Just got off the phone with my builder--he's dealing with supply issues on some of the trim I had selected. The baseboards I had chosen were unavailable with his regular supplier, so he has to either go with a different supplier (who charges more) or a similar baseboard that is slightly thicker and would require plinths. I'm like "Dude, whichever is cheaper in the end!" So now we're getting plinths...

He also had an issue with the 2" hex tile for our primary bathroom (you'll appreciate this, @Naomi). When the tiler started to unbox it, over half of it was chipped, as if they'd used an old dull saw blade to cut the porcelain into the hex shapes. So our builder boxed it back up and returned it to his supplier. They didn't have enough in their inventory to replace that 2" hex, so instead they're offering us the 3" hex for the same price as the 2". My builder wanted to make sure I could live with that compromise. Compromise?! That's a win!

Thank you! After all the complaints, I am now loving my house! Here's to wishing everyone will be in the same mindset someday.

Close-up of some flowers. I feel like I am in a funeral home. They are starting to wilt.

@Naomi I'm going with a 36" sink--but it's a 10' island. I'm not sure that 2" difference in sink sizes is noticeable, as sheet pans and frying pans will fit in either. I'd go with the cheaper option.

@jkent9024 Thanks! Even a 30" is an improvement over my current divided sink. I measured the largest roaster I own and it is 26". So I think I'll have a lot of room. I do wish I had the space for a 10' island!

And total win on the tile!!

Sorry for all my questions...I swear, another thing comes up! Why are there so many decisions?

As you guys know, I am struggling with cabs to the ceiling. BUT, I just saw a gorgeous kitchen and they didn't do it (well, it works well because they have windows, but still). They have 10' ceilings and only a 16" gap. I'm trying to think how they could do it as the uppers look standard.

I realize the crown adds a bit...BUT then I thought "did they have more than the standard 18" between countertop and uppers?" I learned that the standard is 18-22". My current house is 18.5".

What are you all doing or what did you do?

Below is the photo of this gorgeous kitchen....this dark green is what I am thinking.

Website not allowing attachments! Here it is

jkent9024 - I think you got a win on both!!! I love plinths. Had them in the previous homes in formal openings. I wish I had thought to do them in this house, although we do have them on the bookcases and underneath the window bump outs.

I wasn't going to say anything before, but when you showed photos of the different sizes, all I could focus on was that the photos looked stretched and those 2" hex were going to look smaller in person. Too small for such a large bathroom. We have a 2.5" square intertwined with a 1" hex for our second largest bathroom. It looks in perfect proportion to the room size. A 2" square would have been too small IMO.

Naomi - Our sink is 30" x 16" interior. Almost 32" from exterior to exterior lengthwise. Make sure you take the thickness into account.

@Naomi how high are your ceilings? I must have missed that info earlier. We have 9’ ceilings. I have wax paper on top of the cabinets that I switch out yearly so I dont have to dust above the cabinets. I think it looks proportional. I have custom built cabinets. I could have done a stacked cabinet all the way to the ceiling but I wanted Cherrywood so I compromised because of cost!

@Naomi Honestly I dont have enough room above my cabinets. My friend has the same height cabinets but 10’ceil ings and she has cute decor and puts her Christmas village above her cabinets. I wish I had room for that but maybe its good that I cant decorate more lol!

@nhb - good point on exterior, although that all gets covered with countertops, right?

K H - i have 10’ ceilings. So I’m going to end up with about a 2’ gap…..and I really wanted to do dark cabinets. Ugh.

I feel like all of this is stuff you NEVER notice if you’re not building a house. And then you learn all the options and can’t unlearn it!

I don't think there's a right or wrong answer. When we moved into our current home with 9', we had a gap above our cabinets and I tried to decorate that space, but it's not me. I'm a minimalist and the baskets, plants etc. on top of my cabinets bothered me, even more than the blank space. I was so happy when we renovated our kitchen and put stacked cabinets in.

Our new build will have 10' ceilings and I'm still putting in stacked cabinets, because it suits my style. No, those high stacks will not be very functional, but will display my inherited silver tea service that I've never used, my great grandmother's hand painted vase, my once-a-year china. It still serves as decoration, but behind glass doors, which suits me more as it feels less "cluttery."

