house tour

Ok, finally what you guys have been asking for!! A mini tour of my house! I am showing the rooms that I am going to be focusing on right now.  It's amazing how sparse our house looks! We only have the major furniture items, nothing on the walls, no lamps, etc.  It's driving me crazy but I know I really want to take my time and find the perfect pieces for each space. I want a layered home that looks truly cultivated with things that represent me and my family rather than a place that looks like I went on a one day shopping spree to Home Goods. Don't get me wrong, Home Goods is definitely a trip in my future!

I will start with the entry.  Right now, I have a console there and a mirror that I am still debating in that location.  Thinking maybe a cool piece of art would be really great right there. I also have a Jill Rosenwald runner I bought before we moved in. Again, not sure if that's it's final resting place or if I may move it to a hallway...

 

Lil' Miss Thang didn't want to miss her shot in front of the camera...here she is striking a pose at the front door.

Now onto the dining room...
We hung the clock that was in our old home and I like but I know it definitely needs more on that wall. I was thinking maybe hanging plates in a gallery-like fashion but not sure yet. Again, the clock may go when I start working on this room.  I do have a great pair of chocolate brown velvet draperies that I am going to try on the window.  I also need to explain the random linen chair in the corner. We bought two of those as host chairs but I made a rookie mistake and forgot about the trestle base not allowing me to push them all the way in. So, they kinda stick out and make it hard to get around the table. I moved one into the breakfast nook and this is it's mate, just hanging out in a corner.

The living room is at the top of my priority list! It needs a side table, lamp, and accessories. I have a few fabrics picked out for throw pillows and I am also debating adding white linen draperies along the french doors.  Ps...forgive the Christmas tree. I am happy to report that it is now down :)

And, yes in the background of the photo is my kitchen and breakfast nook.  The kitchen is probably my favorite part of the house. It was perfect for the holidays! I didn't feel left out while I was cooking and I had plenty of prep space. The nook is almost done. I just need a piece of art for the recessed wall and throw pillows along the built in bench.

I am proud to say there is one space that is done with the exception of a rug and some art adjustment...the guest bathroom! Hey, an accomplishment is an accomplishment!  I would like a small antique rug for in there and I need to move the pictures above the toilet up.  I want to add a shelf for above the toilet and the art is too low regardless. The pictures are pretty cool though. They are duck stamps that my husband's grandmother collected for him and I had them re-framed as a birthday gift.

Ok, so there's a peek into some of the rooms!  I absolutely love this house! It fits my family so well, not too fussy and it is warm and inviting the minute you walk in. I am so excited to see how I am going to be able to transform this place over time and truly make it my dream home!

One room you didn't see today will be up in a post later this week.  I wanted to save my daughter's room to have a separate post so stay tuned!

house progress 10.18

Ok, here are some new shots of the house finally!! I have to apologize for the specks in the photos...something got on my lens :(

This is the view of the kitchen from the living room. Notice my Visual Comfort fixtures? Love them and I am so excited to have them in my home!  The kitchen has actually held up progress as of late. The island is the wrong finish than what I wanted so replacement cabinets had to be ordered and will finally be here this week! That means countertops, appliances, and plumbing can go in! Yay!

View into the kitchen and breakfast nook...

Our Laundry room, which may be my favorite room so far! I am loving all the storage...there is even a pull out trash can hidden in one of the cabinets! Our old house just had wire shelving so this is a big, exciting upgrade for me!

This is the Master Bath. There is granite countertops that still need to go in and a framed mirror above the vanity.  I am in love with the Ann Sacks Penny tile in the shower and I gaze at it lovingly every time we go to the house.

Stuff like this can mess up a project too! Builder wasn't really paying attention to where the toilet was and it was about 2" from the tub so he had to move it over, which isn't exactly easy after the tile is in!  So, now the toilet is in the right spot and the tile needs to be fixed.

