Drywall Day 107

I went by the house last Friday (May 15) only to find our builder, framer, and the code inspector there.  I assumed it was just a routine inspection, and it was, but there was a problem.  The height of the ceiling going up the stairs was about 7 inches lower that it needed to be, a slight problem since there was nowhere to go (the roof is directly above this part of the ceiling).  The only solution was moving the stairs.  Keep in mind that I'm pretty tall (about 5'7), had on heels and had plenty of clearance walking up the stairs.  Luckily, I think our builder and code inspector came to an agreement to let this one slide.
Updates and to-do list:
HVAC, Electrical, Exterior stone and brick- Finished!

Cabinets/vanities- They are being made.  I need to pick out a vanity for the upstairs bath from a big box store as it will be cheaper than a custom made vanity.

Lighting- Everything has been purchased or is ready to be purchased except for the fixtures upstairs.  I will likely do ceiling fans with a light kit in the bonus.  I'm not a fan of ceiling fans, but it makes sense to have some extra air circulation up there.  Also have the light for the upstairs bath to pick out and the sconces for the built in beds.
I picked up this little cutie at Lowe's on clearance for $15 to put in the playroom.  It's 23" wide and so fun!  I'm not sure how long that room will be used as a playroom, so I didn't want to spend much but wanted something different.
  

Faucets- I still have some work to do on these.  I really love this Kingston faucet for the powder room, but need to find it in a Delta, and from what I've seen, it's a bit over my price point.

This one is Delta and would work, but it's $272.00!

Tile- I'm having LOTS of trouble on this one.  The more tile I look at, the more confused I am, and when I start trying to compare prices, I get even more confused.  I really need to come in under budget on this.



Drywall was started on day 107, but pictures are from today - day 116.  I have no idea where they are in the process.  I believe it has to be sanded 3x, but not really sure, and it was getting dark when we got there so it was really hard to tell too much.
Unfortunately, it was too dark for a good picture by the time we made it around to the front of the house.

Front doors and dining room.

Kitchen.  Doorway leads to powder, office nook, pantry, and laundry.

 This doorway leads to great room and dining room.  To the right of door is beverage fridge and cabinets; to the left of the doorway is fridge.

 Den off of kitchen with vaulted ceiling which will be stained tongue and groove.

Laundry room.  This room will have two entrances, one from the hallway between garage and kitchen (across from office nook) and pocket door leading to hallway to kid's room.  Coat closet to the left of washer and dryer.  

Office nook across from laundry.  Cased opening with built-in desk around/under the window.

 Pantry beside laundry and across from powder room.

Master bedroom on opposite end from kid's bedrooms.  

 Master closet.

Master bath.  Double vanity on right.  Shower straight ahead.  Toilet room on left.

 Bonus room.

Built in beds in bonus room.

Plumbing Fixtures

I'm super excited that I got two appointments in one day!

• Initial meeting on tile
• Second meeting on plumbing fixtures

My husband has been great about not having an opinion on most things and letting me take the lead; however, there have been a handful of times that I picked something out and he told me he didn't like it.  The faucets were one of those things.  So, back to Ferguson I went.  

Originally I had picked Delta Windmere for everything.  I changed my mind about the powder room faucet and he changed his about the master bath.  I keep trying to tell him that no one is even going to see the master bath faucets and I have an even stronger case now that the fixture he wants is $75 more! (That's $75 for each sink!)

My choice:

His choice:  (Honestly, does that look like it's worth $150 more?)

And the compromise: (Delta Olmsted in Chrome - and cheaper than both of them!)

And just for reference, here's the vanity sconce:

My choice for powder room (think brick walls, hardwood floors, pedestal sink, chrome schoolhouse vanity light):

Still not sure of daughter's bath faucet.  I'm really loving the one on the right.  Delta Cassidy single hole in chrome.  Here are the choices:

 

And again just for reference, here's her vanity fixture:

So with all the changes, our estimate went from $5,329 to $6,117.  Yikes!  Still under our budget, but not enough to brag about.  

A couple of things I learned:

1. Lowe's may carry a line that isn't available to other suppliers.
2. Changing a finish or a fixture isn't as simple as it sounds.  You also have to change drains, stops, toilet handles, tub fixtures, tub drains, . . . 
3. Chrome is cheaper than nickel is cheaper than ORB.
4. Don't ask the husband what he thinks.

Praising the Process and the To Do List

When we started this journey a couple of years ago, I came across an on-line forum called GardenWeb.  It's a forum for pretty much anything but mainly for home building, remodeling, decorating, etc.  I've followed it pretty religiously for two years even posting our proposed house plans and getting feedback.  The main thread I follow is the building thread.  I have been AMAZED at some of the horror stories people experience when building.  I am so thankful that, to date, our process has been so easy.  Our builder is wonderful, always taking time to meet with us at our current home or at the build site, return phone calls and texts, keeping us up-to-date with what's going on (although I go the build site almost daily), and letting me know what I need to do next.  It makes me really feel sorry for those who experience such frustrations during a time that should be really exciting and happy.
So speaking of what's coming next, I have quite a to-do list for the upcoming week (which is my Spring Break)!

• Cabinets- I'm meeting with the cabinet company Monday and feel pretty confident about it.  I have a good idea of what I want, with the exception of some built-ins.  I actually met with this same company back in the summer before we had chosen a builder and picked out these finishes for our kitchen cabinets.  The main cabinets will be cream, the kitchen island will be green, and the cooktop hood and surround was going to be stained, although now I'm second guessing that choice.

• Confirm plumbing fixtures - I thought I was in good shape with this one.  I'm really not that picky about faucets.  I didn't think my husband was.  Until we were at Lowe's one day and I showed him what I had picked out.  To which he responded that he didn't like it.  Ugh!  So now I'm back to the drawing board on this one.  This is what I had picked out, Delta Windmere collection:

This is what the husband has in mind:

Right now I'm thinking:

1. Master bath- polished nickel
2. Kitchen- ORB
3. Son's bath- ORB
4. Daughter's bath- Chrome
5. Powder- Chrome

• Lighting- This has been a doozy!  I have spent countless hours scouring the internet for deals.  I shared in a previous post pictures of several of the fixtures I found on-line, many of them significantly cheaper than a box store or could be ordered from a lighting store.  I've been extremely pleased with all of them.  I do have a few more fixtures to purchase and will need to do that this week. 

Dining room 6 light Quorum Cilia Chandelier:

Great room 40" Quorum Cilia Chandelier:

Kitchen Island 12" Allen + Roth Pendant:

Son's bath Millenium:

Daughter's bath Quoizel (top with glass shades) and Maxim (bottom with fabric shades):

Powder Seagull in chrome:

• Exterior finishes (stone and brick)
• Tile- Okay, so this is the one that really has me.  I have NO idea where to begin.  I will be spending my weekend on Houzz trying to get some ideas of what to do.  We're only tiling the bathrooms, laundry room, and entry from garage.  The rest will be hardwood.