text:
It's May 2014, how is your build?
Construction season must be in full swing. April had 499 posts.
Let's see what May brings...
We're two months in and have roofing and windows going in this week. Once we're dried in the mechanicals can soon get started.
Here is a link that might be useful: Hey kids, it's Blog!
Wow- May already! I haven't even been able to read all of the posts, never mind comment on them, but I see everyone is making great progress on some beautiful homes.
I'm learning a new skill- stucco and masonry. Hopefully before the month is out, I'll have some pics to show of my progress, as slow as it is. On the rainy days, I continue to wire up outlets and switches. Nothing to show really, but it sure is nice having electricity!
Good morning everyone,
I am going to try and keep up this month!
This is a photo of where we are clearing the land to build a barn. Right now, we are chainsawing down trees and stacking logs. The barn will hold equipment/tools, and give us a place to crash on weekends.
Spring has brought a new look to the driveway also:
Welcome to the newcomers- lots of building going on! Great to see.
oicu- great progress- love the cupola (obviously!) what weather vane are you going to put up there? Did you find a source you like yet?
jkliveng- your land is beautiful, such lovely woods :)
JDez, I know what you mean. There's activity every day but it doesn't show as much as certain other build times.
Painters have been prepping, they will stain first. Things like the island, sidelights, trim around the front door, beams, newel post, basement bar cabinetry are all stained. The shakes have been going up outside in the gables. It's weird to finally see some color on the house. It's a gold color, white trim, bronze windows. I'll post some pics soon. They started in the back of the house. Supposedly the garage floor is getting poured today. That will be nice to see.
Good Morning!
We do have a lot of building going on! Welcome to everyone joining in!
The trim carpenters showed up yesterday afternoon and boy did they get a lot started. Very pleased with everything they've done so far. They've put in baseboards in two of the bedrooms (including closets), hall bath, front closet, and linen closet. They hung two doors, trimmed out 6 windows, and got the first kitchen cabinet hung! I guess I'm going to have to try taking pics of the window trim when it's dark out because I'm having a devil of a time getting a picture that isn't so dark from the light coming in. I overexposed the photos so you can see a little of what the windows look like.
This is our cute little awning window in the master bath:
Here's the first cabinet installed. I can only reach up to the second shelf. DH can reach the third one. I'll need a ladder to put anything on the top two shelves! :-) These are 9' ceilings and all the cabinets go to the ceiling. We'll be putting a piece of crown on the top.
Joallen, regarding the specific measurements for our trim, I'll post below the photo we used. It's on the web. I just adjusted some of the measurements (which shows on the photos). The Plinth Block is 3 3/4" x 7". The baseboard numbers are hard to read in the photo. It is 5 1/4". It's one piece. I noticed that I must have messed up the Window Stool measurement. It's supposed to be 3/4 x 2 1/2"
I hope that helps anyone who is interested.
We need to buy some door stops. Our daughter and son-in-law used the hinge pin stops like these. What are you guys using?
And, it's a good thing I've been around and got DH trained to call me when he's really not sure on something. He was going to have them trim the windows and doors like our daughters (see below). Oy vey!!! Thank goodness he called me to ask about a measurement and I discovered the mistake before it happened.
Then, this morning he says that the trim carpenter thought the top trim on our windows looked so nice that he thought we should also use that same trim above the front door and DH agreed. What???? I told him every door has the same top trim as the windows. They are identical. Geeesh!!!!! I told him if he looked at the photos I provided the trim carpenter he would see that. Our daughter came down to look at what the trim carpenters had done and DH asked her about using the same top trim on all the doors. He thought it would be overkill. She said, "Dad, yes, they should all be the same!" Second-guessing me isn't helping. :-) I told him he's in charge of the cabinets and I'll handle the trim and beams.
We'll have to watch closely how they do our headband trim. It's tricky in the alignment and that's what our daughter came down to check.
illinigirl: Yes, I found the weathervane I like, but we're going to hold off until we know our expenses are in line. Having a hard time getting our Kit & MBa designs to come in on budget. It's a splurge, so it goes to the bottom of the list. But someday Sir Francis will grace our cupola.
In other news, windows started going in. I also see some waste pipes being run. Nice to see multiple trades working at once. Roofing going on, windows going in, framing details finishing, now plumbers too.
We are two weeks out from closing and moving in (builder has construction loan). It's been a battle this past week with getting our appliances installed. The builder had to have them 8 days ago. Most sat unpacked for a week. Double ovens just installed today. Will be glad when this is over and we are in.
We stopped by on Tuesday when 6 electricians were there along with our cabinet installer. These are our island pendants. Will get better pictures this weekend. So glad we covered the island as they would have trashed it.
robyn how large is your laundry room and does it get any natural light? That might help.....I like the one on the left in general but think the one on the right would really be a nice pop with the RP. Maybe what Michelle said - one in between. Oh and is it uppers and lowers? How many of each?
Caveat - remember I just had a major snafu with a color that I wanted similar to that but that ended up being much brighter than I thought it would. I still love that color and I think you have a great chance at getting it right since you are trying samples first.
Robyn, agree with the others here who've already asked the questions. How much natural light? How much cabinetry? If you have a lot of cabinetry with not a lot of natural light I'd probably want to use the lighter version. If you only have 2 cabinets, they're lowers, and you get a ton of light I'd def go with the brighter. Pretty colors!
NHbaskets, love the pendants. I am so totally in synch with your sentiment "Will be glad when this is over and we are in. ", and we still have 60 days.
I'm heading to HiltonHead this morning, then Charleston this afternoon. One hour south for a two hour meeting, then back here, then a 90 minute drive north for dinner with friends who just pulled into the marina in Charleston. All of our friends who've been over in the Bahamas are crossing back and getting into Charleston in the last couple of days. There was a good weather window for sailing across the Gulf Stream.
While I'm up in Charleston I may try to get back to that lighting store, take a look at the chandy I want for my b'fast room. See if I can convince dh. It's only money right?!? Besides, my son in Illinois really wants my dragonfly fixture since I told him I don't want to put it in this house.
OICU- that's awesome- my hubby would be so jealous! He wanted a pig also. I had my heart set on classic rooster. We still sometimes think the rooster is maybe too big for our cupola but I say go big or go home, lol.
I think your windows look just like mine :)
Robyn, I like the colors you have picked- I almost want to say try one similar with a little more grey in it to tone down the brightness. I think I like the contrast of the deeper one with the revere pewter walls.
baskets- great pendants!
I am learning that construction is a series of highs and lows. Despite May 1st being our scheduled framing day, there was last minute change and they are not starting until this morning. I took a 1/2 day off work and everything... sigh. I guess there is a reason for everyhing... trying to stay positive!
robyn- I really like the color on the right. Both really pretty!
nhbaskets- Nice island pendants!
I like the more vivid color Robyn, however, I have zero color sense so only count my vote for half :)
My siding is finished, yay!!!! I took a picture but something happened and I can't post so I need to take a new one today. I emailed to myself funny and it won't open.
Robyn -- I love it, I love it, I LOVE IT!!!! You *must* do that lovely aqua. I am actually doing something similar in my butlers pantry.
In other news, today I want to slit my wrists. See the thread in decorating to see why :(
Here is a link that might be useful: why I might slit my wrists.....
Carson - YIKES!! I'm heading over to read now! Hope you are okay!
Yes, I am happy with this color. I am doing bead board cabinets in the laundry room, too. It will be the only room with the country feel in the house. It will be opened with a barn style door. :)
In other news…. Here is the latest pic of my house. They will be done with the 2nd story early next week and then start on the trusses. These framers haven't stopped working since they started!! They do take the well-deserved weekends off, though.
That progress of crazy fast! This is the first weekend I've had in about a month and a half so it's time for odds and ends. There is a little bit of ducting that needs to happen for the dehumidifier under the house, putting in the ducts for the cooktop vent, and then I can play around with the landscaping some. There are some bushes that are a lot older than me whose days are numbered! Also it would be great to get rid of the Virginia creepers and honeysuckle vines that are threatening to take over.
We'll see how far I get but after that it's time to play around with the front door. If I can get the casing popped off I can tell how big to make the sidelight.
Next week will be the fun week, where hopefully the floor finishing will start.
Carsonheim, sweetie, back off that ledge again! Been there. My sink, discontinued, and I spent two months picking that fireclay sink out. My stone slab for the kitchen island - disappeared last December after I put a deposit on it in October, my bathroom slab not delivered to fabricator last week. I'm waiting on availability notice on my backsplash tile now. In each case, (except my backsplash), what I've ended up with in the second case has been superior to the original selection. Well, maybe not with my sink, but I did find something acceptable and I just decided it wasn't worth having a stroke over.
Anyway, point is, (you know this), it's not worth opening your wrists over. ;-) You will find something else, and it will be awesome. At least that type of design is something that is prevalent in the design community.
Did you get a chance to look at CoteDeTexas blog? You're building in Texas right? I swear you'll love her style. email her, ask her if she has any suggestions.
Robyn, great pics.
I'm wiped out. Autumn, how is the new job going?
