Building A "Winterbrook" With Ryan Homes

After our family decided on the perfect place to call home in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, it was house hunting time. Having just sold our 1981 "fixer upper" in Florida, we decided that instead of spending every weekend (and every dollar) on an older home, it was time to look into pre-construction. The idea of being able to pick your perfect layout, colors, and lot was almost too good to be true. We had stumbled upon a small community in the perfect location with Ryan Homes. Our sales rep was so thorough and accommodating, she even became a friend. The initial consultation we were able to walk the Winterbrook model that had a full 2,000 sq foot walk out basement with a kitchen, bedroom, bath, and enough extra space for anything you can think of. This couldn't have been more perfect to have my dad down there since he was considering an "in law suite"upon his upcoming retirement. Once we decided on our model, it was lot picking time.

 The reason we chose this community was location yes, but 1 acre lot size was the icing on the cake. Not to mention mountain views! For us Florida peeps, we could not be more stoked. We paid a premium for our lot but it was the best lot in the neighborhood. Once the lot was picked, contracts were signed, color selection, and deposit was transferred,we scheduled our Pre-construction meeting. This meeting took place in the model and had all of our color selections and blueprints laid out. We went over each room and lay out as well as walking our lot to discuss the clearing and placement of the house. Our PM was very helpful and knowledgeable and informed us that each week he would send us updates and pics.Which brings us to the very first week of clearing and grading January 25th. I have read so many other blogs but they don't specify dates so I'm going to break down the timeline from start to finish as accurately as possible. Next up ... footers! Let's put out the "no rain " vibes!

Week 1 -Jan. 26th (Clearing & Grading)

We are officially cleared and graded! It is amazing to see the land in its raw form. It has been a run of great weather which I hope will continue over the next few months. They seem to be working very fast and I think since we are one of the last homes in the development, we are getting extra attention. Our PM has informed us that the footers will be on next week so lets pray to those weather gods.

Week 2- February 6th (Ground Break)

I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened our weekly email. They had really got a ton done! We are moving along with not only the footers but also the basement walls are half way up as well. All in a week's work. Next up will be finishing the walls,concrete, plumbing, and backfill. I am anticipating at least a day of rain so we will see how efficiently they can work to get all of this completed before week 3. It is certainly a tall order for such a short amount of time, so I am anxious for next weeks progress.

Week 3 -Feb.11th (Foundation)

We have a foundation! They were able to knock-out the walls as well as the underground plumbing and exterior waterproofing. There has been a run of dry weather so they have been moving along quickly. Next week we may not be as lucky but my hope is to stay ahead since they have been so efficient thus far.If you notice the two-story house across the street, that house had not even started last month when we were up there so you can see just how quickly these guys are. I have read that the 3 F's are footings, foundation, and framing, so we are well on our way now! Hoping next week doesn't dampen our building plans too much.

Week 4 -Feb. 18th (Back-fill and rain delay)

 Well, just as I had suspected, the weather gods were not favorable this week. Inspections did not take place and since they have to have it dry in order to pour the slab, the week's worth of rain did not allow for much to be done. They managed to get the back-fill delivered but that's about it. I am confident that next week will be much more productive and hopefully it will get us back up to speed.

Week 5-Feb. 25th (Plumbing inspection,brick laid)

 So after crappy weather last week, they were able to get a jump early this week (before more rain moved in again). The plumbing has been done and passed inspection, back fill is done, and the brick was laid on the front of the house. (you can see it through the plastic) Unfortunately, the concrete that was supposed to be poured in the basement was delayed due to rain so next week will be top priority before moving on to framing. Once the framing goes up, I think the weather will become less of a factor for inhibiting production. Hoping to see that lumber up next week!

Weeks 6 and 7- March 4th-(Slab poured, Framing begins)

  I am combing these two weeks because my PM was out of town the last half of week 6 and I did not receive my update until the following Friday. It was torture for me to have to wait but it was worth the patience because as you can see, we now have an almost fully framed house! They were able to frame, backfill, and lay the brick in these past two weeks. They will be finishing framing over the weekend, adding the plumbing and HVAC on Wednesday of next week as well as electrical. In addition to all that, we have our official Pre-Drywall meeting date set for March 25th at 9:00 am! It's looking like great weather for the next week and we are so excited to get back to Greenville to the progress of our home. I am hoping that they will have our completion date for us at the time of the drywall meeting as well. For now, we are visualizing every room and the furniture (pre-shopping) has begun!

