We’re Moving & Building!! – Follow the Journey of our #FinallyHomeProject

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Hi friends!  Thanks for stopping in to hear about the big news!!  I’m so excited to share with you that we will soon be moving and YES, building another home!  Now you might be wondering why in the world we are moving since I basically just finished decorating the last room in our home (you can catch our dining room reveals here & here) but last fall my husband accepted a transfer with his company which will cause us to move eight hours away from where we currently live, so off we go!  We knew that we wouldn’t be living where we are forever and for the longest time have longed to be closer to home and family so this was a very welcome change and we are so excited to see where this journey will take us!

We have known for several months now (to be exact since last October) but the timing just wasn’t quite right to share until now…until it has become a big ‘ole slap in the face of reality!  We live in a small town in west Texas (not to be confused with West, Texas) and ever since we found out last fall have taken several trips back and forth to Houston, where we will be moving, to find the place, land, and home where we believe God wants us to be.  Houston is so massive and is so hard to wrap your brain around when house hunting that there have literally been multiple times I almost shut down and decided to wait to find a place to live until we are physically there and can truly get the lay of the land.  If it had not been for my amazing friend Jennifer of Decor Gold Designs who currently resides in Houston, I wouldn’t have even known where to begin.  We pretty much knew we wanted to be in north Houston and either in The Woodlands or somewhere close to The Woodlands but other than that, we were lost.

I will be talking about this more in depth in another post but when trying to make a decision about where we would live in the greater Houston area the main thing we knew we wanted was a truly custom built home which believe it or not was hard to find in Houston, especially in our price range.  Most of the homes and desirable neighborhoods in north Houston are taken up with tract builders which is fine and they build some absolutely beautiful homes but you cannot fully, 100% customize your own home, which simply didn’t work for us.  This meant we had to find property and a builder in or around our desired location and in our price range, which took some time, patience, and a lot of prayer.  After taking into consideration the schools, proximity to my husband’s work, churches, and a few other variables, ultimately we ended up in the north Houston area and thankfully in a neighborhood that offers some small lakes.

As our builder was negotiating on a couple of pieces of property for us my husband took a trip down to one of them to cast a line, say some prayers, and ended up catching 5 fish on his first five casts…for us that was a sure sign of where we should be and needless to say that is the piece of property we ended up with and are in the process of buying today as we speak.

Custom building a home in Texas lake front property in Texas bass fishing in Texas lake front living in Texas-1

We are also in the process of working on our house plans on a daily basis.  For the past several weeks I have been having regular phone meetings with our builder/architect team and are getting close on the plans.  I will share more of this process later but for now I just wanted to share the property that we are calling our #FinallyHomeProject.  We are calling it Finally Home because we have been moving with my husband’s job for almost 15 years now and are both so ready to settle down for the long haul that we can’t see straight.  This is the home where we will start our next chapter, where our son will grow up and head off to college (boo, hoo!!), and where I’m sure we’ll make many amazing memories with family and friends and I look forward to sharing the journey of our custom build and decorating journey with you.

ZDesign At Home - We're Moving & Building!! Follow the Journey of our #FinallyHomeProject HERE -1

Here are some additional photos of the property.  Not much to see here but this is the view from the back of the property out to the lake.  This section of the neighborhood is still pretty new so the water is still muddy (it’s a man made lake) and the bulkhead isn’t looking it’s best but I’m sure in due time we’ll be able to wrap our brain around what needs to be done with all of this.  We are excited about the views and being close to a body of water again, even if it small!

Even though it doesn’t look like it from here, the minimum square footage in the neighborhood is actually not that big so I’m sure our neighbors won’t be pleased to find that we might be one of the smaller kids on the block but that’s fine with us.  Putting our resources into the quality that goes into our home and it’s amenities is more important to us than having tons of square footage that we don’t need or want. We are a small family so there is just no need for us to have a huge home.  I’m sure it will end up being larger than we expect at the moment but we are trying to keep things to only what we need to be happy in this home.

custom building a home in Texas water from living in texas new construction near the woodlands in texas

I grew up on the water doing all the water sports and my husband grew up fishing so we are super excited to be close to water again, which always makes me feel like I can breathe again after living in the desert for the past four years!  These photos are pretty raw and it will be a long time before things are looking beautiful but again, we are super excited about what we know will be a long yet fulfilling journey with this project!