Long crazy week.
prospect-oh boy is it ever. Don't want to discourage you but that was likely the first of many "WHAT, ARE YOU KIDDING ME" moments. :D
mfatt-it's been hours, where's that pic?
robyn-holy cow they are just moving right along at lightning speed! That is awesome. When do you make the move again? After school is out? That is a larger room with a nice sized window so I think you'd have plenty of light bouncing around that it wouldn't be too dark or *wild*. :) Love the barn door with it, so fun.
schicksal-can't wait to see and hear how your finishing goes. Good luck!
illini-what's happening over there???
carson-don't jump!!! Is there anyplace or designer that could take what you had chosen and find something close? I feel for ya - it stinks when a major design element disappears like that. :(
hoosiers-lol that your dd even knew enough that they should match. It's going to be gorgeous. Love that depth of stain.
So true to form, I chose a backsplash that is $23 a square foot. UGH! But, since both DH and I like it and it's a small amount for the master we are going to just do it. Then I find a tile for the laundry room that is about as plain jane as you can get so it should be super cheap right?, 1x1 alabaster color, no pattern, $26 a square - DOH! I didn't even check because it was so basic I assumed it'd be more like $5 a square. What the world! At least the boys splash was $6.75 a square and in stock. I'll take what I can get!
Stairwell taped and trimmed out with trim paint. Let the rolling begin (and end) tomorrow!
DH called the plumber and he is super busy and there is apparently a shortage of toilets or something. Wahh! Dh is hoping to have the lights installed by the end of the weekend, that will really put some pazazz into the space.
So we have crown on one end of the kitchen (the other needs the counters in first so my one cab can be set and then crown installed). You can barely see the bulk head gap:
Master backsplash that was a million dollars ;) :
Cabs and sinks just sitting there:
Boys bath (really like the counter):
And priceless-my youngest ds helping Dad measure for a shelf in the laundry room. :)
mlweaving-cross posting. Me too, wiped out. It was good, lots to learn but I think I will really enjoy it when I get settled into a groove. I am thinking full time in a new job at the tail end of a build is a bit much but it is what it is. ;) I will be doing much odds and ends shopping on line because at this point no time to do it physically. Part of why I just ordered the dang expensive laundry tile. I don't have time to fuss with finding something else that matches. Moving on! Big travel day for you, I hope you have a great and restful weekend!
MFatt -- Looks great! I really like your exterior color :)
Autumn -- Glad you are liking your new job so far. Your place is coming along so nicely. WTH about that expensive white backsplash??? Sometimes I'm just astounded at the prices of things.
Robyn -- I can't *believe* how fast your place is going up! And I have to say again YES YES YES to that aqua!
mlweaving -- thanks again for talking me off the edge. AGAIN. Seriously, I'm okay. I'm not actually gonna slit my wrists ;) I had just based a number of decisions around using that paper, and now I'm having to readjust. And I don't even have a foundation yet! That will start in about a week. I did update the post in decorating, but I found this truly lovely paper and I'm going to see about getting a sample to check it out. Hope I can afford it :)
I forgot it was May already. I posted this in the April thread:
I love the herringbone floors. I was looking at a showhome the other day (I actually looked at about a dozen the other day :P). One of them had herringbone floors, but it was considered a starter home, so I figured it was not standard. I asked what the upgrade charge for herringbone was, and she said it was $8k!!! Yikes. I am considering doing herringbone pattern with wood look tile in the ensuite. It should only be an extra couple hundred given that it doesn't need to be cut special.
And my husband gets creative when he unloads the dishwasher. But mostly he just piles dishes on the counter until I unload it.
No progress on the build. The architect is supposed to be drawing some more.
Now, off to read the May posts...
Carsonheim, I just posted in your Home Dec forum thread, but I'll put it here too. I ordered a Thibaut paper for my powder room. I love the weight and heavy handblocked texture of the Thibaut paper. For your Dining Room I think it might be worth the splurge, since it's such a key piece for your decor scheme. Truly, I like this paper better too than your original choice.
My Thibaut paper, from the Biscayne collection, retails at $77/roll. I got it from Mahone's, a family run online wallpaper and fabric discounter, for $57.75/roll. I needed 5 dbl rolls for my powder room, which I had my paper hanger confirm qty because I didn't want a lot of waste at that price. I'm doing floor to ceiling, with 10' ceilings. I emailed Mahone's with my paper info, and they got back to me within 24 hours with pricing. When I was ready to order I had to call them on the phone to place the order. They do not take internet orders, it's all on the phone after you get pricing via email. My paper came in 3 days after order. I was impressed.
Question for you, again from your decor thread. How big is your dining room, and how big is that chandy? Is it really a 22" chandelier? How big is your table?
And, not to hijack hte building forum completely, but here is a Schumacher paper that I can see in your decor. It's 54" wide!! And the vertical repeat on it is 48", so the scale is gorgeous for a dining room. If you're putting in a tray ceiling, and wainscotting, you could plan the amount of wall to be wallpapered to only
use 1 repeat, which would give the sense of a mural. Very gorgeous indeed. It comes in 3 color ways, two of which I think you could use.
I do love the Thibaut paper too!
This post was edited by mlweaving_Marji on Sat, May 3, 14 at 20:57
Re using a decorator/Interior Designer, Pam, aka SpottytheCat, who was finishing up just as we were breaking ground late last fall, said she worked with an ID from the conception all the way through, and her home is to-die-for gorgeous with all the details very well thought out.
So who here is using an ID for any or all of your home design?
If I knew then what I know now I may have opted to get an ID involved at the planning stage. As it is, I'm very happy with how our home is coming out, but I've put an inordinate amount of time into choosing every last little thing, and still some things had to be changed out after delivered on site and I saw them. (I'm thinking doors here are the really big one)
Actually, I might have used the interior design/architect firm that did this house which is close enough to here. I love all their fit and finishes.
Here is a link that might be useful: SpottytheCat_Houzz_feature
Autumn thanks. DIYing out all is rewarding but at the same time can be just a soul crushing experience sometimes when you realize how much remains to go, and when you're looking at the adjacent living areas in complete disarray. At times it is hard to keep going but there is no other choice.
Carson I like the wallpaper with the birds. In what room were you thinking of using it?
Re: designers/decorators, we are. My aunt is licensed in CO and she helped an incredible amount with our floorplan and selecting finishes, colors and items. When I thought we had a rock solid plan it ended up completely redone after working with her. She thought of so many things that never occurred to us.
LOL, my house is still just primer colored but I am glad someone likes it. My old house was yellow and I loved the happy way it looked. Hard to see from my photog skills but our house is nestled in the woods so we are painting it a bit darker. Revere Pewter and Terratone dark brown.
I like those wallpapers and I agree about the ID. I didn't work with one but I have in the past and I tried to implement some of what they said before. I am sort of kicking myself but I didn't get one early on and we spec'd out our entire contract then. I suppose I could consult about paint colors....I don't know. My sister used one and she spent quite a bit. Great ideas to pull all the finishes together and to flow better. However, her husband ditched the slate floors which threw off the design kind of like the above mentioned wall paper. Slate was the element present in small bits everywhere so everything needs to be reselected to mesh well.
"hoosiers-lol that your dd even knew enough that they should match. It's going to be gorgeous. Love that depth of stain."
I had to smile at your comment above, Autumn. I'm old. My DD is 40 years old and has built and designed two custom built homes. We've been relying on her advice a lot through this build. And, we've been saying we are building a mini version of their home because we have a lot of the same tastes. So, when DH isn't too sure about my decisions, he sometimes asks DD's opinion. In most cases, she and I agree because we've already discussed it. :-)
Thank you all for your nice comments about our trim. We are very pleased how it turned out. We wanted the stained trim package from the very beginning. So, we are happy it turned out so nice.
We had to be up early this morning as the trim carpenters arrived before 7:00 am. I already had to go down and talk with the guy installing the cabinets. He wanted to go over the bathroom cabinetry we ordered to make sure he understood how it was to be installed. I have a desk area between our two vanities in the master bathroom. We discussed how far down I wanted the desk. We had intended to run outlets on both sides of the vanities so I could plug in hair dryer, etc. The electrician had run the wire, but it was just sitting there. This is how I wanted it:
Traditional Bathroom by Frederick Interior Designers & Decorators Meredith Ericksen
The guy wanted to make sure I had enough room to sit under the desk without it hitting my legs. These guys are so thorough and accommodating. We feel blessed that the original carpenters were too busy and we found these guys.
Motoq, the nail holes are there, but very small. We also think they are doing a good job!
Robynstamps, I cannot give you any advice on your laundry cabinet color. I'm so envious of you guys who can make such bold choices with colors! The last time I painted a room a bold color that was outside my comfort zone, I ended up painting over it within a few days. ☺ However, I love your inspiration photo! I think you should go with what makes you happy! And, I bet you are so anxious to get moved out there so you can see your home in real life instead of a camera!
Oicu812, you are in that stage where everything is happening at once. Isn't it exciting (and a little stressful)?
Nhbaskets, I love your island pendants! Two weeks out??? I'm so jealous.
Mlweaving, good luck with that chandy!!! Have a great weekend!
Prospect3, have you seen this? We've all been where you've been. Just know there will be lots more! Hang in there.
Carsonheim, I so understand what you are going through, but learn to "Let it Go, Let it Go!" Sing it with me! ☺ That's become my latest mantra. We had the most detailed specification document any of our contractors had seen. Picked everything out. So stressful. But, I cannot tell you how many things we've had to adjust since then. Our whole exterior materials and color scheme changed multiple times because of unavailability. Laundry cabinets had to be painted instead of stained because of the material not taking the stain properly. Lost our original trim carpenter and had to re-bid. And, those were just a couple of many more things that went wrong. In each case, I have come to the conclusion it was meant to be and I've liked the second choices better than my original ones! I hope you find the perfect wallpaper for you room!
