CHOOSING DESIGN FINISHES

Now that we have officially chosen our design finishes, we can begin to plan all the smaller details! I'm not planning on buying anything (or at least not *too much*) until after we move, but it's fun to think up how we will design our entire house.

The below images shows all our finishes on one page (and some of the things we hope to switch out asap - such as the builder-installed sinks and faucets).

We went with laminate in the kitchen with the builder, but we hope to upgrade to white quartz after we move in (assuming the budget will allow it)! I would love to get a farmhouse sink and a beautiful faucet when we change out the countertop so I have included those on my plan since it represents my overall vision.

Kitchen:

Ensuite:

Main Bathroom:

Take care!!

CHOOSING UPGRADES IN A NEWBUILD

The day I had been planning for all summer finally came! We chose our design upgrades for our new home a few weeks ago, and we surprisingly kept within our budget! We spent significantly less time deliberating our choices for our first new-build house. This was because the timeframe in which we got our townhome was was much shorter (so we didn't have time to deliberate), and because we had a much smaller budget (of about $300), so choices were limited. We're hopeful that our second house will be our "forever home," so we decided to put a little more money into it and intend on doing some more custom renovations after we close.

When designing a new-build, not only do you have to decide on specific finishes (i.e., cabinets, tiles, cupboards  etc.), but you also have to decide on what areas you are willing to pay extra money to upgrade (i.e., add fireplace, add hardwood, etc). Builders generally charge waaaay more for upgrades than what you would typically pay to install upgrades yourself after you close. However, by going through a builder, you pay for the convenience of having a "move-in ready" home. Additionally, by upgrading through the builder, you may have the option to add the costs to your mortgage. A few thousand dollars divided over 25 years seems much more affordable than out-of-pocket after close.

When choosing upgrades, the best options, in my opinion, are things that will be harder or more costly to change after you close. We also evaluated our choices based on the price vs. how positive an an impact it would have on the home. Below are the options we went with and our reasoning for how we decided it was worth it to pay extra for them:

First Floor

• Smooth ceiling on ground floor - $1,000 (will give a cleaner look to the space and we can avoid the mess of a DIY popcorn ceiling removal after close) 
• Install hardwood flooring in lieu of tiles in entryway and kitchen to match rest of the hardwood home - $1,200 (the space will flow better; rooms will look bigger when they are not broken up by different flooring)
• "Carrara" style interior doors in lieu of standard doors - $275 (inexpensive upgrade that will make the home look more custom and modern)
• Square pickets on stairs in lieu of included round pickets - $100 (gives a more modern look to the staircase)
• Gas fireplace - $3,000 (self explanatory!) 

Kitchen

• Upgraded kitchen cabinetry and layout - includes fridge gables, extended upper cabinets, under-cabinet valance and pots and pans drawer - $6,000  (easier /more cost-efficient to upgrade now rather than buy and replace cupboards after close)
• Gas rough in for future gas stove - $600 
• Delete cabinet above stove for exhaust fan - $100 

Second Floor

• Rail and picket in lieu of knee wall in upstairs hall - $500 (opens up the space in hallway)
• Hardwood flooring in hall - $1,100 (hardwood will be easier to keep clean as hallway is a high traffic area)

Ensuite 

• Double vanity - $1,000
• Increase vanity height to kitchen counter height - $270 (more custom look)
• Upgrade cabinet style - $280 (cabinets look more high end) 
• Install quartz countertop - $1,700 (price of quartz comparable to market value)
• Upgrade tile grout colour - $70 (expensive for grout, but will better match tile and is much less money than upgrading tiles)

Main Bath

• Upgrade cabinet style - $60 (wanted a black vanity which wasn't an option in the cheaper line)
• Install quartz countertop - $1,300 (price of quartz comparable to market value)

Countdown: 249 days (approx. 8 months)

Talk to you later,

HOUSE PROGRESS - HALF WAY THERE!

There isn't too much to report just yet, but as of today, 307 days have passed since we purchased our home from the builder, and we have 307 days to go until our closing date, which means... we are are *officially* at the half way point!

In the last month, the streets in our subdivision have been created, street signs are up, and the asphalt has been poured! It is so great to see where our house will be located in proximity to all the other streets, and pretty soon, we will be able to drive down the street, which will make it a little easier to stalk the progress of our home. This week, we also finally got the call to make our design center appointment, so we will really need to work on finalizing our budget and our list of upgrades before our appointment the first week of October.

