We bought our land 4 years before we built our home. We wanted to build our dream home and were not in a hurry to rush into it and then regret decisions made too quickly. I was the designer on the project and honestly enjoyed all that it entailed. We also had a wonderful builder that made the whole process go seamlessly and stress free. After we chose a house plan and had it updated to include the must-haves on our list, I poured over those plans for hours and hours making sure each room was as ideal as possible. Now is the time to decide if you want an HVAC duct in that place or a light switch or outlet in that spot. Decide if you want floor outlets, special outlets in pantries or cleaning closets. Are the rooms the right size? Could a couple feet make a difference anywhere? I sure wish we had made our laundry room 3 feet wider. Choose as many products as you can before your builder gives you his estimate. If you want granite and he's giving you laminate pricing the cost will be more. Also, painting the interior all one color is less expensive than having several rooms painted differently. Are you going with pre-painted siding or having the exterior custom painted? Are you using brick, cultured stone or natural stone? Huge difference between brick and natural stone. Plumbing fixtures vary in price as do lighting and appliances. Make sure he's taking your choices into account with his bottom line. Think about any upgrades in insulation, soundproofing, radiant heating, etc. The best advice I can give from someone who's been there, done that, is to sit down and really think about how you want the house to look, function and feel....and cost. Are there things you can't do without? For us it was a 3rd garage, his & hers master's closets, a computer space off the kitchen area where we can monitor our son, and a particular type of kitchen layout. Break the house plan down room by room if it's overwhelming but KNOW WHAT YOU WANT. If you're unsure of that then you can be talked into a lot of stuff you will find out later you really didn't need or want. Almost all of us have to stick to a budget so the trick is getting what you want overall at a price you can afford. This website is a treasure trove of information that I'm sure will benefit you in the days to come. Good luck on your build and keep your chin up.

Oakley: no Cottage interiors out here that I've ever seen. You will, however, see everything from Rustic, Country, Traditional, Arts & Crafts, Contemporary, Modern and the many variatios of stucco and adobe homes. They all usually contain many Southwestern elements, from our colors to the art and accent pieces, though. A very good friend of mine has a drop-dead gorgeous, custom Arts & Crafts style home that she's decorated with a blend of (very good, antique) Japanese, A&C and SW pieces and they all work together beautifully. Bronwynsmom: Thank you! As for that SW decorating fad that most of us out here absolutely hated, you've described it perfectly, "the phony pink-and-teal, Kokopelli themed, allegedly southwestern schlock motif-heavy fad" . And I would add to that howling coyotes and saguaro cacti (which are not even found in New Mexico and always irritate us to see on supposed NM things -LOL). We still occasionally see evidence of them, but mainly in the cheap tourist shops. Your truth-be-told about owning one of the old, beautiful Georgian Colonial, Greek and classic revival style homes in your area of the country made me smile. My DD's dream is to move to Virginia and live in a home just like that. They are gorgeous but I like and appreciate your practical take on them . . . and will definitely pass it along to DD. Lynn

I think it'll be fine, especially if you're careful about the finish. Your house is pretty much now, and so is the style kitchen you've pictured, and the wide arch. The word "transitional" is overworked, but generally fits anything that has past elements in today's design framework, and that's really what you have pictured. The word "Shaker" applies to the simple recessed panel, not the minimalist design philosophy here. The woods in your picture of the stairs are honey colored (medium golden brown) and in your kitchen drawing they're more spice (medium-dark orange brown). Since you're opening up your house rather than separating off the kitchen, I'd be more concerned with making the woods work together than the cabinet style (which by being so simple should go with anything). Just make sure you're happy with the choice you make! There's no point starting otherwise.

Now me, I always wonder why identifying original house style is NOT important to some people! Its n ot to say one must live like 1910 - not at all Its just saying that for best results one should be consistent with bones of the house and the original design intentions - even if house is to be taken in a more contemporary direction. Otherwise house can end up a visual mishmash and in many cases actually lose value in dollars & cents terms. I would bet that you (Patricia) probably did exactly that with your old house - made new design consistent with the old? edta example - a new house in my old late-1800s n'hood was built squeezed in a small narrow lot between two old houses in place of an old delapidated one that had been removed yrs ago. There is no mistaking the new house for an old one - its very contemporary but architecturally it was designed to fit in to a late victorian n'hood - has vertical lines - eg large vertical windows, exterior finishes of rust reds/ steel that blends into an old n'hood that has lots of red brick bldgs, has a steep pitched roof same angle as other houses around it. It just looks like it BELONGS there! That sense of "belonging" - I think makes the house look all the more beautiful and attractive.