Skylar's room
James room
Small plant ledge
Loft
Large plant ledge
foyer
Front of the house
Kitchen
Living room
Dining area from the living room
Master Bedroom
Another view of the breakfast room and kitchen
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Saturday, July 4, 2009
The newest house we are looking at.
Skylar's room
James room
Small plant ledge
Loft
Large plant ledge
foyer
Front of the house
Kitchen
Living room
Dining area from the living room
Master Bedroom
Another view of the breakfast room and kitchen
Friday, June 19, 2009
More house shopping tomorrow
Well things we really want are 4 bedroom 3 bath, a garage, some play area space whether it be a den or formal dining room type area, not too far from post so I am not stranded without a car and Rick doesn't have an hour drive to work and we are looking about 2000 sq feet or more. I really dislike some bath fixtures some houses have I am picky about that because I am all green and saving the planet but I like my water pressure too lolol. I don't like the microwave over the stove but that could just be me and I will need to get used to it.
I would ideally like but probably not in our price range find a Mother In Law suite-ish type area for James our 21 year old. Perhaps something like a finished basement. Fenced in back yard. Somewhere outside the military school district so I don't have to do the monthly sorry your friend moved away thing. Walk in closets. Rick would like a glamour bath lol. I'd say in the next two months if we don't find what we want in an established home we will probably lean closer to building what we want.
So we are also thinking about floor plans its just frustrating because the floor plans we like can't be built where we want and or we would love to mesh features of each floor plan together to make one that's perfect for us lol. Depending on the builder it takes up to 7 months to build a house to completion. One Builder Hunter is the more bang for your buck builder but no where in the area we want it in. We can get 1000 more sq feet for what we can afford. Plus they are the type to start you off with like bare minimum and then you can customize.. Like a steel frame of a car and you have to add windows, doors, door locks, brakes, radio, steering wheel kwim? So you have to be nit picky but you also get every detail the way you want it you just have to pay for it. Hunter is not as architecturally beautiful its actually quite fugly lol.. But its the Square footage that is the selling point that it is. Adam's however is made of all brick, his has plant shelves build in, a lot of storage built in. We kinda like them and we pretty much know more than anyone else about the floor plans and properties in our area lol. This is one of our favorites . Again you have your add on's like we would like the screened in porch and fence etc... Not as bad as Hunter though. Millennium homes are HUGE mostly brick a little high on the price range for what we want and it can be a distance from post. The floor plans for that one are on the bottom. Again your getting a lot of BANG and upgrades for your buck and most of its included in the price and not added on afterward but it is at the very tip of way too expensive in our comfort range. We could swing it but choose not too probably. The last one is Breland. I call Breland the dark side because they started out as the people that owned the land and made it suitable to build and then when Hunter and Adams' didn't provide they took over lol. They are a little cozy compared to the others but we finally found one floor plan I could learn to live with and that's only because they did offer a 3rd bathroom. Its still the isolated Master which we DON'T want. As you see below. The Master is on the far right of the floor plan with the glamour bath and you have to walk clear across the house at 3 am to feed William. Rick and I looked in this one and liked it we just want to see what's better lol http://armyknightslady.blogspot.com/2009/06/house-shopping.html
Back track here. To another blog about house shopping lol
I would ideally like but probably not in our price range find a Mother In Law suite-ish type area for James our 21 year old. Perhaps something like a finished basement. Fenced in back yard. Somewhere outside the military school district so I don't have to do the monthly sorry your friend moved away thing. Walk in closets. Rick would like a glamour bath lol. I'd say in the next two months if we don't find what we want in an established home we will probably lean closer to building what we want.
