am looking forward to. I have a wonderful job, but I miss the interaction with people...I am a social being afteall ;-)

The three photos I uploaded are the patio/front entrance, the view from living room out onto balcony and Thunder Mountain, and the downstairs TV room.

Well, that is it for now...add a note and say hey! Nancy

Week 24 - Still not in the house

So close yet so far...The last bits seem to take the longest. I was due to move into the house at the end of March. I had half of my things moved over into the garage and we were getting ready to move the big pieces when I got a call from Terry to stop. Home Depot was installing the carpet and, though the measurements were done right, the math was not. While installing they realized they only had enough carpet to do the upstairs and it would take two weeks to reorder. So, that is where I am now...waiting for carpet to be installed so I can move my stuff. It should be in Tuesday and then the rest of the finishing can happen. It looks great; however, and will be worth the wait. I was very fortunate that the renter who are taking over my place were not able to move in until May 1st so I have a roof over my head in the interim ;-) Funny how things work out.

So, the big move will be the last week of the month. I am sure there will still be a few things that need to be done after I move in, but that is OK. The Realtor will do the first open house this Thursday and post the virtual tour. My strategy will be to keep everything I want to hold onto in boxes and unpack only that which I will want to sell...hopefully with the house. It will make the next move that much easier, even if it is just in to storage. I have not quite worked out all the details but I think San Francisco with my sister for a little bit is the first stop. From there I will work out the rest of the details.

My brother (photo) came to visit for Easter weekend and he wants me to keep it. I think he is devising some plan for the family to chip in and buy it. It is pretty funny. He loved Sedona and thinks the house should "stay in the family," but I think the house needs to be sold...so unless he comes up with some money, I think I will win this one ;-)

Week 20 - The Final Touches

This is the last week before I start moving my things into the house. I came back from my business trip for a week to a beautifully painted home. It makes such a difference. The color is warm and compliments the surrounding area. Inside, the doors have been painted and the trim will be put in in a couple of days. Carpet was delayed but it looks like Friday now. That leaves some final concrete to be poured and appliances to be installed. I will be out of the rental on the 31st and probably displaced for a week while they finish up. I am hopeful I will be able to fully unpack on the 7th or 8th of April. Sometimes the home stretch seems the longest ;-)

Week 18 - It is really coming together

I look at this house and I am amazed by it. I know that sounds funny but it is true. Everyday it changes (thank goodness) and begins to resemble the ideal we had of it. The colors are warm and yummy, the energy of the area is calming and now that they have begun "finishing" it, I can imagine what it will look like when it is done.

As of today, all the tile work on the counters and floors is laid and grouted, and the wood floors installed in the living room. The trim will go in today and the outside will painted once it is dry enough long enough. We had this bizarre storm yesterday...one minute sunny and the next minute thunder followed by hail coming down sideways. The dessert is a funny place like that. The color for the outside is this soft olive green, my first choice was a deep Forrest green that was rich and vibrant but once painted on the house, actually made it glow. I can be stubborn at times but had to concede when EVERYONE I showed it cringed ;-) Terry and I drove by a house we liked in the Thunder Mountain and asked the woman for the color of her exterior paint. She was kind enough to pass the information along and I must admit it does look much better. They have also installed all the light switches and lighting, so it is really shaping up.

Building a house has really an endeavor of faith, patience and fortitude. You have to trust a lot of people...so if you don't, this could be very stressful ;-) The most important for me are my builders...probably true in most cases. I am fully cognizant of how much stress they take on so I don't have to and dread to imagine the scenario where that is not the case. Because of them, this has been a great experience and for that I am grateful.

I will begin moving my stuff in a week or so with the help of some sweet people here, and hope to have it all in place by the end of the month so I can clean the carpet in my rental and make sure it is ready for the next people. I hope to have a garage sale the last weekend of the month to clear some of the clutter I have accumulated since moving here. It is not much, but there is some. If I am not diligent it will all end up coming back to me ;-)

So, down to the wire....Even if I do not stay there long, I am glad for the opportunity to have done it.

