This part of the construction process goes fast.
We have sheetrock, we have cabinets, we have solar tube lighting, we have most of our trimwork, we have some paint, we have some countertops, and we have some tile.
It’s weird how you get attached to the skeletal look of a home you are building. When the sheetrock first went up, I mourned the loss of the view from the laundry room to the master bedroom. However, the house is starting to look like a home on the inside now. More importantly, it’s starting to feel like a home. We’ve even had dinner there, pizza and charades with the kids by candlelight. That was fun.
“…it’s starting to feel like a home.”
It’s interesting. Even before a home is complete, you still gravitate toward the kitchen. When I meet with people at the jobsite, we invariably head straight for the kitchen. There, I get to tell everyone the story of my cabinets, an enormous source of pride. Not only are they beautiful, all of the major components for these cabinets were sourced locally. The doors are made from NC grown maple trees. The formaldehyde-free plywood used for boxing was made in Old Fort, NC. The drawer slides were manufactured in Stanley, NC.
I have Distinctive Designs and Blackstone Cabinetry to thank for this meticulous adherence to my wishes. If anything was difficult about building or installing these cabinets, they never let on. Both of these companies have been a pleasure to work with, and the cabinets are stunning.
“Stuff happens…”
We’ve had a few interior glitches this month—nothing too serious. The first was a slightly more ornate chair rail and stair molding than I had intended, since the home leans more toward a craftsman style. This was a pretty minor fix, but I didn’t exactly score big points with the trim guys that day. When something like this happens, my builder, Don, likes to peer at me above his glasses and say, “Okay, well, you better make another batch of cookies.” I’ve been known to smooth things over with contractors with baked goods.
We had another little glitch with the wood countertops for the island and bar area which was my mistake. I somehow neglected to tell Signature Custom Woodworking [http://www.signaturecustomwoodworking.com] that the tops needed to be stained a dark brown to match the cabinetry. I walked in this week to see that they had installed my red oak tops as specified, and they looked just beautiful except for the fact that they had been finished naturally. So off they came and back to the shop they went. Stuff happens, you know.
We also realized that the reclaimed wood mantle which the designers and I had picked out for the great room was not quite big enough for the electric fireplace that has already been installed. (Yes, we measured before we picked it out!) What we hadn’t considered was the fact that the mantle we chose was built for a surround of brick around the firebox. Don met me out at the jobsite to explain what the problem was. Interior designers, Julie Hartsell and Beth Moore, came for back up. Before we all left, we had a plan which thankfully allowed me to keep my old mantle.
Oh yeah—we’ve made a few post application paint changes. In an effort to keep our selections down to four colors to stay within budget we over indulged in the color yellow. It’s a very pretty yellow mind you; we just thought it might be better if we went a shade lighter in the two-story foyer and hall.
I actually love the color in this house. It’s rich, it’s bright, and it’s totally VOC-free since we chose FreshAire Choice™ paints. I can’t wait to showcase these colors, along with a host of gorgeous fabrics from Sunbrella® [http://www.sunbrella.com/] during our Nature Nurture Day open houses.
“A trip to D.H. Griffin
is an experience in and of itself….”
We’ve also selected several reclaimed beams from D.H. Griffin to use in the great room. (I can only imagine how thrilled the trim guys will be when they start to install these heavy things. I may not visit the site that day.)
A trip to D.H. Griffin is an experience in and of itself. Keep in mind, their business is demolition, so their salvage yards are a less than picturesque landscape of old wood, old bricks, old toilets and just about anything else that might be recovered from a demolished building. I’m talking dirty piles of STUFF for as far as the eye can see. You can imagine their reaction when we broke the news to workers there that the beams we wanted were at the bottom of a 15 foot tall stack of 20 ft. long floor joists. I wanted to crawl under a beam myself, but my fearless interior designers, Julie and Beth, were on a mission and no amount of grimacing or grumbling was going to deter them.
The beams are more of a fashion thing than a green thing since we made a total of four trips out to the D.H. Griffin salvage yard to finally pick out a grand total of eight beams. Nevertheless, they will add a lot of character to the family room. Besides, everyone should visit a salvage yard at least once in their life if only to gain a perspective on the amount of would-be waste that construction and de-construction generates. It’s also a great place to get ideas about how to re-use materials.
Speaking of salvaged materials, one of the most enjoyable “field trips” I’ve made lately was to Piedmont Surfaces [http://www.piedmontsurfaces.com/] in Eden, NC. Piedmont Surfaces sources, cuts, and installed just about any natural or manufactured countertop known to man. As such, they maintain a nice size yard of scrap material which can be used for small to medium table tops, vanities, counters, etc. It is a great way to get a good price on high end natural stone and it diverts these gorgeous chunks of rock from landfills. I’ve made a big deal about how there will be no imported granite material in my Greenspiration Home, since nearly all granite is imported from overseas on giant fuel guzzling cargo ships. However, I fell in love with a particular type of granite called “Rainforest Green.” Piedmont Surfaces had a small scrap piece of this material which was just large enough to make a top for a chest of drawers I plan on using as a vanity in the powder room. So, I can no longer say that Greenspiration is free of imported granite. But I did, at least, divert a small piece of waste from a landfill.
Ode to the Great Seamstresses of World - Journal Entry - 02/28/09
Sleuthing the Noise in Our Ventilation - Journal Entry - 02/27/09
My Greenspiration Valentine - Journal Entry - 02/19/09
"SEAMED" Like a Good Idea at the Time: - Journal Entry - 01/20/09
Floors to "DYE" For. - Journal Entry - 01/15/09
A Funny Story about Our Kitchen Lighting…. - Journal Entry - 01/05/09
Happy New Year Greenspiration Voyeurs! - Journal Entry - 01/01/09
I.O.U. Journal Entries! - Journal Entry - 12/18/08
If Walls Could Talk, These Would Say, “I look MAVALOUS!”- Journal Entry - 11/27/08
Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda- Journal Entry - 11/22/08
Name that Geothermal Unit!- Journal Entry - 10/24/08
This part of the construction process goes fast. - Journal Entry - 10/19/08
Okay, so we’re finally registered for LEED-H - Journal Entry - 10/08/08
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." - Jounal Entry - 09/16/08
It’s been a tense couple of weeks for Greenspiration. - Journal Entry - 08/11/08
A lot can happen in a couple of weeks. - Journal Entry - 07/04/08
Groundbreaking: A Tree Leans On Greenspiration - Journal Entry - 05/31/08
"How's the house coming, Trish?" - Journal Entry - 03/31/08
