Post your question in the John Bridge tile forum. They are a HUGE help when it comes to all types of tiling questions. They were great help when we were doing our backsplash project. Good Luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: John Bridge tile forum

38' x 17'
3.5 feet to 6.5 feet
Custom Spa w/7 jets
2.0 HP Jandy Pump
340 Sf Jandy Cartridge Filter
Standard Pool Lights
SunShelf with Bubbler
Flagstone coping
Salt System
Jandy Remote Control
Quartz Plaster Finish
Pool Builder: Superior Pools and Spa
Our Rating: Happy!

Started with this....

then to this.....

then to this...

Two simple recommendations you may already know:
1- paint the exposed white PVC at the plumbing with a UV protectant paint.
2- consider sealing the flagstone with a salt resistant sealer (i.e. dupont or 3M) as salt is very corrosive on porous stone.

Both preventative measures to keep you as happy as your are now in a couple years!

1. Ours is 9x11. No you don't need 9' width if you are hanging clothes on either side, but it feels nice and more like a dressing room.

2. We store EVERYTHING in the closet. We do not have any dressers or other storage elsewhere.

3. Although we do not have a door to the laundry room, we have a pass thought. it is so convenient!

Closet side hamper;

Laundry room side:

4. We ordered our closet door such that there is a mirror on the back built in. I just talked to DH about adding a few hooks.

5. We have a window and I love it! Our closet faces north and we never get direct sunlight on the clothes. We've put a bench under a window which DH requested for putting shoes on.

6. We had orignially thought about putting in an island but it did make the closet extremely large so we cut it out.

http://www.sunmountaindoor.com/doors/about-our-doors/
(actually spoke to an owner of G&A similar house plan that used them and she said they were wonderful and had the best prices compared to other quotes they received).

http://www.etodoors.com/

Y'all feel free to also share any links to suppliers/companies for quotes please. :)

i'm looking into a website called builddirect for the build that we are about to take on late this year. they have great prices on marble tiles in multiple sizes as well as blue slate tiles

you really CAN find nice wood floors for 5 dollars a square foot online. of course you wan't to see your wood floors in person. so find a good price on a few floors online that look like what you think you may want. then go to a big box store to see it in person. if you like it in person, get it online for the lower price.

Here is a link that might be useful: cote de Texas blog post

Dana at House*Tweaking has done some great budget Ikea projects, including her beautiful kitchen:
http://housetweaking.com/?s=ikea

I am planning to doing the photo below in our mudroom. As long as it isn't moved, I am not worried about quality issues. There are some pretty amazing Ikea hacks on Pinterest.

Ikea Entertainment unit:
http://pinterest.com/pin/84864774199543643/

Credenza/buffet:
http://pinterest.com/pin/166633254933239759/

Custom Built-in cabinets:
http://pinterest.com/pin/262968065713508747/

Built-in closet:
http://pinterest.com/pin/77405687317387226/

http://pinterest.com/pin/18084835975717438/

http://pinterest.com/pin/287386019941418879/

Ikea kitchen:
http://pinterest.com/pin/13651605092403974/

loan

You might also try talking with a local "mortgage professional" since they may already know which banks are likely to approve an owner-builder construction loan.

And, depending on where you live here are some websites that might be helpful:

http://ownerbuilderloan.com/

http://www.buildmax.com/

http://www.nationwideconstructionloans.com/ownerbuilder.php

http://www.ubuildit.com/

http://www.myconstructionloan.com/owner_builder.htm

http://www.constructionloans.com/html/owner_builder_programs.html

http://ownerbuildernetwork.com/

http://www.build4yourself.com/

http://lfshomeloans.com/construction/owner-builder-construction-loans.html

I thought about this forum as I read the chapter on architects. She explained the process, the contract types, even the personality/work styles of architects and I can see many people on this forum could benefit from her expertise.

A home is likely the biggest purchase of your life so $22 for this book will be the best money you're ever likely to spend.

