Autumn, if the tile pictures you posted are the ones which you had problems, I could not tell at all! Looks great.

Akshar, I am so sorry about your cabinets. I hope they can fix them.

Lori, hang in there. It's almost over!!!

DH has been working so hard on assembling our cabinets. He finished all the island, all the base cabinets, the blind corner cabinet, the fridge and wall oven/microwave cabinets and several of our upper wall cabinets that go above the wall cabinets. His hands are so sore and cramped. Thursday and Friday he has a college student going to help him assemble that huge pantry cabinet, and the upper corner cabinet. We are also going to have him cover the laundry room floor.

Oh, and today the painters sprayed poly on one side of all our interior doors, one side of all the cabinet doors and drawer fronts, and several other cabinets that they didn't brush the finish. We're getting there!

Showed up this morning just as the last form was being loaded back onto the truck to reveal our fresh new basement.

Waterproofing, perimeter drain, and backfilling is on order for the rest of the week, with framing scheduled to start Monday.

It's just been a while since I've seen my house on GW so I'm posting a fresh pic now.

And here is the built-in microwave thingy for Witchdoc and mfatt, first a view from the front, it's to the right of the pantry door which is the door in the middle of the picture:

And a view from the side shows how it's supported. I still have storage above, below and behind it. The supports are supposed to be strong enough that I can use the top of the niche as a shelf:

Autumn4 - I don't see the problem with the tiles either. If there's any problem at all, it can probably be hidden with some carefully placed grout.

Oicu812 - Yay! Something solid to look at. We should start seeing a lot of changes at your place. Keep posting pictures.

Aksharsmom - You have nothing to worry about. This is one of those things that I call a "momentary glitch". It'll get fixed somehow and you'll be sharing happy pictures in a day or two.

Bluemoon - I'll bet you've been placing furniture in those big rooms, in your mind. Can't wait to see more pictures.

Robyn - Where the heck is our view?

Maggiepie - Shower? Did they finally get it right?

We are still waiting on the plumber to finish rough-in. Nothing happening here. Later.

I have an update!!! Things were slow this week. I didn't see anyone on the property Monday, Tuesday and this morning so I texted my builder and asked where everyone was! lol! Probably doesn't help my patience with having that 24 hour camera. He told me that Friday was the busy day as they would be pouring my footings and headers. Someone showed up this afternoon to get all of that ready and they were there until this evening. My brother-in-law surprised me by running over and taking pictures for us. I loooooove it!!!!!!! Progress that I couldn't see from my angle!

Here is a view that I took this week. :)

I'm sure I'll have many more pics on Friday!
Robyn

Autumn,
I'm sure you are your own worst critic- I can't see anything wrong with the tiles- your shower looks gorgeous with that arch!

Robyn
Great progress- can't wait to see your house -I'm very intrigued.

On my end, not a lot to show yet- They are finishing up the interior mudding. The siding guys started showing up Monday to put up our Hardie board and batten. They started on the back of the house, so I'll wait until they have some on the front for pics.

Priming supposed to be done soon. I have a lighting fixture selections appt tomorrow. I *think* (think) we have found our wood floors.

So this will be here and there and everywhere in my quest to 'catch up'. I may very well repeat myself in some instances as I have read on and off with no time to post so I have no idea what I have thought about commenting on and actually commented on, lol!

Thank you for the kind words on the tile. When you are up close as in it's in your face all of the flaws stick right out. I think the pics hide a lot, either way it's done and I do like the tile. Anxious to go back today and see how the grout dried and if it lightened up a lot (hope not). I mixed it a little wet (sigh) so I was concerned when I left but another 'it is what it is'. I suppose I could always stain it if it lightened too much. Pfft, might as well since I have nothing else to do, LOL!

skyangel-really like the exterior of your home, the roof pitches and that porch!