Autumn, I love your bathroom backsplashes in spite of them costing a million dollars! Cabinets and vanities looking great! Love the photo of your son and hubby measuring. Never too young to help out! ☺
MFatt, I love the looks of your exterior. What are the colors?
Amberm, I hope you have some progress soon!
MushCreek, how's the stucco and masonry coming along?
Jkliveng, love the looks of your land. We built our pole barn prior to starting the house. It was stacked to the rafters with all our stuff and DH's tools and workshop equipment. He had to get temporary electric for the barn so he could finish building our cabinets for the house. It was so helpful having a place to store all of our stuff until the house was under roof. And, a good place to crash!
JDez, have you started nagging somebody so we can see progress pics?
Illinigirl, sounds like you have a lot of progress. Pics?
On other news, we had to have our electrician come out yesterday and wire the HVAC-geothermal unit that our HVAC guys installed earlier in the week. They also wired the well pump. While they were here, we found out that one of our cabinets in the laundry room cannot be installed where we wanted it because we won't pass our final electrical inspection. Some code about having 3-ft space around the electrical box which is in the laundry room. Bummer! They said DH could install it after we move in.
Here are a couple of photos of door trim.
Double-door closet in one of the bedrooms and another door leaning against the wall.
Bedroom door with hardwood floors showing in the hallway.
Our front door trimmed. We still have a piece of shoe mold to be installed under the door section (not the the side-lites).
hoosier- great looking doors and trim!
autumn- I totally would not have even noticed the bulkhead after the crown was in unless I was looking for it. Nice backsplash choice- so worth it!
MFatt- your exterior is coming along and looking great!
Robyn- what a view- I bet the weather is gorgeous out there right now. It looks it, at least.
Here's our progress:
sidelights (front door will be put in later, to save from any damage. The one there now is a temporary)
close up of bar island:
garage got poured- ramp for garbage can:
I'm another one who is putting a sign in front of our primed siding. I can't tell you how many people have said, I like your exterior colors! I freak out every time and say I would never pick those colors and the trim is all different colors! Lol. I'm hoping it is finally going to be painted next week.
illinigirl, love everything!!!!!
We have bathroom vanities in! And, laundry cabinets installed. Also, got our large storage cabinet with seat installed. It was a tight squeeze on all the cabinets we purchased but the guys made them work.
Unfortunately, our window seats do not fit. :-( All the engineers in the family came down and we all look at every possibility with the carpenters. They aren't going into the spot. The guy made it too too tight and we wouldn't be able to open the drawers in them. That's a call I dread making on Monday.
The guys are gonna work next week and install kitchen cabinets (granite guy coming May 12) to measure, install the beams and porch tongue and groove ceiling. They said they would also build and install my closet systems. DH just called. We are going to our carpenters house to see his closets he made in his new house!
I drove by to check things out today and my garage door was not installed as we had previously discussed. Perhaps later on this afternoon or tomorrow. GC thought the guy said Saturday so this should be fun if he never comes after picking up a 50% deposit. Not my problem as I had nothing to do with that sub but my GC will waste time on it.
Bummer on the window seats Hoosier, will the company take them back? There was another post over in appliances where the custom cabinets didn't allow the microwave to open in the kitchen :/
Ilinini, It's all looking fabulous. I really like your stained wood.
JHester, I can't tell you exactly what Illini's island is, but ours is also really similar. We have a DW, a 36" sink base, a 24" trash pullout, and then a 24" mixer pop-up cabinet. The cab's are 24" deep, with a 12" deep cabinet backing it up on the other side. So our countertop is 9' long and something like 54" wide at the ends, 60" wide in the center. We're having it curve just a bit in the center. The overhang is 15" on the seating side, curving out to 20". for the time being I plan to keep my seldom used holiday dishes and chafing dishes, etc in those 12" deep cabinets under the island, on the seating side. Whatever goes in those cabinets is going to be darned inconvenient to get to.
Hoosier, I'm so sorry they won't fit. I love window seats. ;-(
JHester- My island is similar to mlweavings and here is the layout for it:
from right to left: DW (26"), sink base (36"), trash pullout (20"), 4 drawer stack (22"), then 15" overhang.
I will have seating on two sides. the short side on the left (closest to the camera) and then the long side opposite the working side)
I also have 20" deep hidden storage on the long seating side, and another trash pullout on the non-seating short side (short side of island farthest from the camera, around the corner from the d/w). The round cutouts are for sillite receptacles to meet code for electric requirement on at least one NON-overhang side of the island. I will have sillites on 3 sides of the island.
The total measurement of the granite on top of the island is 120" by 60".
Finally some real progress. We cleared and excavated the lot late last year, but April 5, we finally started laying the ICF foundation walls. We aren't close distance wise, so these are the pictures we took on a visit mid april. Already if more progress as they are getting ready to pour the basement foundation this coming week. It's amazing how fast it's happening and a little scary. Now we have to start spending real money! yikes!!
So, I had problems posting more than one photo. I tried to cut and paste from photobucket, but it didn't work. I finally directly uploaded from my iphoto library, but didn't see how to do more than one. I'm not too computer literate, but I know that I have done this before, but either I can't remember how to do it or it's changed :) I'm pretty sure it's an operator error!
Hoosierbred: Thanks for posting the Emotional Rollercoaster graphic. That pretty much sums up my day. I so need to be talked back from the edge.
Went to the house. Happy to see the roofing mostly done and all the windows in. Learned that a wall needed to be moved just a bit to meet code around a stairway, stealing a few inches from an area meant for a bath vanity. Now we need to eliminate one sink and find a new vanity. Learned the vanities we'd been told would be within budget are actually almost double. Learned the layout for our shower won't work. We wanted a bench and steam shower. Ceiling slope and some mechanicals that need to go in the crawl space behind the bath means narrower shower, which means not enough standing space if we include a bench. The pedestal massage tub we'd planned requires the blower to be mounted x feet away, but the closet we'd planned it to be in is x+2.5 feet away and would require 2 extra pipe turns. So now either just a soaking tub, or mount blower in a built-up box in the corner somewhere. Worstly, discovered that we need to redo the kitchen design we'd been working on for 3 weeks to get into budget. Where we'd planned our vent hood to go, there's a structural beam in the ceiling blocking the path to outside. Now we probably need to flip our kitchen around and put our cooktop exactly where we didn't want it. So pretty much the 2 rooms we'd been most heart-set upon will be nothing like what we wanted.
at wits end.
Have a glass of wine and try to step back and look at the big picture. I too have become very attached and then frustrated when things have to change. Try to embrace the change and look for positive things you could try to add since you are changing. Maybe you have to lose a bathroom sink but the extra you save can get a better backsplash....that sort of thing.
I was so pissed off a few weeks ago about our exterior but now that I have seen the changed exterior I am in love with it. "You can't see the forrest for the trees"
Or you can drink wine and complain/vent to your friends, that relieves a bit of stress too :)
Homer, that'll be a great repurposing of the closet.
HarringK, love your views! Where are you building?
Oicu, to a degree, what MFatt said, but wow, those are not insignificant issues. The budget issue is yours to own, so that can be dealt with. But the structural issues - WTH? Is this an architect designed home? Where did your drawings come from that code issues for stairwells and head clearances in showers weren't accounted for? Somebody screwed up somewhere, big time. So hopefully you've had a glass or two of wine, and today is a new day and you can begin to tackle some of the problems. First, before wiping out your kitchen design talk to your builder about simply putting an angle in your hood venting pipe to go around the beam. If I'm correct, it's done all the time in remodels. That may be the solution to keeping your kitchen plan.
Re the bathroom, it almost sounds as if you need a total redesign. Did the original plans allow for a jetted tub, two vanities and a shower with bench? Or were those additions that your builder signed off on without making sure they would work? At this point, instead of trying to modify each element maybe your best bet would be to totally scrap the bath plan and start over. Have plumbing lines been run yet? Maybe you can post over in baths, cross posting in kitchens to get some eyes on it, what your space is, what your wants are and what the limitations are. You might end up with something different but better. For me, two vanities knocked back to one would be a deal breaker.
Are you working with a total custom build, where each item was costed out before building? Or are you working with a builder who gives allowances for certain items? Are you required to shop within the builders supply lines? Can you talk to a custom cabinet maker re vanities? Our master bath vanities and the one in the powder room are totally custom from our cabinet maker, and honestly were less expensive than the already made ones. We ended up buying a ready-made vanity from RH on sale for the guest bath, and it's not nearly as nice, and it ended up being a bit more expensive than our custom ones. Do you have a custom cabinet maker? A lot will depend on what type of build you're doing.
Good luck. I totally get it why you'd be having a bad day.
Thank you, Michelle- The basement bar is Spanish Oak and the rest of the stained pieces are all 1 part Dark Walnut to 2parts paint thinner.
OICU- ugh, hopefully you can come up with another layout that will work in everything you want. Sometimes fresh eyes help.
Homer- Love that idea for the cubbies!
Harring- looks amazing- another beautiful view on GW!
