Building a Home

[Jami Johnson]

If you've followed along over the last year with some of my posts, you'll remember that we moved our little family from Oregon to Utah. Why? Lots of people ask that question. It's because our extended families are so important to us and we want them to be an important part of our children's lives. So here we are in Utah and have been for almost a year. We decided to rent for a couple months while we house hunted and never dreamt that a year later, we'd still be renting. The perfect house just never came along. But, the perfect piece of land did and now we are embarking on the wonderful journey of building a home. We are so excited!

So, I've been been scouring websites for building and decorating ideas and I came across this lovely blog (http://www.houseofturquoise.com/). Just wanted to pass it along in case you have nothing better to do today and wanted to drool over the gorgeousness of some of the rooms. Aren't they lovely.

But, more importantly and a bit more realistic, I'm looking for REAL ideas to incorporate into our home. What are some features you have in your home or have seen somewhere that you love? Any specific do's or don'ts you know of when building a home? If you could change anything about your home what would it be? What do you absolutely love about your home?

I can't wait to hear your ideas and I'll definitely keep you posted as we go along our journey!

[StitchinGrandma]

I only have one tip about building your own home and it's a big one. ALWAYS, always talk about everything with your spouse. And understand/remember this is your house for your family; one his or hers. So many marriages are strained after the huge process of building their own house because there are so many things that have to be chosen and each always have their own ideas. So yea, my tip is keep the lines of 'calm' communication open at all times. ;)

OH and the other thing I will tell you now ~ You WILL go over budget. ALWAYS! And probably on every room, especially the kitchen and bath when you get to the store to pick things out and find super awesome options that are much more expensive than the builders options. LOL

I LOVE that blog you posted, especially that first set of pics with those very cool fabrics that remind me of the 50's. SO cool.

And THIS (http://ana-white.com/2010/04/i-built-it-kirsten-from-crafting-chicks-amazing-play-kitchen.html)I have seen before on other blogs and would LOVE to have this built for my Granddaughter. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE that little kitchen!!!!!!!!! I really think you should build this for your daughter. Then you can make her a adorable little set of apron, pot holders, and chef hat. :D

Good luck to both of you AND your kids with lots of crossed fingers for a smooth build. Congrats on making the decision.

[susank]

Congratulation Jami! You are embarking upon an amazing process. My husband and I built a custom home 5 years ago and after going through it once I know that the second time will be much easier. Vicki is right - count on going over budget and count on disputes with spouses - both are inevitable.

On a more practical note - here are some things I learned:

- look at a lot of plans to get ideas of what you like - there are lots of books out there
- use the best materials you can afford - if you skimp on some things you may regret it later and then it's more expensive to change
- carefully plan the spaces you use most like kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms (put the laundry where you want to do it - i.e. second floor)
- make sure you have enough closets - remember pantries and broom closets
- if you think a room is big enough - really think about it - we had our house designed and then twice said bump every room by two feet in each direction and we were very happy we did
- plan for wide hallways
- try to use consistent flooring for a seamless look - our house is all hardwood with granite inlays in high traffic areas like the front entry and under the kitchen island - it all flows well this way
- think about how you will use the outside space and make sure the inside doors etc accommodate it
- if there are options for bonus spaces go ahead and finish them - it's much more expensive to do it later
- have enough garages - a large property needs space for lawn tractors etc.
- buy every magazine you see and take out pictures of what you like - this will help you plan interior details - you need to know from the beginning where you want fireplaces, built ins etc.
- with a growing family a kitchen desk area that accommodates a computer is wonderful
- I know it is not a big thing in the US but with kids you may want to thoroughly plan a mud room space - we have a large mud room that leads into an extra powder room for those children who come home and immediately need to run to the bathroom

I could go on forever on this one but this is a start and I'm sure others have many ideas. If you have any specific questions along the way let me know and I'll be glad to share experiences. I hope you enjoy the process as much as we did. It was a lot of work but well worthwhile.

[StitchinGrandma]

Ok Jami ~ I just changed my comment .........


TIP ~ HIRE SUSAN AS YOUR GENERAL CONTRACTOR! :D

[susank]

Cute Vicki!!!!

I would actually love to do it if I could. After we built our house I helped a friend with hers - I love the process!!

On the subject of contractors you really need to find a good one - there are a lot of horror stories about disreputable ones here. Go look at houses they have built before you hire one and speak to other homeowners. Sometimes a builder can build a great home but a homeowner might tell you that he was a bear to deal with or impossible to contact when you needed him. I live in a neighbourhood that is all custom homes and there are numerous stories of problems with builders. It's really a buyer beware situation so check them out before you sign anything!

