Well, its been about 13 months since we purchased our lot in Virginia. This past Friday, our Construction Manager finally pinned down an approximate move-in date of November 13/14. It is truly countdown time!
I have been sharing videos on Face Book, but wanted to document the progress in a bit more detail. I don't actually get many views on my blog, so this is post is mostly for me, as I know I will enjoy revisiting this blog post years from now.
We have a fabulous Architect. We told him we wanted a quasi-Craftsman style home - it's basically one and half levels with a full basement. It incorporates wonderful textures on the facade - stone, shakes, and siding that is placed vertically rather than horizontally--- I love the siding.
NOTE: (Click on the drawing/image to see it full screen). And, for some reason, Blogger has changed my font color halfway through this post....I have NO IDEA why.... Sigh.
The Exterior
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| Texture is what excites me - Shakes, Siding, and Stone |
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| Photo was unfortunately taken in bright sunshine...The garage doors are gorgeous! |
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| There is a wrap around porch, which leads from the front door to half way around the right side of the house |
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| The back features a three season porch...one of my favorite features |
The Basement
The basement features a rec room with fabulous windows and a double glass door. I am so pleased with all the light that streams into this room. There is an exercise room, two "unfinished" storage areas, a half bath, and the second most important room in this house - my studio!
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| Basement Windows - Image taken from three Season Porch |
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Cabinets in my studio!! Upper cabinets are not yet hung on the wall. There will be an under counter refrigerator, for cream for my coffee, water, etc., and a nice work surface on the counter. A sink - large slop-style - will be installed in the alcove to the left of the cabinets. The Main Floor  When we designed this house (and our last home in Virginia), we wanted an "Age-in-Place" home. So, there are many ADA-compliant features throughout this home. Hallways are wide; grab bars in the bathrooms; lever-style door handles and sink faucets for easy opening/turning on; all of the showers are Roman-Style - no door so that a wheelchair (if necessary) can be rolled right into the shower. There is an elevator as well, which also comes in handy to use as a dumb waiter (all the Christmas stuff will be stored in the basement). We are also installing a ramp into the garage, accessed by the single entry exterior garage door.  Ramp in the garage  Mud room, above, is entered from the garage door, and has storage cabinets and seating for taking off one's shoes upon entry.  The Great Room, above, has a gas fireplace in the center, and is flanked with built in shelving with cabinets on the bottom.  Kitchen Cabinets - Range to be installed in the center, above  The two photos above are the cabinets behind the kitchen island. I specified drawers in lieu of cabinets as it is so much easier to get to my cookware, etc. from a drawer.  I tried to get a good close up of the cabinet treatment. They are painted white, and then stained, with the majority of the stain wiped off. It looks so much better than just painted, I think.  Kitchen island, above, features stained cabinetry.  I added two very cool cabinet options to the island. The cabinet above features an appliance pull out shelf - it will hold my very heavy Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. One little pull, and it lifts the mixer to cabinet height. I am very excited about this feature!  I had a smidgen of space remaining in the island. So the cabinet designer suggested the cabinet above. It is situated to the right of the dishwasher (sink is to the left of the dishwasher) and it holds a towel rack for my kitchen towels, and space above for sponges above, and soap and cleaning supplies in the shelf below. Such a good use of space!  The Vent Hood (pictured upside down, above) is also stained wood, to match the kitchen island. So excited to have two-tone cabinetry in this home!  Master bath cabinetry above - there is still a corner console to be installed. This wood and stain is such a beautiful, warm color. Upper Level/2nd Floor  The second floor includes a Guest Room Suite (Bedroom #3), Mom's bedroom suite (Bedroom #2), and a bedroom suite dedicated for Mom's sewing Room (Bedroom #4). There is a Coffee Bar (pictured below) between the Guest Room and my Mom's bedroom, complete with a sink and an under the cabinet refrigerator. This is the third home we have had where we have designed or installed an upper level coffee bar. It is extremely handy, as Mom and guests do not have to come downstairs first thing in the morning for that all important cup of java!  The only bath with a tub is located on the second floor.   That's it for today. The exterior facade, cabinets, bathroom tile, and paint on all the walls will continue this week. I am FINALLY looking forward to moving!  View from front porch to street - the setback of the home is amazing....you cannot see the street! Thanks for stopping by! I hope that one day soon, my blog posts will contain some jewelry images. :) XO Patti |
