We did primed Hardie products to be painted on site too.

Michelle, I forgot to say that my daughter used factory stained Nichiha. It is beautiful. They've been in their home 4 years now and it still looks as good as when they installed it.

They poured the basement walls a couple days ago.

They wrecked the forms and water proofed the exterior. Too bad it is supposed to rain the next 6-7 days and they won't be able to pour the floor.

Indiana, that is awesome!! We were at that same point last month. It's an exciting time!

Jackson - I love your marble! Just gorgeous!!

Autumn - Great paint choices! I cannot even begin to think of paint. Yikes!

They are still framing our main floor this week. Should be doing it next week too. I sent pizza out to the workers yesterday. It was funny because the delivery guy got lost and called me. I was like, I'm in Oklahoma!! Lol! So fun to build 3 states away! Cannot wait to be there in 4 1/2 weeks!

Here is a pic from today. One of the Great Room and Living Room vaulted walls went up.
Robyn

indiana-crossing fingers rain passes you by!

robyn-oh man they are really moving, it looks great! I think they are making swift progress. I bet the pizza guy was surprised. ;) Paint oh paint, it's quite something. I am sure when you get there you'll have it all together. So my oldest son chose a really dark color and dh was not liking it at all, it's gonna be a big mistake, yada yada. It turned out so nice! He even relented once he saw it. Goes great with the white trim. I'll post a pic later tonight. It's called elephant skin and that is exactly what it looks like!

michelle-ohhhh, I love plantation shutters but agreed, they don't fit anywhere near the budget. :( Sigh, as is the way with many things I like, lol!

juju-hello! I bet your build is coming right along. How is your neighborly relations by the way? That is a perfect description, excited and exhausted. I have been drinking coffee in the evening to keep at it. That is normally a big no-no for me when I try to hit my 9:30 bedtime. It works wonders for after midnight though. ;) Back to railing - I really like the glass also and I have seen it around here a few places but kind of forgot about it. We need to do something for our screen porch also. Haven't even begun to think about that!

Had an awesome day! Spent the day getting siding. Got 12 inch board and batten cypress for the front gable and the second floor bump out, beveled lap cypress for the front and back porches, 319 sq ft of cypress ship lap to use inside the house (location to be determined) and a 16 foot cypress beam that we will try to turn into a 6 foot mantle somehow...all for half of our original siding quote! Oh, and also got some T&G bead board cypress thrown in for super cheap also. Our trailer wasn't big enough so we have to go back tomorrow. No telling what else I'll buy. I can't believe we had this kind of luck! I will post some pics tomorrow too.

Lord help me now.....

I misread my contract and all my bathrooms are to be tiled countertops. I CANNOT STAND TILED COUNTERTOPS Like, never, ever ever can this be. Especially not bathroom. Apparently I misread the $10/ft tile and thought it meant floor but at the top it is clearly countertop specs. I am at a loss. I have 3 bathrooms and a laundry room. Our granite is $65/ft and I think I can do better than that but it won't really make up the difference. Should I pick nice laminate? Our house is pretty nice, I hate to top expensive cabinets with laminate and isn't the good looking laminate more than $10/ft? I am not knocking laminate but it wasn't my vision. Lots of things are turning out different than my vision :(

So many nice finishes- I'm jealous :) Loving all these soothing shades of blue!

mlweaving_Marji , I know this isn't what I was supposed to be looking at, but I pinned your picture of that first bay window, because what an awesome furniture arrangement! I really like that everything is around the angled low table. I just want to curl up there with a book!!

I've missed about a week of posts due to everything falling apart at once. My kitty swallowed some thread and we were worried she'd need surgery to remove it, but it looks like she's taken care of it on her own (whew!). Side note- the folks on the pets forum are sweethearts.

Our house is STILL on hold because of the stupid new permit approval (all for changing from a 2 to 3 piece rough-in for the basement, which our builder forget to update. The county is giving them hell over it- going on three weeks with no progress waaaaahhhhhh).