ZDesign custom water front construction in benders landing texas zdesign at home build journey water front living in texas new construction home build process-2

This is the view back into the property from the water.  We want to leave a lot of the property (it’s about an acre) natural so I’m sure there will be a lot of stress over which trees go and which ones stay (except for the obvious where the house will be) but there are some beautiful oaks and pines on the property that we’re super excited about as well.  It will be so nice to actually have some shade in the back yard where kids and pets can run around and play and where we can make memories galore!

ZDesign custom water front construction in benders landing texas zdesign at home build journey water front living in texas new construction home build process-3

custom home build journey in texas lake front property in texas benderl landing water front property in texas process of how to build a custom home new construction near the woodlands texas-2

That about wraps things up for this post and I hope you will stay tuned for the rest of this journey but do hang around for the next and last 30 days of our current home where I’ll be sharing room reveals of rooms I’ve never shared before, some organizing and cleaning posts (since I’ll be purging like a mad woman), and one more home tour for summer inspiration (yes I know, I’m insane…lol!).  Thank you for joining me on this first of many posts for our #FinallyHomeProject (my smart hubby came up with that one) and I can’t wait to share more as the weeks and months unfold.  We close and move out of our current home within approximately 30 days so stay tuned for lots of fun things to come around here this summer!

If you live in the Houston area and have anything to share or any bits of advice for us I would love to hear it…you can leave your comments and questions below – thanks, friends!!

Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter too if you haven’t already to get all the latest updates on our #FinallyHome project and more:)!

 

 

 

 

If you are new here and haven’t taken a tour of our current home yet, you can do that HERE

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65 Comments

  1. Congratulations Bree. exciting times for you and your family. I use to live in Houston in the mid 90’s around the Galleria area and still have some very dear friends there . in fact 2 of them live in the woodlands. Looking forward to following your journey.

    1. Marty, thank you so much for stopping by!!! And I can’t wait to share it with you!! Hugs! Xoxo

  3. OMG Bree this is so exciting and I absolutely cannot wait to see what you do in the new space! I so wish we lived in Texas instead of Okc because I would totally swoop your house up lol!Congrats girl

    1. Ashley, thank you so, so much!! So sweet of you and I can’t wait to see what I do in the new space either…lol!! Thanks for stopping in to see the big news!! Xo

    1. Laura, thank you so much! I can’t wait to see it come together either and to share it with you all!!! Xo

  5. Just found your blog and so excited to follow since we are in the process of getting ready to building too. So any tips will be greatly appreciated!

    1. Oh how exciting, Whitney!! Well maybe we can help each other out through the process but I will certainly be sharing tips and advice along the way that I hope will help others through the home building process. Take care and thanks for stopping in! xo

  6. Bree that property looks absolutely beautiful! Love the picture of the fish.. a sign for sure! 🙂 I’m so happy for you cutie and can’t wait to follow along! No doubt your home will be absolutely stunning! XO

    1. Thank you, sweet Erin!! And I’m sure I’ll be picking your brain along the way as well! So many decisions that I’m sure will be keeping me up at night!! Love your dear friend and thanks for stopping in!!! xoxo

  7. Congratulations! What a wonderful blessing. You have one of my favorite kitchens among many, so I can’t wait to see what you have planned for your next one!

    1. Thanks Ingrid! You are so sweet to stop by and comment (always appreciate your support!!). I’m thinking this one will be radically different since I thrive on change and I can’t wait to see what I do this time either, lol. I’m sure I’ll be asking for everyone’s help and opinions along the way and I’ll be excited to hear you chime in! Take care cutie!! Xoxo

  8. Hi Bree, I live in Cypress (Northwest Houston). WELCOME!! Are you coming from Midland? Since you are already used to the HOT temps, you’ll adjust just fine to our crazy hot and humid summers. I have bad hair days from end of May to Oct. 😉 So awesome that you already have a friend in the area – bonus!! After you get settled, let’s have lunch!

