Touring the Darby II model

    

 We are heading back to see Susan today.  Her office is in a Darby II model.  I am bringing my notebook and camera and listing all my "needs" vs "want's."  We will be pricing out our options today.  We also get final confirmation on whether our model will fit in the lot with the 3rd car garage.  The boyfriend has not yet decided if this is a "need" or "want", as he can't fit into our garage currently.  

     Here is a quick tour of the Darby II model at The Oaks in Huber Heights:

 

Rear elevation

The first floor, (3rd level)  View of the Great Room standing at the front door. 

The mud room, with built in (included in the base price!!!  how exciting is that!)

This model has the dining room option, we will be leaving it as a flex room.  So the opening leading to the kitchen will be closed off. We are going to put french doors in to close off this room and make it a study for the kids to do their homework.  Finally their backpacks and paperwork will have a home.

View from the dining room into the foyer.  The arches are an additional cost.  But we think of this as a "need" as it's what add to the character of the home.  The arches mimic the arches in the windows of the great room. 

The fabulous great room.  The size and all the windows are included.  The only additional cost is the fireplace.  I think this is a "need" as well.

View from the back of the great room looking toward the foyer and the loft above.

 

 View toward the stairway

Looking into the kitchen from the great room.  We are still debating on the granite option, as we would like something that requires less maintenance.  Laminate is not really an option we like either, due to its lack of durability.  I'm hoping they have choices for some man made solid surfaces.   The boyfriend really likes the undermount sink that comes with the granite.  We shall see what happens

View from the breakfast nook looking toward the front of the house.  Our fridge will be where the doorway to the dining room is currently.  And the cabinetry will take the place of where the fridge is now.  The ceilings are at 9', an additional cost.  But if we raise them to 9' they get raised everywhere, including the garage, which my boyfriend absolutely loves.  This is a decision that will be made after all the options are added up.

View from the kitchen into the great room and breakfast nook.

(2nd level) The stairs leading down into the finished rec room, 1 level down from the main floor.  This is included in the base pricing.  The door leads to the basement, another level down (1st level).  We are leaning toward finishing it.  But Inverness has several finished basement options to choose from.  We are thinking going with the "upgrade A" package of finishing 1/2 the basement (for our home gym) and leaving the other 1/2 unfinished to use for storage.  

We will be using this rec room as our dual home office.  

  

The only issue about this floor plan is the location of the powder room.  Our guests will have to go down a level to use the bathroom. 

  

The stairway outside of the Owners Suite. View from the 4th level looking up to the 5th level.

View from the french doors looking into the Owners Suite.  The tray ceiling is a "want" but very close to the "need" list.

View looking at the double french doors, one leading into the stairwell, the other leading into the bath.

This model has the optional deluxe shower, instead of the bath and shower that comes in the base plan.  We are debating this, as of this morning.  We have 3 bathtubs in the house we are in now, though only one gets used.  The one in the basement.  We have used our master bath only a handful of times, and it's a pain to climb in and clean all the dust out of when not being used.  The boyfriend is not comfortable with only having one tub in the entire house though.  The debate will continue all the way to our meeting today.

 We are shower people and this shower is ideal.  By cutting out the bathtub, we add space to the closet and to the water closet (toilet) as well.  I think these two facts will help me win this debate.  If we have the tub, we also lose out on the dramatic french door entrance into the bath area.  (which I love)

The walk-in closet.  We are already looking at what closet organizers will work best for us.  These wire racks are just not going to cut it. 

View from the 2nd floor (5th level) down the stairs.  Having these risers done in wood, rather than carpeting, was a "need" for us.  We want carpeting in the bedrooms, the great room and possibly the rec room.  We want tile in the laundry, bathrooms and mud room.  The rest of the house will either be wood or laminate depending on cost. 

The laundry, located on the 5th level next to the loft.  Far enough away from both the owners suite (one level down) and the kids rooms which are located on the opposite side of the loft.  

The loft area, our designated "kids area" for their television and toys.

  

View from the loft down into the great room.  

The 1st bedroom, located at the front of the house.

The 2nd bedroom, located at the back of the house.

The bathroom that lies in between the two bedrooms.  We would like to add a dual vanity, but that is a "want" rather than a "need"