van gogh, uh I mean jdez. Yes Autumn is very GROUTchy! It's done though. Vertical grouting is - well lots of brown grout plopping down like cow pies everywhere. The clean up oh the clean up! Yay on the pics ('bout time!) and your clever MW spot. Very nice and you will love having it up off the counter!

akshars-oh no. :( So is it as simple as removing them and then re-installing? I know that is a PITA but they didn't wreck any of them did they? That would be much worse. So sorry. It stinks when you are diligent about keeping a reign on things and it still gets messed up.

mommy-love the shake and oh that window. It's awesome from the outside and the inside!

schicksal-well, it's one thing to build. It's another I think to gut and re-do WHILE you are living there. Kudos to you for that, I cannot imagine it! So for surely it 'counts'. :)

robyn-this may be old? Did you decide on a silgranit sink? I am hoping for the cascade precis low divide. It will fit in my 33" sink base. I think I mentioned they will send samples so you can match them to your counter? I like the cinder and the metallic gray so far. Still have to get to the granite yard and hold them up to the slab. I think I'd be getting up in the middle of the night checking that camera! Any wildlife around there?

illini-I am squeamish just thinking about trying to get a house ready for sale with all of the house business! With all of the focus on building the rental is just a place to sleep and do laundry. Something we found helpful (and it totally depends on your current home and 'stuff') - we rented a storage unit and actually stored a bunch of seasonal stuff that we weren't using in the summer. That got it out of the house for showing - and made it less stuff to actually move when the time came and it sold. YMMV. Ohhh, very intrigued on your wood floor find. You and dh finally decide on one that you both liked? What is it, what is it???

mushcreek-how is it going?

hoosiers-great idea getting someone to clean! We have 'cleaned' so many times over the build span it's unreal. Clean up one mess just to go and make another different kind of mess. ;) You are on the home stretch also!

lori-a piece of trim? They are complaining about a piece of TRIM? Shaking head, whatever!

maggie-yes, the shower saga. How is it? Are you showering in it right now? Rinsing all that bad karma right down the drain???

oicu812-big changes start to come now! :)

marjorie-I'd be keeping that squeaky clean too if it meant the avoidance of cockroaches. Any new pics to share? The quilting sounds very nice. We have a quilt committee at church and they do some amazing work. I'm not sure I have the patience for it (uh oh, there is a theme there isn't there?) but they are beautiful.

illini and marjorie-the counter tops. I actually really wanted just 1 counter that would kind of marry both cabinet colors but dh always pictured dark on the perimeter and something else on the island. It is still kind of 'undecided' and that is where the backsplash or lack thereof is hanging out!

Frost is coming out of the ground and the driveway is a mess - my car looks like I use it for mud running. :) At least the salt is off of it. Waiting for carpenter to do the mantel so we can do the stone so we can do the floor so we can do the trim so I can PAINT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wondering if this work hiatus is going to last long enough for me to do it. My luck would be I will be just starting a new job when I am supposed to be painting, hahaha....not really laughing though. Eek.

Happy Thriday folks!

Drywallers are coming tomorrow - this is the 3rd task of 3 that I'm not doing (1 was removing 24ft of what used to be the rear wall, 2 was spray foam insulation). That means I need to get my ready for drywall punch list cleared out and pull everything from the areas they need access to. I'm almost there - yesterday I wrapped up framing for a relocated half bath, making sure some of the existing wiring was up high enough to clear the walls, relocating kitchen outlets a few inches and cove light wiring.

The only items on the ready for drywall list are adding one stud to a passageway to have the same size opening on both sides, putting a phone line drop in the pantry for a bluetooth device we have that rings land lines connected to it when the mobile rings, and plumbing the sink drain. Gotta remember to stuff a little fiberglass insulation between the pipe and studs to keep it nice and quiet.

The cabinetmaker is also coming by today for final measurements. Once we have drywall up and patched I can paint, put in the flooring and have it finished, then cabinets. Once we get those and the appliances it'll be a much easier place to live in. Oh yeah, doors would be nice too...