But my best friend, who is much more of a maximalist, has open space above her cabinets that she's filled with stuff--and it's perfect for her style of decorating.

So far behind here but hope to catch up next month after our 4th of July company leaves.

I had to share the frame and our frame tv. I had never seen one in person but it truly looks like a piece of artwork hanging above the fireplace.

I am definitely not someone who decorates above cabinets. If I did stacked, it probably wouldn't have glass as that would be too $$ for our budget. And I honestly have no need for the storage since I built my huge pantry.

It's just an aesthetic thing and I'm struggling with whether it's worth the money. I guess the doors was the same thing...I paid the extra $1500 for something pretty, but no increase in function. Well shoot....I guess almost everything is just for the aesthetics LOL

@Naomi. I love the photo you posted of the dark kitchen cabinets. If it were me, I would just put in the 42" cabinets and have the airy look above. Not every space in a house needs to be filled or decorated (it will look larger if it's not), and sure, you might have to dust up there once a year, but that's not the end of the world. We have 9' ceilings in our kitchen with 42" cabinets, and I think the space above looks fine. I am not one to put baskets or other things on top of the cabinets; I have plenty of visual clutter already in the kitchen with two glass-fronted uppers (I keep the pretty things in those), backspash, and always stuff on the countertops (more than I'd really like, but it's all used and needed).

If you needed the extra storage, then I'd say put in the tall cabinets, but since it doesn't sound like you do, I would save the $1500+ for something that really matters. Once you move in, you'll likely find, like we did, that you need so many more items than you realized. We have spent like crazy for these past few months and are just finally reaching the point of having most of the things we need in the house. Even if you aren't having to buy a lot of furniture like we did, every house is different, and you'll find you need a lamp here, a vase there, a piece of art here, a rug there, etc. It all adds up.

If you are quite tall, you could probably raise your uppers a little, like you suggest, but if not, they won't be as functional. I wouldn't want mine any higher than the standard 18" since I'm petite.

@Emily I appreciate the feedback! And you are so right on all the stuff we need to buy...thankfully we don't really need furniture, but we need water softeners, blinds, a riding lawn mower and on and on. Plus all the smart home stuff I want to slowly add.

I am generally the kind of person who overanalyzes every.little.thing....I knew there would be a lot of decisions in this process, but didn't imagine how many little things.

Like the crown molding on the cabinets....if I didn't ask, I think they would have done some standard thing that wouldn't have fit the vision I have.

@Kat we also have the frame TV over our fireplace! We couldn't go with a very thick frame due to the spot it got mounted by our AV guys, but I love it as well. Such a good compromise.

Dang, I didn't know about these frame TVs! I let my DH pick our TVs since that's more his thing. Sigh....

@Naomi, Yes, We have also bought a zillion things for the yard and garage. My DH has bought so many tools! I thought I had a lot to spend on, but he has actually bought a lot more: lawn mower, tiller, chest freezer, table saw, workbenches, storage cabinets, and the list goes on. The garage is the most furnished space in our house!

@Emily haha and men tell us that we spend all the money? Tools are pricey! I am sure I'll need to upgrade some yard stuff too. I bought an electric chain saw and it's probably useless with all the trees we have.

Oh! And we need to buy a portable generator until we finally figure out what we want to do with whole home options.

@nhb22 The flowers are lovely. A few weeks ago I had enough flowers to fill a, funeral home (I know that to be a fact). One of my two favorite arrangements was a vase with two dozen blue hydrangeas. That gold mirror is stunning!

@K H I like the wax paper idea. Your kitchen is very pretty - I love cherry cabinets.

@jkent9024 I'm doing the same with the stacked cabinets in my 9' kitchen. I have more inherited china than my china cabinet can display.

@Kat The framed tv looks really nice! 👍

@Naomi You might consider having them price stacked cabinets with glass doors. Mine are custom built by an Amish cabinet maker and I was pleasantly surprised.

@anj_p I like your framed tv too. I'd never heard of them until Houzz

@Naomi, My DH has gotten hooked in the Ryobi 40V battery-powered tools. They are amazing, actually. We have no gas-powered anything, as he didn't want to store or smell gas, and I am happy about that. We just bought a battery-powered inverter to run our fridge in case of a power outage. It won't work for really long ones, but with all the batteries he has now, it would keep us going for awhile!

