Oh, you all are so sweet! Thank you so much for all the good wishes!
I picked my contractor before I even picked the house, and we have been working on the plans all during the escrow period, so we are all ready to go. We closed last Tuesday, slapped paint samples up on the wall on Wednesday, and demo'd the existing landscape yesterday -- just a week after closing!
We are basically doing everything except the kitchen -- two bathrooms down to the studs, new roof, new plumbing, new front and back landscaping including new patio and driveway, knocking out a couple of interior walls, opening up the den to the patio, refinishing the existing hardwood floors, new lighting, new paint, new exterior doors, you name it. The kitchen isn't to my taste, but it's fairly new so I am saving it for Phase II for two reasons -- re-doing it was going to put me over budget, and also I thought it would be best to live in it for a while so I could figure out exactly how I wanted it laid out.
Debbie, I have been reveling in the fact that the only person who has to approve all the decisions is ME! LOL
And Shevia, yes! We are building a brand new closet in the master bedroom! (We are stealing the existing master closet to enlarge the bathroom, and stealing a couple of feet from the den for the new master closet!) So yes! It will be exactly what I want and need!!
Not that I'm beside myself with excitement or anything...