Yes, it does seem that lots of the decisions come at the very end and it is SO much. The paint is very very hard. I think the best trick I have found is to get your short list of paints and get little sample jars. Paint an ENTIRE piece of posterboard --- then take it around with you to your furniture, carpet, tile, etc. etc. and see how it looks. By doing this I was able to eliminate some quickly. The lights, that is hard as well. Hang in there, you are so close!

Absolutely!! This Saturday, I am supposed to GET all the bath fixures, the granite, AND pick out lighting!! I'm in the same boat. Have not looked at lighting at all. Luckily, it's been mostly canned lights, but still, there are some important stuff to pick out! Don't worry, you're not alone! And like Sjsh, I have no designer either. I just play it safe. if it becomes boring decoratively, I can always get brightly colored throw pillows! But to commit to doing something potentially permanent and of a specific design style is so hard for me. I couldn't do all glass tiles in the bathrooms, only a little glass here and there amongst the other tiles!

I'm in the same stage you're in, and YES, I'm overwhelmed! Picking tile and stain colors is sending me over the edge. I told DH last Friday that I wanted to hire a designer to help us pick stuff because I feel so lost. I'm such a perfectionist, which is turning me into the queen of indecision and second-guessing because I'm afraid of making the wrong choice.

Interesting...the lighting doesn't frighten me as much, in fact, I'm close on the dining room lights, after 1 night of looking online. It's because I KNOW I can always change them out relatively easily, whereas with tile backsplash, it's much more of a commitment. It sounds strange, but it helps to know that other people feel this way, and honestly, having seen so many house and kitchen 'reveals' on GW, it seems that 99+% of the time, it all turns out beautifully. We'll all be fine, it's just getting to the final decisions that are painful!

Ahhh, thank you all so much for making me feel normal! :) I have been looking forward to building this house for probably the last five years...and I feel so blessed now to get to do it. I hate having negative feelings because I am supposed to be enjoying every minute, right?

I actually do feel so much better today. The designer looked through some of the lighting selections I made, and I got the biggies out of the way. And...I met with the builder and the head trim carpenter today at the house to finalize the built-ins and there was a crew of about 12 guys furiously putting up the crown, baseboards, casings, etc...plus 2 guys from the staircase company putting up the box newells and balustrades...plus another guy who was feverishly installing my island! It was amazing to see all of these tradesmen working so hard on our house, and I was amazed to see how great everything is looking. I drove to the slab yard, finalized my marble and granite...and the counters will be installed next Thursday. I am pinching myself! Really, who cares about light fixtures, right? :)

Yes, yes, yes! I am about 3-4 months away, and the decisions are truly sending me over the edge! All of the little tiny things - I never thought about the fact that all of the components of a house must be picked by someone! Luckily I purchased 85% of the lighting back in January (which my builder questioned, but I am so glad I did it that way), but still all of the things I have to think about - countertops, knobs and pulls, grout colors, appliances, shower door handles, flooring, carpet, trim, molding, railings, landscaping...it is enough to make me want to scream! Plus, all of the usual end of school year stuff and getting the kids ready for camp, not to mention having my old house on the market.

You are not alone!

oh man, nini, now I'm depressed! We're supposed to be done in 4-6 weeks, and we're nowhere near where you are!!! UGH! Our contractor is sort of vague about it, but I'm honestly getting more and more bummed with each passing day!

You'll get there and be amazed when you realize all the decisions you made during the process. When I got to furniture, rugs, spreads, window coverings etc I thought I would go over the edge but all purchases have now been made and I feel a real sense of accomplishment. I can't tell you how many times I was frustrated and didn't want to choose one more thing. (It sounds like fun choosing everything until you are actually in the process) I felt like I was being asked what kind of screws to use. Our contractor walked early on in the process (probably a good thing) and we were our own GC so that added to the number of decisions to be made by us. We have a couple of weeks to go and final punch out items and then can relax and not make any more decision for a while. Well, at least until the landscaping decisions and outdoor furniture. Hang in there I am sure it will be worth it for all of us.

Yes, I am sooooo ready for this to be over! We are probably 2+ months from completion and I feel that the ground is shifting under our feet, design-wise. Nini, don't feel bad for a second about not spending time on lighting decisions. We are using a lighting designer, who is terrific, and he needed to know what type of lighting we wanted in each location. So, months and months ago, I spent countless hours on the internet, finding and choosing fixtures. I loved doing it - it is the "pretty" stuff and I can easily visualize how each room would look and, with a few exceptions, found fixtures that would suit each one.

But then, just last week I looked at the items I had "saved" as my chosen fixtures and those for two separate rooms had been discontinued. One company has even gone out of business. And, as you know, if the main fixture in the master bedroom changes, then the smaller ones there do also and maybe ones in the master bath might have to be changed. And so, it becomes a line of dominoes. Anyway, this seemed like the last straw. After spending so much time, ultimately getting it nailed down, making other decorating decisions based on the overall look, and now having to start over, I felt like a toddler ready to start a tantrum. My wiser husband, who had just gone through this with the lights in the home theater, said that with a little more looking, I might find something I liked even better. So I got myself a glass of wine, sat down at the computer and within an hour found similar fixtures that I liked as well. Probably the fact that I'd done so much searching previously, helped me narrow down the choices so now I just had to find something similar.

But the moral of the story is this: even if you get it all figured out way, way ahead of time, you may have to go back and do it all again so don't kick yourself for waiting. Just keep the wine handy!