Oh, and our landlords are trying to fix up/sell the house we're living in. Mini rant to follow, feel free to ignore. In the last two weeks we have had the dishwasher go up (when you turn it on it trips the breaker) and the washing machine flooded our laundry room (where I have all the boxes of stuff we've already packed). In the same two weeks we have had visits from, I kid you not: an appliance guy for the dishwasher, an electrician for the dishwasher, an appliance guy for the washing machine, a plumber for the washing machine, a second opinion plumber when they realized it was the 75 year old galvanized piping instead of the washing machine (the third plumber is coming to actually do the repairs next week), a handyman, a real estate agent, the landlords (multiple times), an exterior house painter and a landscaper. AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I cannot wait to move to our quiet home where the appliances work and we hire professional workmen who don't stomp mud through the house and who actually clean up after themselves (and maybe they'll even know what they are doing!)... End rant. There, I feel better! This Disaronno is probably helping...

:D

schicksal - We're likely to put up some wallpaper for a couple of accent walls. May I ask, how are you prepping yours for removal someday? I've struggled to take some down before, but I've never put any up. Is it a product you put on the wall prior to hanging, or a certain type of glue?

just wanted to pop in- it's been incredibly crazy in my world....between two of my boys it's sports 6 days a week, still trying to sell our house, and of course the continued attention needed towards our new build. And oh yeah, today are my oldest boys (twins) birthday- I'm officially a mother of teenaged boys.

Shelving has been finalized. I'll post some pics of the most notable area- my pantry.

Mantle and ceiling beams are up, sorry no pic yet. Went through the first round of paint selections this morning and I do think we are sticking with everything- the designer pretty much picked everything out along with the carpets. Our trim/cabinets are white dove. I'm sticking with white dove for all of the cabinets/vanities except the boys bath cabs, those are a warm grey. The great room area features SW Blonde, and the rest of the house has a mix of grey-blues and caramel tans with a pop of green (Koi Pond, Beach Glass) and golden yellows (SW White Raisin). Revere pewter in the master bedroom and another bath.

pantry wall 1:
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the front section is about 4 feet across, will have a countertop 20" deep, will house the printer and underneath the printer supplies and underneath the counter will have 2 rattan baskets for potatoes, onions in one, and fruits in the other. The adjacent wall is 6 feet wide and will house a wine rack and other shelves of varying heights and depths for canned goods, cereals, foodstuffs, and all small appliances.

this wall is the 'snack wall'. It's about 4 ft across and those four sections underneath will be drawers. It will also have a countertop and I'll put my fruit bowl, any baked goodies on the counter. The drawers will have items difficult to store on open shelves such as bags of bread, chips, small items. To the right of the snack wall will be my second fridge.
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another view of the "snack wall"
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I have missed so much but rest assured I am loving everyones slabs and kitchens and framing and floors and everything. So much inspiration to be seen here.
Autumn I'm intrigued by your ID's fireplace idea. Do tell. Thanks for the compliments on the lighting. I love the foyer light enough that I don't feel too badly I couldn't swing a lantern there. Your floors and paints look great. I gave my boys a half dozen 'grey blue' paint swatches and told them have at it. Oldest chose the exact same blue he currently has (SW Dockside blue) and youngest chose one called Poolside blue (bit darker).

Nothing fancy really, just give it a couple of fresh coats of primer. With all the wallpaper I've removed, I could always tell when it was applied directly to nice, clean primer. I could pull the vouter paper layer off and the inner layer would stay on. I'd spray it with soapy water and pull it down 5 minutes later, but by that point it was about ready to fall down on its own anyway.

Illinigirl, I'm super impressed with how much thought you put into our pantry. It will work out beautifully.

MFatt, oh dear. No, you definitely don't want tile tops in the bathrooms. Those are awful. We had them two houses ago. What about a Corian type material? If that's still out of your price range, I guess I'd go with the laminate, with plans to upgrade to granite when you have extra $$$.