                                                     

Week 8- March 18th (Framing complete, roof, HVAC, electrical)

   In anticipation for our upcoming trip to Greenville this week, I have been particularly antsy to receive our weekly update. I have been checking the daily weather, reading other blogs, looking at furniture and planning our much needed hike! Living so far away through this building process and being so disconnected from our "new life" leaves much to the imagination. It is exciting and nerve wrecking all wrapped in one. Luckily, this week has been gorgeous weather and they have finished the framing, the roofing, inspections, electrical, and plumbing!  It is truly looking like a house now and we are so excited to have our walk through. I have our list of questions, things to look for, and of course our camera ready. With so many logistics to plan for our move, we are hoping to have a closing date from our PM when we see him so we can make arrangements within the next month. Our original closing date per our contract was May 1st, so we are hoping for that if not sooner!

Week 9 March 25th (Pre-Drywall meeting!)

  This was the moment we had been dreaming of for weeks! We were so excited to drive up and see what our property,home,view, and street looks like. As we pulled into the neighborhood, with the Blue Ridge in the backdrop, I was reminded of why we picked this for our new residence. Our street was the very last one to be completed so there was about 6 houses in addition to ours that are still under construction. All of which will be completed prior to ours,which means no construction once when move in! As we pulled up to our lot, there she was with that adorable front porch. The front of the house is misleading in it's stature because it looks so small. However, once we walked around back, it was like a wave of "wow" that hit me all at once! I could not believe how big our house was, but our backyard was even more amazing than I had ever imagined. Don't you love when things exceed your expectations like that? It is the best feeling. So much so, that I choked up and was literally speechless. Since our yard is on a slope, our PM was inventive enough to build us a really cool rock retaining wall. Needless to say, the kids can not wait to go sledding next Winter. Our PM walked us through the entire house room by room, and went over details of it's energy efficiency. He also let the kids sign their names in their rooms which I thought was so sweet. There were a few minor things that had to be adjusted with regard to the placement of electrical,but nothing major. He also told us his plan to grade a flat space at the bottom of the hill for a play area as well as pressure wash the rocks before they spread the seed and straw. In upstate,the ground is clay so Ryan Homes included the seed and straw for the yard with an option to purchase sod. We opted not to do sod. After the walk through, we were given the most exciting news...our closing date!! We will be closing on May 17th with our walk through on the 16th. Until then, we will be mapping out all the possibilities for our amazing backyard!

                                                       Endless Possibilities back here!

                                                     
                                                You would never guess it's 4700 sq feet
                                                           

                                   
                                                              Claiming their room

                                                  Our open concept with mountain views!

                                                           Marlee gets the bigger closet

Week 9 April 1 (Siding and Drywall)

       Well we are moving into the fun part now and it's really taking on character! I was back and forth on the siding color for a while because you can't really get an accurate idea from a tiny swatch. However , after seeing the siding on the house, I am more than confident in my choice and  absolutely love it! The color was brand new also and since we are the last house in the neighborhood, we are the only ones with "evening blue". I am hoping to add a "craftsman" style wood door to the front as well as a decorative gate around the front porch. In addition to working on the siding, they have have almost completed the drywall and are moving on to paint,cabinets, and possibly tile by next week. Can not wait to see the inside!

Week 10 April 8th (Paint, cabinets,exterior)

  Heading into the 10th week and the inside is taking shape. I couldn't wait to see the cabinet color as well as our "craftsman" sinks! The basement kitchen cabinets are also in (darker color) than we chose for our kitchen and bathrooms upstairs. Once the white granite countertops are installed and the dark wood floors , it is really going to make the whole combination look amazing. Picking out all the colors and customizations has been such a fun experience. Next week will be floors, tile, and driveway. We are now 4 weeks from completion!


                                                             

Week 11 April 15th (Countertops, Deck, Trim, Stair Banisters)

 Well we are really picking up steam here in week 11. The biggest "wow" factor is most definitely our beautiful deck! We actually designed this deck custom because the standard deck just was not big enough for us. We like to spend most of our time outside. We can't wait to have meals on our deck while taking in our views of rolling hills and mountain ridgeline. They still have to pour the concrete underneath for dad's walkout patio which will be done next week along with the driveway. The countertops are in the bathrooms as well as the kitchen and basement kitchen. The stair banisters really made my day also. I just love the "craftsman" style railings and can't wait to string them with lights and garland for Christmas. We are in our last month and the countdown has begun! Next week,we should have a driveway, floors, and decorative trims.