Somebody stole our building permit! Who the...What the...Are you kidding me? Now I've got to find time to make it to the permit office. I wish my 7 year old could drive. Ok not really.

Robyn - Your excavation looks like a small canyon. Can't wait to start seeing the house go up.

Autumn - You definitely deserve the silgranit sink after stepping around cow pies.

jdez-THANK YOU. Yes, I think so. Grout cow pies everywhere, more clean up. Indeed, a silgranit it is! ;) On the permit - really? Oh just add that to the list of things that you don't have time for...but move it to the top.

I have so much to comment on, but the phone posting is so slow... I'll do my best. Posting a pic of my final appliance purchases... Bosch dishwasher ($400) and kenmore wall oven (650) both a steal. Now I have all 4 appliances for $2600. Yippeee

Lori- so I was thinking, (yes I mull over all builds posted here while I am going about my day) could you send the inspector a pic of the "finished" work? Our building inspector allowed for pics of specific things when he wasn't able to make it to the build site before the concrete trucks. If they would allow it, you could lay the trim up, snap some pics and email them??

Jdez. I'm thinking about going to make a copy of my building permit now! For memories later(scrapbook)/thief moments. I don't have time to make special trips for nonsense.

Love the views! Love the progress!! Keep up the good work all!
Ok back to work...
Jen

Autumn - Good to hear from you! These are the two kitchen sinks that I have decided on. Weird, but I'm making my decisions backwards in my kitchen. The counter will be the last choice I make but it's a good thing that I know what I want. They are both the Performa in Cinder.

JDez - I have to compliment you on your drawing skills! When I saw your frame work where the microwave was I totally understood it because of your picture.

Jenny - Nice appliances!

oicu812 - Look at that progress!! Must be so exciting to see!

robyn-nice, the cinder sample I have is very pretty! There are so many decisions to make I would be scared to see the 'proper order' of everything as I *know* I am all over the place with that one! I think the cascade precis and performa are very similar - but the precis is smaller to fit the 33" base (that is definitely an over analyzed to death why on earth did you do that choice).

jenny-that IS a steal! Woohoo! You go girl! AWESOME!

So I wiped the tile one more time and it appears that I should have sealed the tile first (some we have but most we haven't as they didn't really look or say they needed to be). At any rate the grout did stain it some but not terribly. The grout dry looks better - blends more so that I am happy about. No pics - once you wipe it there is mostly glare and the grout is darker than IRL.

Autumn-
We are favoring an 8" wide plank walnut. The color is exactly perfect. It is mildly distressed and lightly wirebrushed. I have a sample board at home and I just love it. The distressing is exactly the level I wanted- a little subtle, but not too subtle but not in your face either. The wire brushing is so subtle I didn't even realize it was wirebrushed at first. No hand scraping- that was a tough one- everything we found we loved except for the hand scraping.

Walnut- yes, I know, it's soft. But for me, it's the scratches that drive me crazy, not the dings/dents. Plus, the distressing already puts some dings/dents in there so if you were to look across a sunlit room I don't think you would notice which dings would be from us (our boys) and which were already there.

I am going to look at one last supplier for a maple that is close to what we selected colorwise in the walnut. With maple I've found that the staining doesn't offer the richness and depth like other species....but there was one we found that did- a Viking brand. BUT it was hand scraped. So if we can find it in a non-scraped version I might go with that over the Walnut. But I really love the walnut!

Awesome appliances Jenny! The appraiser was scheduled to come back in today around noon. County inspector was supposed to be there around the same time too. Unfortunately I've not heard from anyone!!!

JDez! Cute house!

Ok, gonna do my best to catch up here too!