Mommytoty- your lighting is incredible! I have 3 books (about 6 " high) to go through, my hope is that I'm as lucky as you and they all come together.

Jackson- BE-U-TI-FUL slab!

MFatt-Oh no! That seems kinda sneaky. Good luck! Keep us posted.

LadyBrown-"CHEERS"...I'll say a prayer for ya.

Progress:

Mommytoty- your lighting is incredible! I have 3 books (about 6 " high) to go through, my hope is that I'm as lucky as you and they all come together.

Jackson- BE-U-TI-FUL slab!

MFatt-Oh no! That seems kinda sneaky. Good luck! Keep us posted.

LadyBrown-"CHEERS"...I'll say a prayer for ya.

Progress:

{{gwi:1434958}}

MFatt- I would highly recommend you do some remnant shopping! I think you will be surprised what you can find! I found gorgeous Lagos Blue Quartz for my powder room vanity, Ceasarstone Concrete for my 'drop zone', and absolute black granite for a fairly long wet bar. We also found Kasmir gold large enough to do our 7 foot by 42" bar island (but we decided to go in a different direction). It's out there! You can find it! You just need to be persistent.

MFatt -- There's also the Formica 180fx which is actually quite stunning:

[

[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/3420-dolce-vita-180fx®-by-formica-group-with-bullnose-idealedge™-kitchen-cincinnati-phvw-vp~554407)

[Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-ideas-phbr0-bp~t_709) by Cincinnati Kitchen & Bath Designers Formica Group

[

[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-traditional-kitchen-phvw-vp~1608484)

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Other Metro Home Stagers Island Home Staging & Interiors

[

[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-kitchen-cincinnati-phvw-vp~554464)

[Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-ideas-phbr0-bp~t_709) by Cincinnati Kitchen & Bath Designers Formica Group

[

[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/3458-travertine-silver-180fx®-with-ogee-idealedge™-cincinnati-phvw-vp~553798)

[Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-ideas-phbr0-bp~t_709) by Cincinnati Kitchen & Bath Designers Formica Group

[

[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-contemporary-kitchen-cincinnati-phvw-vp~101163)

[Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Cincinnati Kitchen & Bath Designers Formica Group

Aaarrgh! Theft. Weird weird theft.

We live about 30-45 minutes from our build site, so I've had a camera posted on our job site, recording time lapse video so we can watch some of the construction in action. We're only able to get up there every 7-10 days, so it's nice to have the progress recorded for posterity.

Got the camera today. It's 12-15 feet up a tree, in a water-proof housing, with a couple bungee straps. It's real tiny and hardly noticeable.

When I got home, I discovered the camera had been turned off and the memory card removed! Why steal a $50 memory card and leave the $200 camera??

My initial thought is something happened on the site (injury, theft, mistake,...) and someone had the forethought to take the evidence.

Great. So now I need a security camera to monitor the security camera.

MFatt, I'm considering using a company called Granite Transformations for my ensuite. They do thin sheets of granite and quartz on top of a plywood base. Their primary market is facelifts for dated kitchen and bathrooms, without having to rip anything out. But they can put it into new builds, too. I got an estimate for a tub deck (undermount tub, with the deck extending into the shower). It was about half the price of quartz slab. I don't know if they have dealers in the US, but perhaps you could find something similar?

Another option is Stonepeak ceramics. They make tiles that are up to 5'x10'. So, no grout lines. They don't seem to sell them in Canada (despite the fact that they advertise on Canadian home renovation shows), so I don't know what they cost. But surely they are much cheaper than granite?

