Do you have plans for lunch?

If you don't, make plans to check out Stella's Kentucky Deli at 143 Jefferson Street. They are committed to using Kentucky produce, meats and cheeses whenever possible. I had the chicken salad on 7-grain bread...fantastic with hints of lemon and rosemary. My sister had the hot brown. A bit unusual in that it was topped with locally grown sprouts. It was lighter than the typical hot brown, but so delicious. Since we were sitting by the dessert case, we were unable to pass up the pecan balls, which I had never seen or heard of in my baking experience. Well, suffice it to say that the three for $1.50 was plenty for us both. They were served with bourbon chocolate sauce and whipped cream. So rich! So make your way downtown and try out Stella's; you won't be disappointed.

Earl feels right at home!

It's been quite a busy real estate week! Hence, no post for the last seven days. So to get you up to speed, I have some pictures of the framing that was done in the basement. As of today, they are waiting on the weather to clear, which should be tomorrow, to bring in the I-beams and floor trusses.


We can walk over to the build site from the house we are renting. Earl was so happy it had rained that morning, because it was quite a walk for a short, stout guy like himself! He wallowed in the puddles and got a quick drink. I think he's going to love his new home!

The Realty Company, Take 1

Did you know that The Realty Company is a full service real estate agency that works hand in hand with Jimmy Nash Homes, but also offers personalized real estate services to ANYONE who needs the services of a Realtor? In this post, I will give you an idea of how we work with a new home customer. Later, I will tell you about the benefits of working with a smaller agency that really does give you MORE even if you aren't building a new home.


Often times, a person may want to build, but needs to sell the house they own currently. Of course, we handle listings for clients that need this service. It is beneficial to work with a specialist who will be there every step of the way. For example, if you choose to build a home and want to sell first, as a licensed real estate agent, I can list your home with that goal in mind. I will also help you choose a lot, pick a plan, and select the features that will make that home your own. I'll be there during reviews, walk-thru's, closing and follow-up. But it's not just me, your agent; honestly, the best part is that you get the entire Jimmy Nash Home team to make that goal become a reality. Let's see, you get your very own customer service agent, a Project Supervisor, an interior designer, in-house architects, other agents working to sell your home, Bo, our general sales manager and principal broker, and of course, Jimmy! And that's why he is the "customer builder" because all of us here at Jimmy Nash Homes work toward the same goal, which is providing a positive customer experience every step of the way.

So my positive experience of the day was showing up at our lot this morning and finding a tidy build site (very important, especially in an established neighborhood with close neighbors), a smooth, new concrete slab in the basement, and a house number in green neon spray paint. My only problem was I didn't bring my roller skates! Of course, there's always tomorrow....have a good night, now!

You gotta love Kentucky!! Have a great weekend!!

Wonder if they'll let us keep the Porta-Potty?

Lots of progress on the house today. They had a bobcat and bulldozer back filling around the house. I actually got to stand in front of where our front door will be located, and we have a sort of driveway. That's the view out our front door above. See, we even have our own Porta-Potty! I think that would be a great way to keep the kids outside. Just kidding! They also started tying in the plumbing to the sewer in the back of the house. But the most exciting part of the day was our Fox 56 shoot for Beyond the Blueprints. Amber Kennoy interviewed Bo and me for a segment about the build, how it led to my joining the Jimmy Nash Homes team and The Realty Company, and my blog! I'll be sure to let you know when it's going to air, but it should be in about three weeks. Oh and by the way, be sure to put your email in the box that says "Subscribe." That way when I write a new post you'll get an email; if I don't, you won't. Have a good night!

This is why I love Andover in the Spring! Cliff and I were at the lot today checking on progress and I took this shot of Andover Forest Drive. Isn't it gorgeous? I showed you the foundation walls last week, and I wanted to show you what has happened in the meantime. The picture below shows the waterproofing that I was telling you about in one of my first posts. They apply this system to the exterior foundation walls in order to give that 30-year waterproof warranty. Today, JP, our on-the-spot Project Supervisor extraordinaire, told me that they will be back filling tomorrow. This is very exciting, because we'll be able to see how the house sits on the lot without the big hole that's dug all the way around it now. I can't wait! I know I get excited about everything, and I also know there are a couple of individuals (who shall remain unnamed) that think it's hilarious that I "LOVE" everything. You know who you are! But honestly, I do! We've had so much fun. Some of the fun we have had was selling our other Andover house, so we could get to this point. OK, OK, that's not exactly true. Selling the house wasn't really fun, but Bo Smith, the principal broker at The Realty Company, made it as pain free as possible. (Bo's also the general sales manager for Jimmy Nash Homes...he does it all!) Just know that I've learned from the best, people! Come back later this week, and I'll tell you all about it.

Come on over to my (open) house...The Savannah!

