Blog
We Have The Plans
It took over 6 months, but we have the completed plans for our new house! We picked them up yesterday, then went straight to the builder’s office to give him 3 of the 5 large copies and the one smaller copy for the county. He needs to take them to the lumber yard so they can draw up the framing plan. He said that might take 2 weeks. While we are waiting on those, I hope to finalize the budget so we can submit everything to the bank and proceed with the loan. I can’t believe it’s almost the end of March already.
We also received our first cabinet estimate which is higher than expected. It may get worse if we don’t act soon, because we were told cabinet plywood just went up 20%. So our estimate will too, if we wait too long. I need to go check out a couple more cabinet options to see how they compare. We also got prices back for the granites we looked at. I knew the Azul Aran would be expensive, but I was shocked at just how much. Others surprised me at being cheaper than I expected. I need to sit down now and look at all the numbers so I can decide what to use.
We stopped at another brick supplier yesterday. I found a couple I liked, but the prices weren’t any better than what I already have picked, so I’d rather just stick with those. I have one more brick supplier to check out. I also received samples of Certainteed’s Weatherboards Fiber Cement Siding. Their ColorMax is similar to Hardie’s ColorPlus, but is slightly cheaper. Since I was having a hard time finding a green I liked in the Hardie, I wanted to see what Certainteed’s colors were.
SIDING (left to right): Certainteed Taupe, Certainteed Olive, Certainteed Hearthstone, Certainteed Sable Brown, Hardie Woodstock Brown, Hardie Timber Bark, Certainteed Nantucket Gray, Certainteed Suede
BRICK (left to right): Owensboro Brick – Old Allentown, Cherokee Brick – Hampton (shown with Southern Light Buff, Southern Tan & Southern Sandrift mortar samples), Columbus Brick – Annandale (shown with Southern Beige & Southern Buff mortar samples), Brickcraft – Old Indiana
WINDOWS (left to right on bottom): Hurd Aspen Moss, Bronze, Sand, Sage Brown, Bahama Brown
The 2 middle Certainteed colors are similar to the middle Hardie colors. The darker color is more brown which is a good thing. I can’t decide what I think about the green shade. I was worried the Hardie Woodstock Brown wasn’t green enough. I had high hopes for the Certainteed Olive, but it’s too sage green. I need to look at them in different lights to decide. I also want to flip through my paint decks to see how they compare to colors I’d pick if we were painting it.
The picture below has all the siding samples I have in case anyone wants to compare Hardie’s colors to Certainteed. This Chart comparing the two is pretty accurate to what my samples are.
SIDING (left to right) – Certainteed Taupe with Hardie Monterey Taupe below, Certainteed Olive with Hardie Mountain Sage below, Certainteed Hearthstone, Certainteed Sable Brown, Hardie Woodstock Brown, Hardie Timber Bark, Certainteed Nantucket Gray with Hardie Sandstone Beige below, Certainteed Suede with Certainteed Cypress and Hardie Heathered Moss below.
(All other samples – brick, mortar and window colors – are the same as above .)
Nashville – Take 3
I was hoping to get our plans finished this week, but no such luck. I emailed the draftsman telling him we wanted them done this week or next week, at the latest. He said he’d get right on it. Haven’t heard anything from him since despite sending him a couple more emails. We may have to give him an ultimatum this week if we are ever going to get them completed.
The granite fabricator called me this week. He had talked to a couple Cambria suppliers and confirmed what I already knew – the slabs only come 4’6″ x 10′. Our island is currently drawn at 5’6″ x 12’6″. We could make it a little shorter, but I don’t really want to reduce the width because the room is so wide. If it’s much narrower, it’s going to look weird. Plus, I want the width for a variety of reasons. To use the Cambria, we’d have to buy 3 slabs and have at least 2 seams. I was planning on 2 slabs which is far from cheap, but I don’t think we can justify buying 3. Having 2 seams in a surface that large and flat is also less than ideal. So, now what? I’ve been planning the kitchen around that island and have had the cabinets and counters pretty much picked out for a couple months now. There are a couple other quartz companies that make “jumbo” slabs, but neither has anything remotely similar or anything that I’d rather use instead of the Praa Sands.
We saw several gorgeous slabs on our first trip to Nashville, but I wasn’t thinking about the island when we were there. David was off Thursday, so we ran back up there again. I wanted to take a second look while actually considering the island this time. I was also hoping to get samples of the ones I really liked, but they ended up only having 1 which isn’t at the top of my list. I took my “big” camera with us this time so I could get better pictures although it’s still a warehouse with lousy lighting. This first one is what I got a sample of. It may be a possibility for the bathrooms – Bianco Antico.
