Grout Crisis Averted

When it was time to choose finishes for this house I knew exactly what I wanted. There are only so many choices the builder offers so I looked at every recent build in person and online before I went to the design center. I picked everything very quickly and was abnormally decisive. There were some revisions after I got prices back on tile and flooring, but I kept a cheaper option in mind for most everything knowing that might be the case. Besides the exterior brick vs. stucco drama the only time I second guessed myself is when it came to grout. Yes, grout! I did choose different colors than what I usually see in other homes so it made me a bit nervous. Plus, everyone I asked thought I chose the wrong color. Part of me did realize it was just grout and it would be okay, but I wanted everything to be perfect of course. It's funny since I don't consider myself a perfectionist at all, but when it comes to design every little detail is of the upmost importance. I might have had a little crazy moment the day before the tile guys were scheduled to grout, but it all ended up being fine. Actually, it was more than fine. I love how it all turned out!

In the master bathroom I chose a light gray grout to go with the porcelain tile. Your eyes are not deceiving you, that is porcelain and not marble.

FYI, I have since gotten a pedicure. Those are some rough looking feet.

Good grief they make a mess! But, it shows you a bigger shot of the bathroom in this picture. According to the design center person, everyone has always chosen a white grout with this tile. It looked too white when I held the grout sample next to the tile. I could see the look of skepticism on everyone's face when I chose the gray, but I trusted my gut and I'm glad I did. So, crisis numero uno averted! That's my Texan-Spanish for you.

Now, on to grout crisis number two. Instead of a white grout to go with the charcoal gray slate-like tile I chose alabaster. I thought an almost black tile with a white grout would be too stark. The alabaster sample is light beige/almond/linen/French vanilla. You get the picture. Considering the vanities are white I had a moment of panic when I thought it would look very awkward to say the least.

And, next to a charcoal slate tile alabaster looks white. I feel more than a little silly now. Do you see the raccoon tracks on the tile? He also left a "mark" at the top of the stairs. I'm just hoping he doesn't try to get back in once we're living here to continue making a mark.

Now that the grout issues have been settled I'm just going to share a few more updates.

Yes, we went with wood stairs again. I'm so glad I don't have to DIY it this time around.

This is the wrong iron railing on the Juliet balcony and it's since been fixed with a simpler iron railing, but it's pretty all the same.

Beams in the living room. They will be stained the same dark color as the floors.

I feel the need to take a picture of flowers in this sink. That's what all the farmhouse sink owners do according to Instagram. Now, where am I going to find peonies in Houston?

I have to apologize for not updating as often. Between work, the new house, the sale of the current house, and summer I'm not updating nearly as much as I thought I would. Things are extremely crazy right now and I'm hoping they will settle down once we get moved in. I won't complain too much because everything going on right now is all good stuff.  Follow me on Instagram for more current updates. I'm getting really addicted to Instagram lately. I found a few new people to follow that I just have to share with you.


An amazing custom homebuilder

 



 

A fashion blogger with a beautiful home and an insane amount of Valentino rockstuds.

 

Get your daily dose of Paris

I'm not taking selfies when my phone camera goes off. It's just screenshots I'm saving from here.

A local homebuilder/designer I met years ago through friends. I had no idea how amazing this firm was at the time.

Here is another talented designer I knew before she became a phenomenon. I'm so proud to see how she's grown.

And the always beautiful TIG

Those are some of my faves and I hope you found a few new people to follow!

Here Comes the Finishing Touches!

It's exciting to see the framing of the house, but the finishes are downright thrilling. It's not all awesome as I hold my breath and cross my door-less threshold to see the progress of what I hope is everything I imagined. Even when things aren't perfect it's such small issues that I can't sweat it.
The reality is the house is coming along beautifully! It's a mix of modern and Old World style. Marble, arched doorways, cast stone fireplace, wood floors, white walls...I could go on and on.

Let's start with the exterior. Sometimes it's all in the details. It's amazing what wood shutters did for this house. It added instant charm. The trim still needs to be painted, the landscaping done, and the lighting added. In the scheme of things, that's not much!

The wood floors are in! They won't be stained until closer to the finish date to prevent scratches.

Stair railings

Cast stone fireplace

Master bathroom shower. Can you believe this is porcelain tile?!

The kitchen is in!

There are a few issues to work out in here. The vent hood is not the one we chose and two of the cabinets are missing glass on the left side. There are also a ton of scratches and gouges, but I've been assured it's nothing that can't be fixed before we move in.

Marble countertops in the kitchen

Guest bathroom. I initially chose a white subway tile for the shower walls, but the cost was insane. I can't say I love the standard shower wall tile, but it's going to be covered up by a curtain once we move in so it's probably not that big of a deal.

 

 One of the boys bathrooms.

All three of the boys bathrooms have the same charcoal gray granite counters, gray slate floors, gray/tan shower wall tile, and white cabinets. I will make them a bit different with lighting and décor, but I didn't want them to argue over who had the best bathroom.

