The Mortgage Loan has been approved!
Yes, we've already paid Earnest Money & Construction Deposits in full, so.... naturally this was kind of a shoo-in, but STILL. It's an official milestone. I'm a very wary realist (leaning towards pessimist) and know nothing is official until its OFFICIAL, so by nature I just cross fingers and hold breath.
So far, this has been an increasingly exciting process... only to have each step be sort of anti-climatic in a way. LOL, not bad, just completely different than what I had been envisioning. For example, going back and forth for weeks about all the wants and must-haves in a house, color swatching, do we want this, or do we want that... feeling overwhelmed with OMG this is going to be our HOUSE...... then the exciting day of going to the Design Center to get the seal of approval on all your picks. Walking up like: OMG Today's the day!!
Annnnnnd then you walk away realizing there's no "instant gratification" to it... the house is still literally non-existent as of right now. LOL I've been struggling a bit with this odd... brewing yet stifled excitement and I had to funnel the energy somewhere... so I started a Pinterest. Not the dumb, over-the-top "Dream Home" type, but researched, priced out, and bookmarked ceiling fan ideas.... or legit, highly rated (yet affordable) uplighting for the yard. Anyway... back to reality.
Here is what our selections look like:
1) Ceramic Tile that mimics hardwood flooring.
2) Back splash and wall tile for Kitchen and Bath.
3) Mid-Grade Plush Carpet for Bedrooms with Upgraded Padding.
4) Cabinetry Hardware throughout house***
5) Quartz counters in Maple Blanco.
6) "Painted Stone" gray cabinetry color.
That hardware is getting replaced ASAP. I've attempted hardware as a DIY in the past and it was a nightmare, so I just elected to go ahead and have the holes properly drilled and leveled from the start.
Also, I've heard 99% positive feedback about the Ceramic Hardwood, with 1 exception where it was mentioned what if you drop something and it shatters. Well, to that, I respond with: I have personally lived through at least 4 house floods, different states, and different causes (water heater breaking, natural disaster, etc) and I would much rather deal with replacing a plank of broken tile than an entire house of actual hardwood that has been ruined.
I'm honestly really excited about the wood floor. We wanted to offer some contrast to the otherwise very bright selections we picked with everything else. I hate White-On-White-On-White. It makes everything freaking BLAND. So we offset the white counters with gray cabinets and make that pop against a darker floor to warm things up.
Our current decorating scheme is Grays, Whites, with accent color of Plum/Amethyst. So that did have a role to play in our picking a gray-neutral scheme for interior colors. Here's a real life pic...
