Category Archives: Kitchen

Week 34: Wall Colors & Wall Texture

Posted in Countertops, Flooring, Great Room, Kitchen, Paint by

This week we had to finalize our wall color selections.  My mom and I ended up going to check out the slabs (which we hadn’t seen in probably a good 5 months) to see if the wall color looked good with them.  We brought up a few different samples – the flooring color, trim/cabinetry color and a couple different wall colors.  And after our trip up to Woodinville to see the slabs we ended up selecting Farrow & Ball’s Cornforth White @ 50% for the main wall color.  We’ll have a few rooms painted different colors, but wanted a neutral gray for the rest of the house.  We have a winner!!

Trying to decide between paint colors and ended up choosing the one on the right - F&B's Cornforth White @ 50%.

Trying to decide between paint colors and ended up choosing the one on the right – F&B’s Cornforth White reduced to 50%.  Light & Airy!

The flooring we selected is Plank's European Oak - with the wall color, and then our slabs as a backdrop.

The flooring we selected is Plank’s European Oak – with the wall color, and then our slabs as a backdrop.

At the house this week, the painters were there and taped/plastic’d off all of the doors and windows which now makes the whole house feel REALLY dark.  Thank God we put in all the windows that we did to bring in lots of natural light.  And by Friday they were done with all of the texturing on the walls.  We ended up doing a light texture – nothing heavy.  Now it’s all ready for them to start painting on Monday!

The windows and doors are all covered in plastic - and spray texture!

The windows and doors are all covered in plastic – and spray texture!

It's so crazy how dark the rooms feel now - I can't wait to get all the plastic off the windows.

It’s so crazy how dark the rooms feel now – I can’t wait to get all the plastic off the windows.

Of course all Spencer wanted to do was rip the plastic off the windows! Not so fast buddy!

Of course all Spencer wanted to do was rip the plastic off the windows! Not so fast buddy!

Week 32: Drywall Installed

Posted in Boys' Bedrooms, Dining Room, Drywall, Great Room, Guest Room, Kitchen, Master Bathroom, Office, Rec Room by

The drywall installation wrapped up this week and it was Absolutely Amazing to walk in and see all the walls with drywall.  The floors were covered with paper getting ready for  the taping & mudding next week so it looked crazy clean in there too!  Spencer and I visited on Saturday and had so much fun checking out each room.  We also ran some errands including heading to Home Depot for some tools to take off the plumbing fixtures on our bathtub and to Sherwin Williams to check out different paint sheens.  Surprisingly, Sherwin Williams has a great little coloring table for kids to sit at – perfect for Spencer!

Week 24: Crazy Weather & Fire Sprinkler System

Posted in Fire Sprinklers, Kitchen, Master Bedroom, Permits by

I was traveling for work the majority of last week and this week, and I heard that Seattle has been having a crazy week of weather!  There’s been an insane amount of rain – flood warnings were in place with the torrential downpour.  And on Tuesday there were crazy winds with gusts up to 60 miles per hour.  People all over the Puget Sound (including our new neighborhood) lost power for days.  Due to all of the inclement weather, a couple things were delayed on the project.  First off, the siding company was supposed to be there this week, but they were unable to finish their last job, so that delayed them getting to ours.  Also, the power company (Tanner Electric) was going to transfer the power line from the temporary power pole we have to the permanent underground service to the house.  Needless to say with all of the outages in the area, they had more important thing to deal with than our house.

The combination of the siding and the permanent power line to the house is now on the critical path for our schedule.  We need the power to run the furnaces and get the house dried out, and we need the siding to keep the rain out.

And when it's not rainy and windy, the weather has been freezing!! Check out all the frost in the back yard.

And when it’s not rainy and windy, the weather has been freezing!! Check out all the frost in the back yard.

It's so cold here now - freezing temperatures every day! It'll be so nice to get the heat on in the house...hopefully next week.

It’s so cold here now – freezing temperatures every day! Look at all the frost on the house.  It’ll be so nice to get the heat on in the house…hopefully next week.

Although the weather has been nasty – they did install the fire sprinklers in the house.  In private homes, King County requires fire sprinklers for all homes where a firefighter can’t walk 150′ around the house and touch all sides.  Had I realized this was a requirement, I likely would have shaped the house differently just to avoid the fire sprinklers.  I think they’re such a waste of money and hopefully we’ll never have to use them.  Plus, they just add more things in the ceiling…not exactly my favorite.

The fire sprinkler system has to be designed by a licensed technician, then a permit is needed from King County which shows the sprinkler design.  Once it’s approved at the County, it’s installed in the house and then inspected and approved by the County.

Lots of parts & pieces for the fire sprinkler system.

Lots of parts & pieces for the fire sprinkler system.

The sprinkler system is those orange lines that run throughout the house.

The sprinkler system is those orange lines that run throughout the house.  Here’s the ones in our master bedroom.

 

Just a close-up of one of the sprinklers.

Just a close-up of one of the sprinklers.

In addition to needing fire sprinklers, the placement of them has been such a huge nuisance.  Because we’re having a coffered ceiling in the kitchen, theoretically smoke could get trapped in one of the “squares” in the coffered ceiling and not set off a sprinkler head.  To design around that, we’d either need to install a sprinkler head in each of the “squares” – which would have cost us another $2,500 – or keep the original quantity of sprinkler heads but put them on the beams.  I absolutely did not want to spend a penny more on sprinkler system.  The cost for the system was already higher than our initial estimate from last year, and I hated the idea of having to spend more money on something that is likely never going to be used – and on something that doesn’t give me any value.  It’s not like spending $2,500 to get upgraded appliances, or nicer trim work.  It’s literally spending $2,500 on something that will never be noticed or used.  So no way was that happening.  But that meant we had to install them on the beams to meet the current code – such a disappointment.  The beams are there as a fun ceiling detail in the space – and then with adding the sprinkler heads on them, it only accentuates the sprinklers, not disguises them.  So we’ll end up having four 3″ sprinkler head caps (which will be white) sitting flush on the 8″ wide beam.  It’s not the end of the world, and in this battle of budget versus design…design lost.  Let’s hope more things don’t end up this way!

We ended up having to put a couple of the fire sprinklers right on the beams of the coffered ceiling in the kitchen - despite my liking.

We ended up having to put a couple of the fire sprinklers right on the beams of the coffered ceiling in the kitchen – despite my liking.

Week 22: HVAC, Electrical & Windows

Posted in Electrical, Great Room, HVAC, Kitchen, Windows by

The HVAC was worked on for the house this week which included setting up the furnaces which will back up the heat pump.  The furnace for the downstairs was placed in the HVAC room downstairs by the boys’ playroom, and it was most efficient to put the furnace for the main level in the attic of the garage.  Besides installing both of those, it looks like the vents have all been placed and all 4 of the cold air returns were also installed (two on each level of the home).

It was most efficient to put the upstairs furnace in the attic.

It was most efficient to put the upstairs furnace in the attic.

The downstairs furnace is located in the HVAC room.

The downstairs furnace is located in the HVAC room.

Electrical work began this week and was laid out based on our walk thru last week.  On Sunday, Joel and I went to check things out…and confirm light switch locations.  A few of them were in the wrong spots, but for the most part things were in the correct locations.

The electrical sub (Modern Wiring) started on the house this week.

The electrical sub (Modern Wiring) started on the house this week.

And even more fun (and with a bigger impact) was that the majority of the windows were delivered and quite a bit of them were installed!  I think they look great, and love the grid layout we chose.  I can’t wait to see all of them installed.  It’ll end up being a couple weeks for all of them to get here.  The windows with the arched tops all have a bit longer lead time than the rectangular ones.

Some of the windows were installed in the front of the house this week.

Some of the windows were installed in the front of the house this week.

Although we're still missing the french doors and the oval windows, the back wall of the great room is starting to take shape.

Although we’re still missing the french doors and the oval windows, the back wall of the great room is starting to take shape.

I love how the windows turned out in the staircase.

I love how the windows turned out in the staircase.

The windows in the informal dining area in the kitchen look amazing! It's too bad that the construction film makes it so we can't see outside anymore. At least that'll protect the glass until construction is finished though.

