Rough-in Challenges Creates More Changes
As soon as I finished my last post, Neil and I headed out to the jobsite to meet with all our Rough-in Crews. Rough-ins are all the internal workings of the home such as Electrical, HVAC, & Plumbing. As we were discussing the kitchen layout, we ran into a bit of a snag- we realized there was no easy way to vent out for the Hood Vent at its current location. That meant moving the cooktop all together. Neil’s immediate solution was move it to the Island. But my immediate response in my brain was “not in my beautiful island!”. However, after exhausting all other options, I started to open up to the idea and low and behold it actually made more sense to me once I got over the initial shock of having to rework my kitchen layout again. Another example of how things can seem good on paper but not necessary will work in the field. I am actually excited about the new layout. I think the overall flow and function of the kitchen now works better than the way we originally had in the last post (click here for a look back at last post).
Here’s the new layout.
- Cooktop is now located in Island with a Downdraft retractable vent
- We moved refrigerator to wall on right and got rid of any concern of opening the refrigerator doors against the pantry wall.
- Wall ovens are now moved beside the pantry wall and are a better proximity and use of space to the sink and cooktop.
Although having to mentally accept having to change the kitchen layout at the last minute wasn’t ideal, things like this happen quite frequently while building a new home, especially a new plan. We try to plan for all scenarios, but until you get into the field you learn that things have to be changed sometimes to work. Being flexible and open minded during the building process helps alleviate a lot of stress.
The house has now been roughed-in and cabinet drawings approved and in production, so no more changes in the Kitchen. (Whew!) So let’s move on to the Foyer and Dining Room.
As I mentioned last post, the overall style and selections in the Kitchen will help dictate the look and finishes when making selections for the adjacent areas in the home. My goal is to be deliberate in creating each area into its own space while keeping a consistent flow and overall feel.
Let’s begin in the Foyer. When standing in the the Foyer, even at framing stage, you get a sense of its “wow” factor. Not only is it a two-story ceiling but it’s also vaulted. The stairway is open the entire way up and beautifully flairs out at the bottom. For such a grand space, the light fixture needs to be large. My goal is to find a fixture that is somewhere around 40″x 30″. I mentioned in my last post how much I love light fixtures. Well until I move forward with my dream of owning my own lighting store one day, I rely on Carla with Lights Unlimited to guide me in the right direction. And on more than one occasion I think we’ve had every lighting catalog in the store out of her desk trying to find just the right fixture.
Hard day at work
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to work with someone like Carla who can take my ideas and style and guide me to the best options within my price range. And when I say price range, believe me, Neil keeps me on a budget so sometimes I have to be very creative to get what I want. Having to work on a budget is not always easy, but over time I’ve created a “per room” budget I try to stay within. For a house this size, we’ve allocated $6,000 total for light fixtures (doesn’t include the recessed trims). I haven’t finalized all the lights for this house yet, so we will see at the end how close I come.
Since I’ve started the Kitchen in Chrome and therefore going with chrome door hardware throughout the home, I am looking for a finish that will look good with chrome. After spending some time looking, the size I want narrows the search down quickly. I came up with these options as my favorite contenders.
I keep these Foyer options close by and start looking for a Dining Room fixture. When planning for the Dining Room I usually add some wainscoting on the walls and/or a decorative ceiling of some sort such as a coffer or tray. Here’s a few examples of some of my favorite past Dining Rooms:
However, when I stand in this Dining Room space I notice a few things- the Dining Room only has only one solid wall. The other wall is mostly windows and the rest is completely open with one column supporting the corner. The room is pretty large and rectangular in shape, therefore that one solid wall is long and big. So as I stand in the space staring at that long wall, I immediately want to turn that wall into the accent of the room. By using color and trimwork detail I plan to transform that wall into the focal point of the room. Since the wall will be the focal point, I’ve decided NOT to do a coffer ceiling but install a big, beefy, crown to give it a nice finished look.
Now, I start looking for the right light fixture. I found three Chandeliers in the chrome family I really like. I start considering the size of that wall again and feel it may be best to break that wall up in thirds and add two decorative sconce lights. So I take my three favorite chandelier choices and see if they have coordinating sconces.
Now that I have the fixtures, I mock up three wall layouts for the trimwork design for that accent wall.
The accent colors I’m considering:
Now that I have my chrome Dining Room fixtures confirmed I go back to the Foyer light. There is one more factor to take into account regarding the Foyer fixture. The stairway look. One option is to go with black wrought iron balusters or I can go with straight, clean line, white wood balusters. Here’s two examples:
I think both looks would look nice in this situation. However, because of the “grandness” of this space through the height of the ceiling and the curve of the stairs at the entrance, I feel the black wrought iron would complement the look best. Since the balusters are going to be black iron, I’m drawn to the large open lantern fixture that is combining the black iron with the chrome candlesticks and feel it will be the perfect compromise for this space. The size is great, and it’s a great price for the size.
I submitted our Parade of Homes Entry form and fee last week, so its official, we can’t back out now. Shingles, Siding, Insulation and the Front doors have been installed and Sheetrock is currently underway. Things are moving quickly and I can’t wait to show you what I’ve got planned for the bathrooms!
February 2, 2017
Jarman Homes
Jarman Homes 
I can’t wait to see it!!! Another great article, Joy!!
Sent from my iPad
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