Hello everyone. Just popping in to say hello. I see a lot of progress being made. Carson, the trimwork is stunning. Hope to looky-lou sometime in the Spring when we pass by BCS.
We are still chugging along here at about 95% complete. We've had some issues with the gameroom, pool and mildew, so we have to figure that out- as well as getting the guys back out to tweak a few things that didn't function as planned. There is a small building boom around here right now and we haven't had any callbacks on our deck and outside stairs, so it looks like that will have to wait until later.
Besides all of that, it is a beautiful day here in south Texas... clear skies and 72ú. Winter brings us the migratory birds, so we are able to spot a variety of ducks and geese from the patio.
Still doing a lot of time "waiting" for folks to deliver things or show up. All the while in a decorating mode. Here is a shot of that art niche I painted last year... with something in it:)

Behind the sofa and the wine grotto. Actually has some wine in it now!

We finally broke ground and have the basement poured, it suddenly seems very real now. Wie also have a timber retaining built window and a day light window installation done. I will add some pictures soon.

Nice progress going on out there!

Welcome to the newbies.

Musical: I love your wine grotto and niche! I am coming right over!

Aimless; I am finishing up my cabinet knob selections, too. I need 68 knobs for my kitchen and the great room cabinetry. Found a knob I really liked from Liberty Hardware that I have to pick up next week after work. I bought out all the ones here locally and need to get 20 more. We are doing all knobs on all our cabinets (you use two knobs instead of one pull on them) The only exception would be for some file cabinets where my husband wanted pulls.

Michele: We started our framing in Mid-September. I think you and I are about at the same time point in our builds. Didn't you say you would be done in March? I am still waiting to find out from my builder when I am supposed to be in.

Next week they will be pouring our concrete for our driveway and walkway.

Here are some current pictures I just got from my builder today.

Our fireplace stone is completed! Yay.

Here is the ceiling of our living room.

And our new garage door is installed... well at least one of them.

Zoe, I wish we were at the same point. We are at the HVAC/plumbing/electrical phase. I was optimistic (very) when I hoped to be in by March....our current target month is June.

Hi All...
Hard to believe that we have been in for a month and a half. We are pretty much all unpacked except for pictures, which I have no idea where to place at this point. We are greatly enjoying our new space...love the open kitchen, great room and dining space. Love having space for everyone to go...dd are enjoying their own bathrooms, large rooms and finished open area to let loose. DH is loving his large tv and workout space & I am loving my kitchen and not tripping over my kids coats, bags, shoes etc. as they actually have a place to put them in the mud room. Took some picks today as I am going furniture shopping tomorrow!

Welcome to all the "newbies" and hi to all the "oldies" who are still lurking. There has been some great progress on the homes that were just getting started as we were gearing up to finish! Look forward to seeing your finished homes!

Great room from kitchen

Great room from hall

Kitchen from great room

Island

Dining...we r loving the view but can't wait to find a new dining table!!

happy -- LOVE EVERYTHING! Wow, so gorgeous. I'm still here....pluggin' away.... I feel like i'll never get there. The painters started today, doing the prep work. My trim carpenters still have a few items to take care of. Trim has been 8 weeks and counting now. ARggghh!

Happy: Wow! That is one beautiful home there it is absolutely gorgeous! Bravo!

Michele: Guess I should be thankful that we are moving along as quickly as we are. But I sure hope I dont have to wait until June. My lease is up the beginning of April. I called the rental agency to ask the owners if we could rent by the month if we need to do so. But without even a ballpark for the move-in date I have no idea when we will be done. Still a lot to do.

Saw my cabinets in our builder's shop this week when I stopped by and I cant wait to see them installed!

Our tile work starts next week.

Happyvalley: such a gorgeous home! How exciting to go furniture shopping, I can not wait to be at that point.