The windows in the informal dining area in the kitchen look amazing! It’s too bad that the construction film makes it so we can’t see outside anymore. At least that’ll protect the glass until construction is finished though.

Here's what the windows look like from the outside of the house. These ones are above the kitchen sink area.

Here’s what the windows look like from the outside of the house. These ones are above the kitchen sink area.

Besides all of the things happening at the house, my mom and I also went to Canyon Creek Cabinetry on Thursday to figure out all of the cabinets for the house.  We did our initial walk thru a couple of weeks ago.  After that, they drafted up the initial design for the cabinets…but of course I had markups and things that I wanted changed.  So we met up with Andy at Canyon Creek to discuss all of the changes.  He’s going to revise the drawings (and the cost estimate) – hopefully we’ll get those this next week.  Then they’ll be finalized!

Week 20: We Have a Roof…plus More Ceiling Details!

Posted in Entry, Framing, Great Room, Kitchen, Plumbing, Private Well, Roofing by

Joel was waiting so long for this day to finally come…with the rainy weather beginning, all I kept hearing from him is how he doesn’t like that the house is getting wet with water puddling up on the concrete downstairs and the plywood subfloor upstairs.  “That can’t be good for it,” he’d say.  But the wait is over!  We have a roof!!  Last Friday they had all of the material up on the roof and on Monday morning they began.  And now at the end of the week, they’re about 95% done.  Still need to finish up some roof vents and the well house and I think it’s finished.  Ya-hoo!!

The roof is on!

The roof is on!

Here's a closer picture of the front entry.

Here’s a closer picture of the front entry.

Half-way through the week, here's what the back of the house looks like (from standing WAY back at the well house).

Half-way through the week, here’s what the back of the house looks like (from standing WAY back at the well house).

Oh yeah, and they built the well house today! Isn't it cute?

Oh yeah, and they built the well house today! Isn’t it cute?  The boys haven’t seen it yet, but when they do, I bet they’re going to wish it were their play house!

And, even better than the roof (although probably not for Joel) is that they worked on the great room ceiling and the kitchen ceiling!  We had them lower the great room ceiling and not only was that done, but the locations for where the faux beams are going to be in there were placed.  And the locations of the coffered ceiling in the kitchen was done too!   I LOVE them!!  The placement in the rooms looks so great and I can’t wait for the beams to be fully built, but for now, just seeing where they’ll go is ultra exciting!

The small entry has a tray ceiling.

The small entry has a tray ceiling.

The great room ceiling was lowered to a more comfortable height, and the faux beams were added. LOVE!!!

The great room ceiling was lowered to a more comfortable height, and the faux beams were added. LOVE!!!

On the left side of the room, the 'beams' align with the fireplace and built-ins.

On the left side of the room, the ‘beams’ align with the fireplace and built-ins.

And on the right side of the room, the 'beams' flow directly into the kitchen's coffered ceiling.

And on the right side of the room, the ‘beams’ flow directly into the kitchen’s coffered ceiling.

The coffered ceiling in the kitchen looks AMAZING!

The coffered ceiling in the kitchen looks AMAZING!

And they also continued to work on the plumbing this week (not so exciting, but I guess it’s still important) 🙂  We also worked to figure out the locations for the HVAC cold air returns and soffits in the basement.

And the plumbing continued on the house!

And the plumbing continued on the house!

Week 19: Ceiling Details, Cabinetry Walkthrough & Plumbing

Posted in Boys' Bathroom, Cabinetry, Dining Room, Entry, Framing, Kitchen, Office, Plumbing by

This week a few really fun details were built in with the framing.  To begin with, the front entry way and dining windows were finally done.  The arches that they added really make the front area look finished.  There’s an arch over the front porch, as well as an arched window over the front door.  The arch over the front porch is a bit higher than the window over the door so that when you’re standing back at street level, you can see both of them.

By the end of the week, the arches have been added at the front of the house, and the roofing has been delivered and is ready to be installed.

By the end of the week, the arches have been added at the front of the house, and the roofing has been delivered and is ready to be installed.

The entryway windows have been framed.

