The Life of Our Home

Posted on March 1, 2013 by lesleycarter

We wanted to build our first home as a family in Charlotte, North Carolina; why try to fit into someone else’s mold? We made a list of “must-haves” and wants and began our search. With tons of new houses and builders in the area, we had lots of options. A loft, 4+ bedrooms, a 3 car garage, 2.5+ bathrooms, walk-in closets, a fireplace, granite counter tops, lots of windows, high ceilings, hardwood floors, a community pool, walking trails, sidewalks, trees, a short driving distance from work, groceries, shopping, and food… the must-have list was hefty. Was it unrealistic? Of course. But a bucket list life comes with big dreams. And we’d left a life on the beach in California for a family environment and a roomy home for Athena. After searching north, south, east, and west over and over again, we found a builder. Ryan Homes offered a house in a community that had every detail we had listed on both the “must-have” and the “want” list and the life of our home began.

They could build the house from start to finish in a few months! It may sound like a quick process, but try being the one waiting for the house. It seemed like years.

When they started with the foundation, I wondered how our whole house was going to fit into that small space. It looked tiny. Have you ever watched a house being built? The size of the foundation is totally deceiving.

The frame still didn’t answer any questions. Wasn’t our model four bedrooms with a loft and a three car garage? There was no way that all of that was going to fit inside those walls.

We went away for a weekend and spent five days away from the construction of the house. When we returned, I noticed the roof from the top of the hill. It was like it materialized almost over night and it was turning into the home I’d envisioned.

WOW! I was in love.

I could imagine decorating the fireplace and the staircase at Christmas, hanging stockings from the mantel and stringing garland over the staircase rails. I envisioned Athena growing up and coming down the stairs for her first dance, her prom, her wedding day…. I was home.

We’re only 6 days away from moving in. The lawn is in place, the appliances are ordered, and the finishing touches are happening as we speak. I’ve lived in many houses and traveled the world, but this is something new. We’ve created our dream home and we’re about to move in as a family.

Hunny, I’m home and there is no place I’d rather be.

Do you have DIY decorating tips or suggests? I’m open to new ideas.

138 thoughts on “The Life of Our Home”

Okema L. Sandlin-McMillan on March 1, 2013 at 10:29 am said:

So glad I was on to see your tweet. Love the house and so happy for you! Enjoy the house and the memories!

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- lesleycarter on March 1, 2013 at 3:41 pm said:
  
  Thank you! I absolutely love it. It’s actually better than I imagined. The anticipation is killing me! 🙂
  
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Shirley Buxton on March 1, 2013 at 10:30 am said:

Wishing you every joy and blessing in your beautiful new home.

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Blinded By The Bite!Rachelle on March 1, 2013 at 10:31 am said:

Congrat’s on your new home! I know what it’s like to leave the beach lifestyle of California behind for a family life here in Austin, TX! There is nothing better than having your own home and building it out to be what you want!

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joanna on March 1, 2013 at 10:32 am said:

Lesley, the house looks great, now all you have to do is move in 🙂

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Jueseppi B. on March 1, 2013 at 10:32 am said:

You’re a blessed woman and that’s a magnificent home. Congratulations on the build and the upcoming move in. Live life in it & be happy. 😀

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Nicole on March 1, 2013 at 10:33 am said:

AWESOME! WOW! BEAUTIFUL! SPACIOUS! I love your color scheme and the windows, ohmygoodnessgracious, I love lots of windows and I can only imagine the incredible light you’ll have throughout the space. I’ve never gone through the process of building a house, but I know what you mean about the foundation looking so small, I’ve said that too!!!! Your new home is beautiful, I’m so happy for you and your family. I can’t wait for you to get settled and start taking lots of pictures of the inside. AND THOSE WINDOWS!!!!!!!! I’m in love with your windows, in case you hadn’t figured that out yet. HA ….. but I hate cleeaning the darn things. =)

Hugs,
Nicole @ Three 31

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ramblingsofabipolarwoman on March 1, 2013 at 10:34 am said:

Beautiful! And amazing how you showed various steps of the project. Do show us what it looks like once you’re living there!!!

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Carla Ryan or Rev. CarlaCarl on March 1, 2013 at 10:34 am said:

Enjoy every moment, every detail, every event…it ALL becomes part of the home’s “decor.”

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Sas on March 1, 2013 at 10:35 am said:

Your new home looks incredible! In my last year at University I shared a bedsit with another student. We kept a polaroid camera by the front door, and took a photo of every new guest that came to visit. By the time we moved out a year later, we had a great collection of photos that told the story of our home.