Week 15 - 30 days notice

I am giving my 30 days notice on my rental. The house is very close to being finished. All the flooring is picked out, the walls have all been painted and cabinets are installed. The counters will come in the next week or so. Add the first cement patio and it is starting to look like a inhabitable house. It really is quite beautiful. I got a little detached from it while I was traveling but after seeing it am getting a little less detached ;-)

Terry and Jeanette have been absolutely relentless in getting this done on time and within budget which as a client could not be more happy about. I honestly could not imagine this process with anyone else. It is grueling and constant; yet, I have had to deal with little of it. I realize this is not the norm but am grateful it is my experience.

Some things still left to do include:

Paint the stucco
Landscape the outside
Pour the driveway and remaining patios
Install fixtures
Lay carpet and tile
Build master shower
Install counter tops

I am sure I have oversimplified and left several things out, but it is enough to get an idea of what is left. I will continue to take pictures of the progress.

So, over the next month, I will begin packing and getting rid of the few things I have accumulated that I have no need for in the new house. I have done a pretty good job of not cluttering my life this time around and have even found that I can live with less than I thought. I am a firm believer of less is more these days ;-)

I have included a couple of sunset pictures...it was amazing, the light was perfect and this is my new view.

Week 7 to Present (Almost)

It has been a while since my last post...my only excuse is the holidays, the house, work, and life in general. It has been a bit of a wild ride with the house but it seems to have worked itself out. The day I left for Christmas all shit hit the fan, the good karma apparently left with me and things took a turn. The inspector would not approve something and then went back to the previously approved framing and found several more things wrong. This delayed the house by almost 3 weeks. The framer had to drive from Phoenix to Sedona for 4 days in a row to move the stairs 1/16 of an inch. The inspector decided to go on vacation and basically was making it as difficult as possible to get the work approved before Christmas day so the workers could be paid. Terry and Jeanette had to miss out on their vacation to Santa Barbara for Christmas and New Year so we did not lose more time. When I returned on the 29th of December they were stretched to the limit and demanding I not leave again before it was complete. We made a compromise and I promised to do a little ritual to "mark" the property and do a good karma dance to avoid any further delays...so far so good!

The house has been stuccoed, drywalled, and now being painted inside. The photos attached do not get all the way to that point but they get you close enough. I have been on the road for a week now and am going by word of mouth, but Jeanette described the colors as "yummy" so I am excited to see the results. By the time I return from my travels, the house should be pretty close to done. Cabinets arrive in another week and the flooring has been chosen and ordered, so it is moving along.

Since I will not have new photos until I get back to Sedona mid February this will be the last Blog until then. I will, however, start a new Blog outlining my tour starting with DC and the Inaugural event and working my way through Dubai, Thailand, Singapore and Sydney...Check it out!

Til then,

Love Nancy

Week 6 - The Transformation

I do not know where to start...Wednesday I had a foundation and 3 sides of a retaining wall and now I have a nearly completed framed house. The crew they hired from Phx are animals and basically have framed the entire house in 4 days. They took today off (Sunday) and will come back tomorrow and Tuesday to finish with the inspection set for Tuesday night. I have taken to going by the house three time a day because it has been changing that quickly.

So, Wednesday the downstairs was framed...Thursday, the second story was framed...Friday, the roof framed and the inside started...and Saturday, all the rooms done with some minor touches needed on Monday. The will then begin to sheet the house (I think that is the terminology but I could be wrong).

Windows are set for tomorrow with heating and electrical to follow this week. I honestly can barely keep up but it is really exciting. Terry and Jeanette have made this very easy for me so far and have been awesome to work with. They have a few more lots for sale if anyone wants to be my neighbor ;-) They do great work!!!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photos, there may be one more entry before I leave for MN and CA for the holidays. I can not even fathom what it will look like when I return...The adventure truly continues.