There Be Fireplace

Despite the conspiracy of fate to keep me from my goal, I installed the new brushed nickel fireplace doors. As I noted earlier, the opening in the brick was too short for even the "small" model frame. This resulted in the swinging screen doors rubbing against the brick preventing proper installation. I was going to request some fireplace contractor bids but for some reason my request to ServiceMagic.com didn't go through. So instead, I decided to try my hand at masonry. Or at least masonry demolition.

On my way home Friday night, I stopped by Home Depot and picked up a brick cutter chisel and a pair of safety glasses. A few well-placed whacks and bits of brick and dust were flying everywhere. Eventually, I got enough brick removed on each side for the doors to swing freely. Yea! Now I'll just hook up the frame to the brick with the included brackets and I'm all good. Easy, right?

No.

The connectors on the frame is supposed to be even at some point with the lintel bar (a metal "L" shaped piece along the top of the opening). But because the opening was too short, the connector was well below the connection points. I could have cut the brick and made the opening big enough to fit. But that would have taken an awful lot of hacking. I would have had to remove at least 3/4 to 1 full brick all the way across the top of the opening. And then, I'd have to reinstall the lintel bar across the top. That much chiseling would take an awful lot to repair if I did something amiss. So what to do?

Well, dammit, I'm an American. Overcome and conquer. Improvise. I ran back to Home Depot and picked up a couple of punched metal plumbing connectors. The metal I was looking for had to be flexible enough for me to shape it into the right configuration and yet hard enough to retain it's shape once in place. The connectors were perfect. I also got four 6mm bolts and wingnuts to hook the contraption up.

Back at home, I worked the metal into a double bend that would run from the frame connection at the top and down into the hole where the stock brackets connected to the bricks. I spray pained the treated aluminum with heat resistant black paint -- the kind you use to repaint a grill or some such -- and after donning the baseball cap bill lights I bought for Kerry for when she runs (which she never has used), I set upon getting the thing bolted together and bracketed in place.

This required me to lay thought the frame opening on top of the lower metal part of the frame leaving some interesting marks across my back. After some adjusting and readjusting and more than a couple of hand cramps, I got her installed. And it don't look bad. The top isn't perfectly flush with the wall but neither was the original. It's pretty close, looks good and it's secure so that's what's really important.

I'd like to make a fire inside and see how it all looks but I really don't want to have to shovel out the ash again.

BTW: the installation was completed Saturday afternoon (3-31-07) but I didn't post this until Monday night because I wanted Kerry to be surprised when she got home Monday afternoon.

Can Anything Be Easy?

Well I got the Rav running and picked up the fireplace at Menard's. Got it all put together and ready to install but when I fit it against the brick, it became apparent that went the interior swinging screen door is open, it kicks against about 1/2" of brick causing the unit to push away from the wall. Otherwise, the unit looks great. Sharp brushed nickle finish. Clean, black screen doors. A real nice accent to the decor.

I'm going to either need to cut out a chunk of brick to allow the doors to swing or I'm going to need to hire someone to install the thing. That would be very disappointing since it appears that normally, it's an easy installation process. And right now the place is awash in cardboard, packing straps and styrofoam. Apparently, nothing can be easy. Grrrr. Arrrgh.

No Go

Well, the plan to get the fireplace doors and closet doors up tonight fell apart. Got home relatively early, changed clothes, grabbed a quick bite to eat and jumped in the Rav4 to go to Menard's and pick up the doors. Unfortunately, it rained today and the Rav has been very fussy about starting after sitting for a couple of days in the rain. I dunno if it's the spark plugs or fuel line or something but it won't fire up properly. It is a 1997 with around 160,000 miles on it, for crying out loud.

Last week it was doing the same thing but turned over enough for me to pull out of my parking spot and then stall after moving about 2 car lengths. Kerry and I then had to push it back into the stall. The next day, when the rain went away and things dried up, the Rav started right up. I'll have to get that looked at. Don't need it dying on me somewhere inconvenient especially with Kerry starting to travel for work again.

So it will have to wait until Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed.

Weekend Projects

The pursuit of sale-ability continued last weekend with a number of small but vital projects getting done. The most impressive item on my list would have to be the installing a towel bar in the bathroom. Level even! I also cleared the bathroom sink trap of wads of blond, curly hair and installed a self-adhesive baseboard in the bathroom. Unfortunately, the old baseboard had a large "toe" (the bottom lip that juts out a bit) so the new baseboard left a bit of a gap between the end of the toe and the tile flooring.