Hoosier--Love the new mailbox. Your poor old mailbox got quite the beating this winter. :)

etcncr--Thanks! I don't have a building blog. I've read other building blogs and don't know how people can keep them up. I can barely keep up with all the decisions that have to be made on a daily basis. Just today I get an email from my GC saying they are building the bookshelves in the Great Room today, what size do I want them. Um, there are no bookshelves going in the Great Room. They are supposed to be in the Rec Room and I haven't even thought about how many or what size I want! So, quick scan through Houzz to get some ideas and within 15 minutes I send him dimensions and a sketch. Cross fingers that they look good! That is just one example of how it is every day! Throw that in with work, kids, sports, etc., and any blog of mine would not be very good! :) In terms of how to search GW for others's posts, I have sometimes had luck with plugging their name in the search box, but that doesn't always work well. Anyone else have a better way?

bluemoon--Framing is coming along great! I remember how excited I was to see those first few sticks go up. :)

Autumn--The tiles in the shower look great! I know how critical we can be on our own work, but really, I don't see anything wrong with them. After reading your post, I now feel bad for our tile guys that had to cut 12x12 marble tiles into 4x12 strips for the herringbone pattern on our master bath floor. I thought it would be no big deal, but sounds like it was a pain!

oicu812--Great start on your build! Funny how even concrete can be exciting when you're seeing your creation come to life!

JDez--Love your front porch!!

Robyn--That is quite a hole!!

illini--I would have LOVED to do 8" plank floors, but had to keep it to 4" due to budget. Even going to 5" was a big jump in price. They will look beautiful!

Updates on my build--Carpenters have been trying to finish up some of the built ins and painters have been working around them to prep for painting the interior. Hoping carpenters will be done this week and then painters can have the house to themsleves all of next week. Counters are being installed today--I am beyond EXCITED to get home and see them, but also a little nerveous I must admit. EEK!

Rec Room fireplace mantle installed yesterday:

Railing to basement installed:

Laundry counters prepped for installation:

Mudroom bench/cubbies built and I am really happy with how it turned out!

WE ARE IN!!! CO IN HAND!!!! WHOOP WHOOP!!!!!!!!

Well Temp CO, but we just have to finish the outside :)

Closing is Tuesday. Going to the bank after work to pick up appraisal & lock in the rate.

OMG this is actually happening!!!!
I better be able to hear you all yell! whoop!!!

mommy-well, if the tiles were rectified that would make a huge difference - plus they are professionals and you paid them so I wouldn't feel bad! LOL! I guess considering all we had to do I just wanted to put tile after tile up ya know what I mean, get it done so we can keep going? Not put one up and go ee gads, it's slightly taller or narrower than the last one. It seemed like every single tile was that way. It would have been so much simpler if they were good to go out of the box and trim at the corner and done! So I love your mudroom cubby config. Any idea on dimensions of your below the bench cubbies? The height and then where you have one shelf and then the next space is taller - perfect for boots! Counter installation? YAY! I hope you get over there and snap a few pics!

illini-oh man walnut is sooo pretty. I can totally understand why you like it and hesitate to give it up (have you seen some of the more recent posts of finished kitchens with walnut cabs? breathtaking). I am hoping the distressing we have on our pre-finished floor will help hide some of what life with 2 boys and a dog gives. We had cherry in our last house and they were very durable but just too red for me. So exciting that you found a stain that you love and that grain will be gorgeous!

hoosier-oh yeah the mailbox! Ours was hit also. It's back up and 'kicking' but I am wondering if it will get and can handle a yearly beating by the plows!

LB - WHOOP WHOOP!!!!

DH just called and said I need to go meet with him and the plumber for some reason...uh oh...this is never good. Leaving work to face the chaos.

Lori, Congratulations. Hope the closing and the move happen with out a hitch. I can feel the excitement through your post :) WHOOP WHOOP :)

This post was edited by akshars_mom on Thu, Mar 20, 14 at 17:57

Lori--So exciting for you!!! You made it!! Congratulations!

Congrats Lori! Enjoy your beautiful home!!

WHOOPWHOOPWHOOP! Way to go, loribug. Don't forget to come check on us slowpokes once in a while.