Week 12  April 22nd (Driveway, floors, appliances, lighting

  I can't believe we are less than 3 weeks away from leaving the state of Florida and starting our new life in the Carolina's! I have had time to get all of our furniture delivery dates set, our appointments for utilities, as well as Summer hiking and local activities planned. We are so ready to get this Summer kicked off and take advantage of living in our beautiful new home while exploring both South and North Carolina. This week is basically the beginning of wrapping up the final items before completion. Our PM has been so informative,quick to respond, and gone the extra mile when it comes to accommodating our build. He even said he has a "surprise"for us next week. So next week will be landscaping, slab under the deck,trim,and final paint. They should have plenty of time for all the final touches within the next two and half weeks.We are in the home stretch!

                                         

Week 12 and 13 (April 29-May 6th)

  Well these last two weeks have been the most exciting yet! Not only on the inside of the house but also the outside. The last time we were up there it was still Winter and the trees and land were barren. Now that Spring has sprung it looks like a whole new surrounding. This is one of the many reasons we are excited to move out of Florida... seasons! The backyard is now filled with green rolling hills and trees. They have finished the wood floors, the bathrooms,the carpet,the basement,  all the trim,as well as the energy efficient NEST system. The landscaping is being finished up and the final grade has been done to the backyard. In 4 days they will be pressure washing and doing a final cleaning in preparation of the final walk through on May 16th.That's right.. we are moving in 6 days! In only 13 weeks from the time they broke ground and I have to say I have been thoroughly impressed by the process and communication with our project manager. He has been quick to reply and fix the minor mistakes. So far, the process of home -building has been much less scary than I initially anticipated. Now it's time to prep/pack/ and say good-bye to Florida and hello to our new journey in the Blue Ridge foothills!

                                       

Visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island the Easy Way.

When we decided to take our road trip this Summer, the kids added seeing the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to the list. So as I was planning this stop, I do what I always do and read a ton of comments through www.tripadvisor.com . What I discovered was that the best way to see these sites was to take a ferry from the New Jersey side at Liberty State Park. https://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/liberty.html Those hours of research certainly paid off and it was a much more seamless experience than if we would have went from the NYC side.






We booked a ferry tour through the Statue Cruises website https://www.statuecruises.com/#/ and it included both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island at a 3:00 time slot. Since it was Summer and ridiculously hot, we felt that later in the day would be best to beat some of the heat at least. Upon arriving at the park, it was clean and spread out with easily accessible parking and a killer view of the skyline. Their was even a view of Lady Liberty in the distance and the best part was ..no crowds! 

The ferry itself had plenty of room whether you wanted to sit or stand and great views no matter where you were on the boat. The 1st stop was Ellis Island and once we were dropped off we noticed that the other side of the dock was the ferry from NY which happened to be jam packed with people as well as a significant line to board the next ferry to the Statue of Liberty which was right around the corner. After we de boarded, we roamed the shady, oak tree lined grounds of Ellis Island and then eventually inside to marvel at the history of the site where millions of immigrants, including our own ancestors had come to seeking a better life. There was much to see and learn about inside and the kids had many interactive displays they enjoyed.

After exploring Ellis Island and moving on to our next ferry stop at the statue, we boarded a short 5 minute ride and was dropped off at a much more crowded area. We were surprised at how many people were packed into the area surrounding Lady Liberty but we walked up and got some pics before heading back. At this point the heat had caught up to us and we noticed the lines to get back were growing exponentially. There were two lines designated for NY and for NJ. The line to get back to NY was like a Disney line times ten. Where as the line to NJ was maybe a 1/4 of that. People were complaining how ridiculous the NY side was and I was glad that I had chosen to go from NJ. We were only waiting maybe 10 minutes before we boarded back to Liberty State Park whereas the NY side was wrapped so far down the sidewalk, we couldn't even tell where it ended.

So even though it was a dead heat Summer day , we were able to do everything we wanted to do and see in a relatively easy manner. I did feel bad for the people who were stuck in line for hours so I felt compelled to blog about it. These type of trips can make all the difference in the world with great planning. So if you are ever traveling to see these infamous sights, now ya know... Jersey is the winner for a easy breezy Summer time tour.

Beavertail State Park in Rhode Island is a Natural Playground.

My 7 year old was adamant about visiting Rhode Island because he was fascinated by it's tiny size. So when we decided to make a stop while driving through, I just happened to come across Beavertail State park https://www.visitrhodeisland.com/listing/beavertail-state-park/5/ and we were so glad we did!