As for who is on first, second etc. I suggest a splatter approach. We started with a builder, who recommended a designer, then things didn't work out with the builder but the designer suggested new builders. I think upfront it is good to talk to a couple of designers/architects and a couple of builders and then go from there. It helps if the designer/architect and builder also have a previous working relationship.

It has been stressful, but I'm certain it will be worth it in the end.

Here is a link that might be useful: BYOH site

I am looking for EVERYTHING, bathtubs, sinks, cabinets (probably get that one locally), fixtures, hardware, windows, doors, flooring, lighting and anything else that I could possible get a deal on!

We don't actually start building until December, however I'm 7 months pregnant, so I'm trying to come up with a list of resources and ideas now so that I'm not searching around for all of this with a newborn on my lap! ;)

Two books I felt worth the small price are:

Designing Your Dream Home:

Good information on what to ask during the interview process, checklists for each room of the house, etc. A few of the checklists well worth the costs of the book and things I probably would have missed such as cabinet size for those large platters and chargers (larger base cabs than standard boxes). Those interview questions helped us weed out more than a couple builders.

http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Your-Dream-Home-Everything/dp/1401603521

We also purchased What Your Contractor Can't Tell You:

Again - tips worth the price.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_21?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=what+your+contractor+can%27t+tell+you+the+essential+guide+to+building+and+renovating&sprefix=what+your+contractor+stripbooks232

Don't rush the design phase - will save stress and money down the road. Get the design right! Pick the best architect you can for your budget and style. Several of them leaned toward Old World and we are Contemporary and we knew it would not be a good fit.

And ditto what Kelhuck said - stay calm and enjoy the process of creating your dream home.

Cheers,

M

Here are a couple of exterior pics:

As for doing part of work on the house yourselves, it is certainly possible but how successful you'll be depends in large part on just how 'handy' you really are and on how much time and energy you have to devote. You don't mention having any children yet but, since you mentioned wanting 3 or 4 bedrooms and that you're in your late 20's, I'm guessing that you may plan on having a child or two eventually. A pregnancy WHILE you are in the midst of building can severely cut into your time/energy for devoting to the build while simultaneously putting a sense of pressure on you to 'just get the darned house finished!' LOL!

So, my advice is be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. But, if you have some actual building experience already... like maybe having volunteered extensively with Habitat for Humanity or having done some major renovations on a previous home... and can accurately judge both your skill level and the time you'll have available to devote - then go for it. Nobody else will ever put as much CARE into building your home as you will!

Getting a contractor who is in charge of finishing the entire house to agree to let you do certain portions of the work yourself MAY prove difficult. Contractors are much more likely to prefer to hire 'professionals' under the claim that they can rely on professionals to get in and get the job done and that having the homeowner do part of the work could delay the overall progress. It also puts you and the general contractor in a rather odd relationship in that, the general contractor works for you but, to the extent you are acting as subcontractor for some portion of the work, you work for him. It kind of blurs the lines of authority.

It is also possible to enter into a contract with a builder to him do the foundation, framing, rough plumbing, roofing, and finish the shell (up to dried-in stage or to the sheetrocked stage or to whatever point you decide) and, once he has completed all the work he was hired to do, he gets paid and steps out of the picture leaving you to finish the rest of it yourselves...either by directly hiring subcontractors or by doing the hands on work yourselves. Getting a bank on board with this kind of plan can be a bit difficult though. Banks typically want the house to be finished and ready to be lived in when the last of the construction loan money is drawn down. Plus, if there are any warranty issues once the house is fully complete, it can be difficult to nail down responsibility.