The entryway windows have been framed.

The front arches were added to the porch, entry door and dining windows this week.

The front arches were added to the porch, entry door and dining windows this week.

The dining room window was also framed in this week.  At first it was a big shock because it had been open for so long it sort of took me by surprise not to see one big giant window in that room!  But it looks fantastic, and after making all the design changes to get this window and the dimensions ‘just right’ – I think it turned out fabulously.

The dining window was framed this week - It'll have three windows that open, then transoms, then an arched window.

The dining window was framed this week – It’ll have three windows that open, then transoms, then an arched window.

On the inside of the house, a few of my favorite details were built.  First to finish up the dining room, the tray ceiling was completed, and the beginning of the “X” within the tray was added.  Love it!  And notice how the arched window will leave just enough room for trim above it…I think it’ll look great once it’s all finished.

The tray ceiling and "X" pattern on the ceiling were constructed.

The tray ceiling and “X” pattern on the ceiling were constructed.

The windows in the dining room look SO GOOD!

The windows in the dining room look SO GOOD!

And the tray ceiling was also added in the master bedroom as well.  All of the tray ceilings in the house are 18″ from the walls, and 10″ tall.

The tray ceiling in the master was added this week.

The tray ceiling in the master was added.

The fireplace framing was built this week - we'll have a bench under the the fireplace, so it's raised up off the floor.

The fireplace framing was built this week – we’ll have a bench under the the fireplace, so it’s raised up off the floor.

The staircase is located back behind the fireplace, and the curvature in the staircase was finished up this week.

The staircase is located back behind the fireplace, and the curvature in the staircase was finished up this week.

Cameron came with me after soccer practice on Wednesday night to check out some of the progress which included some other areas in the house that he had fun seeing…

First stop was checking out he built-in bench in the office. Eventually bookshelves will line the wall to the right, and this will be such a fun spot to read with the boys - plenty deep and big enough!

First stop was checking out he built-in bench in the office. Eventually bookshelves will line the wall to the right, and this will be such a fun spot to read with the boys – plenty deep and big enough!

Cam's next stop was the master shower. He got such a kick that the drain hole was cut and he could see right into Spencer's bedroom underneath. He's waiving "hi" to Spencer in this pic!

Cam’s next stop was the master shower. He got such a kick that the drain hole was cut and he could see right into Spencer’s bedroom underneath. He’s waiving “hi” to Spencer in this pic!

Cam's last stop was his bathroom. We contemplated rearranging this room, but he really liked that his vanity would be separated from Spencer's so we decided to keep it the way it is now. He's already pretending to brush his teeth at the sink!

Cam’s last stop was his bathroom. We contemplated rearranging this room, but he really liked that his vanity would be separated from Spencer’s so we decided to keep it the way it is now. He’s already pretending to brush his teeth at the sink!

On Tuesday morning, my mom and I met with Matt and the rep from Canyon Creek Cabinets to walk through the house and discuss the different cabinet layouts.  It was a lot of fun to discuss my different ideas as well as get feedback from the rep and what he thought we should do.  Now he has to go back and lay things out for us to approve.  That’ll be exciting to see those once they’re done.

The plumbers started this week, so we really had to nail down all of the sink locations.  The only ones that were really in question were the boys’ bathroom sinks and the prep island sink.  The boys’ bathroom has a pretty decent sized linen closet in there – for all of their towels, sheets, and swim gear.  The design was to have the linen closet separating each of the boys’ sink vanities so that they could each have their own ‘space’.  The closet takes up quite a bit of space, and I was worried that it makes the space feel a little cramped.  So we discussed rearranging the room.  In the end, we decided to make the closet a couple inches less deep so that it didn’t protrude into the room as far and keep the vanities separate.  Cameron really liked that, and I think it’ll be nice for the boys to have really great storage solutions in there.

Plumbing started this week! Here's a picture in the kitchen where the sink and fridge will go.

Plumbing started this week! Here’s a picture in the kitchen where the sink and fridge will go.