So we are also thinking about floor plans its just frustrating because the floor plans we like can't be built where we want and or we would love to mesh features of each floor plan together to make one that's perfect for us lol. Depending on the builder it takes up to 7 months to build a house to completion. One Builder Hunter is the more bang for your buck builder but no where in the area we want it in. We can get 1000 more sq feet for what we can afford. Plus they are the type to start you off with like bare minimum and then you can customize.. Like a steel frame of a car and you have to add windows, doors, door locks, brakes, radio, steering wheel kwim? So you have to be nit picky but you also get every detail the way you want it you just have to pay for it. Hunter is not as architecturally beautiful its actually quite fugly lol.. But its the Square footage that is the selling point that it is. Adam's however is made of all brick, his has plant shelves build in, a lot of storage built in. We kinda like them and we pretty much know more than anyone else about the floor plans and properties in our area lol. This is one of our favorites . Again you have your add on's like we would like the screened in porch and fence etc... Not as bad as Hunter though. Millennium homes are HUGE mostly brick a little high on the price range for what we want and it can be a distance from post. The floor plans for that one are on the bottom. Again your getting a lot of BANG and upgrades for your buck and most of its included in the price and not added on afterward but it is at the very tip of way too expensive in our comfort range. We could swing it but choose not too probably. The last one is Breland. I call Breland the dark side because they started out as the people that owned the land and made it suitable to build and then when Hunter and Adams' didn't provide they took over lol. They are a little cozy compared to the others but we finally found one floor plan I could learn to live with and that's only because they did offer a 3rd bathroom. Its still the isolated Master which we DON'T want. As you see below. The Master is on the far right of the floor plan with the glamour bath and you have to walk clear across the house at 3 am to feed William. Rick and I looked in this one and liked it we just want to see what's better lol http://armyknightslady.blogspot.com/2009/06/house-shopping.html
Back track here. To another blog about house shopping lol
Sunday, June 7, 2009
House Shopping
Sometimes Rick and I just go out and look for houses for sale. We might build a house but I would perfer if I can find what I want in an established home. I am shooting the bar high but if I spend that money shouldn't I get EVERYTHING I want?
Somethings that would be a plus when buying a house
* James needs his own space, privacy, His own bathroom, Even so like a finished basement or mother in law suite or second isolated Master.
* Four Bedrooms are a MUST. 2 bathrooms three preferred. Half baths don't count! Master must not be isolated (I don't want to be seperated from William or Skylar.
* Rick would like whirlpool in the master bath which most built houses come with. Also pretty big closets.
* Rick would like a garage.
* A fenced in back yard big enough for the kids to grow into. to Enjoy
* I think a nice sized kitchen is important.
Things we don't like about this house.... Small utility room, age of house, The kitchen features, the master bath, integrity of the house, Price is about 50 K more than we want. It will be alot of up keep I know with the outdoors especially. Stairs have pluses and minuses.... Garage is only good for storage. Too small for my car.
This is the laundry room I think its teeny tiny and my washer would never fit in there. Where do you put the laundry? This is a big negative!
The Family room complete with Cat door to go outside.. Too funny! Opens up to the kitchen and sliding glass door to go to the nice backyard.
Nice patio but I see the world involved too!
Smallish dining room which is okay for us for now. We don't have a Formal dining set.
Part of the backyard it comes with the swing set.
This would be James room. It has shelves and space for a desk. Its on the bottom level and it has its own entrance and own bath 3/4 bath I think its called?
another view of the family room.
Ah see James would fight me for this area. This is screaming for a scrapbook area :) Don't you think?
Part of the smallish kitchen. I hate the microwave over the range. Its very clusterphobic too. That would have to go.
Huge deck! It also has a gate leading right to the Elementary school and middle schools :)
One of the bedrooms on the top floor.
The area leading to the HOT TUB! No peeking adults ONLY :)
The front of the house its not very beautiful.. I am not in love but it suits my current needs within a reasonable amount which is hard for me to find EVERYTHING I want in one house. Even if we build one.
There is a sitting garden here with Koi pond and blueberries and raspberries.
This would be James is bath
Another upstairs room
More hot tub views :)
Upstairs hall way
Kitchen
So what do you think?
Somethings that would be a plus when buying a house
* James needs his own space, privacy, His own bathroom, Even so like a finished basement or mother in law suite or second isolated Master.
* Four Bedrooms are a MUST. 2 bathrooms three preferred. Half baths don't count! Master must not be isolated (I don't want to be seperated from William or Skylar.
* Rick would like whirlpool in the master bath which most built houses come with. Also pretty big closets.
