Interior Details

Last week, N kindly watched the littles so the rest of us could go pick stuff for the interior of the house.  On the drive over, I told DS and S that I really wanted to pick cool colors instead of warm and that was the one thing I wanted to focus on.  We all agreed and off to the office we went.

So first, we decided to focus on flooring.  Downstairs, the standard option is carpet in the bedrooms (guest and Sarah's) and tile throughout the rest.  I wanted to stick with standard options wherever possible in order to have extra money within my budget to put towards the pool.  After looking at all the standard tiles, we were leaning toward one collection of which there were three color choices.  One was beautiful but very light and I have this thing about light grout getting dirty so I wanted to go darker for the flooring.  This is what we chose:

You see it pictured here with the white kitchen cabinet (upgrade) and the small sample of the marble countertop for both the kitchen counter and island.  Later, this would all change, but the flooring tile remains the same.  So this is the floor tile for the whole downstairs as well as the master bath upstairs.

Then we moved onto the bathrooms. Downstairs there are two, Sarah's and the guest/house bath.  We did them matching using the same floor tile, wall tile, marble counter top and cabinets.

This is the inset within the wall tile that surrounds the bathtub.  The wall tiles are larger versions of the lighter tiles shown in the design.

This is a picture showing the bathroom cabinet (middle), the carpet for all the bedtooms, the floor tile and the countertop in the guest bathroom.  We also chose to have frameless shower doors in the guest bathroom instead of a shower curtain and I think we chose to have the wall tile laid diagonally.  We had planned Sarah's bathroom to have all the same finishes, but that would all change.

 

We also chose to go with solid doors throughout the house, all white trim and a white wooden staircase.  We probably would have preferred the staircase to be mixed wood/metal but you really don't see much of it and we decided to spend the money elsewhere.  We also chose to have a cabinet grade door which matches the kitchen cabinets for the pantry. 

 

Finally, we chose to forgo the builder's washer and dryer and instead have the marble countertop go all the way around the room.  So we will be purchasing front loading GAS w/d once we move in.  We chose white cabinets and this marble:

 

 

Then we moved upstairs.  Upstairs, all the rooms are carpet with tile in the bathrooms.  We used the same carpet as downstairs (pictured above).  Upstairs, there are two boy bathrooms as well as the master.  For the boys' bathrooms, we did the same for both. 

 

We did a wood cabinet, a bit lighter of a floor tile, the same marble as in the laundry room and then the wall tile as seen in the mosaic.  The tile will be 10x13 rectangles of the lightest tile in the mosaic laid long ways and there will be one row of the small darker tiles laid into the pattern.. 

 

 

Finally, we got to our master bath but decided to take a quick break to go for lunch.  We had been there for about 3 hours at that point.  At lunch, Sarah expressed that she might want to switch stuff up for her bedroom and I decided that I really wanted a cool backsplash in the kitchen.  So we finished eating and headed back to the design center.  At this point, I had come to the realization that while I went in thinking I wanted all cool tones, I am really a warm tone person. 

 

We sent Sarah off to come up with a new 'look' for her bathroom while Dave and I picked everything for the master bath.  This is what she came up with.  A white cabinet, blue/gray marble and a lighter floor tile.

Dave and I went darker for our bathroom.  This is the accent tile for the shower (the top one):

And this is the marble for the countertops.  We also went with a lighter floor tile and then a dark wood cabinet.


Finally, we were back to the kitchen.  Here was the problem:  all of the backsplashes that I liked were too busy to go with the very busy marble we had chosen.  Here's another picture of it (this is being used in the guest bathroom): 

So, we decided to start over, by first picking the backsplash and then working forward.  So the only constraint we began with was the floor tile.  We went through stacks and stacks of backsplash and finally settled on this one (middle).  So clearly we needed a new countertop.

 

 This is the one we liked, but CLEARLY, that does not go well with a white cabinet, so we were back to the dark wood.

 We also chose to get the marble below to go on the island.

 Here's the combination for the kitchen:

So you see the cabinet (it will have brushed nickel hardware), the backsplash, the light granite for the counter, the dark marble for the island and the crazy floor tile which is going to hide dirt and not require light grout which will drive me crazy.  We came in under our budget and we are very pleased and excited! 

 

 



Electrical boogaloo

So for 2 hours  today we went over the placement of light switches, outlets, tv connections, junction boxes, plumbing, light fixtures and gfci's.  Aren't you jealous? 

The builder has everything pretty much done but we added:

• extra outlets outside for DS' Christmas display,
• a couple of outlets for the Xbox/tv/cable box area;
• a tv connection in the loft;
• an outlet or two in closets;
• floodlights on the outside;
•  a central vacuum system (we have one in our current house and love it);
• junction boxes for pendant lights over our kitchen island;
• a pool package;
• high hat lighting packages in the loft and bonus room.

It was a bit exhausting and I think I figured out that my communication skills have decreased having hung out primarily with children for the last 12 years. 

Next week is our design meeting to pick interior finishes.

Opening of the Models

Last week was the grand opening of the builder's models in the new neighborhood.  On Wednesday, they had an event for people who had purchased lots.  There was food, drinks and tours of the models.  Then on Saturday the models were open to the public.  We went as a couple on Wednesday and then as a family on Saturday.
On Wednesday, we met a couple who bought the lot 6 down from us.  They are a nice couple with college age kids.  We also chatted with an older couple who will live just on the other side of the club from us.  Everyone was super excited and friendly.  That is the thing I love about living in a brand new development when everyone is moving in about the same time.  We have done that once before and it was so nice to have that connection with the neighbors where you knew everyone.
On Saturday, we took the kids and it was so nice.  They had all kinds of kayakers out on the lake, there was the best face painter I have ever seen, sno-cones, special drinks at each of the models' pools and TONS of people.  I think in our row of 12-15 houses only one is unsold. 
The builder did such a great job :)

A quick trip

Yesterday, after dinner out with S, DS and I ran over to the lot to just see what (if anything) is going on.  Not much, but we did find a bunch of new shells.  The ground here is sand and full of shells and we found several.  Then we went to leave and as I was driving DS screams out, STOP STOP STOP!!  After recovering from my heart attack, I stopped, backed up and was presented with this: 

The process--overview

The process is this:
1.  Pick lot, model, exterior colors/finishes, structural upgrades--DONE
2.  Meet with designers regarding electricity to decide where all the outlets and switches should be
3.  Meet with designers to pick all interior finishes, materials, lighting, doors, etc.
4.  Meet with designers to pick all pool features/finishes

The Process--Step One: Lot, Model, Exterior Colors (but not in that order)

Last week Tuesday we signed a contract, gave a down payment and picked our lot, our house model and the exterior colors.  The exterior colors included:  roof tiles, house/trim/door/garage door colors, pavers for the drive/patio and pool surround.  Here are the colors on a different model: 

 

 

It is shades of green.  But this is what our model will look like:



 

And here's the floor plan:

 



 

 

The beginning

A dream of ours is coming true.  Last week, DS and I signed a contract to build a house on a lake.  So exciting!  This will be the view of the backyard: