Overdue Update

 I can't believe how long it's been since my last update (or since we've been in the house, just over 3 months).  Everything is still a work in progress, but it's coming along. 

Prior to the landscapers starting the work here I had requested a different tree for the yard; the kousa dogwood was planted today.  I knew that I didn't want all of the standard plants, so I had purchased several things from a local nursery.  We ended up buying a fringe tree (in front of the window), topiary, hostas, a round arborvitae and some ornamental grass.  I really like how everything turned out.  We painted the white pipes that stick out of the ground to blend in with the mulch (they're brown right now, but I might repaint black so they blend in a little more).  The only thing I wish we could have done is laid landscape paper before they put the mulch down (we already have mushrooms, grass, etc growing through).

 Our front and back yards were seeded in April, and although it is still very patchy, the grass seems to be coming in pretty good.  I did buy extra seed to fill in some of the empty areas, but I think I just need to be patient and give it time to grow.

 This pic is taken from the common area behind our house that was just recently seeded.

We were going back and forth between deck and patio, but I think we're leaning towards a paver patio.  I got tired of the patio furniture taking up space in the garage, so we just stuck it in the grass last week.  I'm hoping to get something installed by mid-summer so that we can actually start using the back yard. 

We had a service call with Guardian last week to address the volume of the outdoor speaker.  It's definitely not what I was expecting, and from what the tech said they don't want it to be super loud and disruptive to neighbors (not that I want to blast music outside, but if a neighbor is running a lawn mower you pretty much can't hear anything).

 Our street has really filled up this spring.  I believe at this point there are only 5 lots left.

 Ok, now onto my new favorite part about the house...our new bamboo floors.  I love, love, love how they turned out.  If you're curious as to why we would rip out brand new oak floors throughout the first floor and replace with bamboo, check out this post.

The dining room still looks empty.  I ordered an area rug for the dining room from Ballard Designs in March.  It's still on back order so I've been waiting to buy window treatments and artwork until the rug arrives.

 The color is very similar to the original gunstock, so the banister looks good with the floors still.

 We love the wide planks and the variation in the color.  It's definitely less orange than the gunstock and more modern looking.

 The basement is also repaired and repainted.  Dan is still getting things set-up, but I'll take pics soon to post.  Congrats to everyone that's closed recently and just getting started with the building process!