Lori, WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP!

Whoopdie whoop whoop whoo!!! Yay Lori! That is so exciting. I hope you celebrate!

And another Woop Woop!
We got out to the house today - we have hickory floors! And they're painting the exterior - so happy to see that coat of white go on the bare hardyplank.
And the correct doors are on site now , doing the happy dance about that.
So I've just been online spending more $$. Just ordered the hardware for the built ins in the living room and the powder room vanity. After I make dinner I've got to go spend more to order the supplemental lights for the master bath (my 10x lighted wall mounted mirror), and the mirror for the upstairs bath.

Lori-whoop congratulation

Mommy-no lie, i sent the pic of your fireplace to our cabinet maker-i want a surround not just a mantel in my kitchen- they are pricing it out now. love it-thanks for sharing :) i'll let you know what they say the cost is just for fun :)

they started the trusses this morning, when i went out there at 530pm they were still working away- you go boys!!
here is a side pic

This post was edited by bluemoon_1 on Thu, Mar 20, 14 at 20:47

and from the front

Wow Bluemoon, that looks like a house! And a nice one at that.

Mommytoty - You have the coolest laundry room. I love your cubbies too.

Aksharsmom - What's the prognosis for the cabinets? I really hope it all turns out awesome.

Illini - I missed it, what ever happened with the weathervane? Did it tarnish at all or did you just get used to the bling?

The emergency meeting with the plumber wasn't really an emergency. The deck mount faucet I chose for the soaking tub won't fit at the drain end of the tub and can't be used on the deck at all because the way it is made (it is not tall enough to go over the lip of the tub). So they will have to put it on the side of the actual tub. I am ok with this. I would rather make this change than deal with returning one faucet, trying to find another to somewhat match and then pay for next day shipping. So, I'm good.

To oicu812,

Nothin like a fresh poured concrete foundation for your dream house to rest on. Congratulations.

jdez-phew, that is an easy 'problem' to have! :)

bluemoon-wow look at them go! That is GREAT progress! Very nice.

marjorie-more good news, YES! Shopping with the mouse? That is my fav way to do it but you don't feel the $ drain until you look at your bank statement that way. Ouch!

Finally have some time to try and catch up on the thread.

Autumn, the tiles look great to me. I think we always view our selections/work more critically and can see any minute issues more than others. But you are doing a great job. Can't wait to see the pictures grout and paint are done. I love your arch even more with the tile done.

jdez, Whew. Glad it was a minor issue you could deal with right then. Your house is looking great. More pictures of the interior when you get a chance. The cabinet saga is ongoing. one issue fixed another one comes up. At this point I just have to tell myself to take a deep breath. I will post pictures below.

Jennybc, what a great deal on the appliances. They look great.

Robyn,
All your selections are looking good. I wish I had the camera at the sight so I could see what is going on at all time but I probably would not get any work done :)

On Our front the cabinet install and the trim install seem to be still going on. We have run into some issues withe cabinets. They corrected the issue from the other day and installed them properly. There is a minor damage to one of the cabs but it won't be visible so I am going to let it go.
Uncovered a few more issues
1) The cabinet company sent the wrong number of doors on the hutch cabinets. we may keep them and switch out the shelves to glass to fix this.
2) The built-ins around the fire place came with some damage and the contractor installed them with out either not seeing it or ignoring it. Now the KD can't do anything once installed so we have to fix it to the best we can and live with it. I hate this as we these were custom and we paid a lot for them.

3) The crown molding issue is the one that is bugging me now. We wanted the crown on the cabinets and the rest of teh house to match so we did not order crown from the cabinet company and now the crown we used else where seems to be do big :( Not sure how to proceed here.

Here are a few pictures of the cabinet install. Not great quality pictures for some reason the camera in my phone is acting up. Need to figure that out.

