Building Our Home: Model Walk-Through

We are officially building a house!!! I can’t even believe this is real life!

Six years ago, I became a stay-at-home mom after I had our second child, and we’ve been living on one income ever since.

At one point, I squeezed our family into a two-bedroom apartment for two years, then finally into a three-bedroom apartment (where we currently reside) just to make sure we could comfortably afford for me to remain at home with our four boys.

It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s so worth it!

Manifesting Our New Home

During that time period when money was super tight, it was easy to feel depressed about our living situation. So to help me get out of that funk (and way before we were ever in a pandemic), I’d drag my family out of the house to go look at new model homes. 

I’d dream of the day when we could build the perfect family home and fell in love with the exact builder who will build ours.

In fact, we visited their models so much that they pretty much knew me by name. I never actually made any appointments but kept promising to return again & again when we were ready to buy.

We Bought A House!

So after years of downsizing our big family, we are finally moving on up! The icing on the cake? 

We purchased the Lot for our house on my husband’s 29th birthday. #BestGiftEver 

We are building a 4 bedroom home with 2 ½ baths, and over 2,200 square feet! 

I put together this walk-through of our model home so you’ll know what our house will look like once it’s built. (*Fair warning: I’m a bit obsessed—eek!) 

The Entryway 

This house had me at hello. As soon as we entered, Ryheem and I stood at the front door for at least 3 minutes trying to take it all in. 

I love the tall 9’ ft ceilings, the natural light from the front room windows, and the fact that I can see the back of the house from the front door! 

This made this house feel enormous. It’s a traditional open-concept floor plan so it’s perfect for a big, growing family like ours, great for entertaining family & friends too, and it reminds me a lot of my childhood home.

Front Room 

We had three options for this room: 1) make it a living room, 2) formal dining room, or 3) turn into an office. That would close off access to the kitchen.

I knew I didn’t want to do that because I love how big and open the entryway feels too. So we decided to make it a “dining room” (just like the model) so we’d have an overhead light and the option to use this space for whatever we want. 

My plan, though, is to make this a playroom/lounge for my boys. But if their toys get out of control, then I’ll definitely use this space as a living room. 

Kitchen

Right off the front room is the kitchen. It includes a walk-in pantry and lots of cabinet space!  

I can see a lot of homemade cookies being baked in here! And, we’ve never had a kitchen island before so this just makes my heart so happy. 

All of our kitchen appliances, except the refrigerator, are included with our home purchase. But we did upgrade to stainless steel—another first-time luxury! 

We also upgraded to these 42” cabinets because I love the way they looked in the model with the 9’ ft ceilings. 

Morning Room

The kitchen flows right into the morning room where our kitchen table will be. 

I plan to purchase a round kitchen table to maximize the space here so it won’t feel tight, but there is enough space to fit a table that’ll comfortably seat eight.

The standard floor plan included a sliding glass door and I really hate those things. I feel like it’s a pain when it comes to window treatments and fingerprints. 

So we upgraded to the option of having a glass back door and two extra windows instead.

Family Room 

You guys, this family room is HUGE!!! It is wide and deep. 

It’s my husband’s favorite room in the entire house and will probably be where he’ll spend most of his time — I mean, he’s already shopping around for a 75-inch tv. ????

The only thing we upgraded in here was adding a third window. The standard floor plan came with two, but this family room is too big to not have all three in my opinion.

I am excited to fill this space with a large sectional sofa and some accent chairs for additional seating. I can’t wait for all the movie nights we will have! 

And I just LOVE how open and airy this house looks from my view in the kitchen! ????

Lastly, there is a powder room in the foyer. Now let’s head upstairs!

Kids Bedrooms

The original floor plan for this home is three bedrooms with a loft and an optional fourth bedroom. 

We definitely upgraded here too so I could turn the extra bedroom into my office or use it as a playroom (in case my original playroom plans don’t work out—i.e. stepping on toys in the kitchen).

Bedroom #2

This is the largest bedroom of the three. We decided to put three boys in here so our oldest son can have his own room.

Bedroom #3

Since RJ is four years older than Josiah (second-born), we’d figured he’d like to have his own bedroom. 

Plus, Josiah & Noah (third-born) are much closer in age at 17 months apart. And Ace is two years younger than Noah. Basically, these three are inseparable—haha! 

They love sleeping and playing together which is why I see NO problem with them sharing a bedroom that’s for sleeping as long as they have a separate space for playing. 

This house will be the first home my boys get to have a playroom! All these years, they’ve had to sleep and play in the same space and the mess drives me nuts. 

Bedroom #4

Ahhh! This space will be ALL mine! It’s right off the Master Suite and will be my future office/glam room. 

Since I am the ONLY female in my house (and a Content Creator too!), I’m really happy to have a space that I’m not sharing with anyone else. 

Not my husband. Not my kids. 

I just know this tiny retreat is going to feel like a mini-vacation when I need to get away from all of the testosterone going around! ????

Boys Bathroom

Something else I am super geeked about is not having to share a bathroom with my boys. 

We did upgrade to a double-sink vanity so there’s less fighting and more teeth-brushing!

Master Suite 

This Master Bedroom completely blew my mind!!! We’ve never had a bedroom of this size before. 

In fact, one of the main reasons I wanted to have an office is because I didn’t want to combine my workplace with my bedroom anymore.

I really want our bedroom to feel like a sanctuary—after all, it’s the first time we’ll have our own bathroom too! ????????‍♀️

Ryheem loves that the toilet is in a “closet.” He says it’ll be his thinking chair. ????

We upgraded our bathroom to include double sinks, a soaking tub, and a window for natural lighting.

READ: My BEST Tips For Buying A New Build Home In 2021

Laundry Room

Right next to our bedroom is the laundry room. How convenient is that?!

It’s a really good size. I can’t wait to add some extra shelving to organize all of our household supplies! 

A Dream Come True 

I can’t even find the right words to describe how excited I am to be building a house. This journey is going to be one I’ll cherish forever—from the moment they dig the first hole into the ground to the last box we move in! 

I’ll be sharing our entire building journey on my Instagram. Come say hi @tidyupwithdani so we can stay connected! 

Are you thinking about buying a new build home?