Kitchen and Landscaping Complete!

I can't believe that tomorrow will be our final house walk through and that on Monday we are settling. I am looking forward to the many adventures my husband and I will share in this home.

Here are some of the final pictures of the construction:
(Below you can see the newly added landscaping and our paved driveway).

(Pictured next is my dream kitchen in reality--right now it's really dusty).

When I first saw our new kitchen put together for the first time it took my breath away (literally).

If you ever saw my current home you would know that I have a hallway for a kitchen. Having more than one person in my current kitchen would be considered crowded. There are only 4 cabinets that are easily accessible (minus the ones above the fridge and stove) that we have to store pots and food in. In fact, our oven has become a second source of storage for us.

So, when I saw all the cabinets and all the space you would understand how a kitchen can take ones breath away. I got so excited that I made my sister meet me at my house to see my kitchen (and it's a good thing she lives so close now).

Leveling of Land and Installation of Tile

I can't believe we are settling in two weeks. This whole process has seemed to go by so fast, not that I'm complaining...but there is much to be done like packing, painting, and decorating. Can't wait!

You can see a complete 360 of our house below in the next four pictures.

Our lot actually goes past the neighbor’s house that is in front of us (not sure yet what we are going to do with that piece of land yet):

Here is the upstairs bathroom:

Cabinets Are In and Siding is Up!

After Jeff's Birthday we took his family to see the progress of the house. The best thing about our location is that we are only 3 minutes from pops house, 5 minutes from my sisters and brother-in-law's house, and 4 minutes from our friend Katy and Dustin's new house.

Below is a picture of us finally together in front of the home (and you can see a bit of the siding in this picture):

My new kitchen finally a ton of place to store stuff (no more storing pots and pans in the oven):

My gorgeous counter tops:

Dry Wall is Up!

The drywall is up, so now we have walls and ceilings! It looks great and I just love how open the floor plan is. I can't wait to entertain in our new house and there are rumors that my family wants me to host Thanksgiving and Christmas at my house this year (but of course if that happens, I will recruit the help of my mom, since she is the expert at cooking holiday meals…and I wouldn’t want it any other way).

So here some more picture of our new house:


Me in the loft area:

Jeff in the morning room:
Some of our family room, kitchen, and morning room:

More Progress on Our House!

We were told to stop by our house to make sure all electrical, phone, and network outlets were installed in the correct place. So, since we were already there we decided to take some more pictures....

Front of the house complete with brick:

Our grinder pump (feel free to ask us what it is—we got a whole lesson on it):

Stairs going upstairs and hall closet to the right:

Jeff taking a bath:

Our garage:

Initial Walk Through Day!

On May 6th, we had our initial walk through with our project manager. Our PM walked us through the house explaining the foundation and all the energy efficient stuff that goes into our house. During our walk through, we also got to point out all the places we would love to have a plasma TV mounted one day, so he could mount extra pieces of wood where needed.

The best part of that day was actually seeing the brick on our house being put up!


I just love the look of a brick house!

Doors, Windows, and Stairs...Oh My!

At the end of April the doors, windows, and stairs were installed/built in our house. With the stairs installed, we finally got to see the top floor of our house and I must say....I CAN'T WAIT! I am looking forward to the day where my closet is in the same room as my bedroom once again. (If you didn't know my clothes are in my office closet, since Jeff has so many clothes and shoes in our bedroom closet that my stuff couldn't fit).

Front of Our House:

Side View of Our House:
(If you look real closely to the picture below, you may see someone waving at you).

Other Side of Our House:

Future place of Our Deck:

Basment Stairs:

The Framing of Our House!

Last week Jeff and I drove by our new home site just to see if any visual progress was made. As we're about to turn down our street we could actually see a glimpse of our house from far away. Jeff and I couldn't believe it. The frame of our house was up in less then a week. It's actually starting to feel very real now seeing the house all put together.

Here are some pictures of our house:

Foundation Construction Part 3

Spoke to our project manager today and he said within the next two weeks the frame of our house will go up!

Pictured below are more construction work to the foundation:

Below is our basement and to the left of the picture you will see our basement door walk out on the side of house.
Below I am pictured on the side of our house where the stairs are for our basement exit.

Appliances Check!

When we purchased our new house we got to choose a double oven, microwave, and dish washer at a much upgraded selection for almost FREE! We had the option to go through our building company and also get a refrigerator and washer/dryer, but both Jeff and I opted to go purchase those units on our own.

We both wanted very specific things in our refrigerator and washer/dryer, so before even buying our new house we use to use the phrase "in our next house" a lot. So, today after seeing our favorite fridge go on sale at Best Buy this weekend, we decided to mark one more thing off "Our List to Do before We Move."

So below is what I call the "SUPER FRIDGE":

I LOVE THIS FRIDGE! It comes complete with French doors, a ice and filtered water dispenser (a must for Jeff), very spacious, energy star qualified (to save some money), and an LCD touch screen (for both of us). Plus it got great reviews from both customers and professional critics (researched by Jeff).

With the LCD screen: You can also access a calendar, check your schedule, read nutrition facts, showcase personal photos, and even check unit conversions for those last minute cooking emergencies.

Jeff also pointed out how the freezer is also child proof, because the handle needs to be lifted up and then pulled to be open. I love it-Jeff thinking in advance!

And finally below is what I call the "STEAMERS TO THE MAX":

Both the washer and dryer steams clothes (less ironing) and can fit up to two queen comforters (less loads)! We also purchased the pedestals for extra storage and the fact they sit up higher, so we don't have to bend over to get clothes out.

I am so excited to see our purchases in our new house!

Foundation Construction Part 2

Three days after our foundation was set, we could see the start of work being done to the interior:

Our driveway and garage:


The start of our basement:

View from our backyard:

More pictures to be posted soon!

Foundation Construction Part 1

After the hole was dug, 7 days later the foundation of our house was completed. We can actually see the start of our basement, morning room, and garage. We can't wait to see what happens at the end of this week...when the framing starts!

But until then enjoy some new pictures of our future house...

The Dig!

The hole for where our house will go has been dug!

Below are pictures of the home site and Jeff posing with our lot sold sign:


And here Jeff is pictured in the giant hole (quick somebody bury him in it--just kidding). :-)

Jeff and I are super excited for the coming weeks and can't wait to finally see our house finished.

We Bought A New Single Family Home!

Over the past year there have been a lot of changes in the Burke's family. Jeff and I got married on 7/11/2009, I changed my last name to Burke, I got a new job, and last but not least we bought a new single family home!

Below is a picture of us after we purchased our new home:

We decided to go with new construction in a community of only 4 houses in Severn, MD. The community just felt right to both of us not too many houses (but still a community), our property backing to woods and in view of a farm with horses, and plenty of parking for our friends and family.

Below is a picture of our lot and future home site:

Jeff and I can't wait to move into our new home, but until then we plan to post weekly pictures of the development of our new home. Check back soon!