Groundbreaking!

We broke ground and closed on our construction loan yesterday. (Many thanks to Buddy Schneider at Traditional Bank and Josh Markham, the closing attorney from McBrayer, McGinnis, Leslie & Kirkland PLLC. They made the process so easy and quick!) It was a very exciting day in the Fields house, but now it’s 4 am and I’m wide awake thinking about…brick! I’m like a kid at Christmas except I’m not thinking about toys. What color are we going to pick? Do we go light or do we go dark? Do we go with the oversized or the regular sized? White mortar? Buff mortar? Gray mortar? How are we ever going to decide? But wait, before I go any further, let me share a little about how we got to this point. It has been about 6 months in the making. We started with a few ideas. We gave Jimmy and Jim Turpin (aka Design Team Extraordinaire) some photos of newer and older homes we admired. They were able to combine some of the design aspects that we loved about those homes with the footprint of one of Jimmy’s existing plans, added a little here and there and came up with a plan that fit our every need. Now, that's what they mean when they say custom! I have to tell you, Jimmy and Jim don’t tell you “no” to anything, which made it so much fun. “Can we add a little bump out here in the master bedroom? Sure! Can we widen the breakfast room so that my table will fit? That’s a great idea! What about a window seat? That’d be perfect! Can we add another foot to the den? Of course!” Ok, I have to be honest, they didn’t say “no” but they were great about keeping us informed on what would work within our budget. They were also able to offer alternatives that would give the same overall “look” without breaking the bank. Since Cliff and I are first time home builders, their experience and eye for detail was invaluable. Who knew designing a home could be so much FUN? Oh, and the brick? You'll have to come back Friday to see our selection!