@ izzieo Yes, I plan on using the Calacatta sample to pull a cream/pale beige for the wall color. Right now I’m considering Natural Cream by Ben Moore, but need to get my samples to be sure. I have other contenders, but it seems to be the one for now. Definitely not white for the walls, as the cabinetry will be white and I feel like that’s plenty for this bathroom.

Oh, I see now that you meant shower wall tile - not paint color. I have considered an off white and could see that working in there as well. Thanks for your input @izzieo !

@Keen B I have read about the epoxy yellowing and that is really unfortunate. I’m going to have to remember to tell my installer to skip the epoxy on my white kitchen and laundry backsplashes for this reason. I hope I can remember. There’s SO much to remember…. Ugh. I have pages of notes everywhere.

@izzieo I don't know the secret. Maybe the grout has some sort of fancy antibacterial properties?. It's the walls, and the edge of tub with the caulk is more challenging. I bleach it every week...use one of those, whatdoyoucallit, electric spinning, scrub brushes and Clorox spray. For tough spots, comet. And when the kids got old enough, they did it. It helps that their bathroom has a sunny window...I recall epic battles with my Mom about my own bathroom as a teen, which had no windows. It wasn't until I moved out and she started using that room for herself that she agreed windowed bathrooms are easier to keep clean. But seriously, if I had my way, I'd have had large format tile and no grout at all.

@izzieo, the stone was free! well, not the masonry work..but it was all collected on site, so at least we didn't have to pay for materials. The metal roof is pricey, but it was our only option, so it was a trade-off. Too windy, too much exposure to weather in our location for a shingle roof.

@Keen B

Not sure any GCs still do that as its not worth the time. Typically we give an allowance and type of tile IE "ceramic 12x24" etc at our cost including all taxes & delivery. Tile contractors usually look at their hard costs and mark up but often small contractors don't supply.

Get it from my favored pro direct from manufacturer warehouses and we get matched lots of well packaged tile with a lower waste % than "consumer discount" warehouses but you can go to these also, pick the matches yourself, load and deliver and I often suggest a higher % overage or budget time for another trip.

@Jeffrey R. Grenz, Builders definitely still do this, especially ones who also do tract homes or have a large project base, but I see your point about GCs and tile pros. I appreciate your insights on how this field works.

Overall, my point isn't to disparage these professionals. They have the rights to their profits. My primary point was if a home owner is being dissuaded from a choice, sometimes it has nothing to do with aesthetics. Even--good Lord, I'm opening a can of worms--some decorators get a nice kick back for pushing certain product lines... I love Houzz and the knowledge here. Home owners do need some honest perspective on design--just as I have--for we do, as some have pointed out, get attached to inspo pictures and trends, and then sometimes try to put lipstick on a pig, and end up with things that don't fit the home. (All the ridiculous white farm house updates on any sort of architecture in my community alone illustrate that-- 70s colonial? 50s ranch? 80s split level? Brick? Clapboard? No matter...All white, black trim, cedar posts...)

But that doesn't mean that everytime a homeowner is dissuaded, it is really about design.

Hi everyone,

I won’t be able to create new monthly discussion page for this home building progress going forward.

If someone can step in to take over, that will help great.

Happy New Year, y'all! I'm new to the discussion board, so glad it's a thing. My family and friends don't care about our build, except 1 realtor friend.

We're just getting started, closed on construction loan 12/18, they just got our form boards up this week, drilling today, plumbing next week. We're building a 2,963 sq ft home outside city limits on 3.78 acres. My husband went out to look at it today and called the builder because he thought it looked too small. They reassured us that they get that call every time they start a home. 🤣

@Keen B

you did disparage all GCs. Lets separate GCs from the tract home purchase process:

If you own the property you can purchase tile from anywhere and recruit a tile contractor to install.

Tract builders typically own the properties until all is complete. They may not be GCs either.

@ Kyla McSweeney I love that bathroom floor tile!

Dating myself...

Don't walk away Reneee!

Enjoy the ride!

Gee @Jeffrey R Genz... I hesitate to get into a Houzz battle with you. I have already in long ago threads provided evidence of which I speak, so I won't do it again. But I must say, Man, if my basic comments above made to inform homeowners about pricing available to professionals got you defensive in the name of all GCs, you must have missed my posts over the years where I actually do, openly and directly disparage "some" GCs, subs, etc..

@Liz888 Are you moving in? Is all okay?