On Saturday, Joel and I went to check things out at the house and we decided to rearrange things a bit in the mudroom.  We’re going to put the boys’ bench and shoe cubbies to underneath the window and get a narrower desk for where their cubbies used to be.  This should give them more space to put their shoes and all of the bags they bring home from school and practices.

Back up in the first picture, you can see that roofing supplies were delivered and they’ll be starting on that next week!

Week 17: Framing Continues and Interior Selections – Flooring, Counters & Some Tile

Posted in Countertops, Decor, Exterior Design, Framing, Great Room, Kitchen, Laundry Room, Mudroom, Tile by

This week they focused on more framing on the house.  The gable on the front of the garage was completed and the roof sheathing was finished up.  They also framed both of the shed dormers above the laundry room and the master closet.  It’s looking pretty good, and it’s exciting to see what it feels like with a ‘roof’.  I was out there earlier in the week talking with Matt about locations for blocking for things like towel rings and millwork.  There’s so many details – and things you normally don’t have to think about – like which side you like the toilet paper holder located on.

The front of the house is getting pretty far along. The gable is up in above the garage and the roof line is finished above the laundry room shed dormer.

The front of the house is getting pretty far along. The gable is up in above the garage and the roof line is finished above the laundry room shed dormer.

The gable above the garage was worked on this week. I think it turned out great!

The gable above the garage was worked on this week. I think it turned out great!

Here's the progress made on the back of the house.

Here’s the progress made on the back of the house – the sheathing is all finished!

The view of the back of the kitchen windows.

The view of the back of the kitchen windows.

Here's what the back of the house looks like from right underneath it.

Here’s what the back of the house looks like from right underneath it.

Here's a panoramic of the back of the house.

Here’s a panoramic of the back of the house.

The shed dormer was put in laundry room this week.

The shed dormer was built to finish up the laundry room roof this week.

This wall will eventually have our stove centered between the doors. The opening on the right leads to the butler's pantry & dining room. And the opening on the left leads to the pantry, laundry & mudroom.

This wall will eventually have our stove centered between the doors. The opening on the right leads to the butler’s pantry & dining room. And the opening on the left leads to the pantry, laundry & mudroom.

This is a view from the kitchen into the great room. The opening on the left will be a pass-through with cabinetry in front of it.

This is a view from the kitchen into the great room. The opening on the left will be a pass-through with cabinetry in front of it.

Spencer came with us today to check out the progress on the house. He said that the house is built, it just needs a 'couple more things'!

Spencer came with us today to check out the progress on the house. He said that the house is built, it just needs a ‘couple more things’!

There's Joel - checking out the kitchen!

There’s Joel – checking out the kitchen!

Here's a view of the kitchen windows. Joel and I can't decide if we want built-in benches here and where to add them in the space.

Here’s a view of the kitchen windows. Joel and I can’t decide if we want built-in benches here and where to add them in the space.

The great room looks really good - although the ceiling is too high, so we decided this week that we're going to drop that down.

The great room looks really good – although the ceiling is too high, so we decided this week that we’re going to drop that down.

On Saturday, we scheduled our first trip to pick out some of the finishes.  My mom and I went up to Everett to CFM which has a lot of selections to choose from.  We spent a couple hours with the designer (Jodi) and really didn’t get a whole lot picked out.  We settled white oak floors finished on site.  That’ll be the main floor covering for the upstairs and downstairs.  Because the downstairs is a slab on grade we had to go with an engineered hardwood.  But we can actually get engineered wood that can be finished onsite so we can have it exactly match the upstairs – love that!  I’m pretty sure that we’ll go with a hardwood stain that’ll be pretty close (maybe a touch lighter) than natural white oak, but since it’ll be finished onsite we’ll get to choose the stain color after it’s installed.

Here's an example of the color of white oak that we'll have. Since we're having it finished onsite it won't really exactly look like this, but it at least gives us an idea of what the finish will ultimately look like.

Here’s an example of the color of white oak that we’ll have. Since we’re having it finished onsite it won’t really exactly look like this, but it at least gives us an idea of what the finish will ultimately look like.

