P.S. I think your modern home is going to look super cool Amberm!

Thanks, Robyn. The circular stair case is cool, too!

amber-ah, gotcha. I'd keep plugging away at everything you can now in hopes that it will be less work later. Are you finding that the quotes are good for a long enough time that you won't have to re-quote? Even at quote stage it's nice to see a large number going down instead of UP. That is a very modern home - very cool. I can't wait to see it take shape IRL. :) We live in a rural area and there is a newer home (a year old I think) that popped up - ultra modern with metal siding, very industrial. It's a very cool house when you look right at it but I have to say it stands out in an awkward way when you zoom out and see it sitting amongst fields and farm houses, it just doesn't 'fit'. It is a much more urban design and I wonder how it would do for resale in this area. So I think sticking to what the area lends itself to is not a bad idea...even thought that means dh wins! So that roof top porch you have going on there, how cool is that! I think I'd hang out there all day. I like the new old farm houses and victorian - heck I like so many things if I combined them all into one space it'd be something out of Dr. Seuss! I hope the ball gets rolling for you so you can just get started already!

lz-oh look at that kitchen, those windows, all that light! Love it! And - your sun room with the round window - so cool!

akshars-so is the cabinet install going better? Hugs. I'm not sure how they pull all this stuff off in such a short time but I am hoping it stays on track for you! Thanks for the kind words on the cabinet. I am sure it will be fine but next to that primer oh boy so very creamy. I do like it with the fireplace though for sure.

robyn-so yesterday I only saw gray in the carpet - today I see more of a beige (must be hazy eyes this morning, lol) especially when next to the gray painted sample. We also are trying to pull a greige so we can go either way and it was tricky. There was a Mohawk Carpet that came in a color called Mushroom Cap that was nearly perfect but we did end up choosing something else because we simply liked the pattern better and the color was close enough. It seems everything is a trade off. I included the link in case you wanted to check it out even though I know it's so subjective! That staircase is so fun. I can just picture how grand it will be. Your secret is safe with me, ;) Hahaha.

Anyone painting their built ins - the seat a darker color? I am toying with this. I think it would hold up better than our whitish trim color. Thoughts?

Oh and I forgot to say thank you so much for the pantry ideas and pics! I think we are going to do the shelving after we move in. We decided after the mudroom cubbies that we could indeed do it ourselves but don't want to hold up the build over it so it can wait....a little bit. I am hoping it will be less than a weekend project. In case you all want to check out pantry eye candy I did find this thread the other day and it has some good ideas as well: Pantry Pics

TGIF peeps. :)

lzhwong- I love your kitchen pendants! Where did you get them?

amberm145 - VERY cool! You're not alone in the modern club, we're there too. Ours is a mid century modern-turned fake victorian-rebuilt as modern again. Unfortunately there are zero original details remaining for us to work with but we think of it as being a slate that can be wiped clean again to start over.

We had painters the last two days and they worked some long hours. They are supposed to be here again today. They have to be out of the house today and move into the garage because they are installing our hardwood floors on Monday!

Our doors came out so nice and smooth.

DH says he should be done assembling cabinets today! I cannot wait until they are all stained, sprayed, painted and installed.

Here's the tall corner wall cabinet before he finished it up last night. It will have a hinged door.

This bedroom is full of cabinets to be stained or painted.

DH is finishing up the large pantry cabinet today. Still needs to put shelves and backs in.

I think I have my share of drawers! I think I had a problem with scale when he first started building the cabinets. I have some big drawers for the bottom of my pantry cabinet. I guess I can store lots of bulk items in them.

DH didn't want to discuss closet systems until he was at the end of cabinet making. So, this morning we started to talk. I think we will put a closet system in one of the spare bedrooms that has double closet doors. That closet is around 6 feet wide. The other spare bedroom we plan to just have a shelf or two with a hanging bar because that is a smaller closet. We'll put shelves in the linen closet. But, the one I'm stressing over is our master closet. I have no clue how to arrange a system in there.

Here is our space.

We bought several of these for our shoes but not sure where to put them, either.

Suggestions?