Builtins next to fireplace:

Cabinets next to range with the Sample crown:

The refrigerator cabinet:

Hutch cabinet (one of two) Was supposed to be with one door but came with two doors.

mommy-could I trouble you to take a pic of your cubby bench straight on (eye level) so I can see how that shelf is secured in there? IF you have time, I totally get it if you don't. Our carpenter is MIA and so DH is now saying that we will do the built ins on our own (please NO) and due to time and knowledge it'd be easier to skip putting a shelf in but I think it's really a great functional way to go! :D Soooo, if I can copy yours all the better.

akshars-thank you, I am still loving the arch too. I do like the color the grout dried to, that helps hide some of the blemishes, yay! Oh so frustrating that they installed damaged cabs. :( It's impossible to be out there all the time to catch those things yourself. Love the built ins and the color of white. So is there any way to mimic that crown only slightly smaller? It is very nice and I can see why you'd want to carry it through!

robyn-now I remember what I was going to say although your issue is already solved. Our excavating bill went way over (and it's not done) and I can think of nothing less exciting to spend money on - DIRT. :( Boo! However it is one of those necessities. We can't be sliding down the driveway every year, lol! So come spring (what is that?) we will need more dirt yet to make our approach livable. And of course our black dirt is covered in a couple feet of snow still so who knows when we will be able to have that spread back out.

Walk in Pantry ??? - so who has config'd theirs already? I know I want some shallow shelving for canned goods but I am not sure which way to go vs. adjustable or fixed. I found a pic on line the other day and now I can't find it back! I am sure DH is going to be asking - what do you want SOON and I need to have an answer!

autumn,
walk-in pantry is next on my list- I have to get some graph paper out. I have a LOT going on in my pantry and since it's so large it needs CAREFUL design. Just to name a few of my desires:
second fridge
counterspace
produce basket slideouts
wine rack (just a half dozen at most, we aren't collectors, just drinkers,lol)
maybe put the printer in there
toying with adding some of those economical drawers like these:

[

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Roswell Photographers Barbara Brown Photography

since I am storing things like bread, chips, snacks it will be easier to store them in drawers than on shelves. My cabinet makers charges 95 per drawer.

not to mention I am storing my appliances such as bread maker, crock pot, KA mixer, food processor, etc.

There was a "pantry shelving" thread over in Kitchens going on yesterday with some good ideas. Pantries with a window had shelves for herbs, although my pantry window faces north so no direct sun. Not sure if herbs can grow without direct sunlight. Cool idea though.

Whoop Whoop lori! I hope to be doing the whoop whoop next week! At least with getting occupancy. We can't close though until the gas is hooked up to the house and the air conditioning is put in. Silly winter. Probably not until May... lame.

Akshars- If it were me, I would find my copy of the cabinet order and point out the single door on the hutch and ask them to send the door you ordered. It might not come until after you move in but at least it would be the way you wanted it to be. On the crown, I agree with Autumn4 that a smaller version of the same crown would be best if they make a smaller version. Otherwise, try cutting off the detailed edge along the bottom of the crown and mount flush to the top side of your cabinets and maybe it would look like the crown was actually part of the cabinetry and not a separate piece of trim that goes all the way to the ceiling. Just something I would try. If it doesn't work, you lose one piece of "test" crown.

Autumn- I've planned out my entire pantry in my mind. My pantry is walk-in but it's not very deep so on the back wall will be my shallow, non-adjustable (because we're building them ourselves) food shelves. On the two ends, I will have deeper shelves for big items like the huge 12pks of paper towels, crock pots, and whatever else won't fit in the kitchen cabinets. All built around a window and a microwave in my case ;)

w00t for certificates of occupancy.

Here's our idea for a semi-walk in pantry if it helps any. Instead of doors that open like this we're doing three that slide left/right with wood and opaque glass that matches the cabinets. Dimensions are 9' x 3' deep.

