I've been idea-boarding again today, and I thought it might be helpful if I pointed out what some of the prices are for some elements that go into a home. This is one of the things I pride myself the most in. I feel like I can often actually save my clients money in the long run because I know what sources to use for budget design, and I also know where it pays to cut costs and where it does not. For example: cheap faucets leak, cheap carpet crushes, cheap paint takes extra coats and chips. But cheap light fixtures, they are generally just fine unless it's a light you are physically handling all the time, like a bedside lamp. Throw pillows (especially covers) hold up really well. Curtains, knobs, duvet covers, rugs, frames, and some furniture can also be purchased at a low price and still perform as well as pricey counterparts. Flooring is a little more involved. STONE OR TILE usually holds up really well, but you will pay a lot for installation. Prices for the material itself vary widely. I always recommend a medium or dark grout color so you don't have to replace it down the road when it inevitably stains. Be aware that it does feel cold to the touch and is very hard. That means it's tough on your feet, joints, and anything you might drop! For living spaces and bedrooms, I only recommend it in warmer climates. REAL HARDWOOD is beautiful, but again, the installation is generally more than the flooring by quite a bit. Damage with water can be devastating, which is prohibitive to laying it in basements, bathrooms, mudrooms, and even kitchens if you aren't careful. Wood is an insulator, which means it feels warmer on your feet than something like tile or polished concrete. ENGINEERED HARDWOOD can be a good option for the look and feel of real wood with a lower price tag on labor. Engineered wood is also safer in damp conditions. Look for a thick wear layer (at least 2 mm), so you can sand down and refinish if you ever need to. We have this throughout our main floor and upstairs almost eight years ago, and I haven't regretted it once. They even make waterproof options now. LUXURY VINYL PLANK is a popular choice these days, but you have to be careful which one you choose. My biggest recommendation is to choose "waterproof" LVP not "water resistant". Water resistant will absolutely swell when it gets wet. Our basement has an LVP that we went with when finishing it on a budget. I assumed that LVP was the best choice for a basement, but we have had a lot of problems with swelling if there is the smallest puddle for more than a few minutes. LAMINATE comes in an incredible array of colors, options, and styles. It's pretty durable to wet conditions and gentle underfoot, and is usually very inexpensive. It does scratch and chip quite easily and seams can pull apart, so this may look pretty rough after not too many years. This little bungalow has some definite craftsman vibes. I'm hoping to keep the living spaces comfortable and warm with modern touches that nod to craftsman style without doing overdoing it (no stained and leaded Tiffany light fixtures). Original craftsman style was modern (like 120 years ago modern). The movement put a lot of emphasis on handmade work and natural materials. I'm hoping to pull in bits of those elements and colors wherever possible. Some fun square elements will also speak to this style but also feel very current. The exterior of the home will be a cutie for sure. I'm hoping the inside will flow really well and all feel very clean and cozy at the same time.
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Spec homes are always a challenge. How can you give a whole home personality, but also keep things neutral enough that a wide range of potential buyers would be happy with it? It's also critical to keep prices low since they will cut directly into profits. My plan for this little house is to add details where we can that give it some architectural character and set it apart from other new homes on the market. I can't bring myself to go all in on farmhouse because it is just so overdone right now, but I plan to pull a few subtle elements from farmhouse style because the exterior of the home does have a slight farmhouse vibe. This grayish taupe is seeing a bit of a comeback since its heyday in the early 2000's. It looks modern and fresh when used on trim and cabinets rather than wide expansive walls. I'm excited to try it in the kitchen and hopefully some paneling as well. LIVING ROOMKITCHEN/DININGBATHROOMHere is a mockup of the exterior, just for reference. The structure to the left is a little bungalow since these are technically a duplex unit connected at the garage. I'll share plans for that unit soon!
These mock up elevations are a really great way for me to visualize how colors and materials interact with each other. Some people can just see things in their mind, I feel like I can to some degree, but I feel much more confident when I can look at an illustration before I make a decision. It also forces me to decide details that otherwise might get overlooked (like garage door color, or vent color and placement). These sweet cottages seen above were the first round of exterior ideas for this project, and the ones that made it to the finals are below. This house is going to be darling (and will probably look most like the third option seen here). I wouldn't have predicting an almost all brick exterior being the favorite, but we actually did a mini poll, and this was the clear winner! When I look at something for too long, my eyes can start to get tired of it and I can't tell what I like anymore. It always helps me to take a break for at least a few hours or ask those around me what they think. Fresh eyes are invaluable!
This house will be modestly sized with about 1400 sq ft on the main floor. It has a full basement and a small upstairs. We ended up doing a slightly bigger garage to fit two doors and give them a bit more storage inside. It's being built in an older part of town with most homes being 50-150 years old. We tried to create something that would fit in with its peers, but also benefit from this timeless style that won't look outdated in ten years. The plans were recently finalized, and I can't wait to see her come to life! It's been five quick years (what?!) since I've updated my creative page. My previous post was an appropriate intro to my hiatus. A little boy joined our family in 2017 and then his little brother was born in 2020. These two little guys haven't stopped my creativity, but they've wriggled their way into every second of my free time. So now that they're getting slightly older, I am feeling the need to share once again!