Here is a link that might be useful: Stonepeak Ceramics 60

New here, but I've been spending the last few weeks reading the forum (I went back to early 2013). Just a couple of comments and questions for now:
mommytoty I LOVE your lighting. Where did you get it?
carsonheim Your Kichler chandy is To Die For! How exactly does it work that you get a showroom light? Did you just ask for the one on display? Or had they already taken it down and marked it down? You're my kind of girl (or guy?). Love a fellow bargain shopper.
JDex - Where did you find the great deals on the ship lap and board and batten? Everything you bought sounds like something I'm gonna need, and I'd sure like to find a deal!

JHester -- welcome!

The lighting showroom has a once-per-year "garage sale" where they get rid of overstock items, special orders that got returned, that kind of stuff. This particular chandy was the display model, and it actually has a teeny tiny bit of damage on one of the arms. That no one will ever see. Unless I point it out. And even then, maybe not.

I also bought this chandy for $250 from a different lighting showroom. Same deal, annual clearance sale.

Call your lighting showrooms and see if they have an annual clearance sale or something similar. Flooring places also sometimes do this with their in-stock flooring, especially when a particular style is being retired.

Sorry I haven't had a chance to catch up lately. Wanted to post pics of the some of the cypress we bought. Not a big deal to most people but I love natural wood, even with its maintenance issues.

Here is a close-up of one piece of our clapboard siding:

The dirty wood on top is the small bundle of ship lap we purchased. We haven't decided yet what we are going to do with it. This was all they had left and it is just a tiny bit over 300 sq ft. It has been sitting in a warehouse for three years so I will have to clean the dirt off of those top pieces. At least two pieces have broken edges but for what we paid, we can't complain.

This is our huge timber that we will somehow turn in to a mantle (in the background is the board and batten that was already covered):

This was some "shorts" that we got a good deal on, T&G bead board pieces that are 3, 4 and 5 foot long. Most people don't want these short pieces. I'm toying with the idea of using the wider flat side on the reverse and "white-washing" it and then using it as a kitchen backsplash with my stained alder cabinets. But, I don't know, I might chicken out on that one.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have the GC measuring exactly how big each counter is so I can remnant shop. I have seen Granite Transformations and I will check there too. The FX Formica is nice but I think/hope I can do remnants cheaper.

oicu- odd they didn't just take the whole camera? LOL at the camera to monitor the camera :)

Ok, I've been reading and trying to catch up. Sorry if I missed someone.

Mommytoty - Your house is just beautiful. Like magazine-worthy type beautiful.

Robyn - The framing looks great. I'll bet you can't wait to get back out there.

Nhbaskets - Your kitchen looks amazing and that island is awesome. I hope your DH is doing well.

Autumn4 - I am loving your paint choices. The office looks a lot calmer with its new color. You only have one day of unemployment left to enjoy, so I am hoping that you are done painting, your little one is feeling better and your car is fixed so that you can enjoy your Sunday and relax.

MFatt - I have complete confidence that your exterior will be stunning and I am just as equally sure that you will find a solution to your countertop problem.

Carsonheim - Nice score on the lighting! I love it when somebody finds a good deal!

Jackson - Beautiful slab!

Michelle - When we were pricing fiber cement, Nichiboard by Nichiha was about 15% cheaper than Hardie. Just food for thought. I don't know which one is better.

Indiana - Yay on the basement! Boo on the rain....

LadyBrownCoat - Soooo glad your kitty is ok. I hope the permit issues get cleared up soon.

Illini - That pantry is almost as big as my kitchen...lol. It looks like it's going to be awesome.

RhettDrive - Nice progress. Have you already stood in the windows and looked at the view? Bet it's nice.

Oicu - I don't know what's worse, the fact that you have a person of that caliber around your build site or the fact that you've lost one whole week of time lapse recording of your once-in-a-lifetime build. It's time for booby traps...lol.

JHester - The cypress was purchased from individuals, not big lumber businesses and that is how it's done. Contact me through my member page through email and I will give you some phone numbers if you are close to Louisiana or don't mind coming here.

Oh wow, thanks Jdez!

illinigirl - Where'd you get the materials for the shelving? I was thinking about starting that this week for our pantry but don't know where it comes from.

