Tuesday, October 25, 2011

I love a good Remix. Especially one that's Vintage.

So if I were in the habit of picking my favorite house we've never built, I would totally pick the Vintage Remix and here's why:

I love that kitchen.  I love how the whole house wraps around the kitchen.  I love the big family room up front and the more intimate breakfast nook & morning room in the back.  And a back staircase thrills me to no end.  Reminds me of an old house.  Which is how this house got it's name...old house features, new house template.  A Vintage Remix.

The Craftsman - A Elevation
A great front porch, lots of shingles and shutter dogs 
(those little squiggly things on either side of the shutters...aren't they cute?)

The Cottage - B Elevation
Something for all you brick fans out there.
I love the light fixture above the garage door! 

The English Cottage - C Elevation
I'm a board & batten fan (the vertical siding) and 
I love any house with a swoop & stone archway entry!


I want to hang out in the morning room with a great cup of coffee and admire
how organized I might be if I had a mudroom entry with all those built-ins!  

I really like the way BR#2 is secluded from the rest of the bedrooms-it's the perfect guest suite.  
And the lounge is a cozy little spot as ideal for hanging out as it might be for homework. 

What do you like about this plan?  





Monday, October 24, 2011

When it comes to building green...

My son, Sam

When it comes to building green, we are just a toddler...a curious, cute, thumb-sucking toddler.  Just as Sam explores the world with wide-eyes and determined randomness, we have eagerly bounced from:

  • radiant barrier sheathing (thanks Bobby & Niha) 
  • to low-VOC paint (thanks Laura)
  • to zoysia grass (thanks Dan & Kathy & Adam & Ashley)
  • to a sealed crawl space (thanks crazy site conditions Amberly lot 3)
  • to LED can lights (thanks Chip & Linda and Ron Hall)
  • to recirculating water supply pumps (thanks Mom & Dad)
  • to Rinnai hot water heaters (thanks James & Allison & Eric & Delores)

...without really understanding how it all fits together.  Our intentions have been good and our curiosity has been genuine.  But on the "green building maturity scale"...we are right there with Sam...toddling.  

Time to grow up. 

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Check us out!

Top Row:  Brian Russo, Gerry Felton, Dan Morse, Kendall Ashworth
Bottom Row:  Laurel Schawel, Alaina Money, Jim Garman, Kristi Burkett
Not pictured, but loved dearly:  Emily Massey, Val Morse, Lydie Epoko, John Douglas


So check us out, right?  Gretchen Mathison and her magic camera strike again!  Thank you Gretchen. 

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The WHAT NOW Stage of Life

Today my husband and I are celebrating our 9 year wedding anniversary.  If there was a way to show me then what my life would look like now, I don't know if I would have believed it.

This stage of life...with three young daughters + my mom + the two of us makes for a very full, very busy house.

It's hard to imagine our next stage of life (the stage where I imagine we won't spend every waking moment with one eye on whatever task we're trying to accomplish and the other eye on whatever it is our children are trying to destroy.)  Our house may not seem as full then...and we may be thinking...well...What Now?

It's that stage of life...the transition stage...that inspired the plan we like to call, THE What Now?  It's a plan for anyone in transition...maybe you're downsizing...maybe you're right-sizing?   Or maybe, just maybe it's not so deep and you just like the Master Suite on the 1st Floor.   Whatever the reason, the What Now's gotcha covered.

This is the Craftsman - A Elevation
Gorgeous double front doors...big beefy tapered columns and beautiful stone piers.  
Yep, she's a pretty one. 

This is the Cottage - B Elevation
Inspired by the original Cape Cod Cottage.
I think this one will look fantastic with painted white brick.  

This is the English Cottage - C Elevation
The stone and the archway entry to the front door bring an old house feel to this brand new house.  



Top Three 1st Floor Features:
1.  11" ceilings in the kitchen/dining/living area
2.  That study is huge and converts to the perfect in-law suite
3.  Follow the closet in the Master all the way to the Laundry Room.  

The second floor is all about storage and a big huge Rec Room.  
And since Justin Timberlake brought sexy back
we thought it was only fair that we be the ones to bring pocket doors back.  
In the shared bath upstairs.  


This page is all about your stage in life...
Maybe you want to build a Spa Bath and have a shower as big as a room?
 (please select this option, I can't wait to build it!)
Maybe you need a 4th BR upstairs?
The in-law suite has it's own bath...you get to keep your power room.  
And pantry cabinets if you're ready for the 'fancy kitchen' stage of life. I know I am. 




Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The Full House and why we call it that.

A few weeks ago we were walking around our Parade House with an interested buyer from another community...she was curious about what we might be able to build her.  I mentioned a few of the names of our plans and she remarked, 'they come up with the coolest names for their plans.'  To which I responded, 'They is us!'  and then, 'Thank you.'

It's true...we have weird names for our plans...only we don't think they're weird names, we think they're perfect.  Appropriately descriptive, memorable...and purposefully cheeky.  Not to mention a helluva lot more exciting than naming each one after a type of tree, flower or cities in NC (ok we're totally guilty of that last one but we're reformed now.)

So with that, I'd like to introduce you all to THE Full House.

This is the Craftsman - A Elevation.
Great front porch, shakes and a trellis above the garage.  
The low roof pitches (see how they're not as perky as others?) make this authentically Craftsman.

This is the Cottage - B Elevation
See the vertical lines above the roof over the front porch, the roof over the garage and the double windows on the 2nd Fl?  Those are all metal roofs.  Very coastal...very cottage.  

This is the English Cottage - C Elevation
I love this elevation...from the swoop-y roof above the front entry, to the baby window next to the front door.  Plus, I'm a sucker for board & batten (the vertical stripe areas).  
The stone is cool too.  


The 1st Fl of this plan is very similar to the Nook & Crannies...what's different?  Well, a dedicated breakfast nook in addition to a formal dining room space.  Plus, the kitchen is a little more of an L shape which connects the inside space to the covered porch outdoor space beautifully (via two walls of windows) and gives us a chance to built a great corner kitchen sink.

This page is why we call this plan THE Full House.  
You can add a Guest Bedroom to the 1st Fl on the other side of the covered porch (without losing your powder room!) and you can add a 4th Bedroom-3rd Full Bath to the 2nd Floor where the Bonus Room would be.  If you add both, that gives this plan the potential for 5BR & 4.5BA.  Plus the 3rd Floor Walk-Up...see why we call it a Full House?  


The 2nd Fl has two great bedrooms connected by an old-school Jack-n-Jill Bath.  
[It also works just as well when used as a Jack-n-Jack or Jill-n-Jill.]  I love the Master Bedroom because the door to the Walk-In-Closet is in the hallway, not the main living area...that placement comes in handy if one person gets up before the other.  When the early riser opens the closet door to get dressed (assuming they don't spend the day in their PJ's), the whole room won't flood with bright light.  Just the hallway.  It's especially handy placement for the person who is still asleep and prefers not to be awakened via visual assault by closet light.  





Monday, October 17, 2011

Wedgewood: The finer things...



When you shop in a Boutique you start to get used to some of the finer things in life.  And when you shop for a new home, you typically admire lots of finer things but spend much of your shopping experience wandering around a model asking, "is this included?"  "is this an upgrade?"

It can get kinda tedious trying to wrap your brain around what is actually included in the base price.

So in the interest of delighting our future buyers we put together a list of our Top 10 Included Features.  After you read thru it you might be inspired to start calling it the Top 10 Finer Things list.  And just so you know, we're totally ok with that.

#10.  Our Baseboards.   They're 7 1/4" tall on the 1st Floor and 5 1/4" tall on the 2nd Floor.  Know why those are great?  Well, besides the fact that they're a lot larger than what most builders install.  They're tall enough on the first floor so that we can install all of our electrical outlets on their sides in the baseboards.  So when you look at your walls you just see walls, not outlets.

#9.  Our Garage Doors.  It's a garage door, how special can it be?  Well, when you select a specific garage door to match the elevation of each home so that it compliments the style of the home and you include it at no extra charge, pretty special!

#8.  Our Front Doors.  Same theory as the garage doors, only this one is a little more obvious.  The front door of your home is where you greet your guests, welcome home family and friends...it's the point of transition between the rest of the world and your home.  We made sure to make them special-some are double doors, some are singles...some are 8ft, some have transoms above them...all are magnificent.

#7.  Our Built-In Benches.  Placed neatly inside the garage entrance, it's right where you need it...for shoes, for coats, for backpacks, for purses...for whatever you'd rather not have someone just throw on your kitchen table.  It's brilliant.

