Pages

Friday, October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween!!!

Hi guys,

Kiara has a message for you...



Thursday, October 23, 2014

Appliances

Hey guys,..

When we purchased our home we chose to get the "appliance package" and some other things instead of "decor dollars". Maybe it wasn't the best choice, but it was our first time buying a house and it seemed to be the best option.

At the end of our first appointment with the builder (you can read more about it here), we received the voucher with the address of the store.

We went to the store and the lady was really nice. She explained everything about the appliances we are getting.

In summary, we are getting a refrigerator, a stove and a dishwasher - all Frigidaire Gallery. I guess I am ok with the stove and the dishwasher, but we are considering  an upgrade for the fridge.

Our standard fridge is a stainless steel 18 cu. Like this one:


We think it might be too small so we are considering upgrading to a bigger one - 28 cu. To be honest, I don't know if we should choose a side-by-side or a French door fridge.

Side-by-side fridge


                           
French door

Which one is the best option? Should we go with Frigidaire?

All you ideas are welcome :)

Thursday, October 16, 2014

The Roof is On!!!

Hey guys,...

Now it looks like a house,... the roof is on. We believe the framing is almost done. Check the last pics!






This is a view from the foyer to the living room and part of the dinning room.



This picture was taken from the living room and you can see the dinning room to be and the big window to the backyard. I love the idea of having this big window, lots of light coming through.


This is my future kitchen,... so easy to imagine the cabintes and the 3 extra pendant lights over the breakfast area (connecting with dinning room).


Can't wait to see the house finished!!!!






Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Interior choices - part I

A big part of our free time goes into choosing all the finishes for the house. We read a lot about the subject in forums in order to get some tips on what  to do with the builder or not.

Also, I like driving to tour model homes to have ideas on styles and designs. Sometimes we go to different builders (in the end, they all have the same suppliers).

Pinterest... I love Pinterest. To be honest, I think I am addicted to it. Maybe I should create an account for my blog.

When we first visited the decor centre, we received a list with all the items that were "standard" (which means that we don't need to pay extra money to have them).

In summary, we need to pick the tiles, carpet, cabinets (colour and style), granite, flooring for the whole house. In addition, we need to list the upgrades we would like and submit for pricing (that is sent to us 2 days before the appointment).

The process of picking/choosing all the finishes is exciting and overwhelming at the same time. I really like the idea of customizing my home, but I am afraid of picking something that I will regret later.

In an attempt to make life easier, I created an excel file with our choices - standard and upgrades  - for each room of the house and took pictures of them all. (I like to have options)

So let's start the process of picking the finishes. As you can see below, we got the standard flooring and placed the tiles around to check if they matched:



Hardware:



Regarding cabinets, we (Ron and I) have different opinions. He prefers dark cabinets. I think they are really beautiful and fancy, however, our kitchen is not big and it doesn't have any window to brighten the environment, so I think we should go with white cabinets.

In my view, a white kitchen is stunning. It can be classic and contemporary at the same time. I believe that white cabinets will make the space look bigger. With the correct pendants (over the breakfast bar) and some potlights, the kitchen will look pretty.

But the question is, which shade of white, crystal or antique white? By the way, I do love the first door style.


We tried the white crystal going with a brownish granite:


Carpets (2nd and 3rd floor):


Stairs (the lighter one is standard):


Nickel doorknob (standard):


Ensuite cabinets (upgrade) and countertop:


So, for the 2nd bathroom each one of us chose a set. Ron picked the brown cabinet and I chose the white one.


Which one do you prefer? Let's vote????

We appreciate your help :)