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.