Thanks Guys! I feel for you, Oicu, the "joys" of building are not for the faint of heart. Here's hoping for better days and happy solutions to all your dilemmas. We are building in Durango, Co while we are currently living in Texas. A long distance build has so far been relatively painless, but we have just started. However, getting to this point; negotiating budgets, changing plans because the original either was too expensive or didn't work, has been an ugly process. We were way too naive going in. The cost of building in Colorado is a little more than Houston and/or our expectations. So we gritted our teeth and changed our expectations. A painful process, but we have emerged on the other side still plunging forward. Not sure if you can call that smart:), but it's been fun!
harringk- what a beautiful site to build on. I envy the fact you are doing icf's... that is such a forever way to build. About long distance building... we live a little less than two hours away and it has been a real pain commuting back and forth to the site- we are in the "push" stage now. Spent time at the granite stores in Houston this weekend walking around with a hardhat. Love Durango... take a deep beath. It will all be worth it.
As for us, we finally got the "rubble wall" done. Cabinet fronts are going on and the nice door hardware is ordered.
mlweaving_Marji: Regarding the vent, it's an interior kitchen, so the vent duct has to run about 12-15' to get to an outside wall. The problem is on the far end of the run, where it runs into a 16" tall versalam beam. To get around it would require going thru 3 or 4 joists to get to the outside. I doubt that's structurally sound to punch 6" holes thru joists.
It was an architect designed home, and the builder sat in with us at the time. When we asked for what we wanted, we explicitly asked if things were possible and/or financially feasible. Somethings they said no, but this they did say yes.
I guess we could always go with a pop-up downdraft and go along the basement ceiling. But I think those are more expensive and don't work as well. Anyone have any experiences with downdrafts?
Same thing with the bath. The steam shower was my only dream item and supposedly it was designed big enough for a bench. But after accounting for where the plumbing runs can go, and where the door is, etc, the bench can't go where we wanted it. The builder&architect suggested that the freestanding whirlpool tub would work well in our design and look terrific. But I guess somebody neglected to research where the pumps and stuff go for those things. If it's just a regular old tub, I doubt we'd have reason to use it. And to eliminate the tub leaves a big empty area.
The two vanities down to one is in the kids bath. We went from having 60" of space for a double vanity down to 56.5. Not sure if that's still big enough for two sinks. It probably means custom cabinets instead of stock. The kids can probably still live with sharing a sink, it's what they're used to anyways.
It's a custom build, but what I realize is we're guilty of not specifying enough line items up front. We interviewed 4 builders, and asked each for their recommendations / expectations for the type/size of home we're building in the area we're building. All very experienced people. We had some of the details of what we wanted, but not others. Those others are where the issues are. So we signed our contract under the expectation that there'd be $xxx allowances for each area to keep things in our budget. We can shop anywhere we want, but if it goes over the budget we'd set that's out-of-pocket.
harringk:We're not quite as extreme as Texas-Colorado, but still get the distance inconvenience. We're building about 30 mins from where we currently live in the next state over. But we both work 30-45 mins in the opposite direction. To head to the site during or after work means easily a 90 min ride, and that's if traffic is good. And it's a rural area, so most of the suppliers we need to visit are 15-25 mins beyond that.
I just keep reminding myself that we're going to end up with something great regardless. What gets me the most I suppose is the need to redo our designs. Put so much time & effort into planning it one way, only to have to throw it all away.
But reading this site for so long, I shouldn't be surprised. ;)
I cannot seem to be able to post more than one picture using this format... but here is a pic of the front door. MFatt... my girlfriends and I went out there in the pitch dark last Monday and drank a bottle of Malbec in the unfinished kitchen using flashlights and a kerosene lamp. Glad we didn't get arrested:)
The carpenter has a 2x4 across the back of this door to stop intruders but I have a key to another door that I used to get in. I was messing with him the other day and saying that I noticed somebody had a wine party... and he said, "yeh... y'all!" He then said he hoped we left a full bottle behind next time. Wine helps.
oicu812- I had a Dacor popup downdraft that did not work well. Previously, I had a Jenn Aire that worked better but I swore I'd never do another one as my smoke alarms went off constantly in the old house.
I want to encourage you to push back on some of these things that are getting cut. We had to push to get the ac guy to respect the symmetry of the Jack and Jill bathroom upstairs. He wanted me to take out the vanity so he could run ductwork. I said no, and as it turned out... there was another way to do it. We had a problem with our whirlpool too... the access to the pump is awkward. We will be using a magnetic tile panel device to access the pump invisibly from the shower side. There are smaller sinks for a short vanity OR a trough sink with two faucets would work in that space. I love that look but had no place for it in this house. One thing I have learned from all this is that there is always another way to do something, and we have had to push and scratch our way through in a lot of cases. A lot like childbirth. Best wishes.
This post was edited by musicgal on Sun, May 4, 14 at 15:29
Harringk, are you going to be retiring or changing jobs when the build is done? That's going to be a long commute.
Oicu, I agree that a redesign might be in order. Maybe you can get rid of the tub and have room for an amazing shower, which you'd use more anyway? I'm not a fan of double sinks, personally. I think they add an "ooh" to look at, but don't really add much functionality. How often do your kids do something that requires a sink, simultaneously? Or you and your husband? I use the sink to wash my hands after using the toilet, and for brushing my teeth. DH isn't in the room after I've used the toilet. And sharing to brush teeth isn't an issue. He also uses it to shave, but when he does that, I'm either sleeping, or doing my hair. I prefer an open counter area to do my hair at. More room to put down the tools and products. Losing a sink and a tub should get you some significant budget savings.
I'm doing some home reno stuff at the old house today. 10 years ago. I put down peel and stick tiles over the pink vinyl flooring in the "kids" bath. They are now discolored and sliding out of place. So I've got a remnant of a nicer vinyl flooring to replace that with. I also need to paint the room. All to make it easier to sell this house next year when our built is done.
Oh Oicu, I feel for you.
I agree with musicgal, push back a bit and find out what they're willing to come up with solutions for. It seems unreasonable to me that both your builder and architect would suggest something as a good idea and then just say Oops, it won't fit.
As far as downdraft, I had a Jennaire in the 1990's, installed in a 1903 house and it was the ONLY option for ventilation in that kitchen. I almost never used it, (the hood, I used the kitchen and stove a lot). The vent was noisy and pretty ineffective as a means of eliminating grease and smoke.
The house we built in 2003 I put in a Dacor gas cooktop in my island, so had the downdraft option. The draft was so strong that it pulled the gas flame from every burner toward the vent, really distorting the flame, so again, I almost never used it. If I had electric or induction it wouldn't have been an issue with pulling the flame, and in a way it was a lot more effective in removing grease and steam than the Jennair. So, I'd recommend that option with real reservations. It was noisy on full, and ineffective on less than full.
The other question is, how do you cook? Do you do a lot where really effective venting is necessary? If you do, then it's really important to solve this issue. If you don't do a lot where you're generating a lot of odor, grease and steam maybe keeping your existing layout is more important than optimum ventilation?
Did you post your plans here at some point?
As discouraging as it is to have to go back to the drawing board for these two rooms, do you think you'll be able to achieve what you want if you do? ((HUGS))
You're right, at some point all this will be behind you and you will have a wonderful house.
Musicgal, love your front door.
carsonheim... yep, sometimes we just do crazy things:)
mlweaving... thank you- that is the "blossom" door from Door Clearance Center in Houston. There is a guy working on some other wrought iron pieces for us to go with it.
Oicu... captured a picture of a trough sink. You can see how it would give your kids simultaneous access with one drain. This one happens to be the right size too... about 39 1/2 wide. Gives you drawer banks on either side and a strip of counter on either side. I'm sure there are smaller ones too.
(edit)... just found a dual sink countertop called braviken on the Ikea site for $300. It is beautiful and 55 1/8 inches.
This post was edited by musicgal on Sun, May 4, 14 at 20:38
Quick skim again, busy weekend...will have to come back and check it all out thoroughly.
mfatt-the pics look great for what they are - primed! :)
trough sinks - I wanted to get one for my boys bath but for a deeper one (to limit splashes that I thought we'd surely have) they were out of budget. I think they are very cool and functional!
jdez-awesome! Keep on keeping on girl!
Okay so 12 hour day painting on Saturday and I FINISHED! YAY!! Happy dance? You betcha! I still have touch up of course but the big beastly job of painting the whole house is off my back. Woohoo! Bring on the carpet!
Here is the stairwell (I did get DH to cut in the really high part as I was terrified of the ladder set up and of course he tried to use cup pulls as a bargaining chip but they are non-negotiable, haha):
The kids little nook space - painted Stuart Gold to match our school colors. I will decorate it with some school stuff and that will tone it down, lol:
Gotta get ready for work. Happy Monday peeps!
MFatt - Your exterior looks good. I love how the board and batten turned out, it looks awesome.
Caben - It's been a while since you've posted. The windows are pretty and it looks like you have a good view. Good progress.
Oic - I feel your pain. There is nothing I hate worse than having to change something that I had a solid vision of in my head. There are so many "I don't knows", when you do know what you want, it ticks you off when you are told it won't work. I can tell you from experience, don't sweat it. Lay your plans out on the table and have everybody gather around and start throwing out ideas. Somebody will come up with something great and it will all work out.
Carson - The above post to Oicu812 also applies to you with your wallpaper. You'll find something better. Hang in there.