Flooring is almost in. Between the area in the picture, a couple of rows at the left/right side of the pantry, a coat closet and underneath the dishwasher I estimate under 8 hours of work. The trouble is I only have 4 hours between work and a get together this evening.

Coming up next, I need to get the new front door and start talking to a local glass place to make the three windows and sidelight out of reeded glass because that is holding back finishing the walls in the entry hall and front living room. Actually I'm going to be held for people to finish the floor and materials to come in so I'll sort of be doing odds and ends for a little while.

Shicksal, our trim carpenter is building our shelving using (I believe) a birch ply that came from Grayco Building supply. You've got Grayco up in Charleston don't you?

I really admire your, and everyone else's, DIY here. My DIY days for construction are behind me, and I'm really happy to pay someone else to spread paint, nail on trim, etc. But my DIY regarding fabricating window treatments are coming up fast. And slipcovering the furniture that won't get reupholstered right away...

For everyone commenting on window treatments, there are several good threads here on the Decorating Forum on window treatments. And really, even if you don't intend to cover your views, window treatments soften a room and complete a decorating scenario. It is good to give some thought to the windows in the build process.
Good article on Houzz re window treatments
[How-to-Get-Your-Window-Treatment-Right[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/how-to-get-your-window-treatment-right-stsetivw-vs~425405)
GW ideas thread
Window Treatment ideas

Unfortunately now, we don't have one in the Charleston area. But your lead for what they're possibly made of should help a lot. Thanks! :)

And thanks for the head's up on window treatments. Those are definitely something I'll need help deciding on since we don't like the huge, heavy blinds that are everywhere.

I totally agree Marji. We have a view home we use as a business and my mom refused window treatments. It looks unfinished to me. Even treatments that are left open all the time are a nice addition.

Been cleaning and packing all day. I really wish we would have sold our house before we started building like so many of you did. Oh well, hindsight's 20/20. Anywho....made Cap'n Crunch chicken strips today. DS and DH loved them. I didn't think they were too different than the ritz cracker chicken but pretty good. Different anyway. Ok, back to work. Sorry for getting off topic. Just wanted to quit working for a minute and had nothing interesting to say...lol.

My living room is turning into a warehouse. If you look waaaaaay up at the top of the boxes you will see my design assistant hard at work :)

Separately, I visited several homes in our local Builders' Association Parade of Homes. Here is a little bit of eye candy:

Carsonheim - I'm thinking your assistant is about as helpful as my two assistants. One of my assistants (DS) keeps unpacking toys that I'm trying to pack in his room while I'm not looking. And then I hear giggling from far away hiding spots when I yell his name. I swear I will never be finished...(scowling on the outside while laughing on the inside.)

carsonheim, what parade of homes did you visit? I enjoy going to different parade of homes in areas outside my area.

Hello all!

The good, the bad and the ugly...

The kitchen cabinets are being set tomorrow - woohoo, whoohoo! I can barely stand it - and it's my first day at my new job so I won't be around to watch. :( We were able to get the master and boys bath cabinets into the bathroom but they aren't completely set. I love them so far though.

Master (wonky angle, I think I need to get in the shower to get a better pic. Just thought of that now):

Boys bath - natural hickory (I am really loving the layout of their bathroom, I think it will work well):

Oldest DS room - elephant skin:

I made good progress, truly I did (talking myself out of a tizzy here). I am not finished with the master and the stairwell. That is all I have left BUT I am starting to panic as carpet comes on May 14, we have baseball games every.single.night and Saturday from this point forward, I work til 4 now starting tomorrow and dh just went to afternoons today so it's all me for baseball x 2 kiddos. Gah! I need a paper bag...breath in breath out.

Need to pick out backsplash and drawer pulls pronto. Not sure when I will get to that either...