Another option would be to go the owner-builder route so that your are your own general contractor for the entire build. That way you hire can subcontractors or do specific jobs yourself, as you desire. You're in total charge. There are consulting companies that, for a fee (which is much less than a general contractor's typical percentage) will guide and assist you as you owner-build. They lead you thru the applicable laws so that you get all the necessary permits and inspections, advise you on the order in which to do various jobs...including how far in advance one usually needs to order certain materials, provide you with lists of pre-vetted subcontractors which you can choose to hire, etc. They'll even help you find banks that will give construction loans to owner-builders. Working with such a consulting company can give you the same clout with subcontractors that a volume builder would have because the subcontractors know that, if they don't do a good job for you, they lose all future business that might come their way via the owner-builder consultant. (And owner-builders tend to pay subcontractors ON TIME so, once they've worked for an OB, many subcontractors actually wind up preferring it.) Be aware that, as an owner-builder, YOU are responsible for any state mandated warranties if you sell the house to someone else before the warranty periods have expired.

My sense, from being on this board for more than 5 years now, is that owner-building is MUCH more common (and much more accepted) in the south than in the north...maybe because we tend to have fewer laws that protect homeowners from being victimized by unscrupulous builders here in the south so, to protect themselves, more southerners decide to owner-build. Or, maybe it is simply because having warmer weather most of the year just makes owner-building seem more attractive. Let's face it, most of us know that we don't want to be freezing our buns off hanging sheetrock or installing tile in an unfinished unheated shell in the middle of the winter! We don't even want to have to be closely inspecting a sub-contractor's work when it's 20 degrees outside. LOL!

I know at least a dozen different people who have owner-built custom homes (with guidance from one of several different owner-builder consulting companies) and every single one of them says that they saved money, got a nicer home, and would owner-build again in a heartbeat.

As for plans... you have several options for finding a plan and there are pros and cons to each:

1) If you want a custom design, hire an architect and have them create one just for you. Expect to pay anywhere from about $5/sq foot to 15% or more of your build price for architectural services. Price depends how detailed you want the plans and specs to be and what services, if any, you want the architect to provide beyond just rendering basic plans. If you want the architect to oversee the build process (i.e., ride head on the general contractor) expect to pay quite a bit more than if you just want them to render plans for you. At a minimum, if I hired an architect, I would want them to provide plans and complete specifications and then agree to be available (perhaps for an hourly fee) to settle any disputes regarding interpretation of the plans. And I would also expect them to provide, for free, any additional architectural services that proved necessary due to any flaws/omissions in the original plans.

2) Find a design online or in a house plan book that you generally like, purchase it along with a CAD version, and have it modified as needed to meet local codes. Some of the online plan sources now ask where you plan to build. I assume they do so so that they can advise you on whether the plan you have chosen already meets the building codes in your jurisdiction or can be modified easily to meet codes. Unless you find a plan that needs very very little modification to suit you perfectly though, you may wind up wasting significant time and money going this route. And apparently a lot of architects really don't like being asked to modify a pre-existing plan. You may have more luck if you hire a younger architect who is hungry for work. Alternatively, take the CAD to a draftsman to revise then have it the revised plan reviewed by a structural engineer with knowledge of local code requirements. Note that, in this case, if there are any flaws/omissions in the final plans, you're on your own hook to work out an acceptable solution with the builder.

3) Find a house built locally that you like, track down the architect and find out if he/she will license the plan to you. Be aware that if the house was fully custom, the architect may have contracted with the homeowner NOT to re-license the same work within a certain distance from the original build. (Folks who have paid for a truly custom design may not want another home exactly like theirs being built a block away!) Building a house from a plan that has already been successfully built minimizes that chances that there are undiscovered flaws/omissions in the plan.

4) Hire a design/build company that has an architect/draftsman on board. The really major potential problem with going this route is that, once you have a satisfactory plan, you can't put the design out for competitive bids. You are locked into either accepting the price the design/build company gives you for building the house or starting back over at square one. And, if midway thru the build, you find you have to fire your builder (it happens) or he goes bankrupt (it also happens), I'm not at all sure what legal right you would have to use the plans to finish the build.

5) Hire a volume builder and just choose one of their designs. Typically the only customizing that a volume builder will allow is in the finish work. I.e., you can choose paint colors, carpet colors, and choose from among the a limited palette of tiles, hardwoods, plumbing fixtures, and lighting fixtures. Don't go in thinking you can ask them to move walls or add in a window or two. Probably won't happen!