* Rick would like a garage.
* A fenced in back yard big enough for the kids to grow into. to Enjoy
* I think a nice sized kitchen is important.
Things we don't like about this house.... Small utility room, age of house, The kitchen features, the master bath, integrity of the house, Price is about 50 K more than we want. It will be alot of up keep I know with the outdoors especially. Stairs have pluses and minuses.... Garage is only good for storage. Too small for my car.
This is the laundry room I think its teeny tiny and my washer would never fit in there. Where do you put the laundry? This is a big negative!
The Family room complete with Cat door to go outside.. Too funny! Opens up to the kitchen and sliding glass door to go to the nice backyard.
Nice patio but I see the world involved too!
Smallish dining room which is okay for us for now. We don't have a Formal dining set.
Part of the backyard it comes with the swing set.
This would be James room. It has shelves and space for a desk. Its on the bottom level and it has its own entrance and own bath 3/4 bath I think its called?
another view of the family room.
Ah see James would fight me for this area. This is screaming for a scrapbook area :) Don't you think?
Part of the smallish kitchen. I hate the microwave over the range. Its very clusterphobic too. That would have to go.
Huge deck! It also has a gate leading right to the Elementary school and middle schools :)
One of the bedrooms on the top floor.
The area leading to the HOT TUB! No peeking adults ONLY :)
The front of the house its not very beautiful.. I am not in love but it suits my current needs within a reasonable amount which is hard for me to find EVERYTHING I want in one house. Even if we build one.
There is a sitting garden here with Koi pond and blueberries and raspberries.
This would be James is bath
Another upstairs room
More hot tub views :)
Upstairs hall way
Kitchen
So what do you think?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
We are going to buy a house!
We know someone that has had a house built by a different company than the ones we are looking at. They advertise Big House Little Price... But their big house is like a Car without breaks... nothing is standard you have to buy EVERYTHING... So we probably won't go with the Hunter Builders but we've been "stalking" Adams homes and have went to three different sites to look and see what was available to build and for how much... We have viewed a few different established homes in the same price range and we worry about the integrity of the house that's 20 years old versus building our own and we can pick and choose down the faucet we put in the kitchen right off. We just don't have anything more than the VA Loan we are approved for to afford the house itself and with repairs or maintenance. We were told it would be a far shot to get what we wanted for our price point. Either in a built house or an established one which is 4 bedroom 3 bath with the Master upstairs... I would REALLY want a bonus room, finished basement, or mother in law suite for James and Alex but its not panning out. Rick is very admiate of not getting a house with acreage because him and James are too lazy to keep it up lmao.
This is probably my second favorite or favorite in our price range. It has the utility room upstairs but it only has two bathrooms which I really would prefer James have his third. But its probably not going to happen. The rooms and closets are a little smaller than I would like not much bigger than we have now. I wanted more room and grow into it because I don't want o outgrow a house. Not a nice kitchen but an Ok kitchen with a few cabinets. I also have conflicts with the stair for three reasons. I like stairs good for containing mess and noise... Cons on Stairs are Lightening wouldn't do so well with them plus baby gates. Skylar sleep walks for unknown reasons right now and she would have to be responsible for herself making sure the gates were closed. Of course we know baby and gates are never a good mixture. A screened in porch is available for a little extra cost as well as a privacy fence as in most of their models.
We were told this is the PERFECT floor plan for us. It gives James his own "space" including his own bathroom, bedroom and entry (through the garage.) I like how the kitchen is set up. I fear the bar being over the carpet but I can fix that. I like a plant ledge they have in the living area's it gave it some uniqueness but at the same time its a dust catcher isn't it? Or attracts curious cats and bird? Probably with the price range of 2034 we wouldn't be able to afford upgrades like the garage door opener, fence, porch, Whirlpool jets lol... etc
YaY for three bathrooms. Kinda serves my purpose in helping me help James become an adult self kwim? Gives him more freedom and less drama and fighting with the children. The dining area can be used as a study. Is it just me or does it seem like a long 3 am walk to nurse the baby? LOL. I like the size of two of the closets in this house too! No porch available according to the floor plans....
