Even-ing Out

The family room floor is finally even with the kitchen!

And the hallway and entryway are now smooth- we just need to even them up to the rest of the house (you can see the playroom slab is about 2" taller than the surrounding hallway), and we'll be ready to lay floors...at some point.

Other than that, not much going on except tons of behind the scenes stuff.  I am seriously overwhelmed with decisions.  I've probably spent 4 hours at Home Depot alone with the window/door guy deciding on our windows, french doors and interior doors (which we did finally purchase).

I just cannot believe the amount of decisions.  Doors, doorknobs, hinges, lighting, cabinet knobs/pulls, kitchen faucet, kitchen sink, bathroom 1, 2 and 3 sinks, faucets, toilets, tubs, tile, counters, toilet paper holders, towel bars (which are all different)...it is seriously endless.  And every decision takes HOURS of research to decide.

I'm trying to focus on the kitchen because I think they are starting that soon.  I have nothing chosen except white shaker cabinets (maybe?  I do keep going back to gray!) and carrera counters.  We are already SO over-budget (and we haven't even begun!) that I'm trying to cut back, but it's almost impossible!  I wanted to go with an acrylic sink, but *everyone* says that I must get cast iron?  WHY?!  The cast iron one I like is 4 times the price of the acrylic one that I like.

Here is the acrylic one...

And the cast iron...

I actually like the acrylic one better!  At least I know 100% that I want a single bowl, undermount, non-apron front sink.  I mean, that's a bunch of decisions right there, right?!

The next decision I can't seem to make is the kitchen faucet.  I think I want this type, but I can't decide on which one...

And finally, to pot-fill or not to pot-fill is the question.  I cannot decide if I want a pot filler!  I like the look of them, and probably 75% of the high-end kitchen pictures I save have pot fillers, but it is a lot of extra cost to buy the pot filler and have it installed (it means running water lines over there where there wouldn't be any otherwise).  I don't love them or hate them.  I like them.  I think it will be handy when I need it, but not used very often.  My sink is quite far from my stove (which is why I REALLY wanted an island with a prep sink, but let's not get into that disappointment again!).  Here is one that I like if I go that direction...

In good news, we signed the contract with our contractor today, and they start Monday!!!!!!!!!  They gave us a 10 week estimate, which to me sounds really fast considering we really are basically building a completely new house.  Let's hope they are right!

The Guts

Not much to update...just demo, demo, demo and stressed to the max because my house looks like this...

Looking up from the kitchen towards the playroom...

Entryway...

Ella's room...

Everett's room...

Master bedroom...

But we are *finally* starting to do at least a tiny bit of building.  Our flooring guy started to level the floors...

We STILL haven't heard back from the county regarding our plans (it's been over 3 weeks!), but I think our contractor is going to start work next week.  At least I hope. 

I also think we've decided on our interior doors and windows/french doors.  Because our order is so large, the store is sending our quote to their estimating department and managers to try and get the cost down.  I hope it works because I reeeeeeeally want fiberglass windows and doors (they look just like wood but without the maintenance), but they are literally twice the cost of vinyl windows/doors so I need them to find me a bargain! ;)

Hopefully, I'll have some more interesting photos soon!

Guest Room/ Bathroom

Wow, I haven't updated in over a week!  Basically, that's because it's STILL just demo, and I'm really just not in the mood to talk about the remodel anymore because it's making me so anxious to still have nothing done (I know demo isn't "nothing", but it feels like nothing). 

Supposedly, we will hear back from the county on Tuesday for our "first review" where they tell you what you need to change on your plans.  I also need to make a few changes with our structural engineer.

I've been focusing on the guest room.  Originally, I was going to do a traditional guestroom with a bed, side tables, etc.  But the more I thought about it and talked to people, the more it seemed silly to have a dedicated guest room when we rarely have guests.  Since that room already has a built-in desk and storage area, which will be our office area for our desktop, I decided to make it a guest room / craft-sewing room!

So I bought this cute sofa bed, which pulls out to a queen.  This will be even better for guests than the bed I planned on using because it's a full (although I'm sad not to use the cute bed frame I've been storing for over 4 years!).

On the other side of our kitchen (and the reason our kitchen is so narrow!) is our powder room.  It also shares part of a wall with the guest room.  We initially toyed with the idea of putting in a shower, but we couldn't figure out how to make it workable because it is such a narrow space so we decided to save some money and add another bathroom in the future.  But then I saw this photo on Pinterest...

This is exactly what our contractor suggested doing long ago, but I thought it sounded awful having a sink on the side of the wall...until I saw this photo, and I love it!  This would allow us to put a shower at the opposite end of the skinny bathroom.  We have plenty of length because the guest room has a bar in it, which is already plumbed with a sink and drain on the other side of the bathroom.  That area was going to be a walk-in closet, but that room was going to have 2 closets anyway so there is no problem with making it a shower instead.  We'll have to see what the budget allows, but it would be great for guests to have their own full bathroom so they don't have to use the kids' bathroom!

Here is a picture of the bar- imagine that plus 2 feet because we are adding 2 feet all along that wall for the walk-in pantry.

The built-in desk is on the wall opposite the sliding glass doors- I just realized I don't have a photo of it.

The Backyard

Let's talk backyard for a minute.  My original plan was to have this pool...

