By Marissa Sainz, October 30, 2020
October has absolutely flown by and Brent and may finally have the end in sight on our home build. Our move-in date did get pushed back again—we’re now hoping to move in time to celebrate Thanksgiving in our new home! Fingers crossed that the rest of our plans go smoothly and we don’t encounter any more push back. Here’s what we’ve been up to:
OCTOBER UPDATES:
This month has been about making a lot of little creative decisions, very quickly. Since I’m coming into a slower time with work, I’ve been able to be more involved, which has been exciting and has eased some of the pressure on Brent. Here is a list of the finishing decisions that we have made so far this month:
- Chose stain color for exposed beams
- Decided on decking and railings
- Painted the underside of the staircase black
- Interiors are painted—a pretty neutral white
- Cabinet hardware chosen
- Continuing to make finishing decisions as they come
This month brought some unexpected changes. Brent and I had already chosen our kitchen appliances awhile back, but due to the pandemic, we found out this month that the shipping was delayed indefinitely. With every effort to avoid my initial panic, Brent and I sat down together to re-decide on some new appliances that we’ll be in place by the time we move in.
We had to make some pivots on the original plan to have a floating sink in our half bath because we couldn’t place it in a way to cover all of the exposed plumbing. Our designer came up with an ingenious solution of a little shelf behind the sink that will hide everything.
Finally, we thought for sure the exterior of the house would be painted by now, but this is one of the larger delays, and we’re also still waiting on our Shou Sugi Ban for the front entrance and top deck. In the meantime though, we’ve been hard at work raving about our Shou Sugi Ban and have convinced two of our friends to use the material in their home, and ADU renovations! If you haven’t seen Shou Sugi Ban yet, here’s a few examples of this stunning material in action:
Sometimes the closer we get, the farther it seems away but we’re excited to see all of the final touches coming together in time. Overall, this month has been less stressful than the previous one. Shoutout to Brent who has been amazing about speaking up when he feels certain designs are not the right fit and making sure all of the inevitable modifications stay true to our vision. It’s taken an epic amount of communication and he’s done an amazing job.
OLD HOUSE UPDATE: While managing the new build, we have also been updating our old house kitchen in order to get ready for new tenants. This month we were able to finish the cabinets and install the countertops and already it’s been such an improvement!
What’s even more exciting is we hired a property manager and within one weekend we were able to find a tenant! We just signed the lease and it’s such a relief to have this off of our plate. If you keep going back in forth on whether to hire a professional to help with your property, trust me it was well worth it.
Every month Brent and I learn more about the home building experience. As always, “HAVE PATIENCE” is the best advice I could give. Especially in this year of Covid, there is so much out of our control. It’s best to not allow the frustrations of delays and challenges stop you from enjoying building your dream home.
UP NEXT:
So now what? We still have a few finishing touches to add like painting our exterior, landscaping, installing tile, appliances, and lighting. Our deck is still in need of a little love and we have a few touch-ups to make with our interior painters. We’ll need to get a final occupancy approval from the city and do a blue tape walk-through with our builders near the end. But most importantly, WE NEED TO START PACKING!!! I have to say, that intimidates me more than anything else!
I also want to give recognition to our wonderful home builders Evergreen Homes. They have always provided a patient and calm energy and never tried to rush us into any decisions. We interviewed three different builders at the beginning of this process and it was Evergreen’s thoughtfulness that shined the most. Ashley, the owner, has always been collected and kind throughout our experience and it’s been clear how much they care.
That’s it for October—hopefully, next month, I’ll be writing to you from our new living room! I cannot wait to see what this next month has in store for us. Check back in at the end of November to hear about the finalization of our new home!
Marissa Sainz
Broker | Earth Advantage | OR
She/Her
Whether you want to live in a hip Pearl District condo or a unique east side bungalow I am here to help you find the perfect home.
The Pearl District and the close in surrounding neighborhoods are exciting and evolving areas and where I focus my business.
It is important in our changing real estate world, where location is so vital to home buyers, to work with a neighborhood expert. We all want to live near our local grocery store and within walking distance of our favorite coffee spot, restaurants and parks.
I am here to guide buyers and sellers through the process every step of the way, if you are a first time home buyer searching for the perfect starter home or looking to move as your family and lifestyle change.
Marissa earned a degree in finance with a concentration in real estate from The University of Texas at Austin. Before coming to residential real estate in Portland Marissa worked for both a national and local commercial real estate firm. Around town Marissa is involved with the Women in Insurance and Financial Services Portland chapter as well as the Women's Council of REALTORS®.
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- T: 512-736-6111
- marissa@livingroomre.com