Harringk - Beautiful view!!! Before DS came along, we vacationed in that area often, in Ouray and Silverton. We love it there. I can't stand the thought of my 7 year old clutz anywhere near a rocky cliff or we would go back.
Homer - Good job on the cubbies!
Musicgal - Beautiful door and stone/brick work on your house. I like the little round windows.
Illinigirl - Your stain is pretty but they way your painters are so messy with it would drive me crazy. I am weird.
Autumn4 - All of your painting looks really nice and it must feel so gratifying to finally be done with it. At least now you can move on to another phase. Good job again!!!
So, here is what is what is supposed to happen this week..(notice I said "supposed to")...All facia board, soffits and exterior trim measured and cut today and installed tomorrow. Exterior siding, where there will be no brick, will be installed some time this week. Metal for the roof delivered, not planning to install until next week. Staining of exterior trim and siding (afternoons and this weekend) by DH and me. Two more septic bids are lined up this week and I will stop by the cabinet maker's shop on Friday to check on progress there. We didn't completely finish insulation. We did not cover up any plumbing because the lines haven't been pressurized and tested yet and water + insulation = wasted money and huge mess. So we are also waiting to hear back from the plumbers to see when they are coming out to do that so we can finish the wall insulation. I'll be glad to finish that. It is not a hard job at all. It is just an uncomfortable job. I hate that stupid little mask that kept fogging up those stupid safety glasses. I really like the hammer tacker though. It is my new favorite tool. :)
Jdez - I love, love, love that recycled concrete/glass countertop! We looked at some of those after seeing one on HGTV. If I had an unlimited budget I would've been torn between the glass and a quartz countertop. Alas, we are settling for a laminate called "butterrum granite," which we affectionately call "faux granite" or "least offensive (of the patterns available)" ha ha!
Also, I feel you on the lack of updates. We have our sad and lonely foundation just sitting there. Our county made our builder completely re-do the entire permit process as if they were just starting out with a new house, all for a change from a 2 to a 3 piece rough in bathroom in the basement! Stupid. BUT we finally have the go-ahead and the slab should be poured this week, with the framing to begin next week. Fingers crossed your "supposed to" comes through…
robynstamps - I'm probably too late but I love love the darker shade with the Pewter color. What a fun shade :)
schicksal - Good luck with the vine removal! But be careful when you get to pulling them out… I've learned the hard way that poison ivy and honeysuckle are BFFs.
musicgal - I enjoyed your wine party story :) Gives me some good ideas…
Hi guys! First of all great photos everyone.
Musicgal - I love the stone brickwork combo and I love the front door. At first glance I thought they were durango doors, which I covet. All ready to use in the "Durango House" and found out they were not practical or inexpensive to use it that area. Go figure?
Oicu - your commuting is so more difficult than mine. I'm either there or not, but you have to drive a long way every time and because it's relatively close, it's tempting to go often. OTOH, I have to be content that I don't see it as often as I would like. Also, I feel your pain on changing designs and now after you have already signed the contract. You just want to scream, but I think musicgal has a better option - drink wine!
Amberm - Yes and no. It began as an empty nest project looking towards retirement. We thought that we would be bored after our son, the youngest, went off to college, but with 2 weddings and a funeral in the past 2 years, our life has been anything but. We are looking towards retirement/job change in 2015, but we will keep our primary residence in Houston as it is closer to kids and future employment. Also a nice contrast to durango
Caben - Beautiful and it looks like you might have a view!
Autumn4 - What a great painter you are! Look like a pro - maybe you are :)
Love the trough sink. I had looked at that originally but decided that we really didn't need to have it in the guest rooms as the added expense of the extra faucet, but looking at the picture again makes me want to revisit that thought.
Hope to have more photos soon. Happy Building!
We are getting so close to being done, I can almost savor it!! Moving in less than 2 weeks!!!
All cabinets were repainted and now match the trim! So happy!!!
Appliances were installed today. Lots of touch up and finish work left for painters, plumbers and carpenters this week, along with closet installations and driveway pouring. Next week is carpet install, cleaning, punch list and MOVE IN DAY!!!!!
DH and I were super busy over the weekend on projects for the new house (assembled and installed IKEA cabs in pantry) and packing up old house. So exhausted!! I feel for those of you who are DIYing so many parts of the build.
Can barely keep up with everyone's progress, but I love seeing all the pics, so keep them coming!
Great Room fireplace with stone:
Powder bath (plastic drain to be replaced with chrome!):
IKEA cabs and butcher block counter in pantry--still need to add upper shelves (door is on straight, it just isn't closed all the way :)):
Deck railing installed (large posts will have copper caps):
Backsplash grouted and pot filler installed:
Total mess and kinda blurry, but here is latest pic of kitchen with speed oven and dishwasher in place:
Mommytoty, looks gorgeous!!! I love the ikea cabs and butcher block in pantry idea. Talk to me about the pot filler....I've heard they're expensive?
Autumn....congrats on the painting....it looks fabulous!
Nothing new to report here....waiting for revised drawings from architect.
LBC - Glad you finally got the go ahead to get under way. Now maybe we'll start seeing some pictures from you.
Mommytoty - Everything is looking beautiful. Hope it's smooth sailing in the closing days of your build.
So, I realized that we have three baseball games this week and I took a few minutes to check on the cabinet progress today. It turns out that they are almost completed. The doors have not been fully aligned yet and the drawers and false drawer fronts for the sink bases haven't been put in yet. They are beautiful. We asked for knotty alder and that is what we got. I love the knots. My cabinet man offered to fill them with putty but no way. I love them the way they are. I snapped a few pics with my phone.
This one will be DS's bathroom vanity.
In this picture, the one in the bottom middle is the kitchen sink base and the two on top of it are laundry room cabinets, the others are...??
I'm not sure where the rest of these go, I forgot.
mommytoty- loving the marble backsplash and the pot filler mosaic. Had just come to the conclusion to do something with similar materials in a herringbone for ours. Just lovely.
JDez- Yay for Knotty Alder. We are using it too. Loving the way the cab doors latch on to the bases.
Hey Everyone! Nice progress!!
mommytoty - I LOVE your pictures. I feel your excitement! Gives me something to look forward to!
JDez - We are doing Alder on some of our cabinets, too. Yours look awesome!
Okay, so after much "rational" thought, I decided to play it safe with my cabinet colors. I am going with White Dove in my laundry room. I think that it will be easier to change out the wall paint over the years instead of the cabinet colors. I also changed the color of my island from BM Steel Wool to BM Normandy. I honestly was looking for a Blue/Gray from the beginning.. I think I will be much happier with a brighter color in my kitchen. Here is the color sample. :)
I didn't see any progress today on my house but I did see people there working in the back of the house and down the street. I think they are working on my sewage line. They are supposed to finish up the 2nd story this week and start working on the roof trusses. I'll be honest, I'm getting a little impatient. I am going to see if I can go two whole days without checking out the house through my online camera. Then I will be more surprised at the progress!! Sounds like a plan!!
Only 3 weeks and 2 days until we move out there! Then I can stalk my house in person. :)
Well, here's an update I haven't ever seen on GW. The cabinet shop finished our cabinetry on Friday. As they were leaving the building, someone notice the electrical panel was oozing like lava. They BOLTED and moments later the shop was in flames! Thanks goodness they were on their way out. Sprinklers kicked in so anything not burned was destroyed by water. Needless to say, no cabs for a while yet;)
Ellandandco - Really sorry about your cabinet company. Glad everybody made it out ok. Sorry about your cabinets too. The wait will add a lot of stress but just hang tight and it will all work out.
Robyn - I love the Normandy color here. It didn't look like that in the store but our BM store has lighting about as good as a CSI episode. I might have to take another look at that paint chip the next time I go in there. Good luck on the delayed camera check plan. :)
This post was edited by JDez on Mon, May 5, 14 at 23:08
Where did you get the stone for your fireplace? Was it hard to get the mantel flush so that looking from the inside you don't see any gaps? (Hope that makes sense).
Can you also point me in the right direction for where I can find your Ikea shelving and counter in your pantry. I'm not seeing it on their website. What was the aprox cost to put it in?
Thanks, Your house is looking amazing! I'm super excited for you.
Gosh, everyone's photos are just gorgeous! I'm drooling. We build some beautiful homes on GW. :)
We're moving in Memorial Day weekend (on schedule to my surprise), but there will still be some exterior work that needs to be finished after we're in. That's ok. At least I can begin to get settled inside. It will be a huge relief to have our driveway poured later this week.
We chose the Braviken trough sink from Ikea for our bunk room bathroom. I unfortunately don't have a photo to share, but we replicated this look:
WE went through the same process with our laundry room. Going in I thought it was the perfect space to do something fun and different. After selecting all the tile and not wanting to choose different tile just for the laundry room compared to the rest of the 'mud room' area, I decided it was just easier to do the cabinets the same as everything else- White Dove. My designer said a lot of people end up sticking with the whites for the cabinets after considering other colors for laundry, lockers or powder room cabinets. It just works. (although I did get a story of one woman who insisted on highlighter pink cabinets in her laundry- whoa.;)
It's easy enough to spruce up the space with a fun/different paint color or countertop choice. It sounds like you have a nice big laundry room to work with.
Jujubean, beautiful sink- love the inspiration photo.