Would you believe I painted the other 2 walls of my little guy with the blue rooms bedroom with gray paint. It's called SILVER bells. This paint was also for their closets as I didn't want bold or dark in there. Anyhow - it started looking lilac. UGH. You have GOT to be kidding me! I kept going as no choice, no time, not buying MORE paint and after pulling the blue tape I think it truly is gray but it does cast lilac reflecting off of dh's other blue walls. Good thing he doesn't care. I think when carpet is installed it will help?

Backsplash help - anyone have any references to a tile that is on a mesh both matte and glossy? I kind of like a little mix of both. Looking for brick or mini-brick. I have googled and found it tough to find results with BOTH finishes in the same backsplash. And just from the couple brief convo's dh and I have had I am thinking we are not going to agree on what to choose. :(

mfatt-grrrr. I hope you have some options. I think that is really strange that tile counters were spec'd in. Is that pretty common where you are? All I can say is a girlfriend bought a house years ago with a tiled island - small tiles. She used cleaning that grout as a punishment for her kids when they misbehaved, and it straightened them right up. Nobody wanted to try to get the grape jelly out of the grout with a toothbrush, lol! I think others suggested some good alternatives for you.

illini-love your pantry. It's going to be awesome!

carsonheim-now you just have to wonder how on earth that cat got up there without tipping any of those boxes over!

jdez-oh I remember that pain well. In the 10 months we have been in the rental several items have crept out of the storage unit into this place. More to pack....AGAIN!

schicksal-looking great! I know the feeling on the time availability crunch.

marjorie-I want more pics! I am kinda wishing we had a window seat in our bedroom now.... I think we'll have room for a chair and that will be nice.

Alright peeps, bedtime for me and yes I know it's only 9:40.

aries -- Bryan/College Station TX parade of homes. It runs two consecutive weekends, this and next.

Here is a link that might be useful: BCS parade website

Just broke ground at the beginning of the month. Finally seeing some progress now!
Is there a way to post more than one pic at a time from iphone?

This post was edited by joallen001 on Sun, Apr 27, 14 at 22:29

carsonheim, thanks for the information.

Joallen - Congrats. The only way I know of to post more than one pic is to use photobucket.

Autumn4 - The hickory is beautiful. And I love the elephant skin too. Which white did you use for your trim? I chose Chantilly Lace as my exterior trim but White Diamond looks better in incandescent light at my current house for the interior trim but may be too white. They are both BM. And what happened to you using wood for your backsplash? I picked up some short remnants of some four inch wide tongue and groove bead board and I'm thinking about flipping them over and using the flat side as my backsplash (I only have about 110 sq ft so not much else I can do with it).

Autumn4 - Hope your alarm clock didn't quit working today....Sending good thoughts and prayers your way as you start your first day at the new job. Try not to think about your cabinets as the boss is telling you what to do....hehehe. And I guess we're lucky, we only have baseball 4 days a week.

jdez-aw, thanks J. it didn't, my internal alarm had me up on and off from 5 and dh climbed in at 2:30 and that also had me up. It will take a bit and then I will sleep through his middle of the night arrivals. Backsplash - I know! I just can't make up my mind. I like what I have seen of it. I think I have DIY and decision fatigue in that we've done tile so I know we can do that pretty easily. Shiplap, well what color, stain or paint and then getting it up which I am sure cannot be hard but oy, just tired I think. I'm hoping with the cabinets in and counters on it will all come clear to me. That was quite a score on your cypress. I totally agree, grab it and you can always find a place for it!

edit: We color matched our cabinets for the trim. Shiloh's 'soft white'. It is close to white dove but definitely creamier yet. ID found a close color in the fan deck but I can't remember what it was - it wasn't in the true whites part.

joallen-I also use photobucket. :)

oicu-okay that is a weird theft and I was thinking surely they stole or wrecked something and didn't want to be busted on camera but NO? That is good of course but how strange. Have you put up another with a buddy to watch over it yet? It would be interesting to see what the second camera sees.