6) Design your own home. This takes an immense amount of time and study. It is definitely NOT for the faint of heart or those who are unwilling to learn one heck of a lot about architectural design and building codes AND be willing to learn to use a reasonably good CAD program. It also probably helps to have a good knowledge of basic physics and, even then, you'll probably eventually want to have your design carefully reviewed by a structural engineer. And of course, if there are any flaws/omissions in the design, coming up with a way to fix them is all on you.

Here is a link that might be useful: What do you need to do/know if buying raw land

Here is a link that might be useful: Original post with all the details

We've lived here 18 months and a lot of my house is still a blank slate but with the help of GW I'm getting there. Here are a few rooms.... some are done and others...not so much.

Here's the breakfast area:

Here's our den where I sit with my lap top and work.

Our master bath:

Our front entry:

Here's the great room as viewed from the kitchen

Come back and visit anytime!

Brickeyee,
So if I get this correct, I use a router to put a grove on the bottom of the door, then fasten the aluminum angle directly to the floor? And then I just leave off the plastic guides that come with the johnson kit?
Thank you!

Close Up

Backsplash

Organize your frig: http://besthousejo.blogspot.com/2010/12/refrigerator-storage-tips-what-you-need.html

Freezer Organization: http://www.bhg.com/kitchen/storage/organization/savvy-ways-to-store-food/?page=15

Pantry Organization: http://thecsiproject.com/2011/09/19/pretty-pantryin-my-own-style-2/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCSIProject+The+CSI+Project

Here is a link that might be useful: Organizing Tips

As I wipe down drawers, I've been trying to stick on some blue tape to make those fancy little pulls y'all use. I must not be doing it right. I'm taping it to the inside of the drawer and sticking a big tab out of the drawer, but when I close the drawer above one, the botom one gets tucked in.

How, exactly, do you fabricate a blue tape pull? Please be specific for the blue tape impaired me. :)

Good luck!

Backsplash

Close up

When I fall in love I fall hard, we have it on our fireplace surround too in a darker color.

Here is a link that might be useful: vihara glass tile in minka iridescent

Here is a link that might be useful: New Walker Zanger splash

Good luck

eriepatch--you can see photos of the house on the first thread (link in OP). But I sent you an email. If you get it just respond and I can send them to you.

rikerk-I used General Finishes Gel Stain. Use it like paint, several coats, then use a top coat to seal and give it that little sheen. I did all my vanities.

sidney-you crack me up. thanks

Here is a link that might be useful: flexible LED light strips I used

Here is a link that might be useful: Super Bright LEDs

Here is a link that might be useful: Philips undercabinet LED lights

Here is a link that might be useful: How To Choose Under Cabinet Lighting

Here is a link that might be useful: Kichler kitchen lights

Here is a link that might be useful: WAC Xenon light bar

Here is a link that might be useful: Seagull Ambiance

Upstairs hallbath (thank you gel stain!) The floor is a tile even though it looks like wood

the master bedroom:

and looking the other way:

and the ugly dresser I bought at Home Goods for $200, Drexel Heritage. Thank You Gel Stain, again!

who can forget the tile in the laundry room?

My daughter's room. Very pale lilac/gray color. BM Slip.

I'd like to see pictures of kitchens with narrow islands and/or aisles, and comments from the owners as to functionality. I realize that the countertops will have to overhang the cabinets so I may shorten the cabinets to 23" depth- wasy to do with either Ikea or custom cabinets.

Here is a link that might be useful: Knife Drawer Insert

I went tile shopping again today and I came up with a couple more options, the last of which I'm kind of IN LOVE with.. let me know what you think!

Cream crackle, with Sicis mosaic (could do sicis on main hood wall)

And la piece de resistance:

Sici "fireworks" as I call it.. I'm in LOVE with this and would do it throughout the kitchen

and my kitchen again, FYI

Love y'all!

Available online & at Home Depot. Currently $39.97 at Lowe's, but recent word on GW is that some areas have them available for $25.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cree LED can lights