Kerry, not to be outdone, laid a nice bead of caulk along the bathroom sink surround and along the baseboard to cover the aforementioned gap. She wasn't all that happy with how it turned out but I reminded her of our mantra: "It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to sell." Our other mantra is: "Eh, it's better than it was..." She also re-hung then patio door curtains and touched up various areas of painting. She also picked up a new small microwave to help enhance counter top space. (An under-cabinet unit isn't an option). Finally, she also ran the Chicago Shamrock Shuffle 8K.

We need to figure out how to re-tile a narrow strip in the kitchen where the "new" counter top didn't quite match up with the level of the tile. The great, big microwave covered that up but if anyone looks back there, we'd have some 'splainin' to do, Lucy. We will either have to have some matching-ish tile installed or some accent tile (which would make the room uneven since the gap is only on one wall of the galley kitchen). Or we could just continue to hide the gap behind the smaller microwave and Sugar Jars.

Hopefully, the fireplace doors will be delivered Wednesday and I can get it installed while Kerry is out of town in Ohio and Pennsylvania. I'd also like to get the cracked bedroom closet mirrored door replaced by then. We'll have to see about that.

Options, Options, Options

Today was our first options meeting with the Town & Country designer, Amy. The main thing that had to be decided was the "structural changes" of the house including, finalizing the elevation choice, the bathroom rearrangement ("Ultra Bath"), the fireplace selection and the "Gourmet Kitchen" design.

We also went over all of our options and decided on about 90% of them. Of particular note was the fact that where we had originally planned to go with ceramic tile on the first floor in the foyer, extended foyer and kitchen/breakfast area, the designer showed us some upgraded vinyl tile that looks like ceramic right down the the faux grout. And it was about 55% of the cost. So we were able to go with the tile throughout the house instead of doing some tile and some el cheapo type tile in the powder room, laundry room and baths.

We decided to go with the standard formica counter top instead of upgrading to Corian or granite. Those are things that can be done in later years fairly easily. And Kerry decided she could handle putting in a tile backsplash herself.

In the end, I gave up on the wood stair rails and loft rails instead going with the standard half-wall which saved several thousands of dollars and allowed us to do some other things including an upgrade 2 kitchen cabinet in maple, upgraded nickle light fixtures and a garage service door. While I liked the rails and thought it gave a nice open look, I don't think that they will be missed by anyone who hasn't already seen them in the model. The half wall is probably safer for future schnauzers too.

We chose a fireplace with a stone surround but decided against a media niche. Since I'll have my entertainment center brought up to the loft and Kerry will have her entertainment hutch available for the family room, we didn't think a niche was necessary. The fireplace will have a nice spot light for illuminating the picture of Brasov (Rom.) Castle.

There were other little odds and ends like additional outlets, possible pre-wiring the basement for future finishing, and things of that nature. These can all still be ironed out in the month before our second ("Final") options meeting.

The last thing we did was the color selection on the exterior. We were prevented from going with a "khaki" siding because one of our neighbors had already selected that. The other neighbor had a discontinued "heather" color. We chose "White Linen" a.k.a. off white with a rough-hewn brick floor veneer in natural type colors. The front door is a dark brown and the shingles are a brown/grey with some fancy designer name.

We're still weighing the "jet tub" in the bathroom and a few other things but for the most part, we're set. The price point came in right around where we wanted. We're going to buy our own appliances so we need to start pricing that out at some point. With the cabinetry, countertop and tile flooring, we'll probably go with black appliances. I had been leaning towards stainless steel and we were surprised that the price point of the steel wasn't much more than the black or white but the black looks really nice as an accent. The design center had a kitchen set up with cabinetry in our color using black appliances and it really struck Kerry and me as very classy.

All in all it was an enjoyable process. Amy had a good sense of humor and laughed at my frequent Bevis and Butthead references and various other jokes. I almost think that even if I wasn't her customer that she might have laughed anyways.

The ball is definitely rolling now...

Thanks, Ma!

My mom just left after spending the weekend helping me and Kerry get the condo closer to saleable. Today they painted the living room area, touched up the wallpaper and generally cleaned up. She also helped rearrange the living room furniture to maximize living space.

