Appraisal Time

With the rates low we decided to refinance our loan.  When we converted our construction loan to a conventional loan last year we did not get that great of a rate.  Also, since the house was not done we were unable to finance the entire house and had to take a second mortgage at 8%.  Now that the house is nearly complete we will be able to roll that loan in and get a nice rate. 

That being said there was a lot of scurrying about getting the house ready for an appraisal so I wanted to share some pictures of finished projects and some reflection of some things we did right and some things we did wrong.

I just changed the color of this wall.  It used to be sunset red but I decided there was too much red in the room and it was too dark.  I also wanted to tie in the new blue carpet in the rec room.

We are just about finished with the bar.  Dave has put the sheet of maple veneer under the bar and covered the last of our exposed studs.  It looks so nice.

From this angle you can see how well all the colors go together.

The window sills are done and most of the blinds are up.  The room stays nice and cozy now.

We have tucked my office in the corner of the new rec room.  I am so happy to finally have a real desk and place to work.  Since I work from home I really needed a proper workspace and a separate space.  I can see the river from my desk and I love that. 

Since we designed and built this house ourselves we did a lot of things right.  For starters the soaking tub.

We did this one really right.  I love the tub even more that I thought I would. 

If you are in the design phase of your house and you have a chance to plan your bathrooms you might check them out.

I am also happy that we designed our own stairs.  I designed it online at Mr. Stair and ordered the parts from them.  They were really reasonably priced.

We did make some mistakes and just some errors in judgment that we could have not known until it was done, or not done as the case may be.

I wish we would have had the window sills in the main room finished in drywall and rounded corners just like the sides and tops.  I think it would have looked just fine. 

We are in window sill mode now so we should be getting them done over the next few weeks.

Another thing we did right was my kitchen.  I love the open shelves we put in from IKEA. 

It is the best kitchen to cook in I have ever had.

So, stay tuned.  We are all fired up and have several projects to finish. 

Comments

[Addie]

Looks great! Good luck with the appraisal... we are just getting ready to roll from the construction loan and hoping for a good rate - fingers crossed!

[Laura]

What a great house. I really like the colors you used on the walls, floors and cabinets, that's a great combination and they all have a good flow to them. That soaking tub with a view.. wow, just can't be beat!

When we built our other house in North Fla, we centered all the main rooms around the view and ended up with an L shaped house as a result. but it worked out great!

[Egret's Nest]

It's a beautiful house! I'm very jealous of your desk and view of the river! :) Your Ikea kitchen is gorgeous

[Jeff]

Hey guys,

The house looks absolutely wonderful! You've done a great job and should be so proud! Congratulations.

Here's to good banking as well. (If there is such a thing.) We too have a combination home equity line and standard mortgage, not because our house wasn't finished, but because the bank hung us out to dry when the end came. Still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. And my only hope is that the rates drop enough for me to combine the two before three years passes.

Here's to better banking options for you!

-Jeff

[Daniel @ Melinda Mikulas]

Hope it all goes well, I love the color of the walls it fit's real well I'd like too paint my wife's car that color oops I lt that out with her standing here.