All our light fixtures were put in this week and our home has it's final electrical inspection tomorrow. Builder sent me a pic of my family room fixture, I am in looooooove

Hi everyone, new to the post although I've been following the build progress for several months now. Sorry, I know it's my first post but I need to vent and also need your advise. We are building a two story, 4000 sq ft. which we began in early June 2014, in suburbs of Chicago. We have a GC and have had several setbacks including framing, which took two months longer than anticipated. We are now finished with drywall and waiting for cabinets to be installed and trims to go in. We have been waiting patiently for almost eight months (our first and last custom build probably) but it seems like we've been waiting forever. We are at our wits end with our GC. He is nice but doesn't seem to have any urgency, and organizational skills are lacking, along with communication skills. Is it just my expectation or shouldn't my GC have jobs lined up so that there isn't significant idle time? We are now having set backs with our cabinet guy who is also our framer, who wants to put lien on our property. He won't do the cabinet install until the framing portion is paid - although we don't think we owe him since he has made significant mistakes and delays. We should be installing cabinets and tiling but my GC doesn't have people lined up yet. I am losing my mind waiting for my GC to get his act straight. Isn't this his job? To find reliable people to do the job? We still do not have any timeframe for move in. Lastly, my GC is not very prompt at responding - takes him 2 to 3 days. Am I overreacting? Any advise or feedback regarding your build process with your GC will be helpful. I feel like we are losing our minds through this process. We started as chicagodreamer but now it seems more like a nightmare...

This post was edited by Chicagodreamer on Fri, Jan 30, 15 at 1:17

Chicago: you have every right to feel the way you do. Your GC sounds extremely incompetent. I'm not sure what you can do at this point. Get your lawyer involved perhaps? A serious conversation is definitely in order with your GC. Maybe someone else can chime in who has had a similar experience.

We broke ground in early December, poured foundation right before Christmas, and almost completed framing. We have been blessed with great weather. Looking at finishing in June.

Chicagodreamer, you definitely have a right to be upset. It's not up to you to discuss the issues with the framer. If he wasn't performing well, then the GC should have resolved things with him and come to an agreement over who was covering the extra costs. If that agreement couldn't be reached, he doesn't get the cabinetry job. And how is the framer being paid? Are you paying the GC who pays the framer? Are you sure he's been paying him at all? I mean, I can understand where he makes a mistake, you don't pay extra for him to fix it. But once it's done, he should be paid for the finished work. I assume he's threatening the lien over 10-20% that he thinks you owe, not the full amount? Or has the GC been taking money from you and paying the subs on old jobs, and now waiting on money from other clients to pay your subs?

As for me, I've been away for 3 weeks now, so I haven't seen what's going on. I know that the electrician has been in, and my exterior doors came in yesterday. The inspection for structure, mechanicals, plumbing and electrical is happening today. Eek! I'm going home next week, I hope I recognize the place. :)

We just found out this week that the fireplace was supposed to be installed before inspection. But I assumed the inspector would want to see behind the fireplace, and it has to be drywalled before the FP goes in, so I hadn't booked the FP. Finding out this week it needs to be in, I have it booked for next week. But they're going ahead with the inspection and hoping the guy's in a good mood? And then we're putting in the FP after inspection and before drywall, which we'll then have to remove for drywall? I don't know, so confusing.

Kitchen still not ordered, which has DH pissed off. I had a company picked last summer. And then when I went to finalize the design in November, I find out that company is no longer selling what I had wanted. So I had to start again. New company picked, just working on the little details now. Hopefully it all gets settled in time for me to order it next week. And then I'll be going crazy ordering tile and hardwood and light fixtures and finished plumbing pieces. Whee!

happyvalley, it's gorgeous. All of it! I can't wait to be at your stage.

Chicago, I don't really have any advice, but has your framer been paid anything? Our framer was paid and we withheld an agreed-upon portion as they still have a few things to finish up. We are GCing our build ourselves though so we are paying everyone directly. I don't know how it works with your GC. Is he the one making payments, or is he doing like a consultant-type thing where you are still writing all the checks? It sounds like he is definitely slacking. I've been trying to line people up early for everything so we don't lose too much time. So far, so good, but we are only managing our build. Perhaps your GC is overworking himself? There is really no excuse.

Amberm, what kind of fireplace do you have that has to be installed after drywall? Ours had to go in prior to any drywall. That sounds so strange that it would need to go in after and then still needs to be seen to be inspected. I hope you guys find a solution. Good luck with all your inspections!

aleleux, it's a direct vent gas fireplace. We're in an inner city location, and the fireplace bumps out to about 4' from the neighbour's house. So we need drywall behind the FP to slow down the time it takes to set fire to the neighbour's house in case of problems.

