Well, we did it, we signed the contract to build a new house. I think we got a great deal, it’s out in the Cypress area and for less than $140k, we got 1937 sq. ft. and all the bells and whistles you can imagine.

We spent several hours out there yesterday just looking at one of the houses that’s in the contruction phase. We were lucky, the AC was on. They already had the tile layed and the granite countertops on. We were able to see how the undermount sink is installed ~ it was AWFUL. That’s a real concern, we may just go with an overmount and change it out later.

Anyway, here’s what we’re getting ~

• Upgraded carpet pad and one level upgrade carpet
• Tile ~ entry, extended entry, breakfast, kitchen, pantry, laundry room, hall bath, master bath, hallway, and around the breakfast bar
• Granite countertops grade level II (uba tooba - black with some gold), upgraded bullnose edge
• Undermount sink - this is still up in the air, I’ll need to see a good installation
• Upgraded 42″ cabinets with a cabinet over the fridge ~ the ceilings are 10′ high, 30″ cabinets would get lost.
• Upgraded GE stainless steel appliances, we also got the refrigerator since we sold ours with our house.
• French doors to the dining room since we’re going to use it as an office.
• Double width crown molding in the family room, single width in the entry and extended entry. The entryways are separate little rooms that aren’t as tall as the family room, we think it will be okay to only use the single width there.
• Arched doorways from family room to hallway, from dining to kitchen and from living to master bedroom.
• Chair rail in the dining room. We’re going to use it as an office but when we sell, the new buyers might want it to be a dining room again.
• For energy we’re going all out - radiant barrier on the roof, R38 insulation, SEER 14 Air Conditioner, and Energy Seal package.
• Brick on all four sides, it comes with three side brick and Hardi-Plank on backside, Brent likes brick all the way around.
• Full gutters all the way around.
• Two flood lights (one in front and one in back) and two carriage lights on the sides of the garage.
• Garage door opener.

Pretty good for less than $140k huh? I went and looked at some new houses that are being built near our current house, they will be zoned to the same high school. Guess how much they cost? Well, the base price for their 1-story 1850 sq ft home was $169,990 BEFORE upgrades. The standard items were comparable to the house we’re building. We’re spending about $15,000 on upgrades and the builder gives a $6000 incentive. The builder over here near our current house give a $4000 incentive. If I bought his smallest house with the same upgrades, I’d be at about $181,000. I’m currently at almost $140,000 at the house we bought. Quite the difference, huh? We’re going to be in a new part of town that’s a little further out, but we’re going to save $40,000!!!!! Wow!!! I feel good about our decision.