    Angela

    1. Hi Angela! Thanks for stopping in and for the support! Yes, I’m used to the crazy summers since I’m from Alabama but I understand the humidity in the summer might even be possibly worse than AL…bummer! Oh well, I’m sure there are plenty of other positives about the area and I cannot wait!! Thanks for following along on the journey and have a wonderful week!! Xo

    1. Thank you, Jenny! And thanks for stopping in to see the news!! Xo

  10. So exciting Bree!! Can’t wait to follow along on your journey! Congratulations to you and your family!! Xoxo

    1. Amy, thank you so much and thanks for stopping in! It is going to be an exciting time over the next several months around here!! So glad you’ll be following along! xoxo

    1. Thank you so much, Corbie (what a cute name!!). Thanks for following along and I hope I don’t disappoint…it’s going to be a fun several months ahead and I’m so lad you’ll be watching to see what I’ll be doing!!! Xo

  12. Congratulations! So excited for you and your family. God’s plans and timing are always the best.
    Love your design, so elegant!

    1. Thank you so much, Jane!! And you are so right about God’s plans and timing…sometimes the waiting is the hard part but He is always right on time! Thanks so much for stopping in and for commenting! Xoxo

    1. Jen, this is so bitter sweet when it comes to you (and you know what I mean…boo, hoo!!!). Can’t wait to get there and have lunch with you soon (hopefully every week, lol!). Thank you for all of your support during our house hunting process and I couldn’t be more excited about building a new home in Houston…I’m sure I’ll need your help with those touch decisions too!!! Love you, my sweet friend!!! Xoxo

    1. Kathleen, thank you so very much for stopping in!! Means so much to me!! I can’t wait to share it with you as well!!! Xoxo

  15. Congratulations We have live in two different developments in Magnolia, Texas over the last 14 years. We moved here from San Diego in 2004. Three years ago with sold our big house in 3 days and moved in the worst house in a wonderful neighborhood. We wanted to downsize and pay cash ( to be mortgage free)! My husband works for Arizona Tile and we wanted to finally choose all the finishes we love. The Woodlands is wonderful but you are so right about custom building. Because most everything in our price point was small and so builder grade. But we do go to church, go to doctors, eat out, and shop in The Woodlands. Good Luck and God Bless

    1. Thank you so much, Roxane!! I’m sure we’ll be doing all of that in The Woodlands too! Maybe you can recommend a good church…my hubby has been visiting some and found a couple he likes but I always like to hear what others think. Take care and thanks for following along!! xo

      1. Bree,
        We have gone the last 10 years to the Woodlands Church. It is off 242 on 1 Fellowship Dr. It is a big church but wonderful
        worship and as Pastor Kerry says its the best hour of the week! You can look the church up online.
        Good Luck and Many Blessing, Roxane

        1. Thank you so much, Roxane! We will definitely do that and maybe I’ll see you there:) xoxo

  17. How very exciting! We are about to start remodeling our bathrooms and I’ve been looking to your blog for inspiration (I can’t begin to tell you how much help you’ve been!) I’m so bummed I won’t be able to see your finished project before ours begins. I just know you’ll do something new and amazing and I’ll wish I’d done it too! Congrats again!

    1. Rachel, how sweet of you to stop in and comment!! Thanks so much for following along and I’m so glad you’ve been inspired. And how fun that you will be remodeling soon?! I’m kind of jealous since we will be doing new construction but I’m just not patient enough yet in my life to undergo renovations (I need to work on that, lol!). Best of luck to you!! Xo

  18. Comgratulations! I can’t wait to see your home unfold. What west Texas town are you in now? I am in Roanoke (just North of Ft Worth).

    1. Thanks so much, Mindy! We are a long way from Ft. Worth and will probably be closer to you living in north Houston. Thanks for following along, cutie and I sure hope I don’t disappoint!! Xo

  19. Bree, I follow your blog and will be exciting to see what you create with your new home! We live in Kingwood and if you have any questions let me know! Congratulations! We love living in North Houston. There is great shopping in The Woodlands and Galleria! Let me know if you have any questions!