Here’s another slab of it at the second warehouse we went to. This slab has a lot less white and I don’t care for it as well. This is a good example of why it’s important to pick the exact slab that’s going to be used.
Crema Antartica is another pretty white with some sparkle.
I believe River White is a more common granite that might be easy to find remnants of:
“Summer Yellow” looks like strawberry ice cream. It would be cute in a little girl’s bathroom.
Gray Soapstone:
I had seen this online and thought it might be a possibility for the island, but I didn’t like it as well in person – Angelus.
“Taupe Gold” is another one we could use in other areas of the house.
I’m not sure where I would use it, but Earth Glitter is pretty neat with lots of silver flecks.
This was a gorgeous slab that would be impressive on an island, but I’m not sure if it’s what I’m looking for. I also think it’s a marble so the durability would be a concern for me – Typhoon Royale.
This had some beautiful blue in it, but I didn’t care for the yellow in it or the splotchiness – Barricato.
This would be high on my list if I wanted marble – Vermont White Extra.
This was a gorgeous slab – Shell Reef Beige Leathered.
Renoir Quartzite:
We had seen slabs of this on our first trip, but they were gone this time. This sample looks like a satellite picture to me. It’s called Mari Blue. I really like it, but it’s probably too dark for the island. Powder room possibility?
I took this picture for my new online pen pal who is also building 🙂 It’s Frosty Carrina Caesarstone (quartz).
This is what The Kid picked out for his bathroom – Red Shimmer Caesarstone. We hate to tell him, but it’s not going to happen. Maybe if we could find a super cheap piece that could be easily replaced later . . .
We still love the Metallic granite in the leathered finish. Again, I don’t think it’s what I want for the island, but it would be nice to put it somewhere.
Like the name, it’s full of metallic silver.
Kosmus Leathered was also similar and they still had a couple remnants of it.
I’m still planning on using Marron Cohiba (Brown Antique) or Marron Labrador for the kitchen perimeter. I think I want it to either have a honed or leathered finish. This slab is honed.
It is a good combination of brown and gray.
I love this marble. White, blue and sparkles. It’s beautiful. I just not crazy about using marble in our kitchen – Damasco White.
White Ice granite has the same colors as the Cambria Praa Sands, but it’s less white. It has the blues, taupes and some sparkle. This might work for the island if we found the right slab.
We also saw a honed slab of it:
Here is a close up of the polished slabs.
I overlooked this on the first trip, but saw it online before our last trip, so I knew to look for it. It also has the same colors as the Praa Sands and is another possibility for the island – New Azul Aran.
Above is “New Azul Aran” and below is “Azul Aran”. This was the main one I wanted to see again as an option for the island. I really loved it when we saw it the first time. It’s a lot more blue than I was wanting, but it’s beautiful. Blue, white and sparkling silver. This first slab is a leathered finish which I also love. I was concerned about having the leathered finish on the main work surface, but after doing some research, I don’t think it would be a problem.
Here are polished slabs.
This slab was larger than the others, but it was the prettiest one they had.
This was a normal sized slab, but it was also one of the prettiest ones they had. They had a surprisingly large number of them.
We could have loaded up this stack of slabs and taken it with us since it was some of my favorites.
The second stone warehouse also had a lot of tile. This one is what I’ve been looking for to use in the mudroom and laundry – Emser Eurasia Cafe.
I’d love to use this for the backsplash, but it’s expensive and too “frilly” for David – Artistic Tile Claridges.
Artistic Tile Toledo Lucido Glass & Stone:
This would be an awesome focal point above the cooktop – Artistic Tile Seville Bianco.
I haven’t really jumped on the current herringbone trend, but I like this tile and the combination of textures –
This tile pattern was neat. The brown tiles looked like wood. I think it would be neat with a glass accent tile. A variation of this might be an option for our shower walls.
Here was their display bathroom with an infinity tub.
Our shower will be curbless like this (but much larger). We may also do a trough drain like this but it will be far from the shower entrance.
We also stopped at an appliance store. I noticed something interesting shortly after we walked in the door. On the left was a Jenn Air display kitchen which we walked around first. To the right of the entrance was a Kitchenaid display. I stopped when I walked up to the Kitchenaid fridge. I looked at it, back at the Jenn Air, back at the Kitchenaid. The ice/water dispensers were identical.
I opened the doors and the interiors were also the same. As you can see, the prices were not. Good to know. Unfortunately, they hardly had any Thermador appliances or anything else I was hoping to see, so we didn’t spend much time there.
I emailed the stone fabricator with the names of my favorite stones so he can get some prices and we might be able to compare. He was trying to get an estimate together for the builder. David is off Wednesday, so we may need to meet with the builder and/or draftsman to go over where everything stands. I would like to be able to submit the plans and contract to the bank within the next couple weeks so we can proceed with our loan.