Now that some folks are talking about grout, I'm wondering what to do about grout in the primary shower. This is the tile I'm using. Gray should work on the floors, but I don't know about the shower walls?

Walls (I'm using the 6x6 tiles, plain white, white with blue flowers, and solid blue--it's not this dark irl-- but not the 2x6's). The dark blue ones are only going in niches.

Shower floor and bathroom floor (it's a zero-entry shower)--the large 12x24 for the bathroom floor, and the small squares for the shower floor. Not using the 1x3's:

I know it doesn't look like the floors go with the walls in these photos, but they do, in actual light.

Just curious - how are most of you handling supply for interior items? I have a cost-plus contract with my GC but it seems common for clients to supply items like plumbing or lighting fixtures, cabinetry, etc. Ours seems fine with this but obviously it is preferred for them to supply it all so they can manage the timing/logistics/delivery but also because they will charge us a markup % on top of this. The markup fee on our plumbing fixtures for instance might be like $3k, so if I can save this it would be ideal. The products themselves have lifetime warranty but I know I will need to coordinate the delivery and make sure everything is correct. If custom millwork/cabinetry is like $100k… if I don’t have to pay over 10% on that, it would be great.

I feel bad to take profit away from our GC because they are all such nice people, but not sure that is a reason to have them supply the stuff. I understand other clients have supplied many things, even windows. It creates warranty issues but it seems fairly harmless to me in the case of above items or something like interior doors, for instance. It’s not like they’re not getting paid, we’re still paying our 2 project managers like $90-$100/hr and the contractor charges their markup % on top of the management work too.

Is it a good idea to remove a bunch of items from our contract scope?

@2rickies There used to be a grout color called blueberry. See if you can find any bags of it floating around, like on ebay, etc. Though I am not sure you want colored grout with the white floor--it might be too busy for you. (I used a pale blue from Starlight and I am very happy with it--a little worried it will turn green if it yellows...) There are also sites that mix custom colors to match paint formulas, so you can ask for Benjamin Moore whatever. And finally, I made a custom mix with dye for my floor and niches. How much time do you have before you have to decide? if there is time, I could get back to you and let you know how it holds up.

If not blue, silver/pewter might work...

@izzieo We began collecting what we needed and stored them where we could. We even at one point had a storage unit. But, then there were new products that came up, so that was sometimes a bummer, or the former new stuff became affordable as newer things were released. Your build is going faster, so this might not be an issue for you.

The markup fee on our plumbing fixtures for instance might be like $3k, so if I can save this it would be ideal.

As a builder, I preferred that the plumbing contractor supply all the fixtures and fittings. Whatever markup they got was well worth the cost. I had more pressing things to look after than scads of sinks, w.c.s etc.

Unfortunately, the custom now is for the builder to assume that responsibility. Hope those savings don't come with too many headaches!

@Keen B - hi, thanks for asking. All is good. Personal life with aging parents are taking priority at the time so taking a break.

Yes it is so finicky and I don’t want to pay my PM like $100/hr to go back and forth with me if I’m deciding whether I want a gold faucet or not… ridiculous! Just seems easier for me to handle myself and save the markup. I think the plumber we hired seems super organized and good though. So he sent me to a showroom/supplier he works with and they had the brands I want so I’m just waiting to get pricing. They are a distributor so they will sell to him at discount, the question is whether he will pass on the discount to me… I don’t mind him wanting a small cut if it seems fair but I am basically handing it over on a silver platter with the full fixture list and all spec sheets prepared. Hoping he can just send us a bill for the fixtures directly rather than billing as part of the project. Is that stingy? Probably. But if I’m spending $30k on plumbing fixtures I just feel like if I do all the work to figure out the details directly with the plumber I’d rather not pay the GC > 11% on top for no reason.

On that note… who knew fixtures can be so expensive! I was genuinely shocked to discover freestanding tub fillers can be like $10k…. What…?

Turns out we are ready to do rough-ins now but of course we do not have the fixtures or valves that are required yet, so I must get on this immediately!

Grout colors almost drove me insane, but I woke up from a grout nightmare at 2am, went online, fell down a rabbit hole and found a bunch of people that said “when in doubt, go with warm gray grout”. So that’s what I did. I chose deep ocean grout for my son’s bathroom and charcoal grout for the mudroom floor, but I was losing way too much sleep over grout decisions.

@Keen B, I still have time on the grout, so I'd be glad to know how it goes for you! I didn't even think of doing a custom color, hmm...