PSA…. closet lead time…. 14 WEEKS! That’s not going to work. They have an “essential” line that will be “significantly cheaper” and only 6-8 weeks. Yes please!

@Joy M Yikes! Mine are going into production within the next couple days. I should check on the lead times. My cabinets supposedly are being ordered late next week.

Question for you all; I just got back my entry design and I really love it. My big question is regarding the stools. There are big (24") and will be a tight fit under the console, which is 60". I really love the stools but also don't want it to be a pain getting them in & out.

I only have 6.5' to work with in my entry nook, and I really want a coat rack in there (guests never seem to use the coat closet that's right there, so I wanted to have a coat rack). Not sure if I should get smaller stools & a smaller 54" console, or if the remaining 1' ish would be Ok? What do you think?

anj_p, do you have two parallel walls to work with in your entry nook or just one wall?

@Sophia this is the space. We have one wall.

…holy progress, Batman! Went from open walls to almost closed roof in two days. Windows, doors and siding will be on site by Monday.

Our FM called to schedule our framing inspection and walkthrough! We are thinking of bringing an outside inspector as well.
Has anyone else done this? Thoughts? Suggestions?

cwcf185 - The mirror is an antique from the family of my husbands aunt. It was given to my daughter, but at the time she did not care for it (she was in college). I am the lucky recipient until she comes begging. Now she is almost 39.

Love, love the framed T.V.s. I have always wanted one. During our party, I just ran a Youtube travel photo slide show and it looked great!

@Naomi - Most of the edge of the sink gets covered with countertop, but the point is to make sure you have the full number of inches of interior space needed for you pans.

Our cabinets are hung at 20" from bottom trim to counter surface. We have 42" cabinets with 10' ceilings. 16" from top of crown to ceiling. As you may have seen, we have coffered ceilings that help hide the large gap. I am also not one to throw things on top of the cabinets.

@Erica Clarke Tachoir I am not sure you need to spend the money this way by hiring an outside inspector at this point, unless you worry that the guy coming around is "too close" to your builder? Or if you worry they used inferior materials. But then, you'd have to know to tell your second opinion what you were trying to second guess. (like we had to have certain screws/nails for metal roof and made sure those were used.)

Some counties, don't even require a framing step. It's not like when you buy an older house and a second opinion from a detail oriented guy is super wise.

Our codes are more strict than others, sounds like yours might be too; they require inspector to come out for so many steps-corner set, foundation dig, rebar set, concrete/pier pour, floor bracing, something else-can't recall--before framing inspection which is where you are right now. And then there are ton more to come. It's a county guy from the building department who does these. Who would you hire to do it a second time? And if the person you hire catches something the county guy missed, that would be good, but at this point, not sure what he might miss or find. All they are checking are two things at framing, did it meet their codes (like right braces, right distance between posts, right thickness of supports,) did it follow stamped plans? Our supplier looked at our plans and talked to us about changing directions of some floor supports before we ordered supplies, building department signed off, and they checked this on the floor brace inspection. IMHO, If I were to hire a second opinion it would be to check electric and plumbing when that goes in before it is dry walled in...not the frame check.

@Keen B, thanks for this. We had been given advice by my father in law (who has built multiple times) to use a secondary inspector at certain points in the process. We are also in a state/municipality with so many inspections - it’s madness! LOL.
So far, things have been great. Our builder has been right on the money according to the inspector. He works for the municipality and is a really good person to work with.

I agree that having someone else look over electrical work before drywall might be the place to spend the funds.

@nhb - ahhh yes, I will make sure inside of sink is the size I need!

How tall is your crown?

I am going to opt for the flat crown and they said it is usually 3.5-4”. So I can get the gap down to about 20”

@Erica Clarke Tachoir I think your FIL is wise. And some builders really need back up. Sounds like maybe yours doesn't.

@Naomi when we bought our current house (1970s, with 8 foot ceilings) it had never been updated at all; part of kitchen had soffits and part had old fashioned cabinets with those upside down toppers to ceiling. Demoing both revealed the ceiling above cabinet was unfinished too. Instead of redoing whole ceiling, we set cabinets at 20 inches above counter, which brought them to a few inches below hole in ceilings. Then we put in crown moulding to mask those holes. I am short, too, and I complain about my step stool to reach second shelf, but I also like how everything fits under the cabinets. And they look great.