We have been planning our build for 2 years and we are finally starting the construction process, well not quite. They delivered the excavator yesterday and will start digging in a week or so. My son (far left), his cousin and friend are very excited to see the equipment. My son cannot stop talking about the recent delivery and I have a feeling he will watch all the work from our deck (we are building 25 feet behind our current house, which will be demolished once the new house is completed).

Autumn,
We haven’t been DIY people in the past but are trying to be more. We are going to do our own luxury vinyl plank floors after close plus painting and DH is building our mud lockers plus a farmhouse table, coffee table, and the kids beds. He just built his first table for our school’s silent auction and it looks awesome. I will have to find a pic to post. He is now all gung ho about DIY projects.  I know it will be a huge hassle to have to deal with cabinets after closing, but I can’t see myself paying $5000 for that convenience either. I am going to get a couple of exact, apples to apples quotes to show the builder and see if his vender is willing to come down some.

JDez�"love the roof! Nice shingle color.

Ackshars, so sorry for all the delays. That must be so frustrating when you are SO ready to move in already. It will come soon!

Kellithee, yikes on the gas bill! Let us know how it goes with the overages and hopefully you find some errors!

Robyn, I love your colors! We are also doing a lot of gray. Haven’t finished making all of our choices yet though.  I love the backsplash tile. Perfect with your cabinets! Your spiral staircase is such a great idea. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Indiana_TH, welcome! So cool that you will be able to see everything getting done every day!

We finally had the framing inspection yesterday and insulation scheduled for Tuesday. It feels like we'll never get to drywall!!!

Autumn, we actually have 2 budgets going. The top end, worst case scenario that we will take to the bank to set up the construction loan, and the more realistic one. Things like gorgeous reclaimed wood floors at $20/sq' on all 3 levels, vs $20/sq' flooring on the main floor, 2nd floor hallway and master, and carpet in the office, guest room & 3rd floor for $3/sq'. Slate counters in the entire kitchen for $6k, vs slate on the perimeter for $3k, and butcher block on the island for $1k. Budgeting based on the tiles MSRP of $20/sq', but having a vendor that will get them for me for $8/sq'. There's a chance the prices will go up, or I won't be able to get THAT tile, so I have to go with a $12 one, or other things I forgot. So I'm hoping that I have enough padding in the official budget that we'll be okay. Although, DH is kind of freaking out at the "official" budget. :)

I'm planning to make my mudroom seats out of butcher block, with a dark stain, on top of white(ish) cabinets. This was a theme in a bunch of mudroom inspiration pics. The butcher block for this will come from Ikea for cost savings. (The island is too big to use Ikea.) I'm quite excited for our mudroom, it's bigger than my current kitchen. It will incorporate the laundry room and a powder room, a dog shower and room for DH to store his bike in the winter (he bikes to work year round). I love the idea of a place accessible from the garage and yard where dirty dogs, husbands and children can be stripped down and hosed off, and the clothes go right in the laundry before they even get in the house.

schicksal, How does one make a MCM house into a Victorian? I'm picturing a low slung ranch with a whole lot of gingerbread? Glad you are restoring it.

Indiana, some friends of ours had a new house built next door to them when their daughter was 4. It was a lot of excitement for her when she got to watch the old house get ripped down, and then the hole got dug. I imagine it's even more exciting for the little ones when it's your own house!

Hoosier, I would try to avoid corners as much as possible. They are really hard to access and become a huge mess. (It's what we have now, and I hate it). So, I would do the standard 2' deep units along the ~8' wall on the right of the drawing, and along the ~6' wall on the bottom. The shoe caddies could go in the bottom, along the 2' wall, or along the 5' wall on the left. Leftover empty wall space I would use for very shallow things, like belts, scarves, jewelery, etc.

My mudpit, ummmm, I mean construction site, after 1 1/2" of rain last night. At least they're working inside!!!!

