House Update 3

Today we had to make the final decision on the color of the house. This is quite daunting because colors change in different light. Luckily our amazing builder Matt Lucas ordered a large quantity of samples so he could put them up on the house so we would be able to see exactly what the exterior will look like. We are aiming for a very light gray that leans towards beige. We also need to pick out the color of the gutters. Should there be a contest or do we want them to disappear and not be noticeable? Picture is below so you can email me your opinion.

Front Steps:

Steps went in last week. We decided to have the steps run the length of the front entry. I think that this looks more modern and sleek. Maybe we will put some planters on the side of the front door when the house is done. I want the final look to be minimal and not fussy. A metal roof on the garage and over the front door will create contrast and add to the modern farmhouse feel of the home. We chose black framed windows for the exterior that are white on the interior. I love the way the black framed windows look against a light gray house.

House Update 2

So it’s been about two months since my first post about building a home. Thank you for all the emails with advice and well wishes. So the foundation was poured and the framing is almost done. We have had to make a lot of decisions about color of windows, hardware and what kind of hinges we want on our doors. It’s amazing that when you are building a house every decision becomes important. We are not being handed a finished home, we are able to make choices about every detail which I guess can be a blessing or a curse. Who knew there were so many hinge options? Should the french doors swing in or out?

We have also entered the new world of the smart home. Amazing how every light, shade, speaker, camera and TV can all be controlled by an app on your phone. Even the doorbell has a camera so you can see who’s at your door on your phone before you go and answer the door. Oh, of course you don’t need to actually answer the door in a smart home, you can simply press a button and let your guest in. You gotta love technology.

So next week we will be picking out the color of the outside of the house. This should be interesting. Can you imagine picking the wrong color and then the whole house is painted and you’re like “Uh no, I really don’t like the color.” We have all painted a room a wrong color, or dyed our hair the wrong color but can you imagine painting a house the wrong color? Stay tuned for color samples so you can all be in on the decision.

So we are very excited about the progress and look forward to the next phase:

Photo Credit: Matt Lucas Builder

Building a Home

A new series of posts following the tear down and construction of our new home

For the next year I will be documenting the tearing down and rebuilding of our new home. After many years of living in an older home we were faced with the decision whether to renovate, build a new addition or tear down and build new. Our home had gotten too small for our family and we wanted to have a bedroom on the main floor for my parents so they wouldn’t have to walk upstairs when visiting us. After investigating all our options we came to the conclusion that it made the most sense to build a new house. We wanted the home to be more energy efficient and all the insulation and wiring in our existing house was outdated. So after years of deliberation we made what we thought was the craziest decision and build new.

Mark and I have never built a house before. We interviewed several builders and finally settle on Matt Lucas. So here we go. We hired Tag Team, a tag sale company in Sag Harbor, to help us sell all the fixtures in the house. Over Thanksgiving weekend we watched people remove windows, sinks, beams, vanities, kitchen cabinets and appliances. The house was a shell after the sale. We were very happy that so much was going to be reused and not wasted.

House demo

The Demo took one day. It is absolutely amazing how quickly and relatively neatly a house can be taken down.

So for the next year (hopefully less) you can follow my journey. I will share the problems, the fun parts and everything in between. I hope that this series will be interesting for anyone who has ever wondered what it really is like to build a house and answer questions for those thinking about renovating or building for themselves. Please feel free to ask me any questions along the way.

Six hours later and this is what’s left….