Most importantly, she made stuffed cabbage for dinner which was yummy.

Contract Time

We put the earnest money down on the new house and signed the contract today. Most of the earnest money out of the equity line we have on the condo. It's nice being able to make the move now without having to wait for a sale that may take months. The whole contract signing took less than 30 minutes. The contract was fairly standard. Not really unlike the contracts I used to write 18-20 years ago. Of course, we have the usual 5 day "attorney review" period we can use to rescind the contract but that really is not much of a possibility as far as I can see at this point.

The difference comes in the follow up process. Instead of an options/changes addendum immediately attached to the contract, we have to come back for a first meeting to go over the options we want to have added. And once the options are chosen, that's pretty much it. We can't add more and can't drop anything.

The rest of Sunday was spent working on the condo. Kerry and my mom painted in the bedroom and hallway. A few years ago a neighbors water heater cracked and caused some water damage to the drywall. The severely damaged drywall has still been replaced but the ceiling in the hallway closet had some rust stains which needed to be painted over. As has always been the case, the walls just drink paint and to cover the stains will probably take several coats of Kilz white.

I took the TV and TV stand out of the bedroom (to maximize space in there). I bought the TV in 1997 or there abouts. It still was pretty nice but the original remote was shot (and replacements are apparently unavailable) and the universal remotes don't utilize all the TV's programming capabilities. Also, the On/Off button had fallen off and the TV could only be turned on and off with a remote. Oh, well. It really was just for background noise before we fall asleep anyways. I left the TV in the lobby of the condo unit with a note reading "FREE TV - works with remote". Within 2 hours it was gone.

I also unload the curio cabinet of all schnauzer memorabilia and hauled the curio, TV stand and a cocktail/end table to storage. My mom also brought the cocktail/endtable she picked up for us at her store and I put that together. Despite the (again) terrible instructions sheet. I'm actually getting pretty good at this handy-guy stuff. Ok, I'm getting pretty not terrible at it.

I also cleared much of the surplus glasses, mugs and other items from the kitchen cabinets. Again, to maximize the appearance of space. Still need to take out the George Foreman Grill, the microwave bacon tray and other various and sundry items. But I need to pick up a couple of boxes for that.

All in all a good and productive day. We're pretty much on target for the early April listing of the condo. Of course, putting down several thousands of dollars on the house and signing the contract made this all very real for both of us. Very real but very exciting.

Next Steps

The next thing of importance is getting the financing squared away. Kerry and I have moved the home equity line we have into our checking account so we will have the downpayment needed this weekend when we finalize the construction contract. We're also expanding the line of equity just in case we need to tap it before the condo sells.

Then we'll put the place on the market (by the end of the month). Kerry and I will be interviewing real estate agents. We've already heard some poor-mouthing about the condo market in the complex where we live. This doesn't jive with what has been happening of late in our building. Last year, there were a dozen lockboxes in the lobby. Today there are 3. That would make on believe that, at least for this building, units are moving.

We'll be in good shape either way. If the place sells early, it probably means we got our price (of course, we'll have to make arrangements for a short term apartment but no big deal). If it takes the 200 days to sell that at least one agent estimates, that means we'll be able to stay put until just before the new house is ready.

Today, I tried to install a new fireplace door frame but it wasn't until I got the old frame off that I realized the dimensions of the opening and figured out that the frame I bought was a bit too large. Oh well, we'll return the unit and get another one. We will probably have to special order it at Menard's though. They say it will take 2-3 weeks to deliver. Hopefully, it'll be 2 weeks so we'll be on target for the April listing.

My mom is coming down from Milwaukee this weekend. She plans to help us with some decorating, wallpapering and other miscellaneous stuff. We also want to show her the model and our lot. She works at Colder's Northshore Furniture in Grafton, Wisconsin so we'll definitely need to see what she has when it comes time to furnish the new place. If you're looking for some new furniture, appliances or mattresses, ask for Barb Wolfgram: 262-376-1574. She's consistently the store's top salesperson utilizing a low (no) pressure sales approach. End commercial plug.

The Second Prong

Got home early today. You can see the reason for that on my other blog site, BlogDog Musings. After a hearty hamburger with Kerry at Fuddrucker's we returned to the condo to install a nice mantle over the fireplace. The original mantel was very rudimentary. Seemed secure enough be we wanted something that highlighted the brick and accented the wood furnishings in the room. And Kerry's choice of a cherry minwax was a mighty fine selection.