Autumn, Cabinets install is complete now. We just have to live the damaged built in bookshelf now. It is a few cracks and and does not effect the integrity of the cabinet itself so we are just going to have the painter fill it and paint it again. Hope the patch does not show badly. How is sanding and priming going. I think waiting on the shelves in pantry until you move in is a good idea. I wanted the shelves at different height and told the contractor I would get back to him the next day. But when I went the next day they were already installed. I just let it go for now and once we move in we have to adjust something we do it. Good luck with the interviews.

lzhwong, Very nice to see your pendents. I have the same pendants. what is the size of your pendents? Is it the small which is 8.5inch or the medium?

amberm145, Very cool elevation of the house. I am not a very modern house kind of girl but I am liking them more these days. Looks like you have planned the budget well.

Indiana, How exiting for your son. I think it is very cool to be able to get up early in the morning and see the work being done. It will also help you keep a close eye on the crew and catch any issues that might pop up.

Hoosier, No advice on the master closet. We are still undecided on how to proceed here. We may do this after we move in. We did put shelves in the other three bedroom closets (not walkin) I will get pictures this weekend. Your doors look great.

Skyangel, Yes I have been frustrated with things going slowly. I just have to take a deep breath and tell myself that a few things can wait until we move in. My parents will be visiting from out of country for 6 weeks starting April 14th. So that is another pressure for us to get into the house as soon as we can.

In regards to the hutch issue the cabinet company agreed to give free glass shelves and also the glass for all the glass in the cabinet doors. I think this would have costed us about 600 to 800 dollars to do this ourselves so I am happy with the end result here. Now I am hoping the granite install will go well.

The painter is going so slowly that I feel like picking up a paint brush and start painting some rooms myself. I can't be that bad :). Today is the only rain free day of the week so they are doing the concrete in the back patio. Some progress.

edited to correct typos

This post was edited by akshars_mom on Fri, Mar 28, 14 at 13:59

robynstamps - WOW!! So much has been done in such a short amount of time! I am glad you are so excited because it makes me feel more normal, ha ha! It's all I can talk about- I bet I'm driving everyone nuts :)

ladybrowncoat - So awesome! It's nice to have someone who understands!

I am just SO excited to finally be able to participate in this thread!! We have been moved out of our old house since last May and after months of finalizing plans and waiting to close on the land, we are starting to see our vision rise up out of the ground. How exciting!!!

{{gwi:1426447}}

Angela - Welcome!! How exciting! I am right there along with you. We are able a week or two behind you. I'm looking forward to seeing all of your upcoming pictures! What part of the country are you building in?

Robyn

JDez- thanks for the window info and pic. My husband asked why I was freaking out over the windows. He said ," a standard size is a standard size". I showed him the books on Andersen 400 and "A" series. Their "standard sizes" on their charts were completely different so then he understood why I've been nagging at him to decide on the damn windows. Went to builders house last night with charts and plans and 2 hours later had it all figured out.
FYI I had to buy new tires last week too!!

Robyn- My friend just completed a build on her house that is close to the size of yours. It turned out great! Perfect amount of space. I like your color choices. You are so much farther ahead. I don't have a clue about tile etc!!!!!

Indiana- we are doing the same. Our current house will be demolished when we move into the new one. It's nice to be so close but sleeping in is not going to happen til house is finished. This morning I threw on clothes so I could take care of dogs and throw hay to horses. I hadn't even brushed my teeth when builder and plumber we're walking up wanting to talk- Maybe I'll start eating garlic before bed :)

Robynstamps -- your foyer reminds me of mine!

lz and askars- I also have the same pendants if I'm seeing correctly (RH Clemson in the milk glass, polished nickel finish). I chose 3 14" pendants for my 10 x 5 island. What size/number did you go with? I am very curious to see how everyone decided! I have them sitting in my basment storage as we speak (existing house, not the new construction house).

Autumn- YES I am having my benchtop seating done in stained wood, not painted. It is also an arched top so the depth is longer in the center for better sitting, but not so deep on the edges for better passage. We've got all 5 of our lockers in a row so it's a long seating space. I think that it will help stay nicer longer compared to the all painted. I know I have a very small corner bench in my 'mudroom' right now and it takes a beating in white. I periodically repaint it but it only stays nice for about a week before it starts looking beat up again. Perhaps the lacquered finish in the new mudroom will hold up better?

