Since my last post, we had our design meeting with the builder where we had to sit down and pick every single interior item in our home. I'm a decision maker - and 2.5 hours into the meeting we were doing great. I was checking off decisions right and left. The Husband was sweetly nodding and smiling (just how I like him).
Then came the carpet color choice. For lack of a better term: Shit hit the fan. The Husband all of a sudden had a strong opinion - and he picked the WORST carpet ever. Worst. It was grey/green and matching exactly zero of the other items we had already selected.
Now, I know what you're thinking:
"let the man have one decision"
"all he wanted was carpet, and you couldn't give it to him"
"you picked everything and you couldn't trust him with a carpet color choice"
No. I couldn't.
I want him to love our house - but I also know that he has no concept of matching, and no eye for design. This man needs ME to go to the mall and pick out clothes for him. Why in the world would I trust him to make a decision as large as the carpet in our home? Wasn't gonna happen.
After a whisper of 'over my dead body' the poor Design Lady (let's call her Kay) gave us some space and volunteered to leave the room for a while. After several minutes of whisper yelling (y'all know what I'm talking about...) she returned and we did not have an answer. We admitted that we couldn't make a decision that day - and needed more time to "discuss" in the privacy of our own home.
We went back to the design center this weekend to pull out all the samples and make a decision (without Kay around). And what do you know... we made a decision. A good one, too. It only required an upgrade to level three carpet and an additional $560. Not that I think "throwing money" at a problem is a solution all the time... but it sure worked this time. We have beautiful, soft, plush carpet in a beautiful color that we both love. Happiness has returned to our marriage. Hooray.
Without further adieu... here are our design choices:
Carpet and Tile
Tile specs: Ceramic (standard level). Size: 16''x16''. Color: Bone. Tile will be in the entry way, extended entry, kitchen, breakfast room, pantry, hall closet, master bathroom, guest bathroom, back entry way, entry from garage.
Carpet specs: Mohawk Easy Choice (level 3). 100% Mohawk UltraStrand UltraSoft BCF Nylon with Scotchgard Protector. Color: 737 Corkboard. (+$560)
Kitchen and Surrounding Areas
Granite Specs: 3cmm. Squared Edge. color: 'Santa Cecilia' (level 2 granite... but negotiated into the contract price).
Backsplash Specs: 4''x4'' Travertine Fontane Tumbled tiles, set on the diagonal. Color: Ivory Classic. (level 5, but we negotiated down to a price of +$180). Grout in backsplash will be 'Antique White'.
Cabinet Specs: Knotty Alder. (I forgot the actual stain color but it's got some reddish in it... close to cherry... but not quite). (Thankfully, these were standard and they will go in the kitchen and both bathrooms).
Not pictured:
Grout color: 'Sand' (for floor tiles)
Kitchen Sink: Mirado 205 - Stainless Steel Under mount Sink - 8'' Deep (standard)
Master and Guest Bath Countertop: Cultured Marble with integrated Sink (standard)
All plumbing, hinges, knobs, sink fixtures: Oil Rubbed Bronze (the price was steep... but it was negotiated into our contract price)
you can see the backsplash tile with the granite...
most of the choices, all together.
You can see there are two different paint colors (Montgomery Sand is the darker and Autumn Tan is the lighter). We're undecided. Any opinions?
So, if you remember my "Window OR Lighting" debate from the last post - I couldn't decide between an extra window over the backdoor or under cabinet lighting. The 'votes' were overwhelmingly in favor of the window. After a lot of conversation I am thrilled to say... We're getting BOTH. The Husband is a sucker for a happy wife. Lucky me.
We honestly thought all the upgrades we would want were already worked into our contract... so these 'extras' are definitely 'surprises' to our budget. For those of you looking to build - I would really suggest spending lots of time in the design center BEFORE you make an offer... because it hurts my heart to think we could have gotten these upgrades within our contract price.
Oh well. You live you learn.
Here's the breakdown of our upgrades (after contract):
Larger Master Shower (from 42''x36'' to 42''x42'') = +$500
Tumbled Travertine on Backsplash = +$180
Extra Window over Backdoor = +$250
Under Cabinet Lighting = +$340
Upgraded Carpet = +$560
Grand Total (Gulp): $1,830.00
(remember The Husbands $1,000 budget just a few days ago... yea... it's a thing of the past)
We are thrilled with our choices and the only thing up for debate at this point is paint color.
What did you think?
Montgomery Sand or Autumn Tan?
No comments:
Post a Comment