So here is my penitent return to blogging my creative work. I have also been trying to document work that I do on Instagram. Perhaps that will be a helpful reminder to blog what I'm doing as well. I haven't posted in ages, but I have been creating something ... Something big. Something life changing even! There is going to be a new Mounts in the house soon! That's right. His (yes, HIS) official due date is September 10th. Judging from the early debut of my last two babies though, I am expecting this little dude to show up sometime in August. I think he is absolutely darling already. I bawled through the ultrasound. Even though he's only five or six inches long, I can feel him jazzercising in there all day (and night) long. We may have a wild thing on the way. He even waved at us. See his round belly? And his little knee poking up? Just lounging in his bed-womb. This pregnancy has been so different than my others, not physically, but my mentality as it progresses. With my first baby, I was so young and crazy consumed with school that I was in complete denial about the whole motherhood thing. It took a day or two to even bond with her, because there was some disbelief that I could actually be a mom! Like, "Wait? I'm taking this thing home with me?!" With number two, the newness and apprehension shifted genders. Could I love a boy like I loved my girl? Was a going to screw everything up? Is two really super hard like everyone says? Then number three was absolute fear. She came sooner than anticipated in every way. So I was absolutely positive I was going to screw everything up. I just braced myself for impending doom. But this little guy.... It's different. I have been fine with having another for a while now. My kids are all older and will be in school all day when he is born. We're settled in a house that will actually fit us. My only fear is that it seems like we are starting over with the baby phase. But I have done that; baby phase is totally knocked out on my mom-resume. So are both genders. I guess I just feel more prepared than ever before in a lot of ways, and there is something so calming about that. This is the most peaceful pregnancy I have ever experienced. That probably means a storm is coming, but I will enjoy the calm while it lasts. When we only had one baby, we celebrated birthdays (and half-birthdays, and new teeth, and Hannukuh...). But once there were three, momma started having annual anxiety attacks. We have settled on the agreement that birthday parties with friends happen on even years, the odd birthdays are more chill; maybe dinner with grandmas and grandpas.
Well Annie happens to be hitting the big ONE - ZERO next week (cue even numbered balloons), and we are party planning. Obviously that is the only planning that went on with her birth, seeing how her due date was on Christmas Eve. Any other December birthdays out there? For our Christmas baby, we do the whole party thing as near to her birthday as is reasonable, and then save gifts for half-birthdays. June really lends itself to better gifts like bikes, slip n' slides, or the trampoline she got one year. But I hate just blowing her real birthday off like a nuisance, so party we will. We have attempted to keep her celebrations as simple as possible for my sanity's sake, but I have a feeling that a room full of tween girls is not going to be a calm or collected scenario. So we are planning a movie night. Just stick them all in the basement, toss some popcorn in, and lock the door, right? But for now, Invites! Again, simplicity = sanity. Pray for me. Shirts are maybe my favorite thing to design. Although I might have already said exteriors were? I dunno.... But I do know nothing beats running into someone who is wearing a shirt you designed. My good friend Katie recently asked if I would help her out with this most amazing shirt project. She has a brand new niece who was unexpectedly born with Down's Syndrome. Katie (being the lovely, magnificent human she is) decided to make shirts for her family for Christmas to show support for baby Anna and her parents. Isn't that just a beautiful idea? So I started brainstorming and researching, and brainstorming and researching. Throw in some sketching, and viola! These are the ideas I came up with. They still need some refining, but this is the gist of it. I really liked focusing on the number 21 because it relates to both Anna and Down's Syndrome. How? Well when chromosomes match during conception, we generally end up with 46 total. But a baby with Down's Syndrome gets an extra chromosome. Number 21 doubles, making 47 chromosomes total. Anna also happens to be the 21st person in her extended family (on the side I am making the shirts for). So she really is twenty-wonderful! I also tried to stick with blue and yellow for colors because those are generally used for Down's Syndrome Awareness. As you can see, one is very playful and one is more elegant. So I am running these by Katie to see what she thinks. Which concept do you think works best? Which would you see yourself wearing more?
I have been scheming and dreaming about this adorable little house plan for over a year now and have finally started pushing forward on it! An architect is working out the kinks, and I cannot wait to start digging for a foundation. I don't know how you feel, but I would rather look at house plans than go to a movie anytime. Thomas isn't seeing the light on this one unfortunately. I have yet to convince him that lounging in stretchy pants whilst eating nachos and looking at house plans is a totally viable date night. And this little subdivision we are working on only allows for super small footprints, so most homes just will not fit. Which only makes the challenge more fun right? This particular house mimics styles from the forties. Steeply pitched rooflines and cedar shakes are going to make it absolutely darling. The architect brought me back the first set, and said,
"I made the roof steeper than any house I have ever done, but it's still not as steep as the sketch. Are you sure you want it that steep?" "Yes! Yes! A million times, yes!" Well designed rooflines are my favorite way to improve the look of a home. And they are certainly more achievable if your home has a modest footprint. Hopefully we will get to meet again soon to finalize these plans, and I will update you on how this little cedar shake cutie is coming along.
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MEET and GREETHi there, I'm kricket. Archives
December 2022
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