Yes anele, it's the same street - about 2 blocks closer to the school, actually. Thanks for the compliment on the town, we love it here; it's a great place to raise a family. I take it you are from around here? That house is definitely a possibility, I actually asked about the kitchen on the kitchen board. The price range I feel comfortable with is $750K max. So, the house itself as described is not necessarily out of our price range, but new construction comes with so many unknowns and so many add ons (we previously bought a new construction townhome and even that had a million options and add ons - upgraded cabinets, upgraded carpet, padding, tile, painting all the rooms if that's not included, landscaping, lawn, virtually all the hooks and organizational things. They all add up and we'd have to be really careful to keep in line with the budget. I do really like the looks of it though and it's tempting, very tempting. If it were priced at $650K we wouldn't be having this conversation and that would probably say "under contract" :-)

I used both an architect and interior designer doing the design/planning phase and am so glad I did! Our architectural firm had 2 architects on our project. Together they developed the floorplan and exterior facades/elevations, based on our wishes and input. Once we were past that phase, the architects continued to develop detained plans, including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, etc. One of the architects focused primarily on structural elements of the plan, such as the framing plan, foundation plan, etc. The other architect focused more on what I called the "looks" of the house, such as window sizes and placement. When I said that I wanted to include an interior designer, the "looks" architect was concerned, suggesting that "too many cooks spoil the broth". However, that's the direction we went. We had weekly meetings while the plans were being developed with the architect and designer. Early on, I had the designer prepare a furniture plan, laying out where nearly every piece of furniture we have would go. This proved invaluable in finalizing the size and placement of such architectural elements as windows. The designer and I shopped for appliances and figured out how the kitchen would work best, while the architect provided input as to how to minimize noise and control costs. The architect drew the interior elevation plans, with consultation with the interior designer. Understandably, the architect did not want to prepare elevations for approval by the designer (with potential re-work), so the two of them and we met to discuss and collaborate. The interior designer was responsible for selecting the paint colors, flooring, components such as stairway materials, cabinet door design, and the like. I thought the combination worked well, which is a testament to the architects' and Designer's willingness to listen to each other and avoid ego issues. Once the detailed plans were complete, we put the project out to bid. During the bid process we met with each of the three bidders and asked them to make any suggestions they would like regarding changes that might help to control costs and/or improve the project. They all had good ideas, which we were able to incorporate in a bid amendment. When we started the building process, the builder took center stage. We continued to work with the designer to choose light fixtures and design elements, and the architects have been available to assist in resolving whatever issues have arisen that needed their attention. this is just one way to arrange responsibilities. This has worked really well for us but it is very dependent on the personalities of the architect, designer and builder. Luckily, ours have been great to work with and they have displayed appreciation of each other's insights, suggestions and ideas!

hi all, sorry my bad. Failed to mentioned that the house is not in the US, that's correct. It is located in SouthEastAsia. Perhaps our building methods are totally different in this part of the world. No earthquake/hurricane or anysorts, so i suppose we are built all bricked up. In case anyone is curious here are some previous construction pics Anyways i have consulted my architect and they have given a green light in using the wooden tiles as part of the facade. Might be using the GDW12 or the GDW15. It does really looks like real timber print & texture Will share more pics when the house is in progression with the tiles & alucladdings. Hmm..is my thread on the wrong sub-forum, does my thread needs to be moved to the 'Building a Home' category. CheerS!

As I mentioned before my property was damaged in a fire and while I was fixing the place I wanted to somehow update the curb appeal. Many of you said the exterior wasn't a pressing issue. I've kinda cooled on the concept of a ventilation curtain cladding but still want some improvements to the front rooftop deck to make it more usable in the hot summer months and to provide some protection from the rain and wind. Do you think a shade structure up there will enhance or detract from the look of the place? I did my best to photoshop it into place. I'd use curtains to soften it and to make it more cabana-like. It is a louvered roof that opens to for more of a slatted trellis. I also need to raise the handrails about 8 inches to make it safe up there so maybe I'd add 1-foot tall ombre sand-blasted panels of glass that gives the effect of white smoke rising around the rails. BTW... I can make that shade structure up there ANY color I want. The frame can be one color and the interior roof with the paddles closed can be another. If I do it I would match the frame to the existing galvanized metal and make the ceiling white. Any input would be appreciated!