[

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Saratoga General Contractors RemodelWest

I still don't have much to update. I feel like drying in the house is taking forever but our roof line is complicated and some of the trusses were wrong so they had to work around some oddities. All in all the roof is nearly ready to be started and the complete end of the house will get shingles next week. I will try to snap a few picks, our facia board is going up and it looks like a real house! Unfortunately our very nice contractor whom my family has know for 20 years, built in laws custom, cut off the tip of his finger with a saw on site. He is on the mend but I feel terrible for him, that had to hurt like the dickens.

MFatt - I feel bad for him too! I hope he is doing ok.

The plumbers are still hard at work at our house. The estimate for them to install everything for the natural gas was extremely high so we made an audible at the line of scrimmage - we're going all electric with the exception of propane roughed in for a generator and the fireplace (much cheaper). And with the money we saved, we can get a standby generator to run the whole house if we should happen to have any bad hurricanes blow through. Of course, the generator and gas logs will be added in a couple years as it is not in the budget to add them now. Slightly disappointed but moving on.

We made some major decisions last night. We chose our brick. Its called Annandale. Not at all my first choice. I wanted Chicago Red from Old Texas Brick but DH wanted Bayou Blend which I hated. So we compomised. Next decision, we were going to have cypress siding on the rest of the house (under the two porches and on the front gable area.) We are now going with Hardie in Evening Blue with Arctic White trim and it is going to save us quite a bit of moolah. It will also be less maintenance in the long run. The only problem now is that I want Board & Batten and DH wants lap. So we are getting exact quotes and mulling it over. We have to decide by Monday. Also, DH has instructed me to purchase the range hood and two bathroom vents this weekend so that he can have the needed details for the electrician on Monday. Hope everyone's Friday is happy.

Yeah, GC is doing alright all things considered. He was able to have it reattached but I am sure its painful. On the other hand, we just heard word that my cousin's husband cut his off, also in construction, and they cannot reattach :( Weird week.

Hello!! Another newbie here.

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to find this site/forum. I'd been longing for a place to discuss home building with others, and bam, here you are. :)

Anyway, I'm Michelle, married to Todd. We about to begin building our third home. For the first two, we were the general contractors, this one, we're both way too busy, so we're hiring a GC. (Three kids, boy 12, girl 9, girl 5).

We have our dream lot....a gorgeous wooded, 2 acre lot in a smallish subdivision in Traverse City, MI. We've lived in Traverse City most of our lives. It's a gorgeous, tourist town on Grand Traverse Bay, which leads to Lake Michigan.

We are currently working on house plans. We want a two story (can't decide if we want master up or down....thoughts?), about 2800 to 3000 square feet, four bedroom home. Craftsman style finishes.

We hope to break ground this summer. Currently interviewing builders....think we have the one we want....we're going to check out one more of their homes this weekend then decide.

I'm super excited to "meet' you all!

Michelle

Mfatt, Sorry about you GC and Cousins' husband. Ouch It seems painful to even think about. Hope both of them feel better soon. I know the wait times are the hardest. Hopefully you will see more progress soon.

Michelle, Welcome and and good luck. Looks like you are very experienced with already having built twice. In regards to the Master bedroom with the age your kids are master in the main floor makes sense.

Autumn, The frustrating part about the build as been I spent so much time on choosing the kitchen/builtins and that is the one giving me headaches. I think when we calculated for the molding we did not account for cabinets to be installed on the floor. But We did floors followed by cabinets so we are 3/4 inch off and causing issues with the molding. Looks like we have to stick with this molding or change the molding in the house (except bedrooms) to make it look proper. So the GC and the ID tell me to let them install the crown and paint it then it won't look pronounced as it does now.

Jdez,
In regards to the cabinet with two doors the problem is it is just not the doors that have to change but the whole cabinets. If we go from 2 doors to one door we have to remove the door hinges and there would be holes there. This is a glass cabinet so won't look nice. I posted on the Kitchen forum and most people felt I should have had 2 doors to begin with as a door that is 24 inch wide will be hard to operate especially with glass. I am hoping the KD can get be glass shelves so it will look better.