Home Show 2013
Yesterday, we went to the local Building, Home & Remodeling Show that’s going on this weekend. Fortunately, it was as big as last year and much better than the Nashville show (and the Birmingham one, according to our builder). We left with a very heavy bag of brochures since this was the first year we were seriously looking at stuff. I also snagged a box of mortar samples in all the colors which will be nice to have. I went through them last night and added a few to our mantle of samples. Meanwhile, The Kid tried out the swing set on display shortly after we got to the show.
Mom thought these swan corbels were neat.
I really liked this lighting collection (and the price), but I wish it came in some sort of silver finish.
(Savoy House Raymond Waites Windsung Collection)
I thought this little guy was pretty cute – reminded me of my “little dude“.
We also saw the cooktop we want on display. I had thought there was only one Thermador dealer around here, but it turns out there are 2. That should be helpful when it comes to getting the best price since we can go back and forth between the 2.
This metallic tile was pretty neat and the prices weren’t too bad either.
We also got to see the charcoal cabinet samples again along with a large display. Unfortunately, I only had my phone with me and it’s impossible to get the white balance corrected enough to show the true color. I tried as best as I could with the following pictures.
This display has the Charcoal stain along with Antique White cabinets with a gray brushed finish.
I’ve been pricing iron doors for the past week and we saw several displays yesterday. It turns out we can get a door shipped from California for over 20% less than picking one up in Atlanta – similar style, similar specs. We saw a company yesterday with a price close to the California company so we might be able to get one closer by, which would be a lot less headache.
We talked to the builder for several minutes while we were there. David’s work schedule is about to get crazy again, so we need to get as much done as possible while we have time. I feel like we are so close to being able to start, yet I still wonder if we’ll ever get there. We applied for the loan a month ago, but they can’t do anything until we give them the final plans and our contract with the builder. The plans are almost finalized – I just need to make sure everything matches up between the elevations and the floor plans. The builder has been getting bids from all the suppliers and subcontractors so we will have a better idea of the total cost. We still have a ways to go to get it back down to our budget. As soon as we get that done, we can proceed with the loan process and get started. While we don’t have any major deadlines to start by, it is costing us more money the longer we wait. Construction material prices have went up significantly. The builder could have locked in last year’s prices if we had been able to start earlier in the year, but we missed out on that. Drywall alone is costing us 30% more, for example. He was able to lock in on the concrete price, but only until April. If we don’t get started by then, we’ll be paying more for that too. That’s a pretty large chunk between the ICF and our fairly long driveway. We need to sit down today to go over everything so we can try to get this show on the road.
Lawn & Garden Show
We went back to Nashville yesterday for the Lawn and Garden Show. Fortunately, there was much more to see there than there was at the Home Show. It was spread over 4 buildings. The first had several complete gardens and outdoor living areas set up. There was also a side room with several floral arrangements on display. The other 3 buildings were full of booths with outdoor related products.
We saw this and I thought it might be neat if we could turn one of our boulders into a fire pit.
I thought this outdoor tv wall was neat and something we could probably make ourselves.
I’m planning on having a swing like this somewhere on the back porch. Given the costs of the ones I like, I’ll probably end up building it myself . . .
There were a lot of gorgeous orchids there. I never have luck getting them to bloom again, so I’ve given up on buying them. I’ll stick with my roses.
There were some birds there including baby chicks and ducks, a falcon and this cute owl. They never look real to me for some reason. I think it’s the eyes and the way they move.
Another water feature. . .
I love these water falls and would like to find somewhere to put one around our new house, either in the landscaping or around the future pool.
I almost took my big camera, but didn’t want to deal with it. I wish I had as soon as we got there because I could have gotten a lot of neat pictures.
I tend to prefer plants with interest over plain green shrubs, like this red bush – Loropetalum.
Also thought this Japanese Paper Plant was really neat.
Here it is behind a bench made of pavers. We saw a lot of neat ideas for pavers there and may try to do some in the back yard and around the driveway.
I’d love to put this in the middle of our circle driveway (with something besides the big white planter and palm tree).
Here is a bar made with pavers.
I also liked the built-ins behind the bar. It and the pergola were made of cedar and the smell was really strong.
This pot of plants is definitely the style I prefer.
We talked about doing something like this along the driveway. Mom mentioned doing it along the road.
Here are more orchids in the floral gallery room.
We then went past all the vendor booths. I thought these birdhouses were really cute. I have a bunch of scrap wood in the garage and I’m tempted to make my own.
