Unlike buying a house where you sign a lot of papers, get a couple of sets of keys and hurry back to a moving truck, we signed a LOT of papers and went back to work with a pen!  What we really got was the promise of a house in the form of a construction loan.  The process of applying for and getting approval for this type of a loan was quite the lengthy experience, to say the least.  We filled out the mountain of paperwork in early August and then went through an unbelievable "interrogation" of our finances, credit history, work history and anything else the mortgage company decided to ask for.  I think it would have been easier to give them our second born even though we only have one child!

After providing months of bank statements and years of our tax returns (personal and business) the staw that broke the camel's back was when the bank asked for copies of our check stubs.  Now, think about that ... who do we work for?  As I said to the bank officer: "I can make a check stub say anything you want!"  With all the documents we had already provided they had more than enough proof of out income.  We put our foot down and simply refused!  Enough is enough!  

Construction loans are difficult to begin with because money is being loaned for something that doesn't even exist.  I get it. What this means is the mortgage company relys on three things: 1) An appraisal, 2) Comparables, and 3) the building plans and cost estimate provided by the builder.  With out going into too much detail let me just say that it took more than 3 weeks just to find someone to do an appraisal, there are no comparables because there are no timberframe homes that are on the market or have sold in the last two years within a 70 miles radius and lastly, the building plans really didn't mean much because they are, at that point, mostly theoretical.  We were horrified when the appraisal came in at less than half of the value of the land and the builder's estimate.  Add that to the current problems with the economy that make borrowing money next to impossible and we were seriously wondering if we were going to get the construction loan.  We were beginning to think we would be living in a tent in Strasburg.  But after dotting our i's and crossing our t's, two months later we finally got the approval.  What a relief!   

Since there is no public water or sewer on our property (a first for both of us!) the first step is to have a well drilled. Although the ground was "perked" before we bought it, our Township (Strasburg) requires that a well be drilled before the builder can even apply for any required permits.  

When I think of a well I think of Timmy and Lassie ("Lassie, go get Ma, Timmy has fallen down the well"!!).  But pictured here is our well!  And the good news is that we hit water at 200 feet and there is more than enough - 30 gallons per minute. 

Hmm... I'm hoping this big ugly pipe won't be sticking up in the middle of our front yard!

On the day we listed our house the local newspaper announced that recent home sales in Lancaster County were the lowest of all time.  What, are we completely nuts??   Well, somewhat.  But after all, we started this process 18 months ago with the belief that by the time we were ready to put our house on the market the economy would be on the upswing.  So much for that logic!  After months of sorting through every closet, drawer and cabinet, a yard sale in 90+ temps, numerous trips to Goodwill and a thorough top to bottom house cleaning, we were ready!  On the advice of many articles on "staging", I put away our knick knacks, took down all the family pictures, hid our toothbrushes and paper towel holder and poof - the house looks like a model home and almost sterile.  Nobody lives this way but it's a game we have to play - by taking everything that represents "us" it makes it easier for the prospective buyer to see themselves living in this house.  I have to admit, it does make the house look bigger and I am enjoying how neat and organized everything is.  However, I know I won't enjoy trying to keep it this way!  Now we wait for the phone to ring!

Plans, plans, plans, and more plans! From mid-June through mid-October we worked with Dan T. and Riverbend to fine tune the design of the house.  We worked our way through four phases:
Phase one - Schematic drawings: scaled floor plans, scaled elevations, building cross-section and initial frame and pannel diagrams.
Phase two - Design Development (DD's) Drawings: scaled floor plans with room dimensions, additional elevations, limited building sections and details, a preliminary foundation plan, and more detailed frame diagrams and profiles. 
Phase three - Construction Document (CD's) Drawings: these drawings provide sufficient detail to enable actual construction to take place.  In addition, they included the window and door schedule which are being provided by Riverbend. These drawings are used by Metzler Builders to finalize the plot plan, foundation design, electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems and the interior finish schedule.
Phase four - Shop Drawings: these are used by Riverbend to produce the timber frame and panels (SIP's).

We lost track of how many drawings Riverbend created for us.  Suffice to say, we have enough paper to cover all the walls and ceilings of our new house!  I need to figure out something creative to do with them that won't take up a lot of space!

A good part of this time was spent finalizing the floor plan and the windows.  It was after a visit to a stunning Riverbend home in Sommerset, PA that the design for the great room came together.  Finalizing the windows seemed to take forever!  Did I mention choices?  Each window has three component pieces, each of which can be one of fifty color choices!  And then there are the type of mullions, screens, and handles to choose.  Definite overload! 

We also worked with Mary Dresser, our Landscape Architect, to finalize the position of the house and the RV garage, how the driveway will be positioned and the proposed landscaping. 

We worked with our Designer to finalize the layout of the kitchen, baths and bedrooms.  We drove all over Lancaster looking at cabinets, counter tops, appliances, flooring, plumbing fixtures, lighting etc.  And we spent hours on the Internet narrowing our options or just getting more confused!! We really struggled with the siding for the outside of the house and still haven't made that decision. At this point the process seems so theoretical and hard to imagine what it will look like when it all comes together. 

Most of the time it has been meeting after meeting, discussion upon discussion but with little or no outcome.   We talk, look at paper plans and write checks!  This is so contrary to the Payroll business which might be why we are struggling!  It would be so nice to see a hole in the ground or some other concrete evidence that this whole thing isn't just a figment of our imagination!

On the advice of so many others, we are trying to be patient because we know in the end it will be worth our efforts!