We had our construction closing on May 7th, and are officially owners of our new house! It's been a while since I posted some pictures, so here's a bunch to show how the house looks currently.
(Click any to enlarge)
Probably for many, the first time seeing the house in white, and the first time seeing the brick. It had just rained (and we still don't have gutters, which are being installed later this month) so part of the brick is wet and you can see where the water drained down the facade. I don't know whether it's because of the white exterior or because of fairly flat, vertical siding, but sunlight coming through the trees casts super cool shadows on the house in the morning and evening. Here's a couple other views:
(I can't wait for the grass to grow and the gutters to be installed so I can finally bother cleaning the bottom of the house all the way around!)
Here's the new rug in the foyer (made of more Flor carpet tiles), and it's hard to see but it acts as kind of an extension of the concrete sidewalk and runs between both exterior doors in the foyer.
New curtains for the front window sets (for privacy in the evening, and it's helpful for blocking the sun as it comes in from the West into the dining room right at supper time).
Our piano in the school room, which needs a serious tuning and some love. Clara will start piano lessons this fall.
A new rug in the dining room (from Target).
Our cat Lucy finally makes it on to the internet.
New bar counter stools in the kitchen (from Ikea).
The sun is just awesome coming through the windows in the kitchen every morning. As you can see from the messiness, we live in the real world :-) Behind the house is just gorgeous right now as everything fills in with green leaves, and there are constantly birds singing in the day and frogs croaking at night.
Really, some of my favorite things about participating in the design and construction of the home are concentrating on the small details. One example is house numbers and our mail box. I ordered special house numbers online that have a more modern font and fit with the steel/nickel finishes of all of our metal fixtures. These numbers are also set off from the face of the home (instead of being flush) so that they cast a cool shadow at night.
For the mailbox, I did my normal thing and searched ceaselessly on the internet until I got a great deal on an awesome mailbox that stands out in design. It has a secure holding area for the mail that requires a key to access. I also selected mailbox numbers to match in font to the main house numbers.
Some final night views before signing off...
There's more to show of course, and other rooms that have been significantly updated. I'll stop here and leave more for another time. God bless!
16 comments:
Everything looks great! I especially love the font-matching for the house numbers; I'm sure Nathan will give you crap about that. I am curious: are you planning on putting any additional external trim on the second-story windows? Some contrast in that area might look good.
The house looks great!
I hope your sis-in-law and baby are okay. I've been praying for them.
Isaac:
Nothing else is planned around the windows, but the gutters are going to be half-round galvalume (which is just a galvanized aluminum, an unpainted natural metal look) which will add some interest.
Rachel:
Yes, everything appears to be OK with her baby, Molly could probably explain more to you over facebook.
Yeah! So.happy.for.you!
Can't wait to see it in person =)
Hi Sarah, Greg showed me your house plans, you guys will have a gorgeous house! Let me know if I can help with anything.
Great photos! What a wonderful home; the dining room is especially appealing.
In some odd way, Brendan, the house looks very old... like it has been loved and cared for, for a very long time, and updated as necessary. I think it is the brick and white, plus the forms; I had not thought this before the most recent pictures.
It is a good home!
Much happiness to you all in your ecclesia domestica~
John
I really like the new rugs and curtains!!
We just got a new rug today for the school room. The colors weren't exactly what they looked like on the photo online, but I think it will still work. We'll see if Brendan approves. The rugs and curtains have helped to cut down the echo tremendously...thank goodness!!!
John:
Thanks for the comments, we've had the exact same feedback from some of the sub-contractors that worked on the house who thought it felt like an older home. One even asked if this was a re-model project :-) I guess the guts and form of the home feel very classic, while many of the finishes and lines are quite modern. Kind of like the Church, ever ancient, ever new!
I've really enjoyed seeing this come together and am so excited for you! Congratulations!
Thanks Melody, glad you like it! Molly had previously pointed me to your babysitting rates post on your blog, quite funny and so true!
This is all well and good, but I miss my grandkids and want more pictures of the kids. Can you oblige me.
Where did u get that mailbox? I really like the look and the size.
I got it on clearance at mailboxworks.com, and I don't think they offer it anymore. But they do have other designs that are at least similar (though more expensive than what I paid). You can check here: Link
That is a fine house, Brendan! From the roof down to the wooden floor, they were done neatly. It's very ideal for the kitchen's window to face east so you could have a nice ambiance and feel coming from the sun when you're preparing breakfast. Have you considered a garden in the front yard? You have a big space outside, I hope that you utilize it to add more beauty in your house. Keep us updated about the changes. Cheers!
Saundra Wordlaw
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