When we signed the contract to start building the new house our real estate agent, Dan O’Dell, told us to prepare to feel like a lot of nothing was happening for a while.
He said that we would likely drive by our plot often and see the same dirt in the same place for a while. He assured us that things were moving behind-the-scenes: drawings being created, permits being pulled, approvals from the city, etc., and that things would start moving quickly once those were completed. He told us to enjoy the calm before the exciting whirlwind begins.
Well, we have certainly done our fair share of drive-bys over the last month or so. It seems like every time we go out to dinner or drop off dry cleaning, we ask each other if we want to “stop by the new house” fully knowing nothing has happened yet.
A couple of weeks ago, on one of our (many) drives through the neighborhood, we saw that the builder, Bickimer Homes, staked our plot with the outline of the house. Excitement started to kick in – progress!
This past week we had a pre-construction meeting to start making decisions and getting the process of the new house started …
We discussed the plot plan and where our house would be situated on the property, the elevation design we’re wanting for the front of the house, the timeline and key meetings, as well as names of our partners and vendors to help us throughout the build.
What’s really nice about this entire process is that most of the project management is done through an app, we always know when our deadlines are, when to set meetings and can reference past documents. For example, following the meeting we got our first set of action items to make decisions on: the design of the front door, front windows and garage door. It was as easy as reviewing our options with photos and samples via the app, and signing off with a few clicks and a signature.
Next, we’ll start scheduling meetings with our designer, appliance vendor, plumber, flooring and countertop vendor, etc. We have lots of decisions to make prior to our rough-in meeting (the next big face-to-face meeting with our builder).
I think the whirlwind has started! Stay tuned for an update on our progress, and in the meantime, I’m starting a Pinterest board for the new house to capture inspiration – feel free to check it out!
The Palm House KC 