E-Haus: Framing, Continued.

The downside of construction is the massive amount of mud. Thanks to a good amount of rain (though thankfully very little snow) throughout the build process up until this point, it's been a messy mess to go visit "New House." Tyvek really helped make it seem real. Here's our framed-in garage. Thankfully, the walls have made it evident that though the garage will be full of cars, it is also big enough to accommodate the fair amount of clutter that it will inevitably collect in it.

Here's the view from the doorway between the garage and mud room. To the right will be a big closet, we plan to build in cubbies right against the shared great room wall that's been framed in ahead, and to the left is our future kitchen.

I actually really loved how the stairs in our house come down at an angle and don't face directly toward the front. I also like the landing halfway up that just adds some interest and a safety buffer in case that kids (or me) take a tumble. That's also partially the reason that we've opted to have them carpeted to start. It will be a fun project to re-finish them someday, but it wasn't worth the 4k upcharge at this point in our lives to get hardwood treads.

The little cave is our future kitchen! The doorway in the back will lead to a "butler's pantry" and then the empty space to the right behind the kitchen is our pantry! It's not huge but it's many times larger than any food storage space we've had in the past, so this feature feels like an absolute luxury to us.

Another great room view! We haven't made any fireplace decisions other than gas (I insisted-- I want to be able to use my fireplace at the flick of a switch, and we just aren't clean enough people to effectively deal with the byproducts of a wood fire haha), but those will come. Maybe not until after we've moved in, but that's okay. We're just not willing to make a four-figure mistake on what will eventually be a main focal point of our home. Plus, DIY runs thick in our blood even as we're handing over many other house projects to sub-contractors.

Our future powder room, where we'll no longer have to frantically hide our toiletries every. single. time we have guests over (the single bathroom in our final house had an extra-narrow single sink cabinet and a 2 inch nook behind the mirror- toiletries basically lived in our rooms or behind the shower curtain).

This room is called the "library" on the plans, and I've taken that suggestion seriously. We opted against a side window on the right so that we can DIY some built-ins. I was an English major and have dreamed of a giant bookshelf that could house my entire collection, so a library fits! It will otherwise function as a playroom for the kids.

The library will be open to what is labeled a "dining room" on the plans, but is going to be a TV/ den space instead.

Another view of the stairs!

The upstairs requires a little more imagination at this point.

N in her future room!

E in his future room!

E

The start of a front door view... I'm imagining it'll look pretty different once the second story is framed, but even so, I like where this is headed! Especially as far as that bay window is concerned.

E-Haus: On to Framing

It's so strange how house building can take forever to get from even thinking about a floorplan to getting the final loan approved, and then even longer to get permits together, but once ground is broken the project can move forward at lightning speed. Our builder was adamant that our home would take approximately 5 months to build from foundation to completion, and though we heeded the advice that is EVERYWHERE online and mentally added several months in our heads, he's on track so far. In fact, there are crews of men on site 6-7 days per week. So we'll have to see what winter brings. Snow has a tendency to slow life down...

It sounds strange to say, but though our house looked enormous to me when the foundation walls went up, once the floorboards went on I started to wonder why we had chosen such a tiny home. Then the rest of the house got framed and once again, it looked big. Square footage, as with life, completely depends on the place from which you are viewing it.

This shot actually terrified me. I have no personal fear of heights but when my kids get within 10 feet of any kind of drop, I become convinced that their lives are in peril.

That tall wall on the right is the start to our (great!) great room!

And that bank of windows makes me smile so hard. I love the woods view, and I can't wait to watch the seasons change from a cozy seat within!

Walls!

I never quite considered the possibility that one day, I might wax poetic about poured concrete walls. But here I am, and actually it's a great place to be. After the perhaps ubiquitous delays that plagued the first few months of our building experience after we closed, every little bit  of construction that indicates our home will be real is awe-inspiring.