    1. Candace, thank you so much and I certainly will! We looked at Kingwood and it is such a lovely neighborhood…you must love it there (and I’m dying to partake in all of the wonderful shopping in The Woodlands!!!)! Thanks so much also for following along!! Xo

    1. Kelley, I totally wish you could!!! I love Texas…not as much as the gulf coast of Alabama but it’s a close second!! Love you, friend!!! Xoxo

  21. This is so exciting Bree!! Can’t wait to follow along and see all the beauty you design. I have no doubt it will be amazing!!

    Congratulations!

    Sheila
    Xo

    1. You’re so sweet, Sheila!! Thank you so much for stopping by and I can’t wait to take you along on the journey!!! Xoxo

  23. Can’t wait to follow along to see everything you do with this new beautiful home! Hugs and soooo happy for all of you Bree ❤?

    1. Thank you so much, Kristy!! Will you please come help me…I need our skills, friend!!! Love you!! Xoxo

    1. Thank you so much, Brenna and I am so excited to have you following along!! Xo

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  27. Bree,
    We are so excited to have you here in Houston. Even though we could not get you inside the loop, we look forward to the drive up to visit with you all!
    E

    1. Elizabeth!! Thank you so much for stopping in!!! I can’t wait to spend more time with you and Gary once we get there, and I’m so sorry I missed you when I was there a few days ago;/. Look forward to visiting soon!! Xo

  28. I am so excited for you! I have been waiting for this announcement from you. A friend of mine actually viewed your west Texas home that’s on the market. She was decscribing it to me and I had to stop her in her tracks. I pulled up your blog and sure enough it was your house she looked at! I actually live in the Woodlands also. I love it here. If you ever need any help let me know and I’ll be glad to assist. I think you’ll love Houston! Can’t wait to hear where you guys are building. If you’re looking to make friends in the area I’m always down for some family friends and girl time! Enjoy the building process!

    1. Hi Melissa! Thank you so much for stopping in! We are super excited about moving to Houston and can’t wait to get there soon and sink our teeth into this new house to make it our home! Thanks also for the warm welcome and for following along:)! Xoxo

  29. Hi Bree – Congrats on moving to Houston! My husband and I just completed building a custom home near Sugar Land which is south Houston. I grew up in The Woodlands area and love it. Your property looks amazing! My husband is a HUGE bass fisherman and we actually bought our property on water too for that same reason. We just moved in 3 months ago and it was and 18 month process for us from designing it from scratch to the actually building of the house. Truly loved every second of it. Hope our paths one day cross because I enjoy your blog and Instagram feed ☺️ Aryn – Oyster Creek Studios

    1. Aryn, thank you so, so much!! And oh my goodness, can we just talk about your beautiful website for a moment!!! You are so talented!! And I would love to cross paths with you one day in Houston! I’m sure at some point when I can breath from house stuff, I’ll be looking for a girls lunch or night out so lets try and get together some time!! Thanks again for stopping by! xo

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  32. Hi! I live in Welch (a little north of Lamesa) and have followed your instagram for a while! Great inspiration. I grew up in Houston – the Clear Lake area. I’m curious – what small West Texas town do you live in? All this time, I never knew we could be so close in proximity!

    1. Hi Erika! We are in the Midland/Odessa area. Small world, right!! And thank you for your kind words…so nice to have you following along! Thanks, cutie!! xo

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  34. Hi Bree, I’m a newcomer to your blog. I live in the Tomball /Woodlands area. You will love it here. I’m a Designer and work for a natural stone company at The Houston Design Center. Let me know if I can help you with and tile, slab or custom stone work for the new house. We have a showroom and slab warehouse in North Houston as well. I can also help direct you to sourcing most everything for the new house. Good luck and enjoy the process.

    1. Hi Kelley, Thanks for popping in and for commenting! All of that is so helpful and good to know. I’ve sourced a lot of things already for the house but if I need your help finding anything I am looking for I will definitely reach out! Thanks again and all the best to you! Xoxo

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