We're building!!

Things have been a little crazy at the Dixon household these days. I guess the biggest news is that we are building a house! Crazy, I know. We really had no intentions of building, since there are such great deals for existing homes, but everything just kind of fell into place with this house. We are building just north of Thanksgiving Point. We went to look at a house we found on the MLS and to just check out the community (with no intentions of actually building there!). We checked out a few of the model homes and really liked the community. Then we found out they were offering a new incentive (since they are just starting phase 2) and are finishing your basement for free! They also give you a nice landscaping allotment. We'll also get the $4,000 Utah grant, since we'll be in a contract by Nov. 30th. We're hoping that there will be some sort of a federal incentive in 2010, but who knows!? We are definitely spending more than we planned, but it's worth it to have the finished basement. We are super excited, though it still feels pretty surreal. We're finalizing our options this week, and it should be started in the next month. It's insane how quickly things add up. It's also insane what they consider an upgrade--like AC. Are you kidding me!? It's not really an option...but you have to pay for it, since it actually IS an option/upgrade. It's also interesting to see the difference between my needs/wants list and Dan's. For example, the fireplace is on my NEED list (come on, who moves to Utah and doesn't have a fireplace where they can hang their stockings and cuddle in front of the fire during the cold snowy days!). Dan needs the mandoor in the garage, surround sound wiring, and a gas line for the grill. We're compromising and I think we're doing a pretty good job. So, they say it should take about 5 months to build, which means we're looking at moving in sometime in the Spring (we hope!). We are grateful to be in a position to buy and are looking forward to having our own place! It seems like a great community--complete with a church, parks, a baseball field, and a clubhouse with a pool. Here's a few sketches of the house and the community. With the finished basement we'll end up having 5 bedrooms, so know that you always have a place to stay when you're in Utah!

It'll look a lot like this house, only with stucco/rock instead of the siding. Cute, huh!?