This week we were jazzed to discover that the inspection apparently went flawlessly and that our concrete basement walls were poured and then the area was backfilled in less than a week. We have egress windows and random tubing. We even saw metal trusses on site, which means that we might actually have the full outline of a house by Thanksgiving because vertical framing starts this week!

We also, of course, are realizing that the landscaping is going to be no joke at all. There is so much brush to mow down and grass to grow and general prettification of the area to be done after we move in. I don't care. We will have a house, and that is thrilling. That being said, I have big theoretical plans for a giant garden and an equally giant outdoor living area with a built-in fire pit. Someday.

This wooded area, while a little sparse-looking in late November, will be our view out of the two stories of windows in the great room. Whether they are green, flowering, or covered in snow, it will be so nice to have some nature as part of our every day home decor.

 I spy one of our egress windows! It's so strange to see a 3D version of our house plans.

Nate's standing in our three-car garage. We are realizing that it's going to be a little full once we've parked our three cars, and he's already pining for his someday pole barn.

More side yard and playtime in the garage. The best part of building a house? In my kids' opinions, it's all of the dirt!

In other news, besides vertical framing, we should finish up with our selections this week. Our builder is dropping off countertop and fireplace selections, and then we're kind of set for awhile. It's scary but also a relief. I'm excited to see all of the plans come to life!

A Little Bit of Progress

Standing near the left edge of our property facing the top of the driveway that's been cleared so far. We have a huge side/ front yard and I have big plans for gardening and outdoor living spaces.

A giant hole in the ground and the first obvious sign that yes, a house is imminent!

Kids causing all kinds of trouble knocking over wooden markers and playing in the mud!

 Despite the rainy, interrupted week-- we got our first bit of cement in the ground!

 I never thought that footings would make me feel so excited!

We requested a sample door from our cabinet people (this isn't the same style- just the same finish) so that we could make sure it worked with our vision and floors. This is the brightest I could get the light, which means that most of the time, the lower cabinets will read straight black. Perfect. 

Can't wait to see what additional progress we'll find at the property at the end of this week!

Reality [Our Budget] is Setting In

Now that we are a day away from actually getting some machinery on our property and building this house, many more decisions are starting to come into play, which is both exciting and terrifying. We are finally looking at specific kitchen layouts and talking with designers about our weird ideas to see just how realistic they are.

We are also getting the real numbers behind the choices and upgrades that we've been hoping to make. This is where perhaps our home journey sets us apart from other people building custom homes-- we don't have the budget to do everything we want to do, and as it turns out, everything we want to do is definitely more expensive than we anticipated. The hickory hardwoods I posted about? Yikes. Fiber cement siding? Yikes-er. So it's time to make some cuts.

Some decisions are easy. We aren't having our built-ins done by our builder because we are more than capable of doing them ourselves, and in fact prefer to do so. We are also going with some inexpensive options for the time being that we will upgrade ourselves when we can. But when it comes to decisions like the quandry above, it's kind of a headache.

In this case, we made that decision because we had to, and when we turned off our hearts-- because my heart really, really "needs" both options-- it was clear. We were looking to upgrade from hardwood to a different hardwood, or from a finish choice that I abhor to one that I love for many reasons. And vinyl seems like it could make us cringe for years, whereas we'll happily live with the standard wood floors. So, yeah! Upgraded wood is out and Hardie Board is in. Best of all, we can make this compromise without compromising our move-in budget and ability to buy some furniture.

Now please keep your fingers crossed about our quartz countertops. Because I'm pretty sure that whatever numbers I'm given there are going to make me cry*.

*Inside. Please someone shake me if I ever actually shed physical tears over a finish selection. It just isn't that serious.

WE HAVE PERMITS!

All permits have been submitted, we have a driveway construction plan, and excavation is imminent. It's so funny how deciding on patience sometimes ends up timing perfectly with action. We're so thrilled. In the meantime, we have a whole lot of selection decisions to finalize this week.