Other than that, we decided on the type of carpet (which was a super soft one from Shaw), but haven’t chosen the color yet.  Jodi is going to get us a bigger carpet samples in the colors we like so that we don’t have to choose from mini carpet squares – and even that we’ll wait until after the hardwood stain has been chosen and we can see the carpet in our house.  It was so difficult to really see the true color of the carpet samples anyhow, so I’m glad we’ll get to choose once we’re more finished with the house.  We tried to pick out some of our tile, but Jodi was bummed that we didn’t have our counters picked out yet since that really determines the backsplash and floor tile colors.  We looked at a bunch of tiles while we were there, but it was difficult to find exactly what we were looking for.  And it’s surprising how fast 2 hours speeds by!

So, after a couple hours with Jodi, my mom and I went on our own.  First we headed to United Tile just down the street where we actually found the floor tile that we’re going to use in the mudroom.  We ended up going with the Crossville Buenos Aires Mood Porcelain in the color Pilar.  It will be a 12×24 tile – laid at a brick pattern.  And we might end up putting some tile around the border of the room – same tile, just a different size.  We’ll see!

We chose this tile for the mudroom flooring. The flooring in the background is the hardwood that we're going to have.

We chose this tile for the mudroom flooring. The flooring in the background is the hardwood that we’re going to have.

Then we headed down to Georgetown in Seattle to look at slabs for countertops.  We now realize that it’s a priority for us to pick those out before we choose any of the other tile, so we were on a mission.  The first place we went to was META and we found the perfect slab for Joel’s bar downstairs.  It’s a Fantasy Brown Quartzite with a Leathered finish.  The bar cabinets are going to be gray, with a wood bar top, so this is the perfect blend of gray/white/brown to tie everything together.

Joel's bar countertop for downstairs.

Joel’s bar countertop for downstairs.

We found it at META Marble & Granite in Seattle - it's called Fantasy Brown Quartzite with a leathered finish.

We found it at META Marble & Granite in Seattle – it’s called Fantasy Brown Quartzite with a leathered finish.

We went to so many places – MSI, Oregon Tile & Marble, Pental, Daltile and META and didn’t find any that we liked for the rest of the house!  Last year when we were looking at slabs for my mom’s kitchen I found this quartzite and totally loved it!  I should have just bought it back then, but hindsight’s 20/20 I guess.  We couldn’t find any gray/white quartzite that I liked in Seattle.

Last year we found this amazing Silver Storm Quartzite...should have just bought it back then!

Last year we found this amazing Silver Storm Quartzite…should have just bought it back then!

Next we headed to Kent to check out a couple of places we knew about. And we ended up finding this quartzite at Cosmos.  It’s just ok – I don’t think I’m a big fan of how splotchy/spotted it looks.  I like the colors, but the patterning of the stone isn’t something I’d be happy with in the long run.

This slab of

This slab of “New Super White” Quartzite had the right colors – but was too splotchy and not quite right.

After passing on the stone at Cosmos, we checked out Marble & Granite Specialties and found this one.  LOVE!!!  Isn’t it great?  Gray/white, simple, clean – exactly what we were looking for.  The problem though – M&GS is a fabricator and they own the slab.  That means that if we want these slabs, then we have to use them to fabricate them (cut & install the slabs).  And that means we can’t use Jodi’s fabricator – and since Matt’s never used them before we really have no clue if they do a quality job or not.  Such a bummer.  We have a call into Jodi so see if she could find it elsewhere for us.  Cross our fingers.  If she can’t find it, we’ll have to choose if we want to wait to find something different that Jodi can get and install for us, or if we want to take a chance and have the other people fabricate it.

This Absolute White Quartzite is perfect! Hopefully Jodi can find it for us so we can use her fabricators.

This Absolute White Quartzite is great! Hopefully Jodi can find it for us so we can use her fabricators.

Week 14: Plumbing Fixtures & a tiny bit of Framing

Posted in Boys' Bathroom, Guest / Rec Room Bathroom, Kitchen, Laundry Room, Master Bathroom, Mudroom Bathroom, Plumbing, Powder Bathroom by

This week was pretty slow at the build.  Last week I mentioned that the framers had to work on another job that they committed to prior to ours – so they were there all week.  As it turns out though, a few of their guys actually snuck away to work on our house on Thursday and Friday.  We visited the house this weekend and it didn’t look like much had changed except for a few more ‘barge boards’ were up on the front of the house.  That was, until you actually went inside and then we noticed that the roof was put on the mudroom. This is the transition area that turns the house 45 degrees.  As such, it looks like it took some time to build, and a bit trickier than the other areas of the house.