Plus, maybe it's just because FP showrooms replace their fireplaces all the time, but they always have the inner piece screwed onto the finished wall, and then decorative trim in front of it. So shouldn't the drywall be done beside the FP before you put the unit in?

Ours are wood burning and both were installed into framed openings. They bolted the actual fireboxes to the frame and then ran the piping up through the chases. Maybe it depends on the type of fireplace and the setup.

Mrs.B1227 - Love the fixture. I've been pricing them in ORB for my living room. I'm really needing one around 36 inches wide. RH has the one I want but not in my price range. May I ask where you found this one?

JHester: it's not quite as big as you need, this one is 32". I got it on Joss & Main during one of their sales but it is also available on Overstock and a couple of other sites. It's made by Warehouse of Tiffany and is called "Saturn's Ring."

Chicago,

"We are now having set backs with our cabinet guy who is also our framer, who wants to put lien on our property. He won't do the cabinet install until the framing portion is paid - although we don't think we owe him since he has made significant mistakes and delays."

Who is communicating with the framer? You or your GC? Have you made any payments to the GC that was to be paid to framer? Are you withholding payment due to poor workmanship?

The GC should be lining up jobs, but if there are unpaid subs, other subs may not want to work on the property. News travels fast if a GC or homeowner is not paying. If you have paid the full invoice, as the GC for proof of payment or a lien waiver.

Happyvalley.....

Your home is so beautiful!! Gorgeous....and warm looking too! Question....how tall is your baseboard? I love the substantial look of it.

first time posting pics from our build. we've really enjoyed following everyone's progress. it's been fun and incredibly helpful.

kitchen

breakfast nook

great room

Rear Windows

butler's pantry

master bath

Thanks everyone for your input. We did payout our framer for the portion that was finished. My GC is communicating everything and keeps us in the loop. The portion we haven't paid out is the amount that is being disputed. My GC feels that we do not owe him and is supported through their contract. Also, we told our framer that we will payout the remaining balance, once he completes everything - there are items still unfinished outside such as siding and touchups. Our framer/cabinet & trim contractor is saying that he won't start the cabinet and trim until the framing portion is resolved and is holding this against us. So our cabinets are sitting inside the house without anyone available to install. Also, at this time, it is hard to find replacement for cabinet and trim as everyone is busy and charging 2x what our builder has contracted for. Yes it is not my problem, it is my builders but he is taking his time making decisions, which really makes me upset. I'm sure everything will work out fine, just very tiresome waiting to see stuff done. Does anyone know what is average time for the build process? I heard 6 - 8 months. Mine looks like it may be 10 - 12 months, the way we are progressing.

We are on schedule with a few of you. Our foundation was done right before christmas, the slab poured after and framing has begun. Yesterday was the day we dreamed of-being able to walk into our great room and see the view. We thought we'd have a good view from our house, but had no idea just how good it would be. If we didn't have the telephone pole and wires it would be perfect(our builder said that it would probably cost $300, 000 to have it moved/put underground ;(-we'll get used to it and probably not even notice it after a while.) That's the pacific ocean out in front. To the right we see woods and some mountains above them in the distance.We're building an upside down house(on a sloping lot so garage is equal to second floor). This is from the garage entrance looking down the hall to the great room. Sorry it's so dark-we tend to go after the workmen have left-well and to see the sunsets too.

welcome newbies! yay! new pics to see.

hi Michele and musicgal!

So... I think I missed the mark on trim color. Thoughts? I could pay for a re-paint. But I'm not sure it's that bad. Should I? Not sure which way to go. I thought white would be too... I dunno. Like over bleached teeth can get? The main color is Dovetail. The trim Wool Skein. Sherwin Williams. Should I choose something else and repaint? Maybe the stone wainscot will make it better? or worse.

damn.

Dreamer your house is beautiful! Love your fireplace and windows.

Juniper I think your trim is perfect.

Czscrap congrats. So exciting to see it start to come together.

Drywallers started yesterday at my build! I am having such a hard time with paint. I am paralyzed by this last decision. I think I have chosen revere pewter for the great room/kitchen but I envision a transition at the bottom of the stairs in the walkout basement to a grey. The carpet will be a medium grey. I can't get the right color. Everything looks blue to me.