I do not have any new pics, but today I SAW MY CABINETS (what is done so far, which is mostly the boxes). I am SO EXCITED, lol. But I did get to see the locker pieces too, and they look great. I got the width I needed out of them. phew. The other big news is I've decided on sillites for the island electrical. My builder had never done those before and the whole shop was pretty geeked over the sample that got sent. I'm doing them all the way around the island (well, on 3 sides). And I got a door sample of white dove, and it was so odd but it looked completely different than the little chip you get from the store. Anyways, the white dove door sample I have looks gorgeous. I need to get a fresh door sample of Simply White to compare it, but the White Dove does look beautiful with my other choices. Here is a pic of what I have so far, and unfortunately the pic doesn't do it justice. It really looks fresh and just a hint creamy, not dull or dingy. I'll have to bring it to the house to see it in the space. You can see in this pic the swatch next to the cabinet and how different it is.

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I have it shown with my backup island choice which is Fiji White Quartz. I'm waiting on a Macaubas Quartzite (Calacatta Quartzite) slab to come in to see if it is long enough and the right background color. That will be my first choice if it does pan out. But I think I will be happy with this white quartz should the Macaubas not work.

Here is what we've got for the master bath:
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I forgot the name of the grey floor tile. We're working on a pattern of large format white tile and smaller format white tile for the shower (any ideas?!) with the Sonoma Tile Vihara 1x4 in puka silk for the accent niche (all across the back wall of the shower). I'm tempted to look at the iridescent version for some BLING in the shower. Anyways, The countertop shown is CS Raven, which I'm going to repeat on the ledge of the niche and the seat of the shower bench. Shower floor tbd. Blue paint TBD but shown with BM Smoke.

My next exciting find is a remnant of Lagos Blue for the powder room, which goes perfectly with the Slaty tile in Ochre I have throughout my mudroom, laundry, powder and back closet.

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these are only small subway sized tiles- we'll be using 18 x 18 format and these small samples really don't do justice to the tile overall with the variation through it.

hoosier- I just want to touch your doors, lol. they look gorgeous! I will be following the closet ideas with interest- we have a similarly shaped master closet and I have no idea how to approach it yet.

Welcome Angela and Indiana! So exciting! Do you have floor plans you can post? I love to see the floorplan along with the house to help me visualize the flow better.

WitchDoctor- we went with the Andersen 400 tilt a wash.

Robyn, that's a lot of house! Cool staircases you and Carson.

illinigirl, Our island size is 8' x 4'2" so smaller than yours and we we bought 3 small RH Clemson pendants which are 8.5" inches in diameter If I remember correctly. We were debating between doing two of the 14" pendents vs three 8.5" inch ones and went with 3. just the ends. When I looked at the pictures I realized that I liked the ones with 3 so went that way.
Your kitchen is going look great. All the elements looks great together.

Carson and Robyn, You circular staircases are going to look grand.

Amberm- our shingles are GAF timberline hd in Barkwood.

Wow, lots of great pictures keep coming up. Super jealous of the closet plans. Someday, when we move a bunch of walls around... I think the previous owners didn't care much for closets because they had this huge portal to Narnia wardrobe that looked like it was straight from the '70s.

We have no interesting pictures right now. At this stage of the game in the morning you have walls with white stripes and at the end of the day the walls are smoother with larger white stripes. The guy doing the drywall finishing is awesome and it's amazing to see what he is able to work around. The amount of time required to get it done confirms our decision to not do that part on our own. The only big changes in store for the next few days on our end are priming and painting, then I get to start putting in hardwood. Can't wait for that...

One month into passing papers and we're a week into framing. The basement and first floor exterior walls are already up.

Special thanks to HobbsFamilyKY for pointing me at the Brinno timelapse camera last month. After a couple days of trial and error, the first results linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: First timelapse video of framing

Glad to be of help OICU812. Looks like you are moving along faster than us!!

One more, foyer just about complete with trim. Interior doors delivered tuesday, tile should be completed this week

Looking great! Are your floors to be finished on site?