Here's the progress from this week's work. Not too much changed from last week.

Here’s the progress from this week’s work. Not too much changed from last week.

The temporary construction ramp leads up to the mudroom door. The roof framing above the mudroom is what the guys worked on the couple of days that they were at our house this week.

The temporary construction ramp leads up to the mudroom door. The roof framing above the mudroom is what the guys worked on the couple of days that they were at our house this week.

Here's what the framing looks like from inside the room!

Here’s what the framing looks like from inside the room!

Beside that, the guys also worked on a small area of the back deck which connects the mudroom to the outdoor BBQ area near the kitchen.  Joel and I debated for a while over how much of the back deck should be covered.  We ended up only covering a small spot for Joel to put his BBQ.  The house that we’re renting now has a great covered BBQ area, so that’s now a must on our list.

The crew built a little part of the deck this week that has the covered BBQ area.

The crew built a little part of the deck this week that has the covered BBQ area.

This is a straight-on look at the covered BBQ area. It's right outside of the back door to the kitchen so it will be super close and handy!

This is a straight-on look at the covered BBQ area. It’s right outside of the back door to the kitchen so it will be super close and handy!

Here's the little trusses they used to frame the BBQ area.

Here’s the little trusses they used to frame the BBQ area.

This wall is missing a door - there should be one between the two windows (will get fixed later). That will be the back door from the mudroom which has a bit of a covered porch off the back to let our dog Bella out.

This wall is missing a door – there should be one between the two windows (will get fixed later). That will be the back door from the mudroom which has a bit of a covered porch off the back to let our dog Bella out.

Check out the new view from the kitchen windows - you can see the roof line from behind the mudroom (on the right) and the BBQ area (on the left).

Check out the new view from the kitchen windows – you can see the roof line from behind the mudroom (on the right) and the BBQ area (on the left).

I climbed on top of the dirt stockpile to take this picture - it's hard to fit the whole back of the house in one picture on my iphone!

I climbed on top of the dirt stockpile to take this picture – it’s hard to fit the whole back of the house in one picture on my iphone!

 

This week, my mom and I also did some plumbing shopping.  Actually, over the past 4 weeks my mom and I have been plumbing shopping 3 different times!  I know – I’ve been holding out on you and not telling you this yet 🙂  There’s a few reasons for that actually… Our first plumbing shopping trip was at Rosen Plumbing in Kirkland.  I really had no idea what I was getting into, but imagined that I’d be working with a sales associate, touring the showroom and picking out what I wanted.  I was really a bit under-impressed with actuality though.  We ended up standing around a showroom sink for 2 hours, flipping through manufacturer’s catalogs looking at tiny black & white pictures of different faucet options.  It truly was less than desirable and unbelievably inefficient.  In 2 hours, we didn’t even get through picking out the upstairs!  I went home and decided that it’d be best if I did lots of shopping online to figure out what I really wanted.  Two weeks later, we ended going back to Rosen, this time I was armed with a plan of the exact fixtures that I was looking to purchase.  Now, I was all ready to tell her exactly what I was looking for…the only problem?  They didn’t sell everything I was looking for.  So annoying!!

So this week, my mom and I went to Ferguson to check out the items that I couldn’t order from Rosen.  Ferguson was night and day different than Rosen!  The showroom was GORGEOUS, filled with shimmering lighting fixtures and sparkling faucets.  It was exactly what I was anticipating before we started our original search.  We ended up having an appt with a sales associate there named Hannah and she was fantastic.  She sat us down with us at her desk (novel idea, I know) and went through all of the plumbing fixtures we were looking for.  Then we toured around the showroom looking at fixtures we were interested in and ones she suggested for us.  They had hundreds for us to look at, and it does make it so much easier to see them in person, and they had ALL of the brands we were looking for.  Over the next week, Hannah’s going to send us a quote for everything that was remaining on our list, as well as all the other fixtures that we previously picked out from Rosen.  Her pricing may end up being better, and honestly, it’d be so nice to just deal with one place instead of two (plus Ferguson is conveniently close to where I work)!