Since we were nearby, we ran to the mall so I could go to Restoration Hardware. I was hoping to see a couple vanities I have picked out, but they didn’t have either of them in the store (although they did have several others, but none I liked better.) David could have decorated our whole house with stuff from there though – big distressed leather couches, their aviator desk and chairs, etc. I think it would be neat to do the office in that style. I had seen this light on their website and didn’t care for it, but they had it there and it was pretty neat. Might be an option for the foyer (I think I’ve seen cheaper knock-offs of it too). We also went into Z Gallerie and I saw a bunch I could have put in the new house. A smaller version of this sofa or chairs might work in the piano room. Imagine a sparkling chandelier hanging above them.
Tomorrow, we’re going to the local Home Show. It looks to be as big as it has been every year. We will probably actually stop and talk to more booths this year since we are actually in market, finally.
Tons of Stone
We went to the Nashville Home Show yesterday along with a few other places. Unfortunately, the Home Show was disappointing. It was smaller than the local one here and there wasn’t really anything worth seeing. There were several builders, but we weren’t there for those. Most of the booths were remodeling related – cabinet refacing, add on sunrooms, etc. There were almost no appliances, fixtures, etc like you would expect. About the only interesting thing we saw was this garage door screen. It has it’s own track so it’s not in the garage door’s way. Thought it might be nice for the future detached garage.
via Lifestyle Screens
I also took some pictures of a Nudura ICF display since we often get questions about the ICF blocks. They go together like Legos, then are filled with concrete. All of our first floor exterior walls will be ICF (except for the garage) along with all the walls of the Master Closet/Storm Shelter. The remaining exterior walls will be 6″ studs with spray foam insulation.
We also stopped at The Tile Shop. They had a good selection with nice displays.
This was The Kid’s favorite bathroom. I’d like to do something a little fun with his bathroom, but nothing that he will outgrow or get dated.
Here’s a potential Mud Room and Laundry room floor tile:
I’d like to do something similar to the following tiles in our bathroom:
Mom and I liked this next tile, but Dad and David didn’t like the price too much!
This green bathroom was fun, but I’m leery about using too much color on anything permanent like tile.
We also like this bathroom as a possible Master Bathroom inspiration. I’d probably make it more gray and less beige though.
This would also be a nice bathroom tile.
The next 2 would be a nice alternative to the gray limestone for our bathroom. They are both really smooth and should be easy to clean. Not sure what we’d put on the floor though because I think these would be too slick.
There’s a large flooring warehouse there that had some inexpensive flooring options. Most of the tile was under $3/ square foot. We found several that might work for the mud room, laundry and possibly extra bathrooms.
They also had a strand bamboo that I had ordered a sample of online, but still haven’t received. It’s called Acorn and it’s a nice medium brown with some variation. The price was great and it’s probably near the top of our list now. We bought 2 samples of it at the store and I’m hoping I’ll still get the one I ordered.
via USFloors
The picture I took is a little light. It’s somewhere between these 2 pictures. 
We spent the most amount of time at the granite and stone warehouse. The warehouse was huge (80,000 sq ft.). I wrote down names for about 16 slabs that I liked and took pictures of them. The first one we saw is one of my choices for the kitchen perimeter – Marron Labrador Honed.
I absolutely loved this slab – Mari Blue with a leathered finish. It was a gorgeous mix of blue, white and sparkling silver. It would incredible on the island although I’ve been planning on something lighter. Pictures don’t do it justice, but all the silver in it sparkles.
The next one I had seen online, but not in person. It’s pretty similar to the Kosmus granite I had seen in their warehouse here. This one is called “Metallic” and it’s a mix of black, copper and what looks like liquid silver. Very sparkly.
Here it is in a leathered finish which was also very pretty.
I was also trying to look out for white, fairly plain granites and this was on I liked.
This is another one that I absolutely loved – Azul Aran. Another gorgeous white, blue and silver mix.
They also had it in a leathered finish.
I believe the next pictures were another slab of Azul Aran in another part of the warehouse.
Here is another simple one – Peacock Green.
This next one looks like sand with purple and green in it – “Wild Sea”. I probably wouldn’t use it in our house, but it was pretty neat.
Here’s another white granite that’s pretty – Bianco Antico.
This next one is a marble called Cappuccino. I loved the gray shades and all the movement.
This is Renoir Quartzite and a nice alternative to marble.
Another simple white – “River White”
Sea Pearl Quartzite is a beautiful white and green:
Another white – Crema Antartica:
Unfortunately, they only sell to fabricators, so I don’t have prices on any of these. I have a pretty good idea of which ones are more expensive though. They had a pretty good selection of remnants in the back so we could probably get pieces for the bathrooms there when the time comes. This week should be more of the same along with a trip to the local Home Show.