The old mantle just popped off its hooks and went out the the trash. We then pulled out the ridiculously inadequate instructions. After measuring and drilling, we installed the support strip into the masonry mollies from the original mantle.

Kerry slathered the wood glue on the top of the mounting strip and then I screwed the mantle proper in the the strip. Like many other things in the construction of the building, the wall was not even and caused the mounting strip to bow a bit but when the mantle was installed the mighty bubble told the most important tale -- it was indeed level.

We left the mantle empty while the glue dried and because of the bowing of the mounting strip, if you jiggle it it while bob a slight bit but it will hold a small clock and two small plants. On the plus side, I won't be hanging my suits and shirts off the mantle any more and I won't empty my pockets on top of it. It's kind of funny how the ugly, old mantle was probably more sturdy than the pretty, new mantle.

By the way, the electrician finally came and installed the bedroom fan, the new switches, the thermostat and fixed the bathroom. Next up, I'll try my hand at replacing the brass fireplace glass doors and then work on the financing aspect of this move.

Condo Sale

With the building of the new house to take into November or December, we have plenty of time to get the condo sold. Of course, with spring fast approaching, we want to get the place ready to be put on the market as quick as possible.

We had already taken steps towards the sale. About two weeks ago or so, hired an electrician through ServiceMaster, a handyman listing service. We hired him to come in and put in CFI outlets in the bathroom and kitchen in order to bring the electrical up to code. He also installed a new white range hood over the new white range we had purchased in early February. So now all of our appliances were new (or at least newish enough) and matching. A new ceiling fan was installed in the dining area replacing the antique brass that had not matched any of the brushed nickel hardware in the rest of the condo for about 4 years or so. The guy did a good job but was over an hour and a half late and didn't call with a new ETA screwing up Kerry's entire morning plans.

We also had Empire (of 988-2300 jingle fame) come out to install a new bathroom shower and tub surround. The yellow tile in the bathroom was OK (great if you want a Packers motif environment in which to to your business) but the soap dish/face towel bar was old and corroded. We didn't think it could be removed without destroying the surrounding tile so we hired experts.

I warned Kerry that about 8 years ago I had Empire come out to quote me for new carpets. When theire quote was about $2,300 more than any other quote, I told the guy I needed to think about it. And the SOB wouldn't leave. I argued with him for 40 minutes before I finally got him out the door. So Kerry was mentally prepared for the on-slaught. The salesman arrived and made his quote which was about what another contractor had quoted but still much higher than we wanted to spend. So she dickered for awhile and got him to drop about $1,300 off the price. Makes you realize how much margin is built into their prices (especially the initial quotes).

They came out two days later and installed the surround making the bathroom almost unrecognizable (not a bad thing). All that was left was to repaint the walls and maybe some caulking around the sink. At least until the vanity lights went out the next day. Odd thing is the fan switch and the outlet both still work. So I have no idea what is wrong with it and for the last 3 days we've been showering in the dark or with minimal light from the hallway.

The blackout in the bathroom necessitated calling the electrician back. Kerry and I had picked up a second new ceiling fan - this one to replace the fan in the bedroom. I also forgot to have the electrician install a new thermostat that I had purchased years ago but never had the nerve to try to install myself. We also wanted the electrician to replace some of the switches with newer hardware. This was scheduled for between 10am and 11 am today. But as of right now (12:44 pm), the electrician still hasn't shown up. Looks like they're getting another lukewarm review on ServiceMaster.

Later tonight, Kerry and I will attempt to hang a new fireplace mantle and replace the brass fireplace door frame with a new nickel frame. It doesn't look too involved but if I screw it up, we can always hire someone to do it.

Finally, much of the weekend was spent cleaning out our closets and hiding things in storage. Getting rid of alot of the clutter to make the place more presentable for sale. Hopefully, our hard work will pay off with a quick sale at price. That will result in us having to find short-term rental space (since we have no family in the area) but that'll be a good problem to have and we can jump off that bridge when we get to it.

Found One

Saturday Kerry and I went out to Plainfield, Illinois to look at the new construction out there. Plainfield is about 35 miles west of Chicago. We started out getting lunch at Chili's. I had a tasty burger. Kerry had a salad of some sort. We then went to the Prairie Knoll development by Town and Country Homes. The subdivision is in the final phase and only 6 lots were left when we got there.

