So I'm a little slow in posting more details about the house (even though I said I would do it serveral days ago). I get so excited about the idea of moving into a new place, and then I remember it's over a year before we can do that. So I have to find something else to keep me occupied until then.

But, I will share some of the features, standard and optional, about our new house. Below is a picture of the outside. In fact, it's going to look just like that. Partial brick front, side-entry garage. We haven't picked siding or shutter color yet, but it's going to be one of the combinations you see in any Ryan neighborhood. :)

We get sodded front and side lawns with a built-in irrigation system as part of the package. Asphalt driveway and landscaping too.

Decks are also an option (if you want to pay extra), but I think we've decided to build it ourselves later; partially because we want to use plumber, partially to do it differently than they would.

Standard features inside (many of which are optional in other Ryan neighborhoods):
Gas fireplace
Hardwood in foyer
Kitchen island
42 in cabinets
$1200 light fixture allowance
3 ea phone/cable/ceiling fan prewires
Upgraded bathroom (larger w/soaking tub)
Plus all the usual stuff like a stove, dishwasher, carpet, etc.

Ryan is running a special now to include free stainless steel appliances. Flat top stove, dishwasher, microwave, and side-by-side refrigerator. We thought that was pretty cool. :) We had planned to upgrade to a regular flat top stove and have a microwave prewire, but now we don't have to pay for either.

Unlike when we bought the townhouse, we actually get to go to the Richmond Decorating Center to pick out carpet, hardwood, cabinets, counters, vinyl flooring and such. We'll probably have the same options as far as hardwood and cabinets, and I'm pretty sure we're going to get exactly what we have now. But the carpet and counter colors/types will be a much wider selection. I'm definitely looking forward to that. We also get to choose lighting the same way, but I can't remember which company we go through.

But back to the house, one of the main things we love about this house is the option to have a 2 story family room. We'll lose a fourth bedroom and the option for a third floor, but we don't really need either. This room is going to be cool.

We're also adding a 4ft extension to the great room in addition to the morning room off the kitchen (see floorplans).

The study/dining can be enclosed, but we're going to leave it open. It makes the downstairs very open. We're also going to extend the hardwood down the hall into the kitchen and morning room. The study and family room will have carpet. I'd love to do the whole downstairs in hardwood, but it's just too expensive.

The two smaller bedrooms are a little larger than our guestroom here. Pull down attic stairs are in the first room. Not sure how much space is up there, but I'm sure it'll be enough for empty boxes and such.

The owner's bedroom is probably about the same size as ours now, just more rectangular. We have the option of a cathedral ceiling, which we may do. The bathroom though, is really cool. Oddly enough, this bathroom is one of the reasons we pondered the house for so long. The upgraded bathroom, with the soaking tub, comes standard in this neighborhood, but the shower stall is just a standard size, not the wider ones. We're still afraid we might end up bumping our elbows on the wall, but we'll see. The tub though, is awesome. We're also going to have ceramic tiles, which is going to be different (for us).

I think that's about it for now. We drove to the dirt piles to take some pictures. We can almost figure out where our land is, but it's not very well marked yet. You can see in the diagram (the green lot), we chose the lot right behind the model, which, good or bad (?) is right near the entrance to the neighborhood.

We have about a week still to semi-finalize any structural options (additional rooms, ceilings, etc) we want to include. Things can always be changed later, but the closer to actually starting the house, the more you have to pay. It just baffles me that it's going to be about a year before we get to see any of this.

We have a meeting with NVR to talk mortgages, on Tuesday. I guess we'll need to talk with the bank after that about an Equity line, so we can get our downpayment paid. And then (later), possibly, a realtor, to sell the townhouse. Good thing we have a lot of time!

Gallery for new house images.