The con's about this one are again James and Skylar have to share a bathroom with James said was alright he figured he would HAVE to.. I was actually pushing for him NOT to. We could get an archtechtualy less quality house. Its not as nice looking inside or out but with a thousand more square feet in the middle of no where not locally. Pro's are sq footage still not what I want but I am spoiled lol. I like the Master Closet it was very glamour. Stairs are a pro and a con as posted in another comment. The loft is a pro and a con because it gives the kids a play area away from visitors but at the same time I see cat and or child catapult over the half wall provided not thinking that the stair case below will kill them if I don't first. This one only has space for 2 bathrooms and the utility room is down stairs. We would really like the screened in porch just because Rick and I like to sit outside and it would be sort of a play room for the cats and bird (of course we would have to kitty proof it with plexiglass)
This is probably my second favorite or favorite in our price range. It has the utility room upstairs but it only has two bathrooms which I really would prefer James have his third. But its probably not going to happen. The rooms and closets are a little smaller than I would like not much bigger than we have now. I wanted more room and grow into it because I don't want o outgrow a house. Not a nice kitchen but an Ok kitchen with a few cabinets. I also have conflicts with the stair for three reasons. I like stairs good for containing mess and noise... Cons on Stairs are Lightening wouldn't do so well with them plus baby gates. Skylar sleep walks for unknown reasons right now and she would have to be responsible for herself making sure the gates were closed. Of course we know baby and gates are never a good mixture. A screened in porch is available for a little extra cost as well as a privacy fence as in most of their models.
We were told this is the PERFECT floor plan for us. It gives James his own "space" including his own bathroom, bedroom and entry (through the garage.) I like how the kitchen is set up. I fear the bar being over the carpet but I can fix that. I like a plant ledge they have in the living area's it gave it some uniqueness but at the same time its a dust catcher isn't it? Or attracts curious cats and bird? Probably with the price range of 2034 we wouldn't be able to afford upgrades like the garage door opener, fence, porch, Whirlpool jets lol... etc
YaY for three bathrooms. Kinda serves my purpose in helping me help James become an adult self kwim? Gives him more freedom and less drama and fighting with the children. The dining area can be used as a study. Is it just me or does it seem like a long 3 am walk to nurse the baby? LOL. I like the size of two of the closets in this house too! No porch available according to the floor plans....
The con's about this one are again James and Skylar have to share a bathroom with James said was alright he figured he would HAVE to.. I was actually pushing for him NOT to. We could get an archtechtualy less quality house. Its not as nice looking inside or out but with a thousand more square feet in the middle of no where not locally. Pro's are sq footage still not what I want but I am spoiled lol. I like the Master Closet it was very glamour. Stairs are a pro and a con as posted in another comment. The loft is a pro and a con because it gives the kids a play area away from visitors but at the same time I see cat and or child catapult over the half wall provided not thinking that the stair case below will kill them if I don't first. This one only has space for 2 bathrooms and the utility room is down stairs. We would really like the screened in porch just because Rick and I like to sit outside and it would be sort of a play room for the cats and bird (of course we would have to kitty proof it with plexiglass)
Friday, February 13, 2009
Clean House
I've been watching Clean House on the Style network all morning and it inspires me. YES I am not a good house keeper. I can do it when I am motivated and when I feel everyone is giving equal effort and really feel bad at the moment for hubby who takes on ALL the crap himself. He deligates chores to James and James likes to give his own ultimatiums about doing chores. This doesn't go over well with me but I am tired of the back lash I get from always going between James and Rick. If Rick wants to take James' back talk then I guess he doesn't care. He doesn't show he cares about taking on the brunt of the housework. He doesn't care that James doesn't have respect. Yeah I am saying it. I mean it and Rick knows how I feel.
