Forever Home Update: The Week It Finally Became Real

There are moments in this process that feel big…
and then there are moments that feel real.

This week is the second one.

After what feels like months (okay… forever) of planning, designing, revising, second guessing, and decision making — we are officially stepping into the part where things start to take shape in real life.

We close on our construction loan TODAY with the title company and funding becomes available Monday.

Because once inspections start rolling through, things should begin moving quickly.

If everything stays on track (fingers crossed), we could be looking at framing within the next month, which honestly feels surreal to even type.

The Part No One Talks About Enough

I truly think preparing to build a home might be the longest part of the entire process.

The paperwork.
The decisions.
The waiting.
The back-and-forth.

There were so many moments where it felt like we weren’t moving at all… when in reality, we were laying the groundwork for everything that’s about to happen.

And now suddenly — it’s go time.

Where We Finally Landed: Exterior Decisions

If you’ve followed along at all, you know this has been the decision that has lived rent-free in my brain for months.

Light and airy?
Moody and dark?
Blend into the hill?
Stand out just enough?

I have gone back and forth more times than I can count.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that… Shaun and I found our answer.

Not fully light.
Not fully dark.

But something that feels warm, grounded, and timeless — and most importantly, like us.

We landed on:

• A soft, earthy neutral exterior (not stark white, not heavy dark)

• Black windows for contrast and definition (interior will be white so I can still achieve my light and airy dream for the home)

• Warm creamy trim to keep things fresh and classic

• Natural stone accents to tie it all into the landscape

It feels coastal.
It feels organic.
It feels like it belongs on our hill.

And most importantly — it feels like something we’ll still love years from now. This rendering isn’t perfect, but it’s been such a helpful tool as we’ve worked through the exterior details. It gives a pretty good sense of the direction we’re heading and the overall feel we’re going for — even if a few things aren’t quite right.

A Part I Didn’t Expect

One thing I didn’t fully anticipate in this process has been how much it’s brought Shaun and me back into rhythm with each other.

At the beginning, I won’t sugarcoat it — we definitely bumped heads on a few decisions. When you’re making this many choices, with this much weight behind them, it’s easy to overthink things or hold tightly to your own vision.

But somewhere along the way, something shifted.

We’ve started to find our flow.

We’re listening better.
Compromising easier.
And maybe most importantly — not making things more complicated than they need to be.

It’s actually been… really fun.

There’s something about building a home together that brings you back to the same team in a deeper way. Not just day-to-day life, but dreaming, planning, and creating something that reflects both of you.

I feel like we’re reconnecting through this process, and I’m really hopeful we can carry that energy forward as things pick up speed.

Because if the decisions only get bigger from here — at least we know we’re figuring out how to navigate them together.

A Little Design Philosophy (Because I Can’t Help Myself)

I realized through this process that I wasn’t actually choosing between light or dark.

I was choosing how I wanted our home to feel.

And for me, that meant:

• Warm over stark

• Soft contrast over harsh contrast

• Timeless over trendy

• Connected to the land over standing apart from it

Once I looked at it that way, the decision became so much clearer.

What’s Next

Right now, we’re in that quiet-but-not-quiet phase.

Things are happening… but you can’t fully see them yet.

Soon though:

• Foundation will be poured

• Initial inspections will wrap up

• Framing will begin

And that’s when everything starts to feel very, very real.

Final Thoughts This Week

I keep saying this, but it’s true:

It has taken longer to get ready to build this house than it will to actually build it.

And yet… I wouldn’t rush any of it because every decision, every delay, every conversation has shaped what this home is becoming.

And now we finally get to watch it come to life.

Stay tuned — the next update might actually include walls.