As soon as we drove up and sun was shining and the seagulls were flying, I knew the kids were going to love it. What I didn't know was that this state park was a collection of rocky nooks and cranny's directly on the water making for some kind of natural playground of sorts. Around every corner was a new discovery of formations that made for excellent hide and seek as well as picture perfect backdrops. Our kids 6 and 7 were smitten with this place. They wanted to to keep exploring even after hours of walking up and down and through a variety of limestone and watering holes. They seemed to be right at home and even laid down for a bit on the incline of over hangs to catch some rays.





We walked around for hours (even lost track of time) and the best part was yet to be uncovered. We came across a cut out in the rock where the ocean water filled up and made for a natural swimming pool. Apparently we weren't the only ones who discovered this, because their was several people jumping in from the top of the overhang. We saw people bringing beach chairs and just posting up to take in the sun. A beach of sorts except instead of sand just miles of smooth rock to post up on. With the sailboats out at sea and the lighthouse up above, it was a one of a kind beach experience that us Floridians had certainly never experienced before.

Have you ever heard of The Bay of Fundy?!

Reading a book can sometimes lead to an unexpected and wonderful discovery. That is exactly what happened one day in homeschool as we opened up our National Geographic book entitled "5,000 Facts About Everything". In the book we were intrigued on the subject of "tides". I had never heard of The Hopewell Rocks located in The Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick Canada. We read that this seemingly remote location was home to the highest tides in the world! Raising over 50 feet in high tide and the ability to walk the ocean floor at low tide was something I had never read about before let alone seen. We had to add this to our travel bucket list, and that's just what we did.

Traveling from Florida, it took us several days and many other stops to get all the way up there but as we crossed the border, we are excited at the prospect of making that far. Now I have to tell you that this area is very remote and driving at night became a challenge as an eerie and over powering mist rolled in. We literally could not see 3 feet in front of us so we had no idea the topography of the roads. I had booked a "cottage" at http://captainslookoutcottages.com/index.html  and we arrived at nighttime so we had no idea of how beautiful the surrounding area was until the next morning. The cottages were quaint and cute and the grounds were hilly with flowers and scattered with raspberries and sea views. It was beautiful. Having said that, the mosquitos at dusk were something out of a science fiction novel so it was either move inside or take a short ride to Cape Enrage https://www.capeenrage.ca/en/ and sit out under the stars with the ocean breeze and be mosquito free! 

We made our trek up to Hopewell Rocks http://www.thehopewellrocks.ca/ which was not more than 20 minutes drive from our cottage and honestly the prettiest drive we had ever driven. You can see the tide pools along the shore with horse farms and bright purple flowers throughout the road banks. Little school houses that looked as if they had been there for centuries and houses on hills overlooking the bay. As we got to Hopewell, you could see the tide schedule posted clearly so as to know when you could walk safely out to the ocean floor. There was a restuarant and several hiking trails leading up to the grand finale and man it did not disappoint! Giant rock formations that are nicknamed "Flower Pot" rocks towered over us as you roamed the ocean floor in amazement that within just hours would be 50 feet underwater! It was hard to wrap my head around. Walking around is essentially mud, so proper water shoes is a must (especially with kids). We explored for hours out there and then had a little picnic lunch on the grassy spots back up the trail. It was Summer so it was crowded but if you walked further out from where the stairs went down, the crowds thinned. What could possibly top this...well there's more.

The next day we headed out to Fundy National Park https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nb/fundy  which was about 15 minutes south and through a little town named Alma. When I say little, I mean it. There is not even a grocery store so if you travel up there, make sure to stop and stock up on food otherwise you have a choice of about 6 different restaurants and although they were all very good, were pricey. I had looked up the park for hiking trails so I had a general idea of which ones were suitable for kids. We choose Dickson Falls (easy terrain, beautiful creek and waterfall) and it was easy to find because it was the 1st left into the park past the lookout spot into the bay. The other one however was not so easy to find and was actually several km away past Chignecto campground. This one was very popular though and the parking lot was in overflow so we had to wait until people left before we could get in. Laverty Falls was the name and swimming under a incredible waterfall was the reward. I made the mistake of not wearing suits under our clothes so we had to improvise when we got to the bottom and let the kids swim in their undies. There was a good amount of people there but everyone was in their own little area and the falls were incredible! Our kids 6 and 7 were so pumped up to swim after that long hike and we were proud they did it with no complaints. The whole park was a true nature lover's paradise and even watching the boat's in the harbor resting on mud at low tide was a sight to be seen ...at least once in a lifetime.