To celebrate these latest developments, here's a few looks I'm really digging today:

A Classy Two-Toned Kitchen

TV Nook

Planked Fireplace

YAY!

(Temporary) Change of Direction

The longer this wait continues, the more I sometimes feel like this whole "building a house" thing is a dream. A fairly realistic one with a hefty downpayment and actual plans, to be sure, but something nebulous and theoretical nonetheless. That being said, I suppose we ought to start settling into our apartment for real.

When we first moved in here, with probably a quarter or less of our belongings and a 6 month lease, it felt very much like a long-term hotel stay. I enthusiastically have shoved things into every little corner, knowing that this is not my house and it doesn't need to look good. But after almost two months, I've also realized that while this is not a forever or even a long-term house, it is in fact our home for the next indistinct number of months-- possibly even a year-- and so we've got to create some kind of a routine and enjoy the moment.

That being said, the goal this week is to stop drooling all over Houzz and Pinterest, and start making this current place work better for us. First step: start putting stuff away. Also, update our family calendar so that we're looking at October instead of August. Novel concepts, eh?

Countertops: White, Whiter, and Whitest

The one finish decision that we came into this house with was our countertops. I have forever loved white counters-- marble in particular-- and have told Nate from day one that someday, I was going to have a kitchen with them.

Unfortunately, real life intervened at some point and while I don't need everything in my life to be pristine forever, we are not in a stage of life where we could baby marble the way it needs to be, and so it would inevitably end up stained/ etched/ pitted almost immediately. I have heard that you can have it refinished every year or every few years, but that sounds a) like a pain and b) like something I am not going to have time for in the coming few decades.

So, alternative white countertops is where I started. And I almost immediately moved away from granite options, because even the lightest of those don't look anything like I've imagined. Ultimately, it seems like there are just a few alternative countertop options that might work us:

Corian Rain Cloud:

Cambria Torquay:

Caesarstone Misty Carrera:

Caesarstone Frosty Carrina:

There are lots of other options that I came across, but I am finding myself feeling pickier and pickier and too many of the others were either super speckled or too contrasty for my taste. Today, of the materials above, I'd go with one of the Caesarstone options, but also we haven't gotten it all priced out yet and I need to see samples in person. There are two hundred million decisions to make when designing a kitchen, but as countertops take up a large amount of visual space and I feel very confident about what I want, we're starting here. Now onto the cabinets.

The Waiting Game

So, we're still waiting for that final permit so that they can actually start building! Everyone I have mentioned this to has responded with some variation of "Well, there's bound to be some hold ups in the process," which is true but frustrating since this particular stressor could have been helped if everyone was transparent from day one. And yes, other hold ups are bound to happen, from delayed shipping of materials to bad weather to-- I don't know-- slower than expected contractors. I'm just ready to get this show on the road!"

The upside of our slow start, of course, is that we are getting extra time to make our finish selections and save up money for other purchases to come. We are waiting on our initial kitchen layout so that we can finalize that plan, but in the meantime, we have pored over our samples and decided on our exterior stone:

The color scheme was simple enough since we have known that we wanted a rich gray exterior almost from day one, but who knew that there were so many varieties out there? Ultimately we wanted something that was a little irregular and less tetris-like in appearance, but that also flowed with our otherwise modern aesthetic, so Rustic Ledgestone in Onyx easily won out here. 

As a side note, I am sure that there are more curated ways to go about choosing stone-- like going to a stone yard, for example-- but budget dictated that we go with builder's choice on this one. And frankly, I love the options we came away with, so I'm feeling like this is a win-win for builder, budget, and the building itself. Yay!

I've also been getting WAY far ahead of myself by dreaming things like couches and lighting and rugs. Here are some of the things I've been loving, liking and lusting after lately. First, this West Elm couch.

