>All Of This For A Handout?
>I wanted to create a handout for future homebuyers to help them understand the journey of buying a home. Now most graphic artists would throw in some clip art and call it a shift. Seeing as I work for CBH, I am not your average designer. I do my homework, research my product and in the end, give results. So for this handout it was obvious, I had to buy a house.
Anyone that has ever built a home or even purchased a home knows that it comes with a great deal of emotions ranging from excitement and happiness, down to doubt and worry. Buying a home is the largest expense most of us will ever have, and making that decision should not come lightly. For me, my feelings were all over the board. One would think working for CBH looking at floor plans all day long, would make it easy for me to have my dream house already picked out, but that was not the case. I knew what I wanted, how many rooms I needed, but had not pinpointed a single house in an ideal neighborhood, for the right price that included all the features I wanted. My excitement about getting a new house soon turned into frustration. I had so many great choices and pretty much wanted them all, but my mortgage specialist said I could only have one.
My husband was in love with one particular floor plan called the Rutherford. I still thought the Rutherford was hot too, but there was one little problem that was not going to work for my family. The laundry room was connected to the garage. For most families this is ideal, but anyone who has seen my husband do laundry knows it is something that needs to be kept a family secret, far away from any major entrances. So I did what any smart woman would do, I took the floor plan to our architect and ask him to fix it. And did he ever! My laundry room is now upstairs close to the bedrooms in its’ own little private world, just waiting for my husband to take it on. The old laundry room is now a cute little mud area where my kids can take off their shoes and coats. (This change is now how we build the Rutherford, so if you love it thank my husband for his mad folding skills.)
After seeing the new laundry set up, I had no choice but to sign on the dotted line. The new Rutherford was perfect for us. Prefect. So then why did I not feel content? It was not the house keeping me up at night, it was the idea of paying for it. This is when I began to question my decisions. Did we really need that big of a house? Did I want to adjust my budget for my new mortgage? Did I really need that Jacuzzi tub or did I need to put in a water softener? Even though my rational side knew I did the right thing, my cautious side gave me a dose of buyers remorse. Luckily this all passed after a few days. I remember feeling a sense of pride and ownership as my foundation was poured and the framing was beginning. Man I loved it already, even without walls.
I am not going to feed anybody full of anything here, there is always going to be hick ups when building a house. Whether minor or major, they are there, no matter whom you build with or where you build it. Fortunately for me we had very few problems, which were promptly resolved. Even though most people would call me biased because of where I work, I can honestly say that building our house with CBH was not only a good experience, it was also fun and enjoyable. In the end I got a smoking hot yellow house, which has properly been named Big Bird.
On March 4th, I get the keys to Big Bird. I will be a homeowner for the first time in my life, and I am beside myself with excitement. Like all homeowners I have to be realistic, there will most likely be some adjustments that need to be made once the house settles, but I am cool with that because I have seen the CBH Warranty Department does for their homeowners.
As you can imagine, the research for this handout cost more than making it, but come on I have a Jacuzzi tub to show for it! What I am really getting at is, with any rewarding experience in life there are ups and downs. Building or buying a home is the same way – the end results make the trip well worth it.
Happy Home Ownership To All!
Devri Roubidoux
CBH Homes Graphic Designer
One side note: Confession time. Yes I am still a fabulous, dedicated designer, but I have to admit I was already building my house I decided to do this assignment. However, if I ever feel the need to design a handout about Europe, I am so booking my ticket.