This is my daughter's bathroom. It is a jack and jill bathroom, but for right now, she can enjoy the bathroom all to herself since there's not another little one to share it with yet.


All in all, the house is moving along. There is definitely a long punch list forming but when isn't there one in new construction?  My family and I are more than anxious to get in there asap and we have our fingers crossed we will be there for Thanksgiving!

a little more progess

Things are moving right along at the new house! All the walls are framed inside and outside and it feels like a house.  My husband and I are getting anxious now and have started planning all our new furniture purchases even though we had promised to wait until closer to completion. So much for that since a new 8'x10' rug just got delivered today and I have barstools and lighting fixtures sitting in my garage.

Here's some pics I took this weekend....

In the Master Bedroom, facing the bathroom--

Where the built-in bench will go in the Breakfast Nook--

View from the kitchen into the Living Room--

The double closets in my daughter's room (Yay for storage!!)--

The framers hard at work on Saturday--

 

house progress 6.28

Here's a little more on the progress of our new house! We went to visit the job site Sunday when we returned from vacation. It is a little behind schedule thanks to the typical summer thunderstorms but it is looking more and more like a house every time I visit!


The front of the house....

Our front porch...can't wait to put some rocking chairs out there!

The little one checking out her new digs....

Our new master bathroom...

My view from the soon to be kitchen....

It is exciting to see it all come together, even though it is one of my least favorite parts of construction. All the rooms seemed so small; I had to go home and look at all the room dimensions just to make sure they were going to turn out ok :)

Hopefully, my next update will include walls!

we have progress!!

Finally, we have progress on the new house!!! I am so excited to see this finally get moving and the builder has a pretty ambitious schedule to getting the house complete.

I haven't shared any photos of the site.  The lot we purchased is a little over 2 acres with tons of beautiful trees around. It's a little out of town, which will make it a quiet, country retreat for my family after a long day at work and school.  Here's a few shots of the lot and the progress made on Monday...

The permits :)

The house staked out and the ground cleared...

We should have the foundation poured next week and the concrete block starting on Friday. Now, I am starting to get excited! I was getting a little disappointed in the whole process even though I know these things take awhile. But, hey it's moving now!

finally, my floorplan!

Ok, I think I got this figured out! Finally....I am posting my floor plan to the new house! I had a little bit more patience today and figured out how to get the picture to the right size ;)

I think my husband and I did a great job with this plan. It is really well laid out and will fit our family perfectly! The new house will be 2373 square feet (living)...4 bedroom, 3 baths.  Good news is we have FINALLY got our building permits and we should start in the next week. Yay!!

**I apologize in advance for the microscopic print. Trust me, it's much more legible than my first few attempts.

house update

We've hit a few road blocks lately. So frustrating, but part of the building process!  The permitting process has been giving us headaches and we can't do anything until we have the permits.

First roadblock from permitting was a soil test that indicated wetlands...um, not sure where there could be wetlands because it is high and dry there. But, if wetlands are indicated, the EPC (Environmental Protection Commission) has to come out and verify there are/aren't any wetlands. Luckily, they came out last week and verified that the property is dry so we are good to go with that.

Then, there is the roadblock that we are the most worried about.  The County is stating that the lot has been "conceptually identified as significant wildlife habitat". Ok? What does that all mean? Turns out, the front corner is the part of the "significant" wildlife habitat. We have submitted a site plan with our other plans showing that we have no intentions of touching that corner of the property. So, our hope is that they will not make too big of a fuss about it and sign off on the plans.

This permitting stuff is crazy and nerve wracking! It can really hold a project up! We are already behind by a month due to these issues and we need them to be figured out asap!

Sp, that's where we are! I hope my next update is a photo of the concrete slab being poured!

we're getting there...

I haven't talked about the new house in awhile so I will give you a little update! We have selected all our flooring, cabinetry, some lighting, and appliances.