LOVE:

At just under $1300 for my ideal set of options (86.5 inches, ink blue performance velvet and poly-fill for maximum looks and minimal risk for disaster in my very child friendly house), it ain't too bad. I've been crushing on versions of this couch for a few years now, so it's probably going to worm its way into my house. We've had leather couches forever, and they are classic and probably always going to be workable, but they're just not as cozy as fabric couches in my option, and plus I love the idea of adding in a tiny bit of color to our otherwise neutral home palette. 

(Also, palette versus pallet versus palate is quite the complicated trio of words. I wrote out each option before I was satisfied that I was using the right one up there.)

I'm less certain about this next option from Overstock, but it definitely fulfills the high style and low risk theme I'm going for with furniture for the time being. The price also varies and I've seen it dip low, which is where I'd buy. 

LIKE:

Essentially, I love them, and I know that they are a knock off of expensive but classic Eames dining chairs, but MCM is having such a moment right now that I'm worried about going too "Basic" or trendy or that maybe it's inappropriate to go with the cheap knockoff when I know better. They are wipeable and also low profile, which will make Nate happy since he has an aversion to hefty dining room chairs. The table that they will go with doesn't exist yet, but we've been batting around ideas. It's going to be custom-built by us, maybe with lumber from trees from our property that have to be felled. All that to say, we could make any chairs work.

And third, the rug from Anthropologie that I love and will never ever have, for all kinds of reasons.

LUST:

And that concludes the window shopping for today. Back to real life and relevant decisions!

All About that Wood

One of the first things we knew about our next house-- whether we ended up buying or building-- was that we needed hardwood floors in the living areas. We were spoiled by them in our first house, and they are infinitely easier than other flooring options (in my opinion) to clean and deal with when a problem arises. Even our experiences with tile in living areas has been problematic. That stuff shatters when hit right, and either we are awesomely accurate at dropping kitchen items and optimizing the damage, or we had seriously bad luck, but we have a solid track record of at least two broken tiles per year in our former kitchen.

Here in 2015, the options for wood floors are many. Did we want hardwood or engineered wood? Shiny or matte? Pre-finished or stained on site? Painted? Dark, light, white, gray? Wide or skinny planks, or something in between? Laid traditionally or in some kind of pattern? Heavy or minimal grain? Hand-scraped? Beveled or smooth? And the choices go on. But given my aesthetic, most of these choices were easy. It was really in the breakdown of engineered versus traditional that we wavered for a while.

ENGINEERED HARDWOOD FLOORS: The wood surface is much thinner than in a traditional plank-- it's a veneer. There are multiple layers of material that have been pressed together, and normally the center is plywood although the specifics vary a bit. Due to the thinness of the exterior veneer, engineered hardwood can only be resurfaced a finite number of times (some can only be recoated and not refinished, but many can be refinished a few times if needed) but also its construction makes for less expansion and change due to weather and settling as well as creates an overall harder surface. Engineered hardwood can be low quality, but it can also be very high quality; it depends on the manufacturer.

TRADITIONAL HARDWOOD FLOORS: These are also layered, but the exterior part is much thicker than engineered hardwood and it is sliced from the log. This is just traditional wood flooring and prone to the same problems-- moisture, settling, dings and dents, etc..  It goes without saying that overall wood quality and hardness/ softness varies based on both the tree and the manufacturer.

Ultimately we found that the differences between the two were not nearly as dramatic as some of the other decisions that we're coming up against (see: vinyl versus fiber cement) and that furthermore, both options have great advantages as well as some disadvantages. We wanted pre-finished flooring for multiple reasons, including a more consistent finish that wouldn't depend on dust/ dirt/ hairs and people not walking on them for some time after installation, the durability of factory finish, and of course the cost advantage. So ultimately, this battle came down to our simple preference. We ended up choosing a number of wood flooring options-- both engineered and hardwood-- and looked at them both in pictures and in real life. A hickory hardwood ended up being our clear favorite and the winner, and I cannot wait to see them installed in our house eventually.