Can you believe all of this has happened in the last two weeks?! This week the tile will be finished, the grouting will start, and the exterior fence is going in. I'm honestly most worried about the grout colors I chose since they aren't traditional white. Well, after this week I will feel relieved or planning how I'm going to fix it!

 

House Progress

I've been writing about my new house for a while, but I haven't shown you any progress pictures yet unless you count Instagram. The process has been smooth for the most part. There were a few minor hiccups and pleasant surprises along the way. I'm sure that will continue as we head into the finish work that begins this week. It's going to be exciting!

Let's start with the cleared lot before this tropical storm knocks out my internet.

It was definitely strange to see a completely wooded lot cleared. It felt huge when we saw it for the first time without the trees. It's almost half an acre and I realized how large it was that day. You can also see there is a huge downward slope from the back porch where we're standing. I like the idea of having steps from the back porch so I'm okay with that. It's definitely better than having the yard slope towards the house.

After the slab was poured the framing went up fast. Our salesperson called it a framing kit, which made me think of Lincoln Logs.

I was a little disappointed to see the family room windows with just one transom above them. I had asked if we could have three. The one transom just looked odd to me. I was told it wasn't possible unless we wanted to pay extra for "insert technical term here that's so technical it asks a very high price." I decided it wasn't a big deal in the scheme of things and I can decorate around it. If you've been here a while you've seen me deal with the most awkward issues in my current house.

A few days later...a driveway and a second story

Future living room

Within a week the entryway and rounded doorways were framed.

 

I have taken many pictures from the car. The workers are there until dark almost every day. I don't want the kids in a construction zone in case they get hurt. One day the guys were throwing huge pieces of leftover plywood from the second floor to the living room a few feet from where we were standing. I figured from then on we need to get there at dusk to really look around. That was a little terrifying, too. I heard what sounded like coyotes fighting nearby. My husband thought it sounded like wild boar. I ran for the car and left him to figure it out. Even though the house is in a master planned community it's a very wooded area with lots of wild life. I'm going to keep my kids close to the house when we move in until the area is built out a bit more.

My mom checking out the back porch

Stairs!

A couple of weeks later

My youngest son asked, "Are we going to live in the G house?" The great thing about 7 year old kids is they would love to live in a house with a big letter stamped all over it. I guess adults aren't much different because I've seen women carry handbags similar to this.


I'm not sure what my husband is smiling at in this picture.

But, this is what made me smile!

Three transoms! The builder didn't even tell us. He decided he could fit three windows at the top and went ahead and ordered them. I love it!

A close up of the brick and stone

And done!

We were surprised to find the drywall installation going in early. Pretty much everything is going in earlier than scheduled. I'm not complaining!

This view is from the kitchen looking towards the living room. Most the guys had their shirts off as they were working and my boys noticed. I turned around to find my 7 year old half naked holding his shirt in his hands. These boys are crazy!

Here they are upstairs with a friend of theirs. There was a guy working outside the window and my older son thought it would be a good time to say hi. I think their friend was appalled and tried to shrink away from the window.

Ah the arches and windows!

Thankfully, they put in a temporary railing. That open staircase was making me nervous.

Living room

I have no idea why we have so many holes in the wall. My husband says it's right for the speakers so I'll just ignore it for now.

There's something off about these sconces in the master bathroom. The builder already has plans to fix them. This was a change I made during the pre-construction meeting. The original plan called for one light fixture above the mirrors. I asked for sconces on either side of the mirrors so it might have been confusing to the guys used to having them in a different spot.

The wood floors started this past weekend and the kitchen cabinets were supposed to go in today. I'm not sure if everything is on schedule with the tropical storm coming in. I'm more worried that we don't have a front door to protect those new floors. We're expecting more thunderstorms tomorrow so I probably won't be able to get out there for a few days. I'm crossing my fingers everything is okay when I do make it out to see the progress. I'll keep you updated!

If you want to check out a finished version of my house, Shelley at Crazy Wonderful built the same house! I was googling my house plan (totally normal, right?) and came across her blog. Her house is beautiful and such an inspiration as we plan for the décor.

A Modern Take On Old World Style

Clean and modern with a touch of Old World style. That's the look I'm gravitating towards for my new home. These are some beautiful examples of what I am planning.

Now, I just need to figure out how to do this on an Ikea/DIY budget!

New Pool Drawing

I just got this drawing back today! I'm so excited because it looks exactly like the drawing I sent the pool builder. There are a few tweaks I want to make but you probably won't even notice the difference.

I love it! The stairs from the house will be a bit different as well as the beach entry on the far side. We're also trying to figure out how to incorporate a slide for the kids. I can't say they are thrilled with the design. They really wanted a bigger rock waterfall similar to what we have now. I think they will come around, especially if we can figure out how to get a slide in there without disrupting the aesthetic of the pool.  They will forget all about that rock waterfall!