We grabbed a brochure package from Caren with a "C" and went into the first model, the Granger. Four bedroom, 2-1/2 bath with a loft. Large first floor utility room and den. We were very impressed with the layout. The model showed an optional butler's pantry instead of the walk-in pantry. While the walk-in pantry is always nice, the butler's pantry option allows a more direct access from the kitchen into the dining room. And the regular pantry is still plenty big. Never mind the crazy amount of cabinet space in the gourmet kitchen.

Upstairs the optional "Ultra Bath" was in the master bathroom. The bedrooms were all well-proportioned and the loft area showed a built-in entertainment center (which we wouldn't need becasue we already have an entertainment center set up). As usual, the builders try to jam as many options into each model (a) so you can see what the options look like and (b) to get you to want to buy what you see.

The optional stair-rail was very nice but would be replaced with a half-wall if we didn't get the option. The flooring in the model had more or less throughout the halls, laundry room, powderroom and kitchen on the first floor. And of course the family room had the optional (but compulsory) fireplace. The model had the media niche but we may or may not get the niche.

The basement had a full basement optional but even with the standard crawl-spaces, there is plenty of room for a finished basement for a game room and execise area.

The model had the optional Victorian elevation (elevation "C"). The model didn't have the brick front which we probably will go with. There are lots of things that can be done as we found out when we sat down with Caren after viewing all three models. The second model, the Dolson, was also very nice. Slightly smaller but we simply preferred the layout of the Granger more. And the Hargrave was a little bigger with more standard features and, naturally, had a higher price point.

Caren brought up the options program and started pricing things out for us. We would name a feature we liked and she naturally informed us that it was an option. Then she brought up the price and tagged it into the program. Each time she made a quote, Kerry groaned in pain.

First, we started with the elevation. As mentioned, we went with the Victorian which had a nice front porch. Kerry preferred a hip-roof design with porch. The hip-roof was more pricey (more material than a traditional gabled roof) and I just really never cared for the hip-roof look. The Victorian was Kerry's second choice so she informed me that she would magnanimously allow me to choose the elevation. She also said that was the last decision I would have a part in. (Kidding?)

Butler's pantry (groan); ultra bath (ohhhh); gourmet kitchen (uhhhhhh); tile flooring (ewwwww); air conditioning (grrrrrarrrgh). And so it went. In the end, the quoted price wasn't far off of our mental estimate. Of course, with new construction being a buyer's market, the builder was offering a hefty ($15,000) credit towards options and Caren said that an additional $5,000 could and would be tacked on.

We didn't have to make a decision on those options at that point. We just were getting quotes to see how it figured against our initial thoughts. With only six lots left, however, we needed to decide whether to put a small (refundable) deposit down to hold the lot. The necessity was even further enhanced by the fact that only one lot was available for the Victorian elevation. Understandibly, the developer limits the number of houses that can have a certain elevation in a given area. They don't want an "Allentown" type neighborhood where all the houses look alike.

So we got out the checkbook and made the deposit. We then ran out to Culver's for a mint shake.

We then went to visit Cambridge Homes in a nearby Plainfield development. Right off the bat, I didn't care for the elevations. The saleslady gave us a single sheet of information and we did a quick walk thought. There were some interesting things. A private sitting area in the master bedroom of the larger model (the purpose which I'm still not sure). But the thing I noticed the most was the wasted floor space especially upstairs. In one model, there was a loft area but to the side, leading the the bedrooms the walkways merged into such a big area that it was like having a second loft. Except, you can't put anything there because you have to be able to walk through. If there was anything my dad, one of the top builders in Milwaukee for 40+ years, taught me, it was that an efficient use of floor space is paramount in any home design. Oh, the other thing he taught me was that since I can't drive a nail straight that I needed to become a lawyer.

We then looked at the lot, took some pictures (which I will post once I find my uplink cable). We then went back to the Granger to take more pictures, look at things a second time and to go pee. That accomplished we went to Menard's to purchase some items to get our condo ready to sell (the second prong of the attack). More on that later.

Long and the short of it is that Kerry and I are excited to be moving forward. We had no buyers' remorse after seeing the alternate builder's model and looking at the Beecher & Dill Romeoville homes again. Just looking forward to making this all happen!