If you've been reading this blog, you all ready know that I have to wait until Christmas to get my new Jimmy Nash home. But YOU don't have to wait! I'll be holding the Savannah open tomorrow and Saturday from 12-5 for the National Open House Weekend. It is new construction that won several awards during the Tour of Homes. As a matter of fact, I'm so excited to be showing the Savannah, because it happens to be one of my favorite plans out in Patchen Wilkes. Front porch with columns? Check! GORGEOUS chandeliers in the dining room, kitchen and breakfast room? Check! Two inch wood blinds? Check! Upgraded Viking package in the kitchen? Check! I know you know how important a fantastic kitchen is to a home, and this kitchen won First Place on the Tour. Oh yeah! You've got to love a Tour Home because of all the extras and this house has them. Come see me out in Patchen this weekend because there's lots more to show you. There are also several more homes that will be open at the same time. But don't forget, you can always give me a call and I'll be glad to give you a tour anytime. Have a great weekend!

Movin' right along...

First we had forms. This is a shot of the garage doors:


Then we had the pumper truck. See it sticking up over the trees? Unfortunately I didn't get a better shot than this:


Today we have foundation walls:


Come back soon to see what happens next. At this rate, we might have a house as an early Christmas present!

I'm lovin' the Blue Ridge...

All I have to say is, WOW! The Blue Ridge being built out in Patchen-Wilkes is like nothing you've seen in Lexington. So much care has been given to every detail in this Artisan home, and it shows. I love it. Here are a few pictures that I took at today's five-week walk-through. When you build with Jimmy Nash Homes, this is a milestone that will absolutely floor you. Virtually all that is left to do is paint, carpet, and mirrors. After today, the painters will have the house to themselves for about 3 weeks, so they can do their work in a dust and worker-free environment. A homeowner walking through at this point would have no anxiety about whether or not their house was going to be ready on time. Honestly, it looks like you could move in the next day! And speaking of being floored, be sure to notice the hardwood floors in these photos. They are reclaimed barnwood supplied by Lexington's own Longwood Antique Woods. These particular floors came out of a barn located near the Fayette-Jessamine County line. You have to love the history that comes with reclaimed flooring, but don't forget the fact that they are environmentally friendly. The Blue Ridge is also equipped with a Waterfurnace geothermal system and a Rannai tankless water heater. Just a little FYI: the recently completed and sold Watercolor home next door with similar features received a HERS (Home Energy Rating System)score of 45, one of the lowest ever recorded in Kentucky. What does that mean? Well, not only do these homes look fantastic, they are SUPER energy efficient was well. And you know what that means...less $ for utilities and more $ for your pocket. You gotta love that! If you want to check out these awesome details for yourself,let me know and I'll take you own your own personal "walk-through"...I just know you'll love it too!

The Brick has been Picked!

I can’t believe that Cliff and I actually agreed on the brick and Hardie siding so easily. This is a big commitment, you know, but it only took us about an hour. Of course, we had the help of Jimmy, Jean Ann, JP, and Emily. They are so good at keeping us on track. We looked at several combinations before we circled back around to our first choice. Don’t you think houses just tell you which colors and textures look best? I do. Each one is different, so here are our picks and some photos of samples to give you an idea of what this house told us:
For the brick we chose Ole Savannah Tumbled brick with white mortar. The white line you see in the sample picture is just the color of the mortar. The mortar will actually be overfilled to give the house an old look. We want it to look like it’s been on that lot forever.
The Hardie lap siding and shake will be Monterey Taupe, the darker of the two samples shown here. I might call this “greige” - not quite gray; not quite beige. I was tickled with this choice because it was what I had in mind from the beginning.
The trim will be James Hardie as well and it’s Navajo Beige. We debated on going dark, but in the end, we went with the Navajo. We knew we didn’t want white trim, because we chose Anderson Sandtone windows. This house is going to be virtually maintenance free, and we will not be painting for a long, long time. How awesome is that? The porch railing, columns, vents, etc. will also be this color. We all felt like those design elements needed to be on the lighter side, and this gives us a good alternative to white.
Finally, we chose Weathered Wood for the shingles. I love real wood shake shingles, but these are maintenance-free (notice a theme here?) and real wood shake roofs are quite cost prohibitive. Again, this will give us the classic look that we want with all the benefit of new materials.
So, we did it! We were able to agree on everything exterior, and I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. I hope you have a great weekend and a Happy Easter. Check back next week to see all the new progress. These guys are moving fast!!

Now we're rockin'!

The flags have now given way to rock and concrete. When we pulled into the neighborhood yesterday, we saw two big concrete trucks, and another loaded with forms. The house will have 10’ poured-in-place concrete foundation walls with a waterproofing system. Our lot was perfect for a walkout basement due to the way it sloped away from the street. As a matter of fact, they had to do some filling in towards the front of the lot, so the house would have a place to sit. Although we are not finishing the basement right now, it will be ready to go when we do. (More about that later.) Yesterday, they poured the footers for the foundation walls. It was pretty cool to see one big truck down in the “hole” and the other one waiting at the ready. You know Garrett and Gilly were fired up! Those guys probably think we’re going to pitch a tent and hang out with them all day as much as we drive by. We can’t help it! It’s so fascinating to watch each step. Now, I know foundations aren’t that exciting and trust me, I’m counting the hours to our Friday selection meeting. However, we have a 30 year guarantee on our foundation walls and that’s something we won’t have to worry about for a long time. Now that IS exciting!

Speaking of selections…don’t forget to come back tomorrow afternoon to check out the brick and James Hardie siding that we’re going to be using on the house. Although I have an idea of what I want the house to look like, I have no idea what our final pick’s going to be. Stay tuned!