Thanks so much for all the support! I didn't sleep much Wednesday night but I'm doing much better now. Of course, I still have to deliver another deposit to the builder (since we did so many upgrades and my finishes are anything but neutral). joyce_6333: We are indeed in Colorado Springs! We actually looked at building in Monument but it would have been at least $30,000 more and meant a longer commute to the airport for my husband so we decided to build in Northgate. We still get the beautiful views of the mountains and the AF Academy and a great school for the kids. (Someday, when it's just us, we may get to live in Monument.) One of the reasons we chose COS was the strong military presence. We weren't ready to leave our military "family" completely! Chicagoans: Our floorplan is set (since we are using a production builder); after A LOT of looking we were lucky enough to find a floorplan that is perfect for us. We have an open U shaped kitchen (with an island) which flows into a eating area and great room. We did upgrade to white cabinets with crown molding, a big bank of drawers and a pull out for pots and pans as well as a pull out by the sink for the trash/recycling bins. (That last made me ridiculously happy!) We're doing a white subway tile backsplash with a decorative strip of mosaic tile of white marble, frosted and white glass (in a linear shape rather than square) with black impala granite counters. We requested no standard hardware so we can install our own nickel cup pulls and hexagonal glass knobs. (I also used the mosaic on the fireplace surround in the great room.)I love the choices we made but I keep worrying that minor things like the grout colour (we had a choice of two whites) will ruin my expensive choices! shmeal: I have been faithfully reading the decorating, paint, kitchen and bath forums the last few days. This dream house has been a long time coming and I keep reminding myself I don't have to hurry (good thing, since we won't have much money at first!), that I don't have to do the usual "try and get everything decorated and done quickly so the family will feel settled right away." Before I never knew how long we'd be there.I don't have to worry about getting orders as soon as we get settled ever again! dekeoboe: I'm actually from the SF Bay Area and would have loved a Carmel-style cottage, too, but the plan we ended up with was more of a farmhouse. I love coastal homes and ended up choosing a mid tone grey for the siding with white trim, a black front door and dark grey roof so it just seemed very Nantucket to me! (I've seen some pictures of Nantucket homes with that colour scheme with aqua front doors, too, so maybe I can talk my husband into it when we upgrade the door down the line.) And I certainly know what I like after years of tear sheets in my dream house file, even if I can't get it all (like my smooth walls. I love in the land of knock down and it would have been outrageously expensive to do smooth walls.) Again, thank you all so much for the hand holding. I have a feeling I will need a lot of it before the end of next May!

Romy718, Thanks for your input. Thanks for the vote on the cherry island cabinet and other choices. I'm glad you think the choices go together. I might just be leaning closer to cherry dark stain rather than maple dark stain. Your comments on the Houzz hood have got me thinking we should consider a lighter shade of blue (same blue as the paper sample photographed but in a lighter shade)? What do you think about our plans for the deep blue hood with stainless accents? May_flowers, Thanks for your comments on cherry. Glad to hear that you find dark stained cherry does not change in colour over time. Good to hear your comparison with a maple dark stained trim piece. This is valuable info. Thanks for your thought on the blue. I don't think the dover cabinet colour (which is quite similar to SW modern Gray) looks purple in real life, but maybe I am missing an undertone. I have taken another picture of the counter sample with small cabinet square all on a white background. Does it still look purple to you this time? It is hard to tell about the counter until we see a big slab. If it is very speckled, I might not like it as well in a large expanse. I do like that it reads as a grey background and not cream. Carol

By the time you read this, I hope you will have had a wonderful experience, filled with friends, colleagues and best wishes for a wonderful retirement!

Hey, I found this company that provides new modern looking handholds in several colors. The industry definitely needed a contemporary alternative to those old "soap dish" style handholds of the past! Here is the website: Streamline Supply Co.