I'm all about not moving things over and over again. I try to find a spot to store things where they can stay until they are needed. DH is just the opposite. He puts things in one location and then has to move them to another location. He's always moving things around. We were talking about where to store all the cabinet drawers until the cabinets are installed. We still don't have our HVAC system in yet. At first I suggested maybe putting them in that area of the garage but quickly said that probably wasn't a good idea as they might still be there when HVAC is installed and they'd have to be moved again. I suggested another area. DH didn't like it. He said he didn't care if he had to move them over and over again. I don't know why he asked my opinion in the first place. :-(

Welcome to all the newbies! I remember all that excitement getting started.

Nine months since we moved down here and started building our pole barn and six months into building our home, we are so worn out. We are so ready for this to be over! Since this is our retirement home, I will gladly say, “Never again!” ☺ However, I get a thrill at watching the construction of other people’s home.

Indiana, what part of the state? We are in SW Indiana. What fun your son will have watching the big machinery. We are living with our daughter and family acres behind where we are building. It makes it so easy to check on things all the time.

Skyangel, when you get to drywall, it’s gonna drag. Just saying. But, I loved once the walls were up because that is when I could feel the space of the home.

Amberm, thanks for the advice for the closet! I agree about avoiding the corners. And, budgets, well they are no fun. We left a cushion in our savings in case we went over. We will be going over but so far we think it will be less than 5% over. But then we had a very detailed spec document for bids. So far, the overages have been because we upgraded several things.

Jackson, nothing like mudpits! Keeping from tracking in that mud is the challenge. We’ve had rain the last two nights so I share your mud pain!

Akshars, I’m sorry about the delays. And, the pressure of your parents visiting, oh my! I hope you get moved in soon. I feel like our painters are living with us. I looked at my calendar yesterday and they started on Feb. 7. They haven’t worked everyday, but some weeks they worked 4 or 5 days. They still have a lot to do, too.

Ladybrowncoat and robynstamps, our lives have been on hold ever since we started our build. It does consume so much of your time. I hope you enjoy the process.

AngelaZ, look at you! Already framing. It is exciting. Can’t wait to see more progress.

Thewitchdoctor, glad you got the windows figured out. We found out pretty quickly about the standard sizes not being so standard when it comes to rough openings for the framers. Thank goodness the lumber company where we ordered our windows marked all the rough openings on our plans for the framers. What did you end up going with? We used Andersen windows in our last home. We really liked them. We had planned to use them on the new house, but they didn’t have the finish I wanted. We ended up going with Marvin Integrity casement.

Carsonheim and robyn, I love your foyers and those circular stairs! Can’t wait to see photos when they are built.

Illinigirl, I like the idea of the benchtop seating in stained wood. Can’t wait to see your cabinets. I love the blues for your tiles!!! Tell me more about sillites. And regarding our doors, they are sooooo smooth. The painter was so happy with how they came out yesterday. He had me feel one door right before their final sanding and last spraying. It felt gritty. Then he had me feel one of the doors that was completed. So smooth. He said if they were in a complete dust-free place, it would be even better. I don’t know how! The cabinet pieces that DH made which had two sandings and sprays look so much richer than a photo can show. I am so happy the painters are doing the cabinet painting, staining and finishing. Not that DH couldn’t do it, but it would take FOREVER!

Oicu, fast work there! Love those timelapse videos!

Autumn, DH plans to put shelving up in the laundry room for my computer area after we move. The other day DH said, we could do closets after we moved in. I said, “Really, where would we hang or put our clothes?” Silly man! I still haven’t decided where I’m going to put someplace to hang clothes to dry in the laundry room yet. You and your DH have got to be exhausted.

Lzhwong, I love your kitchen! I so wanted a sunroom. I envisioned ours to look like yours overlooking the lake. We sit back further from our lake because we are on a hill. I would probably live in your sunroom!

MFatt, did you decide on the TV above the fireplace? I agree about the craning of the neck. We decided to put our TV along the adjacent wall (we put soundproofing insulation along that wall). The ID at the furniture store helped us with a furniture arrangement that we liked so the fireplace would still be the focal point. Plus, the way we have it, I’ll be able to see the TV from the kitchen. Your house is looking great!