First of all, we love that hickory is one of the hardest domestic wood species, which we hope means that it will hold up nicely against the demands of our young and wild family. But most of all, we love the slightly rough but not insanely wavy finish, the darker color of it (it is notably darker in person), and the high variation of tone within that dark finish for a more organic look.

Countertop finishes are up next!

Newsworthy

Today is my wedding anniversary. This means two things: first, that Nate and I have been married for six years, and second, that fall is really here. If we didn't know it before, the chilly and rainy weather this Saturday morning is driving the point home. Fall is here. We all slept in until 8, decided against a fancy homemade breakfast in favor of strawberry-banana smoothies all around, and we're planning on lounging in our jammies until at least noon. Why not? And this is why fall is my favorite.

As much as people love to obsess about the little details of fall (and, oh god, the pumpkin spice lattes-- blech), I think that the truth of it is that while the perks of sweaters and pumpkins are nice, what we really love is our return to structure. When we are working more, the breaks are so much sweeter. And for those of us with kids, this is true threefold. During the summer my kids would clamor for activities and fun and excitement from the first moment they opened their eyes. Now that it's fall and they are back to school and daycare and structured activities, they cheer when they learn it's a day off, and the whole family benefits.

So yeah, here's to schedules and paperwork and hard work! And also to our anniversary. While Nate drives me to the edge occasionally, most days he's my boyfriend and best friend and partner. There's nobody in the world I would rather love and compromise with, and over eight years into our relationship, that's a sweet place to be.

In house news, the hold-out permit has been approved -- the low spot on our land is actually a small bonafide wetland-- and now just needs processed. So fingers crossed that we'll be digging a hole in the ground in the next few weeks! In the meantime, we've got our well and some other secondary jobs to complete. Like gaining access to the part of our property where the house will be, which should be an adventure in and of itself. There's a whole lot of brush and hopefully not too many trees to clear. We've requested that if some mature trees do need felled that they get put aside. We have a contact who will kiln-dry and plane them for us so that they can still find their place in our home.

We've already talked about vinyl versus fiber-cement siding. Now onto our next debate: traditional hardwood versus engineered wood flooring.

Fast forward: Now we're (almost) building!

Our builders were set to go right on schedule. September hit and they were on their game with permits and plans. Of course, that's also when we all realized that there was an additional player in the game-- we just weren't told about it when we purchased the land. So two weeks later, we've got our fingers (and toes!) crossed that we're almost there. 

I am so ready to put a hole in the ground!

Of course, our delay has not been without an upside. These extra few weeks have been instrumental in giving Nate and I time to really talk through some of our hopes and plans, and even meet with a designer, which was such a cool process.

As an avid blog reader (and not just the DIY ones, either, but the blogs of actual educated and employed designers), home design show watcher and magazine reader, and let's not forget about Pinterest, I confess that I went into this process thinking that I knew us and our taste best. There is a real risk, however, in not actually consulting with anyone who knows what they are doing. If you haven't opened a conversation, nobody has had the opportunity to challenge you, and I truly believe that the best plans are collaborative. 

So, that being said, our experience just consulting with a designer was great. She was able to confirm that some unique ideas we had previously came up with were cool (an angled peninsula!), and that others would not translate from our heads to real life. And then she came up with some great additional ideas on top of that (black accents in a white trim world) and educated us on all things windows and lighting! We don't have the funds for complete interior design support throughout the entire process, but just that one consultation was a game changer and completely worth her fee. Our newfound confidence alone is worth it. 

(Next up: the great siding debate).  

Home Siding

One of the first real decisions that we've had to make with regards to our new home with with regards to siding, a subject that I previously knew very little about, and honestly, one of those areas where an already built home might have been preferable to me. There are just too many decisions.

Also, our previous home had little to no curb appeal for the majority of the time in which we lived there; it was only in the final months that we realized it could get an overhaul in just a few hours of time. Once we repainted the front door and shutters, took off the unattractive storm door and planted some shade-loving flowers in the built--in garden box out front, it became a new house. There are no excuses like the ones we had there when you're the person who chose every finish.