Keeping my fingers crossed that the crown molding will work out.

This post was edited by akshars_mom on Fri, Mar 21, 14 at 12:59

We've had master up and down before, and prefer down. Both times it's been off the family room but sound has never been an issue thanks to a gasket between the door and frame, and insulation in the wall.

Autumn--I have dimensions for you on the bench and took a couple of better pics too. :) The carpenters were there when I went down there, so I asked them how they built the middle shelves. They said they nailed and glued it all the way around and then put the face frame on. Hope that helps!! Dimensions: The tall opening in the middle is 18.5" high and 23" wide. The openings for the areas with a shelf are 22.5" wide, with the bottom shelf at 9" high and the top shelf at 8" high. These are all measurements for the openings, so do not include the frame.

bluemoon--Glad you liked the fireplace surround! :) My carpenters are really good. I just give them the basics of what I want or show them a picture and they have not disappointed so far. For this one, I just wanted something simple and not too thick as I wanted to leave enough space to showcase the pebble tile that will go around the fireplace unit. I think they nailed it! (pun intended :)) They put the shelves in on either side yesterday.

The counters did go in yesterday, but they were covering them up just as we got there, so I didn't get to revel in them and I barely got a few pics.

Super white quartz on island:

Carrera marble on kitchen perimeter and DD vanity:

Brazilian black slate on DS vanity and Great Room hearth:

As far as pantry goes, mine is a walk in but not huge. I know I want a counter top with in an L shape with one shelf underneath for larger items and then various shelves above. I had two outlets put in at counter level so that we can keep appliances like toaster and Keurig in there. Something like this:

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[Craftsman Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/craftsman-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2116) by Traverse City Architects & Designers Marty Rhein, CKD, CBD - BAC Design Group

Mommytoty-thank you so much! You are the best! That helps immensley. :D

Michelle-welcome! Howdy neighbor, several GW MI builds right now. We are doing master down.

Akshars-yes just hope for the best, we also had a gasp what about accounting for the flooring. I am sure it will work out as they are describing.

Back to sanding....Yeehah....

Howdy!
Thanks all for the whoops!!! :) I'm really excited. I guess DH is too, b/c he and the helpers (farm help, kids.. lol) loaded & unloaded the flatbed trailer and my horse trailer twice last night. I was at the new house with a friend cleaning out cabinets so I can start putting stuff in them. I guess I'm going to be cleaning & moving at the same time!

Big day planned tomorrow...we'll see if we all survive. lol

akshars, I like the double door cabinet! I think it would have been hard with it a single.

JDez ~ shew on the easy plumbing decision!

I won't disappear from her, no worries!! I'll hopefully have pictures of things moved in soon!!!

My bank is taking FOR-EVVVV-ERRRRR to get the loan closing set.

I can't wait to start posting photos of our progress :)

Since I don't have a photo of our house progress, let me entertain you with a photo of my youngest kitty and her new manicure :)

ran to the house at lunch-its only 2 miles from work and home. Looks like they have finished the other side of the top of the house.

Mommy-just to report back-my new Mommy inspired fireplace surround will be $562 on top of the mantel cost . its already added to my order- im thrilled. I was debating on looking for an old salvaged one to repourposed-but i dont really have time to refinish anything right now.

We have another house showing at 3pm-wish us luck-so over keeping the house perfect!! blaaa!!! at least when I get home tonight I wont have a messy house to deal with...unless my H and D beat me home :/

I'm freaking out. I want to throw up. I think I screwed our whole house up. It's not big enough. I designed it- why didn't someone stop me! ( like my husband)??? The basement is framed and the subfloor is on main level. The house is 64x32.
32 is not wide enough. Our "Great Room" is going to look very ungreat since it's only about 17x30. The walls are 12 foot and it's going to be out of proportion. I don't know what to do

This is basement framed up

Our entry door and mudroom door