Welcome to July! Happy fourth and all that... Today we went by the site and the has been a great deal of progress...just not on our site. The first two lots are done and have landscaping and everything. One is the model house (it was closed so we couldn't get in), and the other is the first lot of the new area. There was a family there getting in their car but looked rushed so we didn't say anything. As for our lot, the heavy equipment is gone (at least for this day), but there are still a few dirt piles there. The driveway has more rocks but still isn't done. The awning over the front door is up, but I can't tell if it's done or not. I think maybe there's still a top piece to go on where the blue is, but maybe not. All in all the exterior looks pretty complete save for the lanscaping and driveway. There is also a big warning sign across the street from our place. Ooh, scary.

   With a little bit of creative effort (and despite the sign) I got inside and took a look around. The oven/micro combo has been installed but the rest of the appliances are still sitting there boxed up. The range hood is in...and it's black! So much for the all-stainless kitchen we were going for. I remember being told the hood would match whatever cooktop we chose. Uh, guess not. Betty is going to be in the area tomorrow and so has decided to drop by and talk to Trish to see what's what. Oh yeah, the thermostats are in now as well, but aside from those items I personally don't see any other difference on the inside of our place. Thus there are only a couple of photos this time around. [Note I've added a small camera icon on the right hand side of the date header for each day where there are pictures. Clicking it will take you to the gallery page that has all the pictures for that day.] I'm not sure why progress has slowed so much on our interior...perhaps they've all been extra busy readying the other two lots (most notably the model house)? Or maybe they're ahead of schedule? Hahaha, right.

   We made a quick trip and dropped by the site today during lunch. There have been some improvements both inside and out. On the outside the last of the dirt piles are gone and our yard-to-be is as flat as it is going to get. Also the door has been painted (and dented, curiously enough) plus the driveway has been set. On the inside we finally have our kitchen counter!
  Also as you can see the fridge is partway in and the cooktop is partly installed. In case you were wondering, the white look on the fridge and oven is just the protective color (I expect that will stay on until our walk-through). The sink is in but the faucet is not. The sides of the fridge are black, so maybe the black hood isn't so bad after all. The dishwasher (now unpacked but not yet in) will have a control panel with a black back as well. That black hood may not be as out of place as I originally thought that it would be. Probably a good thing as well, since we haven't heard a word from Trish or anyone at Magruder, and the closer it gets to settlement the more likely they are to say it can't be done. Betty also tells me that Trish has already moved to the Nicholson Farm community. [That community is up near Silver Spring and they will undoubtedly have at least 20 buyers for every lot. Needless to say, a call there now sends you to a voicemail which says Magruder won't call back 'due to overwhelming demand' and to otherwise please leave a message. Of course you then get a 'mailbox full' message and the call terminates. Smooth.

  We also took a look at the model house, which still isn't open but has all the furniture in. I think it's the only other Chesapeake model...at least in our phase. The Chesapeake wasn't available in phase one, but we know of at least one more coming in phase three. Speaking of phase three, the first house on the right (after the bridge) has foundation now. I feel sorry for that last phase two lot (which is still a lake)...

  Well, good news and not-so-good news. The good news is that all kinds of work has taken place on the outside, including most (if not all) of the landscaping. Not-so-good news is now there's no way in without a key, and of course they don't leave a key with the person in the model house, so we had no way in. Guess we'll have to go back during the week sometime. Plenty of new stuff to see on the outside tho. Green grass. Three new trees. Bushes and mulch near the front door. Hand railings on the rear entry door. There was a deer right behind our place but it bounded away before I could ready the camera. The mailbox is up, but someone has since nearly demolished it. Let's hope that doesn't delay our settlement. :)   Also check out the new front pic if you didn't see it on the index page...