They have returned!

We've been looking at Stonemark granite...I read your reply to Buehl's post and was glad to find someone who has Stonemark....Are you happy with it? I've love to see a pic if you happen to have one to share...more for the color than anything else...it's really hard for me to visualize the finished top from a small sample at HD......I believe in our area there will be 10% off....

This has been a fun process for me because I've decided to downsize considerably in order to justify having a few nicer things in the small space. I'll be going from an 1,800 sq ft home with separate garage/workshop to a 530 sq ft apartment above a 500 sq ft garage/workshop. This is an experiment for me both in simple living as well as in designing a living space that will cost as little as possible to heat or maintain. I'm also a bachelor, so it's a bit easier making a tiny space work. This structure is also being built on the edge of an heirloom fruit orchard of mine (16 acres), and much of my time is spent outdoors. The apartment is a comprised of a main living space divided into three areas: a well-equipped little kitchen, a dining area, and a home office. There's also a separate bedroom with a large closet as well as a full bath. The workshop/garage is large enough to hold a pick-up truck, tractor, a laundry area, a workbench, and three large chest freezers for storage. My challenge has been to take a serious look at what I truly need and I'm willing to give up in order to make this space work. I've learned a lot about myself in the process. In particular, a piano is more important to me than a sofa! When guests come to visit, our time indoors will have to be spent around the dining table. This is a concession I decided to make in order to have space for an upright piano. I also had to give up having a big, comfortable leather club chair and ottoman for reading and relaxing. Instead, I opted to have an over-sized bed (California King), really comfortable dining room chairs and an ergonomic chair for my desk (Aeron). Having sized down so drastically though, I will own my home outright (and all of its contents.) It's also been designed to be so well-insulated and airtight that I'll have a monthly utility bill of around $195/mo that will cover all space heating, air conditioning, hot water, electricity and propane, including a gas range and a top of the line steam shower. My Scrimps have turned out to be what I've simply given up: *No formal living room *No sofa *No space for a comfortable leather chair *No guest room My Splurges are: *Kohler Unwind Luxury Steam Shower (with six shower heads) *Sun Valley Bronze architectural hardware *Custom made Cedar garage and entry doors *Custom made Cherry kitchen cabinetry *Custom made Cherry rolltop office desk *Custom made Cherry Shaker Panel bed and nightstands with storage drawers beneath *6 Cherry dining chairs & table by Gary Weeks & Co. *BlueStar LP gas range *Yamaha Avant Grand N2 piano *Lie-Nielsen Roubo workbench (in garage) *BR-111 Tiete Rosewood floors and staircase *Sorpetaler Triple-Glazed European windows (from Germany) *Farrow & Ball paint *Caesarstone countertops *Rohl faucets and apron kitchen sink *Fisher & Paykel refrigerator/freezer *Bosch dishwasher *Motawi tile for bathroom and kitchen backsplash *Jaga...

Yeah, that's why I say the pictures don't do it justice jasdip. It's not a tiny house. Not a monster, but not tiny. You can stand in the basement. When I say full, that sounded like finished, but it isn't. Just big! Lots of storage. You see the tiny white car in the picture, on the lefthand side? That's right about where my house is. As you can see, even from far up, going down the white stairs to dock which is on the river alone is about thirty feet. Plus another 40 or so feet straight up to that grove of trees? No way the river is coming up to the house. After the great flood of 2010, everyone has a good idea of what does flood. It's not on the FEMA map. It does not have to have flood insurance. And they didn't disclose it flooded. I really really really truly doubt it can flood, since it obviously didn't flood then. Everything flooded in 2010! I lived across the street from the above linked building. Gosh what an ugly picture of the area. Must've been spring before anything was blooming. closer look at the stairs. I'd hate to walk those!