I didn't. I really got to liking the tv off to the side but my husband is back to above the FP. I will let him pick. I don't watch much tv anyhow :) and most of it I watch at night in my room.

To oicu812,

First you WOW us with a pc (poured concrete) foundation, now you come at us with real fir plywood sheathing over 2x6 framing. I'm watching your build with enthusiasm!

Hello all! I enjoyed reading the updates above. I have been missing in action lately, I just get SO overwhelmed! I am still second guessing decisions and REALLY ready to see my home with lighting because I am concerned that a few paint colors are too dark.
There is a traditional me and a more modern me and they stay in conflict, lol! The traditional me is drawn toward tans and greens, the modern me is drawn toward grays.

Maggie - I am so sorry to read of the troubles that you continue to have with your build and the stress that I know you must be coping with!

JDez - You are moving right along...have you posted any pics?

Here are a few pics of where we are with things.
The granite will be installed this coming Thursday. Wood flooring is supposed to be in by the end of the week.

Getting nervous about the landscaping being a bigger job than we anticipated, but I know it will be beautiful!

In progress, still needs hooks and top trim piece. The smooth section above where the hooks will go will be painted with chalkboard paint...

It's beginning to look like a kitchen...lots of work to go though!

Our lighting allowance turned out to be a JOKE and we are coming out of pocket by almost 4k on lighting!
My advice is to count each and every FIXTURE you need for your home and divide by your allowance. We have 32 fixtures (not including recessed lights) and the total budget was 5k. The necessary recessed lighting and under eave lighting came to 2300, thus leaving 2700 (before even taking into account tax) for the remaining 32 fixtures. It came out to like 80.00 or so per fixture...IMPOSSIBLE! I have already purchased 6 fixtures along the way. Looks like we will have 10k in our lighting instead of 5k. My builder says he will "look into it and see what he can do." I hope he does something because this REALLY ticked me off. I think I am mostly angry with myself for not really analyzing the allowance before signing the contract...

Sorry to vent!

Isn't it amazing how fast the framing goes up!! so enjoying everyone's pictures.
I've changed 2 things already from really liking what is shared on this site. 1- being the fireplace- i added a surround to the one in the kitchen and 2- I fell in love with the crackle subway tile that was the topic of conversation about 6 weeks ago-im using it as my back splash in the kitchen. thanks everyone for having such great taste and for sharing your ideas!

Stopped by the house today and took this pic. its from the back of our living room-straight ahead is the fireplace- there will be a built in media cabinet to the left of it. To the far right is the sun room-there with be french doors leading into it. through the right arched door way we will have a 12 person table next to the windows. Straight through the left arched door way, in a row, is the powder room, a coat closet, then the pantry. I'm happy to say the house is starting to look a little bigger in the inside :)

We had an awesome find in a cabinet maker about an 1 1/2 hours north of us. we saved $15K -when I say saved, I mean we were over by $15K with the cabinet maker our builder recommended-now I'm getting what I want instead of settling. I am so happy about this I cant stand it. The kitchen cabinets against the walls will be an ivory and will go all the way to the 9 foot ceilings, topped off with a pretty molding. Our island will be stained a dark pecan. I'll post a pic of the outside next...

This post was edited by bluemoon_1 on Sat, Mar 29, 14 at 23:39

here's an updated pic from the outside-(cross fingers) this week shingles and windows :)

Do I spy a fireplace that's open to two rooms in that picture of the framing???