Here are few pictures from late August 2016:

September 2016

CHOOSING UPGRADES IN A NEWBUILD - BATHROOMS

After going back and forth numerous times, I have pretty much finalized the bathroom finish choices for our new home. We anticipate we will have to confirm our upgrades with our builder sometime in October or November, so there's lots of time to change our minds again, but I think this will be it. We decided to splurge and upgrades to quartz countertops for both bathrooms. We also decided to upgrade the cabinet level, which surprisingly is not that expensive, and gives a much higher end look to the bathroom. We saved by choosing included floor/ wall tile options and cabinet hardware.

I also took some pictures in the design center of what the real life versions of the finishes look together. The lighting wasn't the greatest, so the tiles look a bit beige, but in actuality both tiles are quite neutral with regard to the tone of the grey.

Ensuite:

Main Bathroom:

THE DESIGN PLAN - MASTER ENSUITE

Given my newfound love for white spaces, I have decided to go all white in our Master bathroom. We will be upgrading to the same cupboards we chose for the kitchen (white, shaker style style) but with a standard, included knob. Another upgrade are planning on ordering for the bathroom is quartz countertops. Caesarstone is our builder's supplier, and the current contenders are: "Misty Carrara," and "Organic White."

   

Caesarstone - "Organic White"               Caesarstone - "Misty Carrara"

Organic white is a beautiful crisp, clean white with a slight barely noticeable "bubble" pattern and "Misty Carrara" is slightly off white with a grey pattern. It doesn't look exactly like marble, but it's one of the more "marble like" quartz countertops that I've seen - besides "Frosty Carrina" which we will likely have installed in our kitchen sometime after we close - when we can afford it!)

Also undecided is whether or not we want to pay extra for upgraded floor and wall tiles.  I am leaning towards upgrading the floor tiles and going with a standard wall tile because I think the floor will make a bigger impact on the room. All to upgrade the floor tiles will run us about $300, wheras the charge for upgraded wall tiles is $400 - so that helps to make the decision easier. The tile I'm thinking of getting is called  “New Byzantine" by Olympia Tile and for a ceramic tile, it looks pretty similar to marble. The below image makes the tile a bit more blue than it actually is (it's more grey in person) 

Olympia Tile - "New Byzantine" in Azzuro

The wall tile I'm thinking of coordinating the above tile is either a plain white tile, or something like "Belinna" in Grey by Anatolia Tile (which is "standard" and not an upgrade). The tile has a bit of a sheen and somewhat resembles marble. There is also a coordinating floor tile, but it is quite shiny which I'm not sure if I like for a bathroom floor and the reason why I'm leaning toward the abive upgraded tile 

Anatolia Tile - "Belinna" in Grey

Below is what the finishes I'm leaning toward look like together.

Take care!

HOUSE PROGRESS - ONE YEAR UNTIL CLOSING!

We have officially passed the one year to our closing date mark (348 days to be exact). And while that seems so far away, almost 9 months has passed since we purchased our home last November, so having our closing in less than one year actually feels like progress!

I'll admit, there hasn't been much excitement on the construction site thus far. The land has pretty much been an empty field since we purchased.. However, more recently, the builders have started to dig up the site, and tractors are moving around over there every day. In the last few weeks, they've dug out /flattened our future street! And it looks like they're working on water lines/ sewage, etc. (the not so pretty, but otherwise important stuff)!

*Edit: We took a walk down our future street today, and we were actually able to find a stick with our lot number on it! I am so excited we got to see exactly where the house will be! None of the surrounding streets have been built yet, so before today we had no idea how far we'd be located from the main road. After seeing it in person, I'm not impressed by how close we are to an intersection but I'm hoping the street won't be terribly busy and it will be ok! There were homes left to chose on some quieter streets when we chose our lot, but there was a very expensive premium to select those lots, and we decided we'd rather spend that money on a the house model we wanted vs. a better location (hopefully we don't regret that decision when we move in)!!

Below are a few snaps of the construction site. Not too exciting yet, but it will be fun to look back on once our house is built, and we can compare our new home to the mud pile that was once in its place.

Early July 2016

August 1, 2016

Take care!

Design Inspiration: The Master Ensuite

I am super excited for our new master ensuite which unlike our current ensuite, it is big enough for a double vanity, and even includes a "hamper niche" - maybe that means I will actually throw the laundry in the hamper, instead of in a pile in the corner of the bedroom!

Like our kitchen design, I plan on designing the ensuite mostly in white to create a classic and clean look. We decided not to upgrade to a separate tub and shower because it was way above our budget.

Even though tubs are not the most glamorous, I have seen a few designs with a glass door across half of the bathtub, and I actually think it can look quite high end! We probably won't install a glass door immediately after we take possession, but I am designing with the idea in mind that we will eventually install one. 

Source: HGTV

Below are a few white bathrooms that I am taking inspiration from!

Source: Alyssa Rosenheck

Source: Highgate House

Source: Chango & Co.

Talk to you later!