I have to have my paint colors ordered by Thursday. I think we are going to bite the bullet and go for the BM Aura paint. We have it in many rooms in our current house and it has held up so well to wiping up after our 3 boys. It's a chunk of change, but still cheaper than having to repaint in 2-3 years because of lack of durability and wiping paint off the walls when scrubbing scuffs and handprints. So I better really like my colors! The 5 gallon buckets of White Dove are sitting in the house waiting for use. Can't wait to start seeing that. The clear lacquer was put on the stained items that I photographed in an earlier post. I'm liking the stain even better after the lacquer.
mommytoty, your pictures are gorgeous! Love your stove hood, love your fireplace wall, love it all. And love that you'll be in soon.
Jujubean, congratulations! We've been pushed out another month, so I don't expect we'll be in until June 30. ;-(
JDez, your cabinets are looking great. Must be exciting to watch them be built.
Ellenandco, I think you're right, never seen that scenario before on GW. I'm so sorry for your delay. OTOH, I'm so glad everyone got out. I've never heard of an electrical panel oozing, that's scary. Hopefully another shop will be able to step in and fill the orders your cabinet shop had in the works while they get rebuilt.
Robyn, have you seen my island cabinet and my living room built-in's? They're a SW color - Smoky Blue, but on my monitor look exactly like your paint chip. I love it in place with the white on the perimeter. I bet you'll love it when they get it built. What are you doing for counters?
I too went white in laundry.
Another white for the laundry room, white W/D, white freezer. The walls are a bright yellow and pop against the white and dark charcoal floor tile. The counter is also a dark color laminate. I smile every time I walk in that room. I also used it in my pantry. It is an unexpected pop of color in a house that has a variety of gray walls.
Michelle--Yes, potfillers are often more expensive than the main kitchen faucet, but the one I got is quite reasonable. It is the Delta Cassidy. Haven't used it yet, so can't comment on quality, but I like how it looks! :)
Homeblessings--The stone on the fireplace is a stacked stone veneer in Snow White, not sure what brand though. On the mantel, the right side is totally flush but there is a bit of a gap on the left side. Fortunately, the right side is the more visible side, but we will need to address the small gap on the left. The IKEA cabs are the AKURUM base cabinet boxes, including one corner unit and two side units. They have a selection of door stiles. I wanted open cabs for the pantry, but got the door for the corner unit to give it a more finished look. The cabinet boxes were really inexpensive (corner unit was the most expensive at $66), but the doors do add up (the corner unit door was $120). The cost for all the cabinetry including boxes, legs, 1 door, 2 wire baskets, and 6 shelves that have yet to be installed (to make 3 corner shelves) came to about $600, plus $99 deliver fee. The butcher block counters were a couple hundred. Hope that helps!
Juju--So excited for your Memorial Day move in date!! Love that trough sink look too!!
Appliances and some of my remaining lighting is in!!
Our garbage can is like a 96 gallon can on 2 wheels. We wheel it to the curb on garbage nights. The ramp allows us to easily move it down the ledge of the garage. So we'll keep it close to the door (in the winter/cold months) and wheel it down on trash night. That's all. The ramp is mainly a factor the elevated ledge across the back (back being closest to the house) part of our garage.
Jujubean-such a great look for a guest bath. Accessible to little ones and clean and simple.
mlweaving-nice glass pattern in your upper cabs.
I was reminded today about how aging affects the way we get around. We celebrated Mother's Day tday with my mom who is 83. She is thinking about a scooter now, and fortunately she will be able to negotiate our new house pretty well on one, since we have a guest room downstairs. I regret not making some of the doors wider already, but.... c'est la vie.
We went up to the build site this morning to talk to the tile guy who did not show up- but we got to see this! The entertainment center is in, sans cab fronts and trim. The mother-of-all mounting arms gets mounted to the wall to float the television my husband has dreamed of.
Trim carpenter is within one day of being finished! Today he built my mantel and FP wall trim. Fits my vision exactly. Love this guy.
The wires you see are for the outlets in the mantel.
RHD, our floors are Hickory, at this point unstained and unfinished.
After the painters are out in two weeks I expect they'll come in to sand, stain and finish the floors.
This post was edited by mlweaving_Marji on Tue, May 6, 14 at 18:21
My text keeps double posting. Sorry. Anyway, illini- your garage ramp is another good example of a simple way to make life easier for many years. Good for your garbage rollouts and accessible for someone with a walker or dolly full of heavy boxes.
This post was edited by musicgal on Tue, May 6, 14 at 18:52
oh my gosh - our build mantra's have changed and they are getting scary as we near the end:
In the beginning - "we are closer than we have ever been" (can't go wrong with that one as no matter what it's true)
As we were in the midst of major DIY, "it looks pretty darn good". That is now how we are judging our projects-if it looks "pretty darn good" it passes inspection, perfection just is too much to ask right anymore.
And now that we are so close and exhausted - "just throw money at it and make it GO AWAY", lol! Eeek. All of a sudden this and that isn't too expensive. I guess we are in the we have more money than time spot right now. I do not want to live in this rental and pay one more months rent, period. End.of.story!
I am 'resting'. I swear I can't even squeeze the toothpaste with my thumb my hands hurt so bad from holding a brush. My thumbs are calloused. :( I think we are kind of down to the punch list although we own the list so ya know, it is what it is. DH set the cabinets that flank the fireplace. I need to stain our mudroom benches and crown - which needs to be cut and sanded yet. Granite to be templated on Thursday. Carpet the 14th, appliances the 19th (I am *sure* I will need to bump this out). We are waiting on the plumber, of course he is super busy when we are ready. More excavating on Monday next week, shower door to go in. Ummm, I am sure there is more. Still choosing cabinet pulls. No time to shop. Oh light fixtures - dh is working on hanging them but so far just the boys closets and that is not something exciting to photograph.
Thanks for all of your kind comments on my painting, I am just so relieved it is finished! I haven't been back to the house since Saturday between work and baseball no time.
jujubean-I hope we are in by the end of May too. We need our driveway approach poured also but more dirt is needed first. Not sure when we can get that part done.
jdez-I love your cabs, I'd not fill those knots either. :) How is insulating going?
mommytoty-sigh, it looks awesome! You have got to be so antsy to get in there! Keep the pics coming. :)
musicgal-a beautiful day indeed, look how calm that water is. :) Your entertainment wall looks great. My dh would probably love a tv that size too.
mlweaving-looks good. Any more updates on your counters or should I not ask?
illini-your ramp is genius. Were you able to skim off some of the shelving you had planned? Where did you end up cutting? Your pantry is going to be great.
robyn-2 days? Really? You think you can do it? Have you succeeded? I know there is no way I could not look at the camera if I had one! I am very curious to know if you made it! :D
Wishing you all great progress this week.
Are you by chance building the Calabash Cottage by William Poole? It looks very similar to the house we will be starting in August. LOVE the choices you are making and would love to see more interior and exterior pictures if you would be willing to share. Looking forward to more of your posts!!!
mlweaving - Your house is starting to look like a beautiful home!! LOVE the blue you chose. Yes, it does look really close to the Normandy we are using.
musicgal - WOW! Love it all! Keep sharing your pics!
Autumn - Your poor fingers! It will be over soon, right? Just hang in there! Nope, I didn't make it two days! LOL!!
mommy - Just GORGEOUS!!
zoe - Congratulations!!! That is so exciting!
Okay, update...... Nope. I couldn't even last one day without checking our online camera of our build. For those that don't know, we are building 3 states away but will be moving there in just 3 weeks. YAY!!! It will be so much easier to be in the same city or even state as my build. Having to finalize a stain for some of the cabinets is almost impossible without seeing it in person. My cabinet guy is going to send me over a couple of samples. I need to make those decisions soon.
Nothing much was happening today over at my build until about 3 pm when our trusses showed up!!! OH THE JOY!!!! So excited about that!!! Here is a quick pic.
Robyn- trusses! That is an exciting day!
mlweaving and musicgal- you both have such lovely details! It really makes the home.
autumn- ha! the shelves. yes, I did cut some, and also the trim lead 'helped me out' a bit. some of it was just reconfiguring (for example regardless of the length of the shelf it counts as one shelf, so instead of having two sets of shelves on opposite sides of the closet I could reconfigure to one longer set of shelves on the back wall with a divider running down the middle and that cuts the number magically in half)
You are getting really close now! Looking great.
Lisa, a variation of your mantra is one that is also employed by husbands around gift giving time - Christmas and birthdays most notably. The closer it gets to deadline the more $ they're willing to throw at the dilemma to just get it done! It's all looking really good. I'm so excited for you that you'll be in this month.
Robyn, I didn't think you'd be able to stay away. Aren't you excited that you got to see the trusses being delivered. As an aside, we didn't have any trusses. Our house was constructed on site using a roof ridge pole. I'm pretty sure Jujubean's was too.
Musicgal, I really like your casing/trim. It's going to be a beautiful house.
Thanks all on the comments. Paint starts next week, then I expect to see another big transition. Amberm, the living room built-ins are the same smoky blue. It's the light. We only still have natural light in the house, and it's nearly impossible for me to get pics in the LR where those built-in's aren't in a big shadow. OTOH I think the blue is a bit darker than the island pic makes it look. Whatever, I love the color.
Good luck Zoe on the permits. It took us absolutely forever! We broke ground 6 weeks later than we thought, waiting on permits! And we're in a platted development.