I forgot to add last night - if you remember my over the top drama with drawer guides (hahaha)...master has the Hettich soft close drawer guides. The kitchen has blum. DH opened a drawer in our bathroom and gently pushed it and it indeed did not close - didn't grab just like the display. So it will be fine for in there but I am so *happy* that I went with blum in the kitchen. Woot woot!

Happy Monday! I best scoot into the shower and make COFFEE.

This post was edited by Autumn.4 on Mon, Apr 28, 14 at 6:30

Uponahilltop - Are you moving in yet? We want pictures!!

How GORGEOUS is this room??????????????????

[

[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/montecito-california-beach-style-living-room-santa-barbara-phvw-vp~5667274)

[Beach Style Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/beach-style-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2110) by Santa Barbara Interior Designers & Decorators Debra Lynn Henno Design

Carson and Aries - My friend just invited me to a Parade of Homes. I tried to link the info in case you might be interested, I hope it worked. That's only a day trip for you Carsonheim. I can't go. DS will still be playing baseball.

Here is a link that might be useful: New Orleans Parade of Homes

Out of town for a few days and looks like lots of progress for some of you!

Autumn--Great progress on painting! Love your colors :)) Hope the new job is going well!

JHester--Thanks for the compliments on the lighting. :) I shopped all over. The dining area chandelier I found online through One Kings Lane (love so much on there!); the master bedroom chandelier and the entry chandelier are from Ballard Designs; and my DD's light is from IKEA ($49!). I had these amazing glass jugs from Pottery Barn for the island and they were just way too HUGE! So, I had to return them and just bought some new ones from Crate & Barrel. Simple glass pendants, but with a jute rope cord. Can't wait to see those up!

JDez--Thanks so much for your compliment!! So hard to select all the peices individually and so gratifying to see them come together cohesively!

nhbaskets--Beautiful kitchen!

mlweaving--Love your fabric selections :)

jackson--Ahh, Imperial Danby, one of my favorites! Wish it had been in the budget for me!

illini--Great pantry! Looks like lots of natural light. I thought about adding a window in my pantry, but it is fairly small and just didn't seem like the best use of space in my case.

We are down to three weeks!!! Woohooo! I started packing yesterday. I am going to be so exhausted by the time we are moved in that I'll just want to plop down and do nothing for weeks, but no rest for the weary--there will be lots of unpacking and then lots of shopping to furnish the place!!!

I would love it if some of you would take a peek at my house plan. It's titled Help with floor plan please! and is in the building home forum. Who better to look at it then those of you currently building!? Thanks in advance!

Okay, okay people here are pics........so happy! Yay!!!

First the teaser - quietude for the master. It's not a great pic but I was trying to get an accurate representation of the color. DH thinks it's a little green for him would prefer more blue but he doesn't hate it and I can handle that.

And the cabinets or at least where we are at so far. TADA!!!!!!!!!

They are hoping to finish up tomorrow. There will be a dishwasher at the end of the island. The crown molding also will have to go up. So far I am liking our aisle sizes. Woop woop!

mommy-wow I think I'll be feeling the same as you when it comes time to pack. Too tired, too DONE. :) Thanks for the kind thoughts as I start a new job. The learning curve is such a bear but a necessary evil. I am excited to be there.

Mommytoty - wow.....3 weeks? I am so jealous!!! I know I'm breaking a commandment there somewhere but I'm tired today and I just want to be finished so I can only imagine how badly you want to finish towards the end. I've still got a long way to go. Our DIY time is kicking in and things are going to really slow down after this exterior is finished.