With pavers like this for the hardscape...

Under the California room that will look like this...

 But then Gary said no way on the pool.  So since I wasn't going to have concrete around the pool, I decided to do the patio under the California room like this...

But of course we have another hiccup.  Apparently, the county might require that instead of building the California room off the roof, we cut open the house run the joists from the inside of the house through the California room, which of course is going to cost more money and take more time (ARGH!).

So now Gary has informed me that we have to do a concrete patio instead of herringbone brick.  I'm still trying to negotiate this decision, but since I have a feeling I'm going to lose, I found some concrete patios that I think I like.

Maybe a diamond pattern?

I think I like this pattern of squares better though...

I actually kind of like this (except I'd do 2 gray tones, not the orange tones), but is it too much?

Paint & Progress

We are STILL doing demo.  We closed one month ago on August 5th, and we are STILL doing demo!  I understand that we have A TON of demo (and it's become a lot more than we thought), but I really need something to be "built" to make me feel like progress is being made!  Keep that in mind if you are ever crazy enough to gut a house- it's a SLOW process.

The guys have been at the backyard for weeks.  There is rebar in everything and all kinds of deep footings that are a b*tch to get out!  They've been jack hammering like crazy...which apparently pissed off one of our neighbors, who had the audacity to call the county on us!!!!  Can you believe that?!  Who would be that evil?  Why wouldn't you just talk to us about it?  That could have really got us in a lot of trouble, BUT we DO have permits SUCKA!  We're pretty sure we know who it was because she has complained to our demo guys before about the noise, and she does not live in our neighborhood- she lives in a gated community behind us.  In her defense, it is super loud, and I would be annoyed too...I would just never ever call the county on someone. 

Anyway, here is my stunning backyard- I know you are all jealous...

And here is the master bedroom and bathroom that you previously could not see from the back because it was covered by tall brick patio walls.  This entire area will be pushed out 10 feet to add 270 square feet to the master bedroom and bathroom.

Our cabinet guy gave us our first 3D draft of the kitchen (exciting!), and he's already started making the kids' bathroom vanity (double exciting!) so I'm trying to decide on paint colors.  I'm definitely doing gray in the kids' bathroom.  I'm definitely doing a different gray in the playroom.  But I'm still waffling about the color for the kitchen!  I feel like I should just go with white, but I do love me a gray kitchen!  Here are my choices for grays and whites...

The first gray is what I'm using in the playroom.  The next two grays are what I'm deciding between for the bathroom (and possibly kitchen).  The white will be used for all doors and trim, the exterior,  and the kitchen if I use white.  The first white has a slightly yellower or off-white shad to it.  I love white white, but I feel like the second white might almost be too white.  I painted some of the exterior siding white in different locations so I could see what they look like on the house.

I'm also trying to decide on the navy for the front door and shutters.  I loved this on the paint sample, and I even love it on the house, but I think it might be too blue?  I want it to be almost black.  It seems to have a lot of gray in it.  I might just go with black because it seems like even dark blues read so blue on the exterior.

I maybe shouldn't have painted that splotch on the front door...it's going to be like that for a while!

Brass Obsession and Lighting Love

I'm currently obsessed with brass or antique gold.  If you've followed my other blog, you know I become obsessed with things.  Speaking of which, in law school, my BFF and I would become obsessed with a new food every week, and eat it 3 meals a day everyday.  Like one week, we ate homemade Mexican pizzas all day long for at least a week.  Weird.  But I digress...

You can't go overboard with the brass or it looks dated, so I have to limit my obsession.  Ella is the lucky recipient of a brass/gold tone-accessorized room.

I finished painting her dresser and putting on the new knobs, and I absolutely LOVE how it turned out!  Here is what it used to look like...

And here it is now...

It's actually a darker coral color than it looks in the photo.  Coral is one of her new room colors.  Aren't those brass knockers so chic?!

Both kids' rooms have chandelier outlets so I could not resist buying this for Ella's room...

Hello beautiful!  I love it so much, that I might have to keep it for the master bedroom.  Except that I wanted this one for the master...

I've always loved these chandeliers so I want to try and make it work in the master.  Sadly, with the direction I'm going in the master, I have a feeling it won't work.  And I'm thinking Everett won't be too keen on this hanging in his room.  Ooh, but maybe the master bathroom- yes!

I'm also in love with this sconce...

I feel like I have to have it because it's called the Everett Sconce!  But I have no idea where I'd put it.  Both bathrooms will have polished chrome or brushed nickel, and I don't think there is anywhere to put two of these in Ella's room.  But I'm going to try and come up with a spot!

Moving from bedrooms to entry, I bought his for the entryway...

For the kitchen, I think I want these for above the peninsula, but I need to do more research before making a final decision...

And bathrooms.  I'm not sure yet if we're doing an above-mirror light or side lights for the kids' bathroom because I need to see what the mirror looks like first (I bought the CUTEST mirror for their bathroom!).  If we do above mirror, I think I'll get these...

If we do side lights, I want either these...

Or these...

For the master bathroom, I'm pretty much decided on 2 or 3 of these...

Next up on the agenda, we're meeting with our contractor and cabinet maker on Monday morning to start the kitchen and kids' bathroom cabinet designs- yay!  Our plans were submitted to the county on Wednesday so please cross your fingers that it takes less than a month to approve.