Design Appointment

We had definitely looked forward to this appointment for a while! We had heard such great things about Melanie, and we were not disappointed.

During this meeting, you go through the design aspects of your house…Everything from the bathroom tile, kitchen appliances, and faucets.  We were once again impressed with the professionalism, openness, and positive attitude each member of Atlantic Builder’s embodies.

I brought a cute little sign I had found at a craft fair to show Melanie the look I was going for.  Her advice was invaluable, expertise enviable, and so, so talented!

It was so exciting seeing things together and imagining what our house would look like. Surprisingly, Matthew and I agreed on mostly everything. Crazy!

The Design Center has such a relaxed environment. We were encouraged to take our time and talk things out.  We couldn’t have been happier with Melanie, the options we had, or the overall experience!

 

Random Fun Story (Saturday Hide-Out)

Matthew and I are currently renting a lovely old house in Downtown. The neighborhood is full of wonderful people, wonderful dogs, and an overall feeling of hospitality. We always knew this place would be temporary, but it was here that we first fell in love with our new town… And that will always mean something to us. But…

All of these wonderful things about our current residence could not convince us to attend the Annual Neighborhood Block Party. Both Matthew and I have the type of jobs where we must be ‘ON’ all the time, and we look forward to relaxing on weekends.  And the Block Party fell on a Saturday after a particularly stressful week for the both of us. 

Unbeknownst to us, the Block Party was being held right outside our house… Meaning right beside our vehicles. We weren’t quite sure how we were going to ‘escape’ and Matthew was not fond of my jumping the back fence and running like the wind idea. So we had only one choice – walk outside, shoulders straight, say hello, and get in our car like nothing was up.  And that’s just what we did. 

Once we made our escape though, we were at a loss as to what to do for 5 hours.  And then a moment of inspiration hit us… We might not beable to go to OUR house… but we could go to the Model Home… which of course, was the closest thing to a home that we had at the moment.

So we did just that.  We crashed Jennifer’s afternoon.  After doughnuts and small talk, Jennifer and I set to work going over our options and figuring out what looked best with what. We picked out our backsplash, brick, and bathroom tile that day! It was a great way to spend the afternoon… not only because of the incredibly comfortable furniture, but because Jennifer and Atlantic Builders welcomed us into their ‘family’; we weren’t simply a couple purchasing a house… we’ve always been treated as though we are friends.

The Contract

The Contract (insert scary, intense music here)

Everyone had said that buying a house would be the biggest decision of your life. Although a very big purchase, I felt more relaxed and less stressed then when we bought a car a few months before.

The day that we signed the contract for our new house turned into a very long night. When we stopped by the model to look at the design options again and to talk to Jennifer, I definitely did not think that we would be signing a contract that day. After looking at all the options again and coming to a final price on what we wanted - the next step was to sign the contract. When we realized we had come to this point, we came to a complete stop… with hundreds of questions running through our heads.  Were we ready for this? Could we afford this? Are we going to be able to eat? And my personal favorite – Can I still buy the Louboutin's to celebrate earning my Master's degree?

Jennifer, I’m sure, could sense our anxiety.  She promptly sent us out the door to discuss everything over dinner. At dinner, we discussed, discussed, and discussed.

 I called the mortgage lenders to discuss my credit score and was completely shocked when I was told we really could afford this dream home. What followed was another hour of stress eating, triumphant fist pumps, and more disbelief. 

We then took another look at the options we have selected and decided we’d rather have the morning room and a brick front than a finished basement and front porch. At this point, we lost ourselves in dreaming about everything that we could do with that AMAZING basement. So many possibilities…

It was then that we realized our dream home could be a reality and we were really only a few months away from no more landlords! (This is in no way a slight to the few amazing landlords we have been blessed with over the years.  There is just a huge element of freeddom that comes with owning your own home) We could paint the walls any color; we could have pets, an in-ground pool, and... and… I digress…

We then went back to the Model Home to sign our lives away!  The signing process was very thorough! When I say thorough, I am NOT kidding… We went over each and every option… separated by random side conversations about dinosaur bones, pranks to play on our future children, and block parties. (Seriously, Jennifer is an absolute whiz at her job.  She took what was a huge anxiety-provoking moment for us and made sure we had fun)

The contract signing process was a very long night, but not once did Jennifer make us feel rushed or pressured.  We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

 

Choosing Our House & Community

The process of choosing the model of home and the community that we wanted to build in was essential to ensuring that we will have a home that we love for years to come.

The interactive floor plan was a valuable tool in deciding the model of our future home. Due to our budget and the size of the home we wanted, we quickly narrowed the selection down to the Radford or the Chelsey. The interactive floor plan allowed us to see what the modified house layout would be. We added on the morning room, upgraded kitchen, extra bathroom and fireplace. After playing with the interactive floor plan and daily calls and visits with Jennifer we finally decided on the Chelsey model. (We were amazed at the patience! The staff truly understands the importance of the decision-making process! They get that this is YOUR home, your castle, your spot! They want it to be just as perfect as you do!)

Now to determine what community we wanted to live in! Kate wanted a place that had a community feeling, with sidewalks, play grounds, and an active neighborhood association. Matt wanted a place that had a little bit of land where a dog or two could run around!

As soon as we drove through another Atlantic Builders community, we knew this was the place for us. With two acre lots, sidewalks, playgrounds, and a pool, we both could have exactly what we wanted.

We had found the perfect community for our future home!

An Introduction Of Sorts

Hi! This is us:

If you would have told us that we would be building our first house, we would have said you were crazy. We always thought we’d have a starter home and save for our dream home. And this is exactly the strategy we had when we started looking for the house we’d live in after we were married.

After touring two houses, we’d had enough. We wanted square footage, a big yard… room to GROW! And all we were finding were adorable bungalows and century old mansions that conjured up images of Tara from Gone with the Wind. (For Kate at least….Matt doesn’t give a damn about Tara… see what I did there? )
We just weren’t finding what we were looking for. Enter Atlantic Builders.
Or actually, enter Jennifer and the Chelsy model. We happened upon the model and decided to take a look around.

After touring the model, we were impressed with how willing the sales team was to work with us.

One of the main things that impressed us was the lack of pressure we felt from Jennifer and the rest of the sales team. When we had toured other places, we were hounded with daily phone calls asking us when we’d be back to sign a contract.

There was none of that from Atlantic Builders.

What followed was weeks of playing around with the awesome Interactive Floor plan. This allowed us to find what we were looking for in our house. And find our house we did.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to build a new home? This blog will chronicle our journey as Atlantic Builders builds our new home! Feel free to come along.