I need some help getting started

13 years ago

We are in the planning stage for a complete renovation of the home that we will be moving into. I decided to post here, as you seem to get more traffic than renov. Our designer has drawn up the plans and they are pretty well set (we may play around with the bathroom floor plans a bit). I may post these later for input! Our floor plan is fairly open, so the kitchen and living room area need to flow. We have spent the last few weeks going around to cabinet shops, flooring stores, etc just trying to get a feel for what we like. We are getting different info from nearly every person we talk to. One will tell us that all the flooring should be chosen first, another tells us that cabinets must be the first thing, and then another says everything should be based off of the countertop choice. I am about ready to pull my hair out. So, what is the most logical order?? Thanks so much!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

lavender_lass
13 years ago
Do you know what you like? Have you found anything that has really grabbed you?

If you're not sure what you want, I'd recommend looking through GW posts, magazines and the Internet (google or yahoo image searches) and find out what really appeals to you. Is there a color or wood you're drawn to? A countertop that you love? A picture of the perfect living room (with lots of windows, or Christmas tree, by the fireplace)?

After a while, you'll notice a pattern. Certain colors or styles will keep ending up in your saved pictures. Maybe you love granite with lots of 'movement' or want something very simple and 'quiet' for a countertop. Do you love glass tile backsplashes, subway tile, beadboard, or something like stainless steel? There are so many choices, but usually, you can narrow it down, pretty quickly.

Most people have their biggest challenge, if both parties don't like the same style, countertop, flooring, etc. As for order, there are all kinds of logical ways of doing it, but I always end up finding the fabric, tile, or maybe a countertop that you really love and build the room around it.

Sarah Richardson's farmhouse episodes (on HGTV website) show how she picks fabrics first, uses neutral finishes and puts together some really beautiful rooms, IMHO :)
xc60
13 years ago
Lavender has posted some great advice, I'll throw in going to view show homes. You get to see whats trending and get to see things in person. How certain materials look, a sense of room size, layout.....

Even if you are not interested in what's in style or whats being put in new homes it can show you also what you don't want.
Related Discussions
WANTED: I really need some bulb help!
Q
Comments (1)
Welcome to Gardenweb! I have some crocosmia bulbs I can send you for postage. Advice: Post in the "Plant Exchange" area, something like "Wanted: Newbie needs help". And it's a good idea to have your email on your member page, people get really frustrated when they can't contact you. Let me know if you'd like some crocosmia. Dee
...See More
Al, I'm ready for some help :) Need to start a mix:)
Q
Comments (106)
Good morning! Well, my computer is holding at the moment, so I'm venturing a few replies while I can.... Borrowed from Wiki - I googled "sinister handed" and Google's first suggestion was Left-handedness - Wikipedia. ;) "There are many colloquial terms used to refer to a left-handed person, e.g. "southpaw" or "goofy". Some are just slang or jargon words, while other references may be offensive or demeaning, either in context or in origin (e.g. the British "cack-handed"). In more technical contexts, 'sinistral' may be used in place of 'left-handed' and 'sinistrality' in place of 'left-handedness'. Both of these technical terms derive from sinestra, a Latin word meaning 'left'.[6]" "Meanwhile, the English word sinister comes from the Latin word sinestra, which originally meant "left" but took on meanings of "evil" or "unlucky" by the Classical Latin era. Alternatively, sinister comes from the Latin word sinus meaning "pocket": a traditional Roman toga had only one pocket, located on the left side for the convenience of a right-handed wearer.[citation needed] The contemporary Italian word sinistra has both meanings of sinister and left (the masculine adjective for sinister being sinistro). The Spanish siniestra has both, too, although the 'left' meaning is less common and is usually expressed by izquierda,[11] a Basque word that made its way into Portuguese too. In Portuguese, the most common word for left-handed person, canhoto, was once used to identify the devil, and canhestro, a related word, means "clumsy" (sinistro means only "sinister"). Furthermore, in English, the expression "To have two left feet" refers to clumsiness in the domains of football or dancing." See ya'll elsewhere....! Josh
...See More
Know any good landscape designers?
Q
Comments (2)
Landscape architects and landscape designers are similar professions, but usually landscape architects have a degree in landscape architecture and are licensed while landscape designers are not required to have a degree or to be licensed. A plant designer usually works with indoor plant designs or garden displays instead of entire landscapes. Sounds like you would need either a landscape architect or landscape designer depending on your budget and the scope of what you have in mind. One thing that might help you greatly in narrowing down what you want and how you want it is to visit as many public gardens and other private gardener's landscapes as you can. Maybe someone from this forum, that lives in the Nashville area, could point you in the direction of some interesting gardens in your area. If you know any fellow gardeners in your area, ask them to point you to some of their favorite garden places or even give their input and ideas about your project. If I lived in Nashville, I would drop by. I am currently in the process of designing and building my own 25 acre arboretum. Now I look at most yard designs as far less challenging.
...See More
Landscaping around new addition
Q
Comments (17)
Thanks for getting my juices going. I like the idea of a nice view out the bay window. Shaped something like this? There is an existing (small) azalea at the front corner of the house by the LR. Transplant? I also have a friend who is giving me yellow irises and a neighbor who is giving me some hostas. Best placement for those? For trees, we've got a couple big ones on the south side, but I wouldn't mind something pretty on the north east side, maybe a pink dogwood or a crape myrtle? emmarene: I did figure out that you're talking about the 2 small beds on either side of the deck. The shorter one actually is a continuation of a 25' long bed along the back of the house. It's currently got some grass-like perennial that grows in spring then dies + some asian lilies (along with plenty of weeds right now). Should I extend those up to the deck instead of planting something new? The grass-like stuff has little bulbs/rhizomes that I could spread out. I'll head to Lowe's and the one nursery we have in our small town to see what their selection is.
...See More
booboo60
13 years ago
Great info here, I am a person that has to see things not just talk about what I think may look good, lol! I would be inclined to go to model homes, etc. plus looking here at kitchens and homes that are near being done. When we built our home there were a few things I really wanted that I saw in a magazine and sort of started from there but I don't think there is a "set in stone" way to start with floors first or counter tops first.
Good Luck!
labranardmom
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions. I do have a file started and do see some definite trends- wood floors, cream/ white kitchen cabinets and cream/white trim throughout the house. While I love that look, I worry that it may not work well for our family. We will be living in a lake home and anticipate a lot of wet kid and dog traffic. We have two kids, ages 11 and 6, and two 100+ pound dogs. I am worried that that wood floors will get trashed.
Also concerned about the cabinets- I am hearing that painted cabinets can be pretty touchy and that they show more wear than stained. I live in the upper Midwest and stained cabinets are primarily what you see. The custom cabinet makers that I have spoken to are not so excited about painted and do push the stained.
We looked at several model homes over the past weekend, and that really helped to see things in person. But it also made me more torn with my desicions. I am a person who has difficulty choosing a meal at a restaurant, so this may be quite the ride! Any input on flooring / cabinets would be great.

I need some help getting started

Comments (4)

lavender_lass

xc60

Related Discussions

booboo60

labranardmom
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

I need some help getting started

Comments (4)

lavender_lass

xc60

Related Discussions

booboo60

labranardmomOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

labranardmom
Original Author