Autumn4 - I'm not on Facebook but I tend to want to make conversations on this forum that have nothing to do with building or gardens so I will refrain from being nosy and asking about the new job and just say that I hope it's a happy, long-term relationship. Your cabinets look sooooo good! Ok, I was really zooming in and checking them out. I noticed that the whole microwave wall is extra deep to accommodate the MW but you get bonus depth for extra storage along the rest of the wall. Awesome design there. The soffit above the cabinets, will it meet the crown or is it sunken back from the edge of the cabinets? Ok, I have never seen pics of the kitchen floor, I must have missed it somewhere. Jae likes a lot! What are they? Are they waterproof? Dog proof? Kid proof? What color stain is that on the island? Is that Seattle Mist on the wall in there too? It looks more gray. Ok, sorry about 20 questions. I love it all.

Autumn, love the pics. Love the white cabinets with your floor! What is your floor?

jdez or shall I call you Jae? :) -are you finished insulating? What is next in your DIY world? So the blasted soffit! Argh! The main hugemongous support beam goes right through there and that is why there is a soffit. Who puts soffits in these days, everyone is busy taking them OUT! Boo! So I *think* the crown will be in front of it and up to it so you won't see a big gap. I hope to find out when I get home from work tomorrow. See, see I told ya! It IS Seattle Mist and it does look gray in the kitchen. Crazy color but I do really love it reading both ways. Island stain is gray but the wood reads through yet. It's called silas and it has a black glaze over it - Shiloh cabinetry. Good grief I hope the floors are life proof but they are wood so they will patina. They are hickory and more rustic with the hand scraping, etc. which I hope will help hide all that 2 boys and a dog have to offer. With it being so open I didn't want a huge transition in flooring so we kept the living/dining/kitchen all wood. So yes, to accommodate the MW and the fridge (or keep it from sticking way out) we pulled those base cabs on the fridge wall forward 6" and the uppers there are 18 or 19" deep, I already can't remember. Doh. Anyhow, with it being so open I didn't want 6" of the side of the fridge hanging out. Bonus that the counter will also be deeper there and that is where I anticipate the toaster and coffee pot to live as well as it being lunch making station. They should all be easily tucked out of view too. I have a very love HATE relationship with FB myself and typically only get on there when prompted by someone else. I have worked in purchasing or materials besides a brief 11 year stint in healthcare when we started a family. Healthcare because they offer part time work and quite a variety of it. So now my kiddos are older and I am back in Purchasing but not in automotive or manufacturing anymore. Breath of fresh air to do something different but still in purchasing. I like numbers and I like variety. I too hope it's happy and long lasting as I am not a job hopper kinda girl. Thanks for not asking, lol. I don't mind. ;)

Michelle-thank you. They are pre-finished solid hickory. They had 2 stains and we picked the lighter one (tobacco I think they call it), the other is more a java really deep color. We thought it would show too much dust so we stuck with this one and I like it. It also kind of grounds it as the fireplace and mantle were looking a little formal to me and I think the floor adds back some casual feel. We are not formal people at all.

So mini-rant - dh is adamant about wanting cup pulls. 1 - I don't like them as I like to reach from the top not the bottom and 2 - what? why on earth does he care about the pulls and 3 - who uses the kitchen and not just to get a glass for a drink. Pfft. Shaking head. I hope he doesn't mind me going out to the barn when he's building it and insisting on flower boxes or something........turkey. Unfortunately for him I am just as adamant about NOT wanting them. I get his point, they would look nice and I get it he likes the look but they'd drive me nuts to use so it's a no go.

gorgeous cabs Autumn! So happy to see them go in! LOl on the cup pulls. good idea on the extra deep counters. And also loving the elephant skin paint. We had a whole 'support beam' thing in our basement too. Once it was drywalled/primed it stopped bothering me. It will disappear about 3 minutes after we start hauling boxes into the house.

Joallen- congrats on breaking ground! Now it begins!

Mommytoty- home stretch-yay!

schicksal- I don't know the materials for the shelves. The trim carpenters supplied it.

It's going to be about 3 more months to move in for us. It feels like we've finished making most of the selections now. Painters are getting started this week. Still trying to figure out what to do with our cedar timber mantle (that is not reclaimed but I wish it was). I asked if they could rub some dirt on it :)