Our Big Dig, Getting started.

We sold our old home and began settling into our rental. We were still not entirely ready to build though. We've been working hard to save our money to pay off the land loan which will be our down payment on the construction loan. Meanwhile Boo wife and I had a lot of decisions to make regarding the overall construction of the house and selections. During these next few months as we met with the builders we are asked if we would consider letting the house be used as a model for a while. Sure, were open to that, not yet realizing what this will mean. As the winter holidays approach we are more focused on family and little happens with regards to the new house.

As the new year rolls in we are still in the 'saving money' mode and I am just starting to keep a closer eye on the mortgage rates. Finally, as January is coming to a close we hear more from the builder, they seem more anxious to get things started at this point. At first I am not sure why but as things progress I begin to understand. Though I don't know all the details it turns out that our builder has been given permission to market the remaining sublots where we bought. In addition, there is a planned 'Green Home Tour' for September 2010 and since we have decided to build our house using Insulated Concrete Forms our builder wanted to use our home as their model.

This is advantageous for our builder and for us. Easier for them to market the land if they have a product to show. Since we are familiar with the quality of their work, if they end up building other homes on the lots then it would only enhance the value of our home. Plus, being a model home provides us with a few additional perks as well. The only down side is that we would have to delay our move in date by a few weeks.

In mid February I contact a loan officer to start the preliminary paper work for a loan pre-approval. Several more meeting ensue, some more changes in our plans, a whole lot of paperwork, some more selections, appraisals etc. The builders are in the process of obtaining all the permits. In addition they have to submit the plans and elevation design to the architectural board of review. Yes, the Suburb we chose, much like the Suburb we live in currently, reviews all new builds to make sure that it meets with their approval. I am not sure how common this is elsewhere, but I know that the Suburb we currently live in actually limits the exterior color choices of many of the homes, so as to keep them appropriate for the time period that they were built.

On March 4, 2010 Boo Wife and I sign all the paper work for the land title and the construction loan. On March 8th all the paper work has been filed. March 10th there is still alot of snow on the ground here, but as luck would have it a warm and wet spell ensues and when the bull dozers and diggers arrive to dig out the driveway and start the foundation all the snow is gone. One of the most exciting moments for me was when Brad called me on my way home from work that week and asked, "Are you ready to build a house?"

NEXT: Our Big Dig, the cost of living in the Burbs.