@Chandllerin, I'm going to have bluestone in the mudroom, and warm gray is probably a good choice color there--but now you put charcoal in my brain as a possibility, and I'm wondering how that would work in those messy rooms.

@izzieo, so far I've purchased the appliances, plumbing fixtures (including outdoor shower), and kitchen cabs directly. I also bought the ceiling fans because they're pricey and I saw them on sale. I'll be buying most of the surface lighting, but I didn't buy the recessed lights. I'll get cabinet handles. He'll get the toilets, but I got the "sink" for the laundry room, because it's a dog grooming tub. Builder is passing his discounts to me for lighting and whatever else. We are also on cost-plus which mean we'll pay a % for his coordination. It was apparently a surprise that i ordered the kitchen cabs directly, even though I started working with the KD during the design phase before we even chose a builder. I and architects assumed I'd do that. He will add in his percentage, and he deserves it for all the coordinating he's doing. A lot of times it's just easier for me to buy stuff at the time I pick it out, unless he can get a better price. I haven't been buying stuff early, though, unless there's an unusual sale. Other than appliances, which I was set on early, too much has changed as we went along for me to want to commit to anything really far in advance of needing it.

Haha a grout nightmare… I’m not there quite yet but I’m sure soon enough I will be. I tentatively chose a light sandy tile for mudroom floor but it’s possible I will have to change to a darker brown/charcoal because the idea of a bunch of beige tile/grout in a mudroom is disturbing. I had cabinetry nightmares last night myself. I think it mostly revolved around the fact that I was thinking of putting cheap Ikea Hemnes vanities in the powder and guest/future kids bathroom. But then I have picked out a sink basin and somewhat expensive faucets which implies a custom counter… what am I even doing trying to save some $ on bathroom vanities? Seems like I should just get custom everything and cry about the budget later. Technically our budget is flexible, we just prefer to spend less money.

2rickies - Do you mean you will pay your GC his % on your cabs despite you supplying them? I have 2 project managers at my GC - one is handling all the construction stuff and one is technically an interior designer so she is going through selections etc with me. So it seems like I could get her to help with figuring out the custom cabinetry, for example, but I assume I can handle the details and billing with the cabinetry company. She still gets paid hourly for the time helping with coordination. It’s hard to know if cost-plus is a good idea… I think they will end up making plenty because I am super demanding and there is likely a lot of extra management time. As a result, I just want to save $ on the supply of stuff I’m handling!

I bought all of our light fixtures (not cans), cabinet pulls and door hardware on line. We live in a small city, and not everything I wanted was available locally, for one thing. We did not pay the builder’s markup on anything we supplied.

@izzieo This is nearly my favorite tile in our house. It uses haystack colored grout. This would look great in your mudroom (if your mud is similar tones.) It looks darker now that it's sealed.

@izzieo We’re cost plus as well. GC is responsible for the shell of home and utilities. They supply a site super and a project manager although I’ve been more involved than the PM. I also required they hire my son to frame the house and build the deck. I’ve contracted most everything for the inside myself (custom cabinets and vanities, hardwood floors and installation, tile floors and installation, interior paint, fireplace stone and installation, tub, toilets, all lighting, faucets and hardware, all doors, trim, plus the exterior stone, retaining walls and driveway). No mark up on anything I managed.

We spent our day cleaning up after the drywallers. My painter, aka BIL will start painting tomorrow. We should have electric and gas by the end of the week. We’re using a propane tank and heaters right now. Shelves and a mantle going in this week. Fireplace stone next week!

Keen B - I love that tile!! I really wanted terracotta in the mudroom originally but it doesn’t seem widely available. What material is yours? I was thinking I might be able to find a nice durable porcelain that looks like terracotta… Is that your mudroom? If so, what kind of cabs are you thinking?

K_Dub - oh wow, nice work! I guess I feel awkward because they included everything in their original estimate/contract budget. But I doubt they will have a problem if I request to remove some things and handle myself. The main thing the GC mentioned was related to warranty - they only cover stuff that they supply. I was thinking it is fine to let them handle the hardwood installer, for instance, but I can obviously provide fixtures which doesn’t seem to create an issue.

@izzieo It's a travertine tile, cut in a 3x6 brick shape. They don't sell this particular one anymore, since travertine isn't in high demand, but there are many brands out there that are very similar. The grout didn't need sealing, but the travertine did. That's our laundry. If we ever need it, the window will be turned into a door, and then yes, it will be a mud room. We did that to meet set back codes. Oddly, in the future if we need an ADA ramp, we can over ride the codes and that's where it will come in. Oh, and no, we have not solved cabinets in there, or the pantry or the closets. We are owner builders, and eventually we will get around to it, but they will probably be wheat toned or navy.