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dogsmum on March 1, 2013 at 10:37 am said:

Wow, that looks lovely, now all you have to do is move in to make it your home xx

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Lynn on March 1, 2013 at 10:37 am said:

What a beautiful house – I hope you enjoy it and all the best with moving in.
Lynn 😀

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Deb W. Trotter on March 1, 2013 at 10:37 am said:

Congratulations! There’s really nothing like having a home built to your specs. May all your dreams come true.

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ibdesignsusa on March 1, 2013 at 10:39 am said:

I am also very happy for you and your family. What a beautiful house and you will have wonderful memories created there. Loved the pics showing the various stages of it going up. Bet you are excited with only a week to go! All the best!!

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Rick Stassi on March 1, 2013 at 10:40 am said:

Beautiful house, Lesley! You are blessed to do what you do and to inspire so many!
Rick
@emanatingjoy

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mrsdeboots on March 1, 2013 at 10:44 am said:

Your home is gorgeous!! And Charlotte is a fun town. I’m in Raleigh, I know there is a little rivalry between the two cities but I love them both.

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patinaandcompany on March 1, 2013 at 10:47 am said:

Lovely post–my favourite topic, building, decorating and GARDENING the place! I’ll bet you have a lot of things from your travels to base your decorating around. That’s where I’d start if I were Lesley Carter.

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morethanmelts on March 1, 2013 at 10:47 am said:

Gorgeous! Good luck with the move and wishing you years of happiness in your new family home 🙂

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panoramaofthoughts on March 1, 2013 at 10:49 am said:

Congratulations…its a beautiful place! Here’s wishing you loads of happy, interesting, wonderful moments…

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allinthedayofme on March 1, 2013 at 10:51 am said:

I’m so excited for you! My husband has built three houses for us. The first: when we married, second: as our family grew, third: our dream retirement log home. I’m thinking this would be good on my blog!!!

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Thia on March 1, 2013 at 10:52 am said:

Perhaps you can have a contest and feature the person to decorate your home on the blogs etc.

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- narniaforever on March 1, 2013 at 11:56 am said:
  
  that’s an awesome idea! I’d enter !!
  
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cravesadventure on March 1, 2013 at 10:53 am said:

Beautiful Home! Start decorating with what you have and go from there. Good Luck – Happy Friday:)

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Thia on March 1, 2013 at 10:54 am said:

Meanwhile living in a home like that is on my bucket list! LoL thanks so much for this! I have just made up my mind that yes, I think I will get a starter home of three or four beds for my daughter, the puppies (well, fll grown chihauhaus) and I. This I think is a sign that yes, it can happen. But I love the community features too! Thats what I want… community pool, fireplace, two storey home! #withinreach

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crankycaregiver on March 1, 2013 at 10:56 am said:

Isn’t it great to move into a home built just for you in which you can create so many memories! Judging from the pictures of the outside of the house; I doubt you need help in decorating it. But, since you have a fireplace, don’t forget a great rocking chair. I feel they are a must have for those cold evenings!

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dreamingofwdw on March 1, 2013 at 10:58 am said:

Wow! Congratulations on achieving another dream, your house is beautiful. I hope you enjoy turning your house into a home and creating lots of special memories there x

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soulsjourney2012 on March 1, 2013 at 11:00 am said:

I am really stoked for you and very inspired. Growing up in a track house where every other house looks the same inspired something for my bucketlist. I plan on building my own home with my own two hands. Something truly original that I can call my own. Congratulations, it is beautiful!

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jillybean2 on March 1, 2013 at 11:03 am said:

You have such a beautiful home! You are blessed to build a dream home. A lot of people only dream of doing this in a lifetime! Beautiful and so happy for you! Blessings!

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kenneth mcmillan on March 1, 2013 at 11:03 am said:

Hi Lesley – quite the house – congratulations! I’m just about finished my ‘Inlets Tour’ series and my next blog will be a tour of our acreage. Part of that includes the building of our house for $500 (37 years ago) – a bucket list fulfillment. A bit of a contrast from your house.
I hope your move goes well and that you have many years on enjoyment in the new house.

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Professional Swimming Pools on March 1, 2013 at 11:04 am said:

Nice looking house and nice location.

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realtalkrealdebate on March 1, 2013 at 11:05 am said:

Congratulations!

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Nathan Young on March 1, 2013 at 11:05 am said:

Congrats on your new home! I hope you have lots of memories!