I love to be organized and I wish someone would give me the money to completely organize my house. Bookshelves and bookshelves of books and DVD's. Yeah thats my husband's treasure and no I don't feel he should have to get it up. It just needs space which military housing doesn't give. I do like to shop for clothes for Skylar. I don't think I shop for clothes for myself alot but there just isn't room in my closet that I share. I think the kids have a bigger closet than we do. I would love to see Skylar's clothes and toys organized and if i feel I am given adequate room and ability then I would disguard what doesn't fit. A few months ago I had Barbie stuff in the living room but it was well tucked away IMHO so no one would even know its there. Her doll house is thin and sticks in the foyer closet just perfect... well somehow it doesn't anymore :( The rule was that was the only toy allowed in the living room unless she had permission for something else. When she was done with it she was supposed to tell me or James for us to put it away and if she didn't put it away it would be moved to a place where she wouldn't be allowed to play with it. Her bedroom is very cluttered in space. There isn't much space in her room with all the bookshelves and dresser that needs repair. I just feel bad and wished I had help and some expertise on opening it up. Rick and I are at war, he's constantly bringing up purging Skylar's room with her toys because she doesn't play in it because she makes it a mess and being in my condition I just can't clean it up all the time and I am the only one allowed to clean it because no one would do it correctly. Toss here Toss there.. Throw away things I may have spent alot of money on. I think there is nothing wrong with a little girl having alot of dolls, bears, and stuffed animals. Thats what she plays with! But thats one of many of my goals to get our family more organized.
I need your help. Post pictures of how you keep your kids organized and in check. Skylar is 6 and doesn't like to play alot by herself but we are working on it since by August a lot of my time will be taken up by the new baby at least until we get into a groove. Do you limit the amount of dolls and stuff a little girl has? I don't think Skylar has TOOOO MUCH. She didn't have any toys 2 years ago when we moved here.
I love to be organized and I wish someone would give me the money to completely organize my house. Bookshelves and bookshelves of books and DVD's. Yeah thats my husband's treasure and no I don't feel he should have to get it up. It just needs space which military housing doesn't give. I do like to shop for clothes for Skylar. I don't think I shop for clothes for myself alot but there just isn't room in my closet that I share. I think the kids have a bigger closet than we do. I would love to see Skylar's clothes and toys organized and if i feel I am given adequate room and ability then I would disguard what doesn't fit. A few months ago I had Barbie stuff in the living room but it was well tucked away IMHO so no one would even know its there. Her doll house is thin and sticks in the foyer closet just perfect... well somehow it doesn't anymore :( The rule was that was the only toy allowed in the living room unless she had permission for something else. When she was done with it she was supposed to tell me or James for us to put it away and if she didn't put it away it would be moved to a place where she wouldn't be allowed to play with it. Her bedroom is very cluttered in space. There isn't much space in her room with all the bookshelves and dresser that needs repair. I just feel bad and wished I had help and some expertise on opening it up. Rick and I are at war, he's constantly bringing up purging Skylar's room with her toys because she doesn't play in it because she makes it a mess and being in my condition I just can't clean it up all the time and I am the only one allowed to clean it because no one would do it correctly. Toss here Toss there.. Throw away things I may have spent alot of money on. I think there is nothing wrong with a little girl having alot of dolls, bears, and stuffed animals. Thats what she plays with! But thats one of many of my goals to get our family more organized.
I need your help. Post pictures of how you keep your kids organized and in check. Skylar is 6 and doesn't like to play alot by herself but we are working on it since by August a lot of my time will be taken up by the new baby at least until we get into a groove. Do you limit the amount of dolls and stuff a little girl has? I don't think Skylar has TOOOO MUCH. She didn't have any toys 2 years ago when we moved here.
Friday, June 6, 2008
OrganizedHome.com
Feed The Freezer: Freezer Cooking Guide
Once-a-month cooking. Frozen assets. OAMC. Meal assembly. Whatever you call it, cooking many meals in a single session banks home-cooked meals--and precious family time--for busy home managers.
What's not to like about freezer cooking? Economies of scale speed cooking chores. Buying in bulk saves money. Home preparation fosters good nutrition. New options like "meal assembly franchises" help home cooks build frozen assets quickly.
Whether you cook once and eat for a month, sneak up on freezer cooking, or fill the freezer fast from the meal preparation storefront, get ready to feed the family--fast!
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