Our first choice was brick or stone, and it wasn't really a choice for us. Brick in the right conditions can be classy and attractive, like here where it is wrapped around all sides of this traditional house.

But it can also go wrong to my eye, like when it is used on very modern structures or just the face of the house or with doors/ shutters that fight with the formal wishes of the brick. And for those and a thousand other reasons, stone is our winner and from there I assumed that we were set.

It turns out that siding is an even bigger question; what brand do you use and what type? I had no idea. We are coming from aluminum siding but have seen vinyl done well and done cheaply. There is also another easily accessible though pricer option called fiber cement siding that I had literally never heard of but seen and loved in pictures like this one. For what it is worth I also thought that it was called "hardiboard" when I first did my research, but as it turns out, that's a brand (James Hardie siding) not a finish. It looks similar to vinyl but better, like here.

But siding is not just a house's pretty face. It is also a protective layer, so I did some general research.

VINYL SIDING: used for homes since the late 1950s and is still the most common exterior siding in the U.S.. It is used far less often in other countries because it is a manufactured plastic and has a negative environmental profile. Vinyl, like wood, is flammable. Though, as with all products, vinyl siding quality varies quite a bit between manufacturers, it's an overall established and inexpensive product that can be quite attractive especially with more and more layout options for buyers. In general, though it eventually needs replaced, vinyl siding is very stable and low-maintenance throughout its shelf life.

FIBER CEMENT SIDING: started being manufactured in 1903 and originally contained asbestos but now is composed of cellulose fibers (aka wood), sand and cement. One of its major benefits is that it's noncombustible and has long-term structural capacity once installed, though it is fairly subject to impact damage. It is more eco-friendly. Because it can fade and chip, it does require some superficial upkeep. It's also about twice the cost of vinyl siding. It can be painted any color and comes in a variety of layout options. Specifically, if we end up choosing fiber cement siding, we're looking at Hardie Board.

Reality

Here's the thing. It would be nice to have a larger budget than the one that we do have. Everything costs money, even when you think that you're being thoughtful with your budget.

Want a darker shade of siding? $

Tile that isn't 12x12 and boring? $$

Quartz countertops and painted cabinets? $$$

And at the end of the day there are a million other costs that aren't even wrapped up in getting into the house itself, such as grass and landscaping and oh yes, furniture. 

But there are places to save as well.

Interesting tile and under-floor heating? DIY.

Accent walls? DIY.

Custom mantel? DIY.

So it's pretty awesome that we've found a builder who is happy to let us put our stamp on our house as we go along. Now it's a matter of sourcing materials and more than that, time, so that we can make it all happen. 

E-Haus: It's official!

As of Friday, August 21, we are CLOSED and all set with our beautiful 4.97 acres of land and a construction loan that will eventually turn into a mortgage on the house that we are building. It was a simultaneously awesome and terrifying experience to write the biggest check I have ever and may ever write, but after a 19 day lapse, we are (theoretical) home owners again and thrilled about it!

This also means that we have about a week and a half to go before things really get real, and we start making choices that will turn into actual elements in and on our home. In the age of Pinterest and social media, this is where things get tough. There are too many cool ideas out there.

And then we bought a lot.

My husband and I are the last people I ever thought would build a house.

We're not supremely wealthy, and he wouldn't survive in a pre-planned community (and though I can't pretend that I would hate it, it's nice to have a place to stretch your legs). We like homes with architectural detail and character, so we assumed that when it was time to upgrade from our 1046 sq. foot ranch, we would move along to another fixer-upper, just in larger scale.

Yet, somehow, some way, last week we signed an agreement with a builder. We're going the new construction route on our soon-to-be almost 5 acre lot. I can't wait to get started!

But first, inspiration, while that land gets poked and prodded and approved for building.

1

2

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Builder basic, no way.