Ohhhh my - all those gorgeous pics! I am so behind!

upon-yay, glad you posted, was wondering what the scoop was! Did you remedy your ceiling qualms? I love the elevation of your house, so pretty. :)

pors-we are doing some board and batten in our back entry - I am loving yours! I like how they are not identical but compliment each other. Very cool.

akshars-I hope it paints up no problem. That is awesome news on the glass, a relief for sure as that was costly! I have showed DH a few pics on pantry's and what I am thinking for fear that he might just decide to get started without me there and I am SURE he is not thinking any of it makes a bit of difference (a shelf is a shelf) and that would really tick me off! Sanding is coming. I hope to be caulking by Monday. Crossing fingers! So the interview on Friday - craziest thing I've ever experienced. It was shortened from 4 hours to 3 hours and no I was not interviewing for the FBI or for the position of president or CEO. It was 7 different people and all pre-scripted scenario based questions. Rate yourself 1 to 10 on x and give examples to support your rating. What???? Oh MY WORD, it was intense! I think I was sweating, lol! I left thinking well they probably have a good feel if I am a good fit for them but I have no idea if they are a good fit for me. I asked a lot of questions but it just was strange. Not very conversational and I left not knowing much about the job itself or their expectations for it in spite of all of my questions I asked. They answered in a very broad view, as they are a global company but the job itself is not? Chalking it up to a new experience. Thanks for asking. :)

hoosiers-those cabinets are so nice. Your dh is awesome, love the style and they look super smooth. Very nice. As for the closets, we change our minds constantly on what to do next to keep moving! So the boys rooms will be relatively simple and we will do those right after paint. Our room we hope to do the same but if we wait until move in we do have a portable closet thingy that we are using now as our rental is an older home with very little closet space so we could get by for a teeny but if we waited. But you are right, I don't want all of my clothes piled on the floor! Tired yes but seeing hopefully a very faint light at the end of the tunnel so moving forward!

illini-okay so you totally had me thinking. I wasn't sure how our bench would stain up as we kind of winged it and used birch plywood. I just had stain mixed up to pull a color from our flooring to stain our newel post and corbels and used some on some birch scrap we had and it took just fine. So YAY, I am going to stain and varnish them as I think that will hold up better. :) I like the white dove. I can't wait to see the simply white too and see how different or similar they look with your selections.

mfatt-the blasted TV. Such a challenge. We went back and forth a lot as it solves a lot of aesthetic ? with symmetry and balance just putting it on top of the fireplace but I guess in the end we just really didn't want it there. I'm with you - don't watch much TV myself either, at least not in this stage of life.

schicksal-I think you might be right - bluemoon do tell!

@pors996 could you tell me which line your andersen windows are? They look beautiful with the trim you are going with!

Autumn.4 and schicksal- you have great eyes!!
yes another fireplace on the other side-not double sided-our builder told us noise carries through and we are placing TVs on the top of each. Here's a pic from the kitchen into the living room. D room is to the right and the MBed and bath straight to the back of the house.

hope everyone has a great Sunday! we will have temps over 50 for the first time this year :) ahhhhhh!

Good morning all! I won't even try to catch up but it's good to hear from you uponthehilltop. I have no interesting pics unless someone wants to see our new pipes and wiring...lol. The electrician finished yesterday so I will head over there later today and try to clean up a little. I will be spray foaming again where the plumbers and electrician made holes in the walls. Holy cow, I hope it is worth the time and back ache because I really don't feel like doing it. HVAC this week, then inspection. Have a great day!

@bluemoon- Our exterior elevations are very similar and the interior layout too! We modified a plan from eplans.com. Did you draw up the plans or use an architect? I think your layout is awesome, of course... I am a bit biased!

Loribug26 - are you moved in? I have a question about your metal ceiling in the kitchen. How do you prevent condensation around the vents? Is there some kind of insulation underneath?

So we are moving along now. We have basement walls, waterproofing, and rock ready to pour basement slab and garage slab hopefully this week! who knows with the weather lately.

This post was edited by HobbsFamilyKY on Sun, Mar 30, 14 at 16:18

Bluemoon, Your house is looking great. Yes the framing phase moves fast. I have to say that framing is the only part that I felt go fast in our build and drywall the slowest. Can't wait to see all the fireplaces finished.

Uponthehill, Hang in there. I have been having a lot of doubts also with all the finish selections I made. It will be okay (have to so that to myself also). Your kitchen is looking great. You are moving a good pace.