Is anyone else dying over the price of window treatments? I love all the natural light from our many windows, but the ones we like cost more than the windows, but that "ain't gon-happen"..

I supplied most of the lighting fixtures (not can lights), cabinet knobs, backsplash tile, kitchen faucet, kitchen sink, mudroom sink and faucet, mudroom cabinets, heated towel bar, lighted mirrors in primary bath, mirrors in all baths. I wish I supplied faucets for kids and downstairs bath, because I don't like the ones we ended up with and that is because what I initially picked was thousands over the budget, so I compromised... I wish I didn't. Oh well.

Keen- I spent almost $900 on five Roman blinds for our bedroom and primary bath. I was Not happy. They were one of the cheapest I found. I just ordered 4 blinds for the kids rooms to the tune of $500. Yikes... so yes I feel you. I used Select blinds and was happy with the quality and service of shipping. (We installed ourselves- well MH did!)

Welcome Renee M. Can't wait to see your progress.

I did gray (4 different shades) for all of my grout, but a lot of my tiles had gray in that to begin with.

Keen B - Ooh beautiful! Natural material tiles are really superior in aesthetically if you are willing to do the upkeep required. Nice!

Uhm I have yet to price window treatments but I do know I want minimal cellular blinds. I am sure they will be super affordable on the few 84”W windows we have along with the others. I guess we will focus on the primary suite and main living room and might have to leave others for future. Something else to be said for less glazing!

@Keen B "Is anyone else dying over the price of window treatments?" Oh yes! My designer warned me that many people leave window treatments until the end and are surprised by the cost. That was definitely the case with me. I spent $6650 for motorized shades in 3 bedrooms (5 windows) and another $5300 for the family room shades, which aren't motorized (that would have added another $2k+.)

Most frustrating is that I paid for the FR shades in full in October and after multiple visits, I still don't have them all installed. Twice they have delivered the wrong sizes for the bay window. At yesterday's install, I got the right size for the middle window of the bay, but it has the wrong color lift mechanism. Yesterday the shades for the two side windows in the bay were too wide. (First time they were too narrow.) Just... ugh!

@izzieo Thank you!

I like the cellular shades, but how are you going to finish the tops? Anything fancy? My last house came with soft fabric cellular shades on over forty windows...(I had no idea the cost.) And the previous owner had staged the house with some custom valances that I loved and kept. But if I have to put valances on every window, I might as well get the grasscloth shades I like so much. ( But again, never going to happen; it would cost me 10K just to do the kitchen/greatroom.) So what are your plans? Some cellulars look better on top that others, with no other finishes.

@chicagoans Big sigh! I am having this sort of issue with a fabric delivery. My upholsterer asked me to purchase 4 extra yards, and I immediately ordered them; then he called to say, no, get 5. So I altered the order, and have a paper trail that I needed 5, not 4... 5, not 4 plus one. That was over a month ago, and the site says fulfillment pending. And then when I got pushy, I heard nothing-Dm on their site, phone calls, texts, nothing. So I cancel the order, so I can buy elsewhere. Instead, they promptly sent me 1 yard, and charged me shipping on full order (which was supposed to be free). And their site says the other 4 are pending. I cancel that again; hear nothing We finally got our credit card company to dispute it, and the money has been refunded on the other 4, but not the useless singleton. And no, the company who actually produces this fabric has plenty, but I have to go through a middle man company.

@Kyla McSweeney Thanks for the advice. I spent time last night ordering samples from them (and few other sites.)

@Renee M (Do you have an underscore between your name and initial? Makes it easier for us to tag you...) So glad you found us. Looking forward to your progress.

@izzieo may I suggest beverlyfldeziner or Jan Moyer here on Houzz.

I truly know nothing about window treatments… but it does occur to me now that I need to think about this and get at least a rough figure to budget in soon. I think it looks best layered, so pairing something like the cellular shades or other minimal blinds with curtains over. The cost might be astronomical.

I checked Blinds To Go, and the prices don’t seem completely unreasonable… Hunter Douglas, maybe more but pricing is not available online. I kind of regret having such huge windows, and so many of them.

Another week of waiting for cabinets…supposedly they will “seriously arrive this week”.
Wood floors are installed. Trim work will begin next week. I am way too scared to start pricing window treatments. Yikes!