Initial Foray

Last weekend (March 3, 2007), Kerry (the wife) and I went down to Romeoville (IL) to a new home construction development site. We had been looking at existing homes in various areas around Chicagoland but decided to give new construction a look. Kerry had previously purchased new construction down in Florida back in the 90s or thereabouts. For my part, I sold and expedited new single family residential construction homes for my dad's general contractor's company back in Milwaukee.

The Romeoville Builder, Beechen&Dill, had some very nice homes and some great layouts. The subdivision, Misty Ridge was about 1/4 mile off of I-55 (although the website directions were misleading and one of the main roads was mis-labeled.) The subdivision was in the first phase of development and had numeous retention ponds strewn about the area. The development was cut into an existing neighborhood which seemed to have a high density pick up truck count and at least one mailbox that was designed as a large mouth bass. Com-Ed has high power wires running along the side of the developent (which is being touted as a "plus" since there will be no additional construction along that corridor).

The developer had 3 models from which to choose, the Aspen, the Breckenridge and the Whistler. The brochure listed four models but the Telluride was not available for some reason. It turns out that when model homes are built in development style, the developer fences the homes in so you have to go through the sales office on your way in and out. I guess that makes for good security but it also gives the sales crew at least one shot at you before you could leave.

The Aspen was the first model we looked at. The smallest of the homes but at 2483-2530 square feet still not small. It carried a $299,990 base price (good to see the same $XXX,990 pricing just like the old days). The developer had created a sales office in the garage of the model where we were greeted by the Saleslady, Jessica. She went over the basics of the homes (the models were very heavily apportioned with options) and gave us a large information package. We then exited the office to enter the home via the front door.

The Aspen had a living room/dining room off to the left with the stairs going up nearby. The optional fireplace was located in the corner of the family room but could be set on the side wall. The kitchen was spacious with an island arrangement and a large pantry. The cabinetry seemed a little chintzy but that may have been a result of the yellowy stain that was selected. All three models had first floor den/offices which were very nice.

Upstairs were 4 bedrooms. The master bedroom was 20' x 17'2". Very good sized. Hers-and-hers walk-in closets. Kerry informed me that my closet would be in one of the small, spare bedrooms. If I was lucky. The bathroom had a corner tub and toilet enclave as well as twin sink basins. Two of the spare bedrooms also had smaller walk-in closets. All very decent sided as well. Kerry really liked the upstairs laundry room as well.

The Aspen model showed a full basement and given the footprint of the home, it would be hard to imagine that any of it would be crawl-spaced but we didn't get the specifics.

The next home, the Breckenridge, ran 2655-3051 square feet with a $319,990 base price. The design was quite unique in that the lower level was layed out in a big circle with three access-ways to the staircase. One from the foyer, another from the side hall and a third from the rear kitchen. I wasn't sure if I liked the design but Kerry and I agreed that it would be fun for future schnauzers to running through. Another issue we had was the column framing of the living room/dining room divider. The columns were probably an option that we'd forego since it was a little ornate for our tastes. The island kitchen had a much better impression as it had darker cabinetry as well as a walk-in pantry.

Upstairs, was another nice layout. Large walk-in closets for the master bedroom with a master bathroom arrangement similar to the Aspen. Additional bedrooms were decent sized but did not have walk-ins.

We went to look at the 3,340-3535 square foot Whistler even though we probably weren't in the market for its $357,990 base price. This model included a 3-car garage. Another nice island kitchen with walk-in pantry was well designed. The den was huge and apparently optioned-out with many built-in wood shelving.

Upstairs, the master was the double walk-in closet nirvana that Kerry is looking for. Two of the spare bedrooms also had walk-ins. Another upstairs laundry room and a large bathroom completed the home.

In the end, Kerry and I were considering the Aspen or the Breckenridge. We liked some of the accoutrements (Kerry's word) of the Breckenridge but really preferred the lay-out of the Aspen better. Plus, with a lower base price, we could always upgrade things to make it similar to the Breckenridge.

Back at the office-garage, we spoke the Jessica briefly and she discussed the lot options and premiums that would be needed for certain large lots, lots on the ponds, etc. We briefly touched on other "standard options" such as fireplaces and wood or tile flooring. We left very interested in the Aspen and Breckenridge and were resolved to investigate further. We had taken it as a sign that we were meant to go the new construction route when we saw the above-posted Schnauzer Bar litograph print in the Aspen living room.