Ferguson had HUNDREDS of faucets to choose from.

Ferguson had HUNDREDS of faucets to choose from.

Loved all of their lighting too!

Loved all of their lighting too!

Do you see all of those light fixtures?  I think I might just have to be back another day to look at those.  And bonus, they also sell door hardware!  So, I might have to be back a couple of times!

To give you an idea of what type of fixtures I’m looking at right now, here’s some idea boards I made for each room.  Things are still in flux, but it should be pretty close to what we’ll end up with.  And I haven’t picked out any sinks, but these were my initials after shopping online.  I’m going to wait to order sinks until I have the counter tops and cabinetry all figured out.

Master Bathroom Ideas

Master Bathroom Ideas

Powder Bathroom Ideas

Powder Bathroom Ideas

Boys' Bathroom Ideas

Boys’ Bathroom Ideas

Guest / Rec Room Bathroom Ideas

Guest / Rec Room Bathroom Ideas

Mudroom Bathroom Ideas

Mudroom Bathroom Ideas

Kitchen Ideas - although I still can't decide on a faucet.

Kitchen Ideas – although I still can’t decide on a faucet.

Laundry Room Ideas

Laundry Room Ideas

Joel's Bar Ideas

Joel’s Bar Ideas

Week 11: Framing the Main Level Begins

Posted in Entry, Exterior Design, Framing, Great Room, Kitchen, Master Bedroom, Office by

This week they started to build the walls for our main level, which was fantastic because now you can see our home start to take shape from the street.  And we’re able to really walk through the space and see how it’s all coming together.  There’s still a lot more framing to do on the first floor, but below are some in progress photos which show pretty much what some of the spaces will end up feeling like.

By the end of the week, there was a TON of progress on the main level!

By the end of the week, there was a TON of progress on the main level!

Our entry!! The top window will end up being arched, and we're also having them start the side windows lower - so those will increase in height.

Our entry!! The top window will end up being arched, and we’re also having them start the side windows lower – so those will increase in height.

This is what the office windows look like from the outside. It faces the street at the front of the house.

This is what the office windows look like from the outside. It faces the street at the front of the house.  We’ll have vaulted ceilings in here.

This will be the eating area in the kitchen. Joel and I love all of the windows, and how much light it will let into the kitchen.

This will be the eating area in the kitchen. Joel and I love all of the windows, and how much light it will let into the kitchen.

This is also in the kitchen - our sink will be centered underneath the three windows and that door opening will lead outside to the deck.

This is also in the kitchen – our sink will be centered underneath the three windows and that door opening will lead outside to the deck.

These are the windows and door to the deck in our master bath. We love the view!

These are the windows and door to the deck in our master bath. We love the view!

Still framing in progress! Lots to do next week for sure. This will end up being the back wall of the great room where we'll have a set of french doors.

Still framing in progress! Lots to do next week for sure. This will end up being the back wall of the great room where we’ll have a set of french doors.

Throughout the build, we’ve been having the cutest deer family visit us!  There’s definitely a male, female, and I think three (maybe four) little baby deer.  So cute!!

The daddy deer!

The daddy deer!

The cute couple hanging out in our backyard!

The cute couple hanging out in our backyard!

Design Changes

Our only design hiccup this week was that the dining room windows were sized to be 11-feet tall at the height of the curve, but the architect spec’d that the ceiling height in the dining room also be 11-feet!  Eeek, that can’t happen!  So I spent a few hours Tuesday night fixing it and coming up with the plan below.  I ended up having to adjust both the dining room and the entry windows to make it all work. But I think it’ll turn out great!  And bonus, we were able to get rid of the vaulted ceiling in our foyer which I was never a huge fan of anyways!

I changed the entry and dining windows this week to work with the 11' ceiling height.

I changed the entry and dining windows this week to work with the 11′ ceiling height.