New Construction Includes Flooring, Fireplace Tile, Light Fixtures and Shutters

            Within a few weeks we should be moving into our house; in the meantime the last part of our new construction is moving swiftly. The hardwood floors are about half complete and quite attractive, the tile and mantle for the fireplace are finished, the light fixtures are all in place and the shutters on the front are up.

            The last few pieces of the puzzle are about to be wrapped up shortly. We finished deciding on all our hardware and bathroom mirrors, and I think we’re finished picking out all the fixtures. So, now the race is to get everything completed and all the loose ends tied up.

            In making a decision on the flooring, we looked at lots of different choices for laminate and hardwood, working towards the right decision for our house and our proximity to the water. We learned that laminate has come a long way in the last few years and we looked at some that was very attractive; but with the wisdom of our builder, Blue Moon Bay, and his team, we decided the right decision for us was to use engineered hardwood. In the long run, we decided with the moisture and the lake nearby, the hardwood suits us best. The next hurdle was the cost. Our builder and decorator found a beautiful and affordable (I feel like I’ve used those words together quite a bit in most of my blogs – it seems to be a theme in our construction decision-making) hardwood that is quite attractive and should serve us well for many years. It’s going down nicely and looks amazing.

            The tile subcontractors finished the tile around the fireplace. It took a while to pick out the tile because we wanted something that would be unique, striking and durable. We decided on a marble that was quite different from the other tile in the house. We were pleased with the result. The fireplace will certainly be a focal point in our great room.

            It took hours of looking up at light fixtures in the store to finally decide on the ones we thought would look best with the other design components in our house. We have a great chandelier to go over our table but it took a while to make a decision on this light fixture. The result is very pleasing. We chose the same fans for the three bedrooms and living area. The tulip lights on the fans had yellow glass shades and once they were up and turned on at night we didn’t like the yellow light. So, we found clear shades that we purchased and put up and we like the new shades much better. Two glass globes pendants over the island in the kitchen turned out great. The entryway light is unusual with lots of small crystals that hang from the fixture. All in all, the fixtures turned out great and blend with the other design elements.

            The white shutters are up in the front and add a great contrast to the gray siding. The railing is getting painted and the front of the house is starting to look like a home.

            This amazing journey is about to come to an end and we’ll get to start enjoying our new home. We’ve had so many great people who’ve worked on our house. They’ve been great craftsmen and professionals in every way. And, our builder has led the entire construction process with such integrity, patience, good taste and affordability. For more information on the new construction, please call 501.520.9201 or 501.262.9310.

New Construction Includes Two New Design Elements and Out-of-This-World Air Conditioner

            We’ve made huge progress in our new construction in the last couple of weeks. The house is truly beginning to take shape now that we are in the last stages of construction. Within the last week the tile in the bathrooms and laundry room has been laid and it looks incredible. It took a couple of visits to the tile store to decide on the tile. And when it was first going down the color didn’t look like what we thought we’d picked out, but with a lot of patience from our builder, we listened to him and decided in different lights it looks different. Bottom line, the tile is in place and it is unique and very attractive. We’re so please with the outcome and the mature advice from our builder.

            At the end of last week, the new granite in the kitchen and bathrooms was installed. It is a medium gray color and looks fantastic with the other gray components in the house. A new trend in granite includes choosing between a brushed finish on one side of the stone or the traditional polished finish on the other side. We decided to go with the polished side to avoid the possibility of scratches on the brushed side without a solution for polishing out any scratches.

          The tile and granite are stunning and blend beautifully with the other design elements in the house. In the midst of getting the tile and granite in place, the new 21-seer Infinity heat and air system has been installed and the results are just amazing – actually it is exactly as the contractor said it would be. The unit has a variable speed compressor that lets the system bring the cool when it’s needed but allows it to function mostly in low-stage, where we get the highest efficiency and the best dehumidification because of longer run times. The dehumidification is especially important since our house is only 50 feet away from the lake. An added benefit is the system is also very quiet.

            The tile, granite and HVAC system are all exactly as we envisioned. Our builder, Blue Moon Bay, continues to be a great company to have as our contractor. Their integrity is impeccable, the years of experience are incredibly helpful and, probably mostly, their patience in dealing with us as first-time builders is greatly appreciated. This has been a journey, for sure, a little anxious at times, but mostly a great learning process with a terrific outcome. For more information on our new construction, call 501.520.9201 or 501.262.9310.

  

New Construction Includes Cabinets and Interior Painting

             Picking out an interior paint color for the new construction of our house was a little daunting. We spent time with our decorator, who is part of our builder’s team at Blue Moon Bay Construction, to choose a color. Part of the process of choosing a color included looking at many shades and variations of several colors. Going into the decision-making we knew we wanted a shade of gray that would be a soothing, peaceful color that would continue to make the interior full of light and enhance our view of the lake.

Sounds easy right – not so much because there were so many choices. We settled on a medium shade at first. The builder painted the color on a large piece of paper and taped it on a wall in the house. When we went by to look at the color it seemed too dark. We then had a couple of new colors to look at and we finally decided on a lighter shade of gray. Thank goodness for the patience of our builder. And, the new color seems perfect.

            Deciding on all the intricacies of kitchen cabinets was as thought-provoking as choosing a paint color. We knew we wanted plenty of storage space in the kitchen, which stretches across one end of the great room. We also have an island that contains cabinets and we decided to add one additional narrow cabinet for even more storage. We also wanted them to be attractive, easy to reach and blend with the rest of the great room.

One process that has been an incredible help throughout the building process was making frequent trips to our builder’s house to look at different design and material elements in their house. We had always admired the cabinetry at our builder’s home and decided to use some of the same ideas they used. All the dreaming finally turned into reality and we have the cabinets we envisioned. They are installed, painted and the doors are mostly in place. And, we are so excited about the way they turned out.

           Even now that we’re down to the nitty gritty details, we are so grateful for our builder, his team of professionals and the subcontractors. Our home construction is on track, we’re so pleased with the quality of construction, everyone has been easy to work with and very accommodating, and we can hardly wait to get it all finished. For more information on our new construction, call 501.520.9201 or 501.262.9310.