Herewegoagain, I just googled the Calabash cottage plan and looked at it. In some ways it is remarkably similar to our plan. Our plan was drawn for us for this lot, so it's unique. We are building in the low country in South Carolina, and the plan is typical Low Country .
Similarities are obvious, the differences are - The Calabash is a 4 bdrm, 3.5 bath home, we're building a 3 bdrm, 2.5 bath home. Our master bdrm suite takes up the whole left side of the house, our porch wraps all the way around with a screened porch living area on the back corner, and we have 3 dormers across the front with a front load garage. We wanted a side load but simply couldn't swing it.
Our back porch, which has since been screened in
An early picture of our front elevation
Robyn - I'm excited for you to see your trusses going up. Like Marji, we didn't have those delivered. Our roof was built on site as is the usual practice around here.
Mlw marji - I thought of you this morning on my way to work when I saw a gator on the side of the highway. It made me wonder how your neighborhood was adjusting to having lost their friend.
The rest of my week has been mapped out already with no time to work on anything at the new house. Boooo. We also figured out (amidst our insulating) that we need to go buy some coax and run cable for satellite tv before we close up the walls. So, I'm supposed to go buy all of that stuff at some point. I wish I had another me to send on errands while I'm busy.
Autumn--Your mantra is alive in our house too. We got an email from builder today saying the cutout for our rectangular wet bar sink was done wrong--should have been long side from front to back but instead is long side from left to right. Brand name of sink will now be on the side instead of in the back. They offered to replace butcher block counter and re-cut or get a bigger sink so that they can adjust opening size. Even though they offered to do this at no cost to us, both alternatives require energy we just don't have at this stage in the build. DH said "They have worn me down, honey. Only so many things you can get mad at. So, let's just live with it the way it is." I said that's fine, so long as every time you go to use that sink you are not cursing under your breath! ;-)
mlweaving and muscigal--Beautiful interiors and exteriors!
robyn--Trusses are very exciting! Coming along quickly!
garage doors! yay! The windows are up top and the others are down around the house sort of hidden, for my husband's fishing boat and other storage. Anyone think they will look good with body color Revere Pewter and a dark coolish brown trim (Terratone)? My door will be natural wood color, light-ish stain? Otherwise we need to paint.
I rarely post since it is difficult to do from work, but follow this thread religiously. Our build is in a suburb of Seattle on 5.5 acres and we're almost done! Drywall and Paint now complete, kitchen cabinet install starts this weekend. We're on the home stretch!
Still need to select a color for our gables. Body color is SW Tiki Hut, Trim is SW Sanderling, Fascia is a custom color match to the Amarr Garage Door Brown. We're finally getting to the fun stuff.
Hey Everyone!
I am SO sorry that I have been MIA for several weeks. We had some stress and then more stress and more drama. It is finally all coming together!
Going to try to share a few pictures!
MLWeaving - Your house is looking gorgeous!
JDez - Moving along!
MaggiePie - WOW! What a lovely home!!
To everyone else, you guys are all moving along and there are too many gorgeous homes to keep up with!
Hilltop - your house is gorgeous. I'm most jealous of that perfect yard with green grass. We have dried mud with weeds. More pictures plz.
EDIT: Over there to the right of the screen, the girl's face in the compost ad is really bugging me. It's just creepy.
This post was edited by JDez on Thu, May 8, 14 at 8:01
Upon, so nice to see you post. I knew you were done, thought you might be in already. Aren't you glad you did the arches? I love your kitchen pendants, Love that buffet wall (for lack of a better term, I'm sure there is a correct word). Would love to see more of the kitchen, more of the rest of the house. What are your floors? I think that's the color I'm going for.
JDez, I agree. I certainly hope we don't have that ad to look at for the next 3 months, which seems to be the ad longevity around here.
So I just scored big on some fixtures. Ferguson's closed their showroom here about a month ago. Their contractors window is still open, but to look at the stuff in the showroom we now need to drive about 30 minutes to the one in Bluffton. Anyway, they had a one day sale to sell off showroom sample stuff. No advertising, no word of mouth, just a few hand written signs placed on the curbside at the edges of some roads. There are so many political signs I totally missed their one-day-only sign, but my mom saw it.
I picked up the outdoor light fixture for the back door that we spec'd for our house for $136 - I bought it yesterday for $45.
I got a Currey and Co. silver leaf chandy for my bfst room - for $75!!! It's not the one I want - which sells for $1400. But it's close enough for now. Now I can give my son the dragonfly fixture that he really wants and I get mostly the look I want in my room.
(this is the one that I wanted - still want actually.
I picked up this mirror for the foyer wall - for $68. And another mirror by Capital Mirror for the powder room.
It's all stuff we were going to buy anyway. And it's saved me $$$.
uponthehilltop - beautiful! Hopefully the stress is thinning.
mlweaving_Marji - nothing better than a great deal and a sharp mom!
NWHobart - love those doors.
Not much to update on my side, but I can say we are getting much more efficient with our chainsaw. A few more trees down last night, I can't believe there's only another 5 or so to go before we can start moving ground for the barn. Too bad the other 5 are much bigger than any others we have done.
We are browsing barns on Saturday morning to really get a feel for the size and style we want. I can't wait!
Today is off to a scary start. I sent a note to the cabinet guy about swinging by sometime today with a couple of flooring samples to see which one goes best. The reply was, that our kitchen is the last project they're taking and are closing up the shop today actually. The cabinets are done and he offered to bring a door by and drop it off but the remainder are going to be safe and sound until after floors are finished.
The pantry doors are not done / not started. They were intended to match the cabinet veneer and for those I have NO clue how to proceed. I could call around to see if another cabinet place could do it but I expect that the cost would be much higher since by itself the three doors + sliding track are a much smaller job, assuming it would come out matching anyway. The alternative is to go with opaque glass doors but I have no clue from where.
No meltdown here; I just get really, REALLY frustrated. T&P for my coworkers today.
This post was edited by schicksal on Fri, May 9, 14 at 10:00
Almost exactly two years since first posting here...
Excavation started yesterday and should be completed today! Footings start on Monday!
Big mcHuge thanks to SummerfieldDesigns whose ideas were almost entirely incorporated into our final plans!
Here is a link that might be useful: First post!
Upon, The house looks great. Congratulations on finishing.
Autumn, You have done an amazing paint job. All the hard work you put in really shows. When are counters going in? You must be getting anxious to finish and move in.
Enjoying the new job?
Mlweaving, Great finds on the lights. Can't wait to see them in your house.
To everyone else who is just starting or mid way through keep going. All your houses are looking great.
On my front have been reading the thread at night but have not had much to contribute so just following along silently. We hope to have basic landscaping done in the next week or so and then I will post pictures of the almost completed house. I have been so busy that I have actually not take one picture after we moved in or unpacked. We have our first party in the House on May 17th with about 40ish people so better get the house ready before then :)
Edited to correct typo's
This post was edited by akshars_mom on Fri, May 9, 14 at 13:39
shicksal- that whole situation must be stressful, but the glass is a great option.
ZGAnderson- congrats on the ground clearing. The planning stage does seem to go on forever, like the summer lines at a theme park.
On the todo list today for me- call my 2 granite fabricator runners up and pick the winner. Make sure the painters are cutting in upstairs with the correct color- they weren't the other day when I stopped by. Tomorrow we take a day trip to Louisiana to buy airstone for our entertainment center surround. Lowes in Texas doesn't have the color we want, and they won't ship the product directly to us or interstore. Wanted to show y'all a picture of the bits and pieces of fluff I have been stashing in my rental "living room". Fans, lights, faucets... oh, and that big box is an Orion telescope... my Mother's Day present. Moving can't come soon enough.
schicksal-uh oh. If that doesn't feel like a kick in the stomach. For the pantry doors - is it JUST the doors, as in the boxes are finished? I know there are a couple places around here that only handle doors and not boxes so maybe you might have some luck with that around you? Feel for you. :(
robyn-woweewow girl! That is a beautiful picture, both house and landscape. That would be a great motivator for moving.
ZG-long time coming! I hope you are refreshed for the start and ready to kick it in gear.
akshars-howdy! Missing you. :) So the 17th for a party. That is not far away! I bet you are so ready for landscaping too. Job is good, it really is and I think I am going to love the work...adjusting to full time, well that is another animal all together. I took today off for Track and Field day for my 5th grader and it was rained out - rescheduled for next Friday. Well I can't keep taking days off especially being new and I haven't worked Friday's in YEARS so I am super bummed. I have been anticipating this day for a long time (I know probably silly but it's like the last hoorah before middle school you know and he is my oldest). Thankfully dh will be able to go but that is little consolation since I was so looking forward to it. Counter go in NEXT WEEK! Woohoo, so excited. I'll post a bit more about it below.
carson and marjorie-I think I should hire you to be my personal shoppers! ;)
Okay so templating finished yesterday. I went to the fabricators early this morning (before track and field was to start) to look at my slab and my sink and determine what portion of the stone I wanted. So happy to see my slab there with my name on it and my sink. Love my sink! We used this fabricator before in our last kitchen but with uba tuba so no need to determine what piece of stone you wanted since it has no variation really. It was cool to picture it when he held the template up and moved it around. :) :) :) However, I have no pics. The lighting in there isn't great and I was still in a hurry even though I was there by 7:15. He hopes to install by Wed-Fri next week. Woohoo!