Any suggestions?

Double post

This post was edited by mattypies on Sat, Jan 31, 15 at 5:27

Mrs.B1227 - Well, that's where I've been looking. Have been a little worried about ordering from Joss and Main. Anyone else have positive or negative experiences on ordering lighting from Overstock or Joss and Main?

JHester: I ordered a ton of stuff from Overstock and this was the first light from Joss & Main (but I have bought some decor items from Joss & Main in the past).
I love Overstock, no issues, great prices and if you become a Club O member you get rewards dollars towards future purchases, really comes in handy when you are making large purchases.

Juniper-I like your trim. I wouldn't change it unless you really hate it.

I've had a bad experience with Overstock. And a friend is going through a brutal experience with Joss & Main. These are both involving cross border shipping to Canada. But the customer service is appalling. I get the feeling they're great if there's no issues, but anything out of the ordinary, forget it.

And yes, Juniper, the trim is great. Once the sun is out and there's green on those trees, it'll be spectacular. And the stone will hide the stark white that you're comparing the trim to now.

Juniper Your home is lovely! I see no problem with your trim at all. I believe it matches very well with what you have there.

Dreamer16: You have a beautiful home. Some nice eye candy in there, too..

CZ I bet you can't wait to move in to enjoy that beautiful view!

We ordered almost all our lights on line from a variety of places. Some off the top of my head were from National Building Supply, eFaucets, Luna Warehouse, Wayfair and just recently we ordered our post lamps from Home Depot (online only)

I ordered two of our lights from Joss & Main. One came in right away and the other a month and a half later (the later was from Canada).

I am still waiting on 5 Crystorama lights I ordered from a designer friend who ordered them directly with the manufacturer for our hallways. They are back ordered at least until the end of Feb. We may have to buy some cheapo boob lights to put up if these don't come in before we finish our home in order to pass inspection. At least my dining room and my hall entry chandeliers have arrived.

I have ordered many things in the past and a fixture or two from Overstock. I have never had a problem with anything I have ordered there.

Hi All,

We have some construction going! I am so excited. Last week we had some good weather and they got quite a bit done. We only had a poured basement 5 work days ago. Next week doesn't look so good. Snow and cold, so they may not be able to do much for few days. Midwest winters. ARRRGGGH. But, we decided to build our retirement home here anyway. We would miss the change of seasons.

Carson...thx! Your place is looking gorgeous as well. I love all you trim detail going up.

Zoe....thx! Your place is coming along beautifully, too. I love all the arches that you have throughout your home. For perspective, it took our builder around 2 months after cabinetry was installed to our completion date. Builder wouldn't give us a projected move in date until that point, too.

Mrsb...love the light fixture!

Michelle...thx...that was exactly my goal. I worried with changing our color tones from warm beiges to cooler tones that it would look cold but the BM reverve pewter is one of those great neutrals that combines both. Our baseboards are 9" with the room height being 9'

Mattiepies...I love my BM reverve pewter! For my basement vanity I used BM la Paloma...looks much cooler but no blue undertones.

CZscrap...looks like some beautiful views!

Dreamer16...looks like a beautiful classic brick home

Juniper...think your trim looks great! I agree with Amberm that once your stone goes up any thought of white will go away. I also think the white would have been too stark with the dark windows. Are you carrying the creamy tones into your interior trim? I think that it would bring some continuity to it instead of jumping to something really white inside

Juniper, your trim is perfect. Honestly....I absolutely love it.

Happyvalleyhome, thank you for the baseboard info....can I also ask....how wide is the trim around windows/doors? :). Thank you!

We met with the builder and the framer/trim and had a long discussion and I think we are back on the right track again. Sometimes you just need a good sit down talk. We got our garage door installed this week and next week hopefully we'll see some progress with cabinet install, lighting and tiles. Keeping my fingers crossed. By the way I bought all my light fixtures at wayfair and amazon. Good delivery and prices.

This post was edited by Chicagodreamer on Sat, Jan 31, 15 at 23:11

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This post was edited by Chicagodreamer on Sat, Jan 31, 15 at 23:13

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This post was edited by Chicagodreamer on Sat, Jan 31, 15 at 23:14