[katiedoodles]

Susan...you sound like you are a seasoned pro! Maybe Jami should look to hire you :p

Jami,

When we had a house built for us in Richmond, VA it was the first time I would be living in a house (coming from NYC origianlly) and there were allot of things I didn't know we could change from the blueprints, but these are on my "list" if we ever have the opportunity to build again.

- add in additional power outlets from what "code" dictates (when we finished our attic, we added outlets at desk height which saved me from banging my head all the time!) I can never understand why the outlets in a master bedroom are placed in the center of the wall (usually right where the bed will go; put them where night-stands will be placed.)

- make sure that power is run for overhead lighting in every room (we had this done, but we one of the few in our neighborhood that did...boy it was a fortune afterward to have this done!)

- If it's available I would have gas service: (I love gas cooking!) Even if you are not planning on having a gas stove, I would have the line run because it is always a great feature in the kitchen. I have seen houses that have the gas fireplace starter and the gas line run to the patio so you don't have to bother with propane tanks!

- I agree with Susan about having the same flooring throughout the home. Not only does it look fantastic, it also avoids transitions from carpet to hardwood to tile.

- Make sure that the rooms will all be used...we had a "formal living room" in our place that was used once! If I had thought about it, I would have expanded the dining room. (If we had stayed in that house, that's what we planned to do.)

- We spent extra $ on upgrading the HVAC system, it paid off within two years!

I would make a list from all of the houses you have looked at, write down what you liked and what you didn't like. Make sure that the likes are all covered and the dislikes are avoided! Of course my husband thought that the most important thing for you to remember is to add 220 power in the garage (he has done this in every home he has lived in....men and their tools!)

Good luck! This will be quite an adventure for y'all!

[susank]

I agree with everything katiedoodles added and it reminded me of something we did that has also been a great idea. We had the house wired for a backup generator - it is set to run the furnace, refrigerators, sump pump, freezers etc if the power goes out. If you are living in a more rural setting this can come in handy for power outages during storms.

[Granny313]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! I would hire Susan in a minute! The only thing that I advise is the extra power outlets. Especially for Christmas. (Think ahead) When I decorated our house for the first time I got so aggravated because I needed plug ins for several things on shelves, etc. and had no way to light them up without running an extension cord everywhere - can you say tacky? Good Luck and ENJOY every minute.

Also - I definitely agree with the mud room with shelving in there for bookbags, shoes, etc so the kids can grab everything at the back door on their way out. And hooks for coats. Each child needs their own little space there.

One last thing that my step daughter did that I think is really cool - the wall going into their mudroom she put cork board all over it. That is the area that she hangs all the "pictures" and papers that the kids bring in from Sunday School and School. It does not mess up the wall.:itsme:

[susank]

I agree with Granny313 on the power outlets. We put them in cabinets, on ledges that would hold Christmas trees and a million other places. A smart thing to do in this regard is a full electrical/lighting walk through of your house after it is framed. We planned where we wanted lighting on the drawings but then had a four hour meeting in a house that was about minus 25 degrees where we walked through the house starting where we would come in from the garage and figuring out where we want light switches to turn off and on, what would be turned on together and then where we would want to turn things off - it was well worth it. We did it from every entrance of the house and it really makes a difference. You will want lights to be able to be controlled from multiple places depending on where you enter the house.

... and speaking of central controls ---- a few other things are nice ---- like wall or ceiling mounted speakers in every room (the wiring is relatively inexpensive when you do it from the beginning), internet and cable in all rooms (I have a flat screen TV built into rooms such as my laundry/sewing room and the master bathroom) -- as well as security controls (I have a panic button next to my bed because my husband travels).

See I told you I could go on forever!

[Jami Johnson]

Sorry to post and run and never return. Shame on me! Thank you, thank you for all the valuable feedback. I have more to post, but need to run and finish up Halloween costumes. Luckily, three of my four are recycling costumes from previous years, but one little man wants to be a Lego....don't have that one yet! Plus, I've been on vacation to visit my mom for a week in Memphis and then taking some time off to teach my kids how to turn off lights, flush the toilet when they're done, and that pumpkins are not basketballs. You'd be surprised, but that actually takes an absorbent amount of time when done the right way! ;)

I will return with a house update...

[StitchinGrandma]

HA lessons sounds like a tons of fun...too funny .....well to ME it is anyway. :p

Good luck with the costumes. Gosh, those were fun times but, I'm kinda glad they are behind for me.