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talesfromthemotherland on March 1, 2013 at 11:12 am said:

Get some color up. We don’t have a white wall in our house… and it is so nice! Adds lots of character and spice… right up your alley Lesley. 😉

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genext13 on March 1, 2013 at 11:13 am said:

You have been all over the world. I would start there for decorating. With such a large space, I would also use a lot of Feng Shui to help balance it all. It is a beautiful house!

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Juliana on March 1, 2013 at 11:21 am said:

What a lovely home you have, Lesley! I wish you all the very best! 🙂

Juliana x

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Piper George on March 1, 2013 at 11:26 am said:

Wow – that’s lovely.

My only decorating tip – paint it all basic white to begin with, spend some time in each room as a family and then decide on colours once you have seen the light in each room and how you use it. However, that’s not always practical when you just want to settle in.

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Patricia Jordan on March 1, 2013 at 11:26 am said:

Congratulations! You designed a beautiful house, and I love the colour scheme. You were smart to put the garage at the side.

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Molly on March 1, 2013 at 11:36 am said:

Congratulations on the new home! It is exciting to build a home…I am about to start my home so I can relate. Good luck on the closing and getting moved in!

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Donna Frasca on March 1, 2013 at 11:38 am said:

Congratulations on your new home! It’s beautiful and it’s truly amazing to see it from start to finish. If you’re interested, I can help you with a color palette for your home. I specialize in choosing color for homes with open floor plans. I look forward to seeing some pictues of the inside. Welcome to Charlotte, you’ll love it here : )

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mikew66 on March 1, 2013 at 11:42 am said:

beautiful house Congratulations

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Green Door Hospitality on March 1, 2013 at 11:46 am said:

How fantastic and exciting for your family! We know that we want our second house to be one that we build, for very much the same reasons that you all did! 🙂 It takes patience but it looks like it was totally worth it for your family 🙂
Kenley

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Ash on March 1, 2013 at 11:48 am said:

Very beautiful house!!! Congratulations 🙂

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Let's CUT the Crap! on March 1, 2013 at 11:52 am said:

Home at last. That’s wonderful. Congratulations.
You said, “It was like it materialized almost over night…” When I was a teenager, we lived in a brand new town in a company house. The street behind our house was lined with poured foundations, waiting to cure before the framing went up. One day after school, I saw the whole street full of finished houses. We had some funny name for them but they were pre-fab homes. I used to wonder if they would withstand the wind. Ha ha.

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IdealisticRebel on March 1, 2013 at 11:54 am said:

Congratulations on your dream home! It is lovely.

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narniaforever on March 1, 2013 at 11:55 am said:

Enjoy it!! Can’t wait until the day we can’t settle out of the army life and but yes I’ve got tons of tips and things on my pinterest board bc I keep daydreaming about that day. CONGRATS go you!! PS. Our competition is getting fierce.. I’m getting my rear end served to me bc of our newest contestant Bryarly and Veronique… I just want to stay in the top 5!!!

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- lesleycarter on March 1, 2013 at 12:11 pm said:
  
  Where are you at now?
  
  I think I’m still in top five but there are a few things going on this week and I haven’t been paying as much attention.
  
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World Cruises & Travel on March 1, 2013 at 11:58 am said:

What a beautiful house. Best wishes for many years of happiness. Here is a tip – when picking a paint color and you want to find a coordinating color to go with it look at the chips that are parallel to it in the display. They will all be about the same color value and will work together. Also, colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel compliment each other.

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- Donna Frasca on March 1, 2013 at 12:29 pm said:
  
  That’s great advice but you have to watch those undertones! It’s not that simple : )
  
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nataliedwilson on March 1, 2013 at 12:01 pm said:

Been there, done that…at foundation stage, we thought there was no way our cars were going to fit in the garage, thought there wa no way the bedroom was going to be big enough. Strange how that is so deceiving. Enjoy!

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canoe & communications on March 1, 2013 at 12:16 pm said:

Congratulations! I hope you’ll invite us to a virtual house warming. A tip is to live in it for a little while before you hang photos and see how the sun hits the rooms. 🙂

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edithlevyphotography on March 1, 2013 at 12:28 pm said:

Congratulations! Looks beautiful. My you have many happy years there.

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quiltedhappiness on March 1, 2013 at 12:57 pm said:

Congratulations. That home looks beautiful and I hope you have have many happy moments filling it with loving memories. – Suzy

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Margarita on March 1, 2013 at 1:09 pm said:

Congratulations! May your home be filled with love and laughter for many, many years! xoxoM

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Ed on March 1, 2013 at 1:14 pm said:

Congratulations, and since you asked for suggestions…how about a out-of-town-never-met-the-new-friend room with sauna!! 🙂 Enjoy.

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