Our Casa

In 2007, A.R. and I decided to sell my condo and build a home together that we could move into after our September 2008 wedding. We did a lot of driving and touring homes under construction to get an idea of what we wanted.  The number one thing we wanted was NO association after the circus that ensued in dealing with my former condo association.  In addition, we wanted at least 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, a formal living room/dining room, a family room, and room for expansion should we need it down the road.  We decided to look for our forever home rather than starting with a smaller starter home based on our ages and for the simple fact we didn't want to have to start our family in one home and then pack it up and move to another one.  We opted for new construction since we were in it for the long haul and wanted a forever home...this way we could get more of what we wanted without having to possibly sacrifice something else- more bang for our buck if you will.  With the market in a downturn many local builders were offering killer incentives (we ended up with a larger lot, for a lower fee and free granite counter tops in the kitchen).

Our house on closing day 11-5-08

After walking through many houses and talking to friends and family members that had built, we found a development that we really liked with a builder that my brother-in-law and his wife happened to use.  We got on the waiting list (we were #1) at this development while the builder waited for the town to issue needed permits to build the last phase in the community.  And then we waited. Waited some more. And waited some more.  We were on that waiting list for a year and it was coming to the point where we needed to start thinking about looking elsewhere as our wedding was fast approaching, it was now 2008, and I had nowhere to stay if my condo sold.  This is when everything happened so quickly...

Our home 1 year later Nov. 5th, 2009

Our builder bought a new tract of land in another town with a much better view (our property backs up to state protected land with a view of Talcott Mountain) and were offering lots for sale at a lower price.  We walked the new property and toured a few more model homes that they would be offering to build on the lots on the property and decided to go for it.  The day they opened up the lots for sale (March 15, 2008) we got up early, brought some Dunkin Donuts, and camped out in front of the construction trailer until the office opened.  We wanted to be number one on the waiting list, so that we got the lot of our choice and model of home that we wanted.  After homes are built on the property, the builder limits the options on the neighboring lots so that the neighborhood doesn't end up looking cookie cutter.  Well, we got to be number one on this waiting list AND were still number one on the other waiting list!  After signing the contract to build, we got off the original waiting list. :)  Two months later my condo sold and I moved in with my Brother-in-law and his wife temporarily.

We got the first pick of lots in our new development and the first choice of model home.  We went with the model called, The Senator.  Our home is a colonial with just over 2,700 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, porch, walk-out basement, side-entry 2 car garage, deck (still to be built!), and it sits on almost 3/4 of an acre.  That square footage does not include the basement which we haven't finished yet.  Ground was broken in June 2008 and we closed on our home on November 5, 2008 and moved in that weekend.  We LOVE our home and were thankful to have a fairly smooth building process.  I'm glad that we went with our forever home as I can't picture us moving out of this home anytime soon.  It's great that we can expand our family with no worries about outgrowing our home.

Construction Photos

Our New Home