What did you go with for cabinetry?! I forget if you have posted something here already sorry, hard to keep track of. I’m going to a nice cabinetry showroom tomorrow… I think I’m just going to forget about the budget at this point 😂 I explained to DH that really it takes so much effort to save $ that sometimes it is not worth the time… Strong logic?

Our builder uses a local father/son team for custom cabinets. We ordered maple, flat paneled cabinets in a dark green. Our island is stained wood. I can’t wait to see them whenever they arrive. Our builder asked us to make countertop selections soon but it’s hard to envision the countertops without seeing the cabinetry.

Framing is underway! Should be complete within the next two weeks. :) Trying to decide on cabinets. Does anyone have input on doing two different cabinet door styles in the kitchen? I posted a discussion and would love some input!

Welcome @M_Pouch. We want pictures! (I have no idea about two different door styles, other than differing colors, or differing materials. But different face frames? Not sure.

@Chandllerin The countertops were my most difficult decision, and yes, it is tough when you don't have the exact tone of cabinets. Hope all is easy and happy for you.

We decided to use the same face frame/door style in the kitchen through out. In this case we are going with a white shaker cabinet as the main cabinet color in the kitchen and a stain (Kraftmaid Barley) for the island.

Here’s framing!

It's been a hard month. Recently I found out my dad has cancer which has spread through his body and he has several weeks/months to live so our family has been spending alot of time with him. It's strange to be building a house (something you are so excited about) and dealing with something so terrible. So I have been off the grid for awhile.

Our tile guy has been working on tiling for last three weeks and takes his time, He's very meticulous about measuring and tile placement, i guess that is good for us. His tile work includes 3 guest bathrooms, laundry room and main master bath. He's almost done with the three guest bathrooms and laundry and will work on master bath next.

I had a tile selection remorse after ordering from company called Tilebar. The tile I selected which were to go into the floor for the laundry room and master bath had good reviews. I also got a sample and saw their pictures and thought it would look nice. However when it was installed in the laundry room first (also to go in the master bath floor) and it was not what I expected and looked so different from the pics/sample. After a lot of thought, I decided not to have this tile in my bathroom floor. We have over $2K of this tile left and I decided to eat the cost and get another tile. I can return the tile but after 15% restocking fee and paying for shipping, I don't think there's a lot left.

Our cabinets are supposed to come 1st week of Feb. I can't wait for this. We have our interior doors installed, trims done and harwood floors installed.

First two pics are the tile in our laundry room and third is what is shown on their website for this tile.

The brown paper shown on first two pics are paper they lay down to protect the tile. The picture of the tile in our laundry room does show a little darker vs reality.

@Liz888 That is terrible news about your father. I wish you all as much comfort as you can muster. It is hard to think straight about small things when you are all grieving, let alone a build and tile mishaps. I'm glad that he at least has seen the progress, and knows his child will have a lovely home, and that you all can gather round him. If I could hug you from here, I would. Keep talking to us...

@Liz888 I'm so sorry to hear about your father. I hope you get to spend as much time as you can with him and that you get the support you need from friend and family. There's definitely a juxtaposition between everything else in your life going on normally while going through this grief.

Our build is going on quietly. We've started drywall, and I think it'll take a couple weeks before we move onto tile and flooring.

@keen b thank you for the kind words. I felt your hug from here and really lifted my spirits.

@pgjs thank you, I’m fortunate to have people around me that are very supportive and helpful. I also find comfort that my dad will be in a better place with his maker whom he loves and he will no longer be in pain. That is the most important aspect that brings me comfort.

I have been meeting with funeral directors for funeral arrangements, this is the first time I’ve ever done this. Since my parents live nearby, I have been going over there almost daily to make sure I can help my mom with whatever she needs. My mom was a former nurse and had also worked in nursing home so I’m fortunate That she is able to know what to do is most situations. We also have a hospice nurse that comes by frequently to help.

Most importantly my dad is in good spirits and he is looking forward to leaving his weak body and going to heaven to see God. It’s very comforting to know he is at peace and it’s this stage of his life. I’m hoping to take my mom on a vacation after my dad’s passing. She is always so sacrificial always putting others first and herself last.

House is taking least priority right now. Our cabinets should arrive in couple of weeks. Slow but surely we will get there.

Hi friends- is there a link for February? I’d make it myself but I don’t know how LOL

Continued here.

@Liz888, a belated note to say I'm so sorry to hear about your father. It must be very difficult to focus on anything else. I hope you take some comfort from the time you spend with him.

Thank you @2rickies