Our porch sconce lights are up, we have a couple of finished outside power outlets, and the windows are finally caulked.

Also today Janet taught herself to swim. We’re very proud 🥰

Naomi - Crown is a two piece stacked to 6".

di0spyr0s - Janet looks like my grandson did after coming home from mountain camp this afternoon. My daughter dropped the children off for a sleepover. Both children were filthy dirty. Grandson had mud caked in his hair. My husband was in charge of getting him in the shower. Needless to say that the drying towel was filthy after shower! Hmmm

My granddaughter took a bath in our tub. First time it was used! After the water drained, there was a dirt ring all around and dirt sitting in the bottom of the tub. Towel was clean.

Atta girl, Janet!

@Naomi My single sink is only 28.5 inches wide. That surprised me because it feels HUGE. I've only ever had double sinks my entire life. Still getting used to it.

ETA: In relation to cabinets going to the ceiling, I think of it as if you were putting in pieces of furniture. Armoires, free standing bookshelves, etc. can be very tall, yet don't go to the ceiling and I do not find it weird looking. I don't find upper cabinets not going to the ceiling weird looking either. To me weird looking would be short 30" tall uppers in a 10' space. It's a proportional thing.

BTW, my uppers are 18 - 18 3/16" above the counter. Apparently my BIL and DH didn't quite get the temporary level board completely level when they installed them. Fortunately, I don't even notice. lol

Do any of you have a reverse osmosis system at your kitchen sink? I am so glad I called the guy now...because I need a second faucet...and trying to figure out what that will look like with a single basin sink.

@Naomi we have an ro faucet. We matched the look of our main faucet. Our sink cut out is 32".

ETA: we got ALL the holes. :D

ETA2: new artwork on the frame TV :)

ETA3: Sorry I didn't get more of the sink in the photo but DH didn't unload the DW so our sink is a mess.

My trim carpenter has been keeping me updated with photos while I've been out of town the past couple days.

Here's a sneak peek at one of the built-ins next to my fireplace. It still needs the shelves plus the doors added to the lower cabinets, but I am so happy with it.

@Naomi, I went with a 33" farmhouse sink in my 36" cabinet (not island but under a window). It is massive, and I love it! I am sure I'd be fine with a 30" as well.

@anj_p THANK YOU!!! You do have all the holes LOL And is that a Trinsic faucet? That's what I am doing in champagne bronze :) And...I love your TV area!

@Emily Thank you! Is that on your island? Was your island 7 or 8'?

@Naomi I went with an Elkay 33" undermount sink (not apron-front) in a 36" cabinet. Mine is part of my kitchen perimeter and, like Emily, it sits under a window. (I wanted my island to be just prep and storage, and after selecting my slab I can't imagine cutting into it.)

@Naomi Yes, it's the Delta Trinsic :) The beverage faucet is the delta as well, but we didn't get a choice otherwise I would've chosen the contemporary one. Looks fine though, IMO.

I would have LOVED to have a window cleanup sink and an island prep sink but the builder nixed that idea (we're in a production home). They approved it initially but then denied it when we signed. I was BUMMED.

@Naomi, No, my sink is under a window. I prefer that as I like to look out at nature when I am at the sink. I do have a smaller stainless steel prep sink at one end of the island. The island is 7', and we use the 3/4 that is not prep sink for the vast majority of our food prep.

@Naomi Not sure if this helps you...This is in our current kitchen. It's a 36" wide overmount acrylic single basin sink with a faucet and a reverse osmosis faucet. We need the RO faucet to have filtered water for our GE opal ice maker...which is now a non-negotiable appliance in our house lol.

(There is a very long story attached to this, but...we have 2 extra sinks exactly like this. One of them is going in our new laundry room!)

Do we have a July thread yet?

@KT_B I'll start one. Anyone want their house displayed?

Here it is! Can't believe it is already July. Have a wonderful holiday, y'all. See you the next thread!

July 2022 Building Thread

@Naomi Hope you don't mind pilfered your house for the thread.

While my June 2022 started with drywall being finished, it ended with interior trimwork installation underway and driveway, sidewalks and porches being poured. 3+ concrete trucks total for me this week.