Happy Soon-to-be Summer from That New House (and farewell)

When I began this blog over 7 months ago, I wasn't exactly sure what shape it would take. I ultimately decided to try to strike a balance between keeping our family and friends updated with the house's progress, while also providing information for other folks who may build a similar home down the road. I hope I've succeeded in doing both. It's been a fun journey, both the building of the house and blogging about it. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have!

With all that said, I have reached a point where I'm ready to close the chapter on the That New House blog. We're moved in and the decisions we make from here on are more personal preferences that suit our family than anything. I'm always happy to talk about our process and the house so please contact me either via email or by leaving a comment with a post (I read them all).

Before I wrap up, though, I would like to share my "What I would change if I could" about the house. Overall we love the house so I have to think hard about what could be better.

As a refresher, we did make a few changes to the plan before we started building; however, we did not use an architect for revisions because our contractor didn't need us to. We added a backporch between the screened-in porch and master suite; we increased the size of the den/guest bedroom downstairs by including the coat closet in the room; we made the kitchen island a rectangle instead of a T; and upstairs we made the large storage closet accessible from the landing (instead of one of the bedrooms). All of those changes have been perfect!

Now...what I would change now that I've lived here for over a month:

• Increase the size of the laundry room (at least a foot or two wider and deeper to accommodate the large front-loading machines that I have and the extra refrigerator I want)
• Install sound-proofing or muffling insulation in the living room ceiling (which is directly below one of my sons' bedrooms)
• Rethink the electrical plan for the master bathroom in relation to where towel bars, etc. should be installed
• Install under-cabinet lighting above the kitchen desk

I'm sure there are a few more nit-picky things that I could add but those are the ones that have stuck out to me the most. I'm so pleased that we went with this plan designed by Moser Design Group. It fits our family and the house will grow with us as we grow as a family. Thanks for joining us and have a happy summer!