Autumn, I totally get what you are saying about guys and shelves being shelves :). Very interesting about the interview experience. I think it will take attending a few interviews to get used to how things are being done these days. I have been at the same company for the last 9 years and if and when I decide to change I am sure I will face the same kind of experience.

jDez, You are doing a great job on the foaming and I am open to seeing pictures of the electrical :)

Now to some Progress pictures from us. The Painter worked over time on Friday, Saturday and he was there today also with two other guys and they have made quite a bit of progress. we also have counter top in the kitchen.

So here are some pictures:

Perimeter:

Island:

Coffer ceiling:

Living room and office room paint

Sons Closet:

Akshars!!! I am in love with your granite selections! What are the names? Is your island ogee edge?
jDez- Electrical means the fun stuff will happen soon!

We are supposed to be done by the end of April. Hoping for lots of progress this week!

just have to say....

akshars, can't wait to see your full kitchen reveal! gorgeous!!

akshars-oh my oh my, that was worth waiting for the pic! That is an awesome space! Wow. Thanks for sharing your sons closet pic too - we are doing some sort of cubes in ours also.

amberm-I forgot earlier - do tell about your DIY beds for your kiddos. Drawers underneath or? I would love to know more in case we get a wild hair and go more diy.

Today - board and batten in the garage entry. So glad we didn't skip it! We were tossing that around due to time and getting impatient. ;)

Excuse the mess - I can't wait until there is no more SAWDUST:

I received a weird email from someone with the title "How is Your Build Going?" It said they were out of the office, as if I had sent them an email. I haven't sent anyone on GW an email, so if you get one from JDez, DO NOT open it!

akshars - What is your granite?? Is it Brown Fantasy? Looks gorgeous. Can you take a close up pic? I need something with gray/beige and white. Thanks!!

Everyone else - WOW!!! So many great pics! I am inspired and overwhelmed by it all! We should have basement floors pours this week along with backfill on our basement. I guess framing is after that. I feel like it's going by so fast already! I know that it will slow down very soon. :)

Akshars - That is some fine countertops. And not just countertops! Wow!

Autumn4 - The detailed trim on the wall was worth every second you and DH spent on it. It looks soooo good!

Hilltop - Your kitchen is looking just like I imagined it would from the plans. I can't wait to see it finished. Neat idea on the chalkboard paint. You just keep a bottle of Boone's chilled at all times and you'll make it through this...lol.

Bluemoon - I love your sunroom. Show us a pic of the view from those big windows.

Oicu812 - Your house is really taking shape. Cool time lapse thingy.

Hobbs - Nice progress. I love the big open space your building on.

Mfatt - I'm not a TV watcher either. When I have time to watch TV, I'm on GW or looking for an internet deal on something for the new house. And when DH is working, DS has it on Gilligans Island and I've already seen them all...lol.

Robyn, AngelaZ, & LadyBrownCoat - Enjoy the excitement. I'm still very excited myself but I'm just too drunk to express it. ;)

I'm sure I didn't catch up with everybody but I have to go get some laundry done. Later Taters!

JDez - I just got the same e-mail, too!!

Uponthehill, The granite is called "Terra Bianca" also known as "Fantasy Brown" I have seen stores call it a granite or a quartzite. In regards to that edge on the island it is “Ogee with a square edge” If you say Ogee here they do the Ogee with the rounded or bullnose edge. We wanted to have a square edge to match with cabinet door and detail.

JSpan, Thanks for the compliment. Spent many hours on the kitchen and now hoping everything comes as I envisioned.

Autumn, Thanks. Your board and batten looks great and glad you went ahead and did it. I think the molding and details like this add a lot of character and richness to the house. The board and batten actually goes perfectly with your doors 

JDez, Thanks for the compliment. I am really not very confident in my selections so good to hear it is looking good. In regards to the email from someone I too got it. I think it is someone who has turned gardenweb to forward the post to their email and now they are on a holiday and have their auto reply turned on. I could be wrong though so better not open it.

RobynStamps, Yes the granite is “Fantasy brown” or “terra Bianca” . It does have beige, brown, grey/blues in it. It has more browns then grey’s though. Here is the closeup I have now. I can get more tomorrow.

Weird. I wonder if we all put too much info out there on sites like these ya know?