Timeline for the next few days:
Sat-Mon: Plumber (YES)
Mon: Excavator (we need cement work yet but this has to be done first)
Tues: Shower door install
Wed: Carpet/Screen porch guy
Wed/Fri: Kitchen Counters
Mon: Appliances (maybe I won't have to reschedule them afterall)
We still aren't ready to call for final inspection though and the holiday is coming up so I'm not sure if we will have our permit by the end of the month but I am crossing fingers we WILL!
Getting down to the last things Autumn! Yay! Glad your job is going well. I hear you on the last hurrah- they just grow up so fast!
Things are now in the phase where it doesn't change much day to day. Lots of prep for the painting. Some of the priming started today and I'll show those because it gives a sense of the 'white' kitchen which is kinda cool.
custom utensil drawer inserts:
laundry (cubbies for baskets on the right)
drop zone (that's right outside the kitchen, across from the lockers- you can see the door opening to the kitchen there, and the stairs to the lower level on the left)
powder room- that's a bench with a drawer for storage on the bottom right there
illini-yippee! It still is a very exciting stage even though it *seems* like not much is changing. Thanks for posting pics. :) Love your hood. Yeah, ds got all teary when he realized I can't go this coming Friday. Huge pangs of guilt. Ugh. I might have to try to work something out but I feel way too new to just take days off like that. Argh.
Totally understand the guilt and feeling sad about missing out on the track and field day (or any kids activities). That is one thing I hate about having to work full time. Hope you can some how attend at least part of it. May be go in late or leave early depending on when the event is. Being present even for part of it may make your and DS feel better.
Can't to see your counter tops installed. You are almost there.
illinigirl, You kitchen is going to look great. I wish we had a mud room with all the storage and cubbies.
Autumn, the pantry is built more similarly to a closet. It's about 9' wide and a little under 3' deep, on a wall with no other cabinetry. This is the concept.
The agreed upon plan was to have three doors on a track like this one, each built up with the same walnut veneer the cabinets have with 5 horizontal windows per door with white opaque glass. When we talked yesterday he said he could get me in touch with the company that basically absorbed a large part of his tools and a couple of people. There was apparently a sort of understanding that at this point we were late in the project (kitchen cabinets done / doors not yet started). Of course they're under no responsibility to honor any prior agreements that I had and the schedule went from 2 weeks from now to ??? so I'm exploring glass again as a backup plan.
I'm sure to the acquiring company my business is quite small but I will be in the market for two full / one half bath, an entertainment center (more furniture than built in), and whatever we decide to go with in the office over the next two years. Hopefully something will work out.
Our more immediate issue is that we're having a REALLY hard time picking a finish for the flooring. This sample is the best of the three and is so close, but in person it appears almost with a slight green hue in the pieces towards the bottom. I'd like something that retains the tan a bit better but lightens it up, and think that we can achieve that because he uses a lot of Loba products and the shade we want is on the background image on their website. This is the sample with the panel from our cabinets that hides the vent hood. Close...
This post was edited by schicksal on Sat, May 10, 14 at 7:00
Schicksal-oh boy. Now that is a horse of a different color. :(. Hopefully the new company will want to honor your business no matter how small. That is so very close. That would be a tough task as well.
Cason oh carsonheim where are you? Do you want a jumping buddy? I just noticed today that one of my uppers, just one (of 5) has a center stile so the doors don't align like the rest. Speechless. Frustrated. Wanna give up! Crown already installed. What the HECK!!! It's a 32" cabinet. What in the world. It loses much of its flexibility for me. Dh thinks - well get doors that butt up and no big deal. I don't know what to do!!!! Grumpy the rest of the day. I know I know it's not a big deal in the scheme of life but I want to MOVE ON!!! Planned on bakeware there. Bowls will fit but not casserole dishes, etc.
In my defense on not noticing right away, it's the only upper on that wall, the rest are around a corner so they aren't sitting side by side. I will take a pic when I go back out. I am mostly bummed about the loss of flexibility. Argh!
Another miss. Tried to stain the benches in the mudroom and they did NOT take stain evenly. Fussed with it again today and I surrender. Going to paint them a contrasting color to complement the crown which stained up beautifully. :(. Touched up ceiling. Half bath fixtures set and I love the faucet. So classic and kinda feminine I think. :)
No water to them yet though. I will be back with pics.
edit: typos - blasted i-phone.
I'll just put my pics in here since I am already in the message:
My fav faucet (in the half bath):
Range hood (with stile cabinet in the frame):
The issue of the day.......looking straight on no difference since the only other upper on that wall is not yet in as it sits on the counter top:
Round the corner and they all look like:
And of course I had to bring out a tupperware bowl and throw it in there for perspective:
Thoughts? Am I just entering into another over analysis project fatigue tail spin?
Happy Mother's Day tomorrow to all you Mother's out there. :)
This post was edited by Autumn.4 on Sat, May 10, 14 at 21:26
Autumn4 - if it was MY cabinet in MY forever home, I would get a new one with no center stile. I would first ask for a free one from my KD and if that wouldn't work, I'd just buy a new one and ask for a discount. As far as looks, it is hardly noticeable but you will be sooooo mad every time you try to fit a casserole dish in there on its side and at just the right angle. And there is always room for your "used" cabinet in a storage area somewhere like the basement. The four or five hundred dollars will not make a huge difference in your mortgage. Now, if it costs a lot more than that, then you might have a big decision to make.. Just make it right and be happy. My $.02.
I s'pose you ladies are right. I am already cursing it since I can't just put whatever I want in there no matter what. On a whim. Change it up. Nope, no can do. Who wants some bakeware here and the bigger stuff over here cuz they won't fit in the cabinet??? I am tired though, so tired. I need to email the kd and see what he says. Since they are already installed I am nervous - that and the blasted crown is on. If it weren't for the crown I think no big deal, easy to swap it out. Wonder if we can cut the stile out? DH would be against that 100,000,000% but it would be more functional and we wouldn't have to uninstall and reinstall! I think if we pull the crown off it might ruin it - or for surely put more holes in it!
He was all set to install the UCL there today and I had him stop. I figure ask the question and see what KD says before we do anymore there.
Well Lisa, I'm going to come down on the other side. It's already installed, your crown is in. Really, you have a whole bunch of dishes that you can't fit in there because of a center stile? That's a pretty big tupperware bowl isn't it?
At this point, if I were facing taking out a cabinet, waiting while a new one was made, refitting crown, waiting on painting again, waiting on UCL.... I'd call it good and just know that there was a reason it was installed the way it was. Who knows, maybe that center stile will prevent you from putting something in that cabinet that would someday bring it down on your head.
IDK, I'm at the point though that I'm so ready to be done, something that minor would not cause me to delay finishing.
illinigirl, How wide is your range hood?
Autumn.4, First I'd check the order paperwork and make sure that it was suppose to be butt doors. Secondly, contact the kd and see what they have to say. That is one of the things that bugs me about Shiloh. Nice cabinet, but butt doors are an upgrade that you have to specify.
LOL Marjorie! DH is totally in that camp. It is a mixing bowl size AND the cabs around the corner are deeper, really deep. The thing is I wanted to keep baking stuff in that stile one and keep other misc. things in the others in that corner that would keep the rest of the fam out of my way while I'm cooking and what not. So I'd have to split the stuff up. It's not that it's far away, it's that I wanted to kind of put things in zones? The kid, hubby, coffee pot, toaster, make lunch zone is the corner part by the fridge. I didn't really want to put my casserole dishes there. However, I do also have a lot of drawers and I could potentially put the casserole dishes in there.
I am at that same point. Very same. I am ready to move in, running water or not. I need to be done!
I am going to see what KD suggests and then go from there.
Thanks building buddies. :)
Link to May 2014 Part II
This post was edited by Autumn.4 on Sat, May 10, 14 at 23:28


text:
Broodstock management and induced spawning of flounder Paralichthys orbignyanus (Valenciennes, 1839)under a closed recirculated system
Bambill, G.A.
Oka, M.
Radonic, M.
López, A.V.
Müller, M.I.
Boccanfuso, J.
Bianca, F.
MetadataShow full item record
The present study was conducted to determine the parameters regulating spawning performance of P. orbignyanus wild broodstock. The adaptation to captivity was successfully achieved with minimal stress levels. In three consecutive spawning seasons, the annual photothermal manipulation was not effective for the maturation and natural spawning of females although males were running. Females were HCG injected, releasing non fertilized eggs. Artificial fertilization was carried out after stripping the fish with a total production of 18,000 fertilized eggs in 2001 (egg diameter=800±10 µm), 55,300 in 2002 (egg diameter= 850±12 µm)and 1,635,000 fertilized eggs in 2003 (egg diameter 818.4 ±30.08 µm, oil drop 98.1 ±2.96 µm). For the study of the ovulationtime, females were hand-stripped every 48 h (female 1), 96 h (female 2)and 144 h (female 3), after being induced by hormones. No statistical differences were found for fertilization and hatching rates and SAI. This could be attributed to the small sample sizes, individual variation and/or stripping frequencies. Nevertheless, qualitative differences were evident. Although long-term studies are needed to confirm these observations, 96 h stripping frequency could be considered a good technique to obtain eggs and larvae experimentally. The estimated fecundity by this technique varied from 185,951 to 399,118 total eggs per kg of female

subset: commoncrawl