My favorite part of the whole house is the flooring the Mr. and I selected for the main living areas...it is a beautiful, rustic, scraped hardwood and I am so excited to see it in the house!

Here are all the other selections for the kitchen...

I went with two different finishes for the cabinets. The back wall of cabinets will be white and the island will be an espresso finish. I scored the Thomas O'Brien Hicks Pendants for a song from my last job and I can't wait to have them installed!

I am still torn on the backsplash for the kitchen...do I do subway tiles, glass tiles, stone??? Decisions, decisions!

oh the pressure!!

As everyone knows, my husband and I are planning on building a new house this year.  We held off on starting construction until we put our current home on the market, thinking we would have plenty of time to get our act together on the new home. Months and months of time...no rush. Well, that isn't exactly how it played out. We put our home on the market officially on January 16th and it was under contract on January 21st. Um, yeah, waaaay faster than we thought!! That's great news but now there is so much to do to get the ball rolling.

I have contemplated finishes and talked about my ideas on the blog for awhile now, again thinking I had plenty of time until I had to really decide. Now, I feel like I have designer stage fright! Not sure where to start and nervous that I am not making the right decision...this is what it sounds like in my head all the time..."I really want a white kitchen, am I going to love it in 5 years? 10 years? What about moving this wall this way a few inches...oh wait, no"...ugh, my brain is fried!! I think it's crazy how for clients it is so easy to make the decision. I am not emotionally attached to anything. I am confident in my selections but then it comes down to my own house and I am so torn!

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 I know I am probably being a maniac about it right now because I am thinking about all that has to be done and worrying myself sick about the selections. I am sure in the next month, I will have a clear head and will be able to make confident selections. Fingers crossed!!

home update

It's been awhile since I have talked about our new home and I thought I would give an update on process so far!

We have decided to wait and put our home on the market after the holidays. We thought it would just add a whole new level of stress.  My husband and I have met with 4 builders and I think we are close to making a decision on the builder. We actually really like the builders we have met which makes the decision even more difficult. I leave each meeting with my mind going a billion different directions! Everyone offers different things as standards and upgrades, they all have different pricing structures. Our budget is our budget and we want to be very mindful of that and not go over too much. So, there are decisions on what upgrades are necessities and what can be done later.

It is all starting to finally hit that we could be moving soon. I was unpacking the Christmas decorations the other day and it made me a little sad to know this is the last Christmas (most likely) we will be spending in our house. Our house has so many memories, especially with my daughter. It will be bittersweet when we sell!

So, there's my update! Here's a little winter eye candy...makes me long for a long, snowy day where there is nothing else to do but lounge in front of the fireplace (I know, not going to happen in Florida!!)...

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finally!!!

I am sooo excited!! It's official! The lot that we put an offer in on months ago is ours! Closing was yesterday!  I have BIG plans for the new house and we are going to start meeting with builders next week.  I have an inspiration folder filled with ideas and I can't wait to see my dreams come to life!  Of course, I already have the floor plan drawn out and ready to take to the builder's with a loooong list of wants, needs, and "can we pretty please have" items!!


Here's the exterior rendering of the house we selected {I took the plan of this house and tweaked it until it fit our family's lifestyle}:

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Since the new house will be out in the country on 2 acres, we thought it would be fitting to have a more Southern style home as opposed to the Mediterranean style homes that are everywhere in Florida.  I love the front porch...a swing is a must have out there!


My main area I have been obsessing over is the kitchen.  It's where the most time is spent and it has to be functional as well as beautiful.  The kitchen is going to be open to the living room so there is no interrupted flow.  I have a galley kitchen now and I always feel left out in there, never knowing what's going on in the main part of the house.

I will gladly take any of these...

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Can you tell I want a white kitchen?


I would really enjoy a deck like this, it would be so nice to sit out here in the fall when the weather is perfect.

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I am so glad I get to share this journey with you guys, the building process, finish selections, and all that jazz!!