#6.  Our Bathroom Vanities.  Not that I need tall vanities (because I'm barely more than child-size myself) but for those of you over 62" tall, you'll be glad to know our vanity heights are raised to 34"tall in all bathrooms.  And that includes a 1 1/2" cultured marble top with a rollover edge.  Plus, we included drawer banks in nearly all of our full hall baths.  After all that, if your bathroom is still a mess...well, that might just be a personal problem. [wink]

#5.  Our Staircases.  Have you ever tried to move a large piece of furniture up a very narrow and winding staircase?  It was a blast, right?  Wrong.  Four of our plans will have 42" wide staircases...trust me, you'll feel the difference.  And our other two plans have very simple pathways and really fancy 6x6 painted wood newel posts at the bottom of the stairs. Besides being fancy, 6x6 newel posts are stout, you can't just karate chop those things with a mean roundhouse kick.  Theses two plans also have open end oak treads (that's when you can see the edge of the wood stair) and fun square picket open rails.  When you see them I hope they'll make you think of some great old house.    

#4.  Our Floors.  Let me start with the fact that there are no vinyl floors in these houses.  And then let me tell you about the 3" hardwoods throughout the main floor living areas (on the smaller plans, that includes the entire first floor! on the larger plans that includes everything except the family room or 1st floor bedrooms).  We have tile floors in the laundry room and all bathrooms and upgraded carpet and pad on the stairs and all bedrooms.

#3.  Our 3rd Floor Walk-Ups.  Say goodbye to the days of teetering on pull down attic stairs while trying to lift up a 50lb Rubbermaid plastic bin full of holiday decorations.  Those days are over.  Now you can walk up your unfinished staircase on solid footing...huffing and puffing while you lug up that 50lb bin full of holiday decorations.  Or you can finish that space and tell the holiday decorations to take a hike.  Not really.  But if only.

#2.  Our Master Baths.  So far we've only told you about the tile floors...well, guess what...we also have tile in the Master Shower walls and tub surround...and not just behind the tub but in front of the tub too.  And some of our plans even have a tile shower pan and built-in shower bench included.  You deserve a little luxury and we thought the Master Bath was the best place to splurge.  You can even bask in the glow of natural light while you're in there-we have operable windows in some, clear fixed windows in others...but all let in some natural like...it's a bathroom, not a cave.   Enjoy!

#1.  Our Kitchens.  We decided to include the dream team of kitchen upgrades at no extra cost:  cascading (hi-low configuration) cabinets with crown moulding, granite countertops, tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, huge islands, large pantries and recessed can lighting.  You'll love our kitchens just the way you are, or, if you're like me, you'll take all the money you're saving on those upgrades and apply it to even more spectacular upgrades...like a gourmet kitchen upgrade...maybe a glass corner cabinet...or a furniture style island...ooohhhh or maybe under cabinet lighting. It's all within reach. We started you off with a gorgeous kitchen, the rest is up to you to flex your own personal style.

So if you're planning to build a house in Wedgewood, go ahead and let yourself get used to some of the finer things in life...if you're not planning to build a house in Wedgewood, get used to asking the question, 'is this an upgrade?'

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Sneak Peek at the Nook & Crannies



So now that you're all in the know on what a Boutique Neighborhood is...how about we start the shopping and take a look at what these houses will look like inside?

Welcome to the Nook & Crannies.

Here's why we love it...the entire 1st Fl is completely open and the kitchen is truly spectacular.  Complete with an 8ft island and room enough for everyone to gather.  

Just over 2500 sf.  3-4BR, 2.5-3.5BA.  Unfinished 3rd Floor Walk-Up.

Of the six plans we'll be offering in Wedgewood, the Nook & Crannies is the only one we've ever built.  It was our Parade Home in Sunset Oaks...and it won the Silver.  Which means other people like it too, not just us.

Check it out HERE and let us know what you think.



Oh, and those front doors?  Yeah, they're included with this elevation.  How cool is that?  (way!)



Wedgewood: Not your average neighborhood, more like a Boutique Neighborhood.


Ok, I'll be the first to admit the term 'Boutique' is on the verge of being grossly overused but I can't think of a better way to describe the look, the feel and the experience of building a home in Wedgewood.  

And in my defense, I'm fairly certain no one has applied the 'Boutique' label to a neighborhood yet.  Know how I know?  I Googled the term 'Boutique Neighborhood' and came up with nothing...which is further evidence we're on to something really special in Wedgewood.  

So what's so special about a boutique anyway?

Well, for starters a boutique is small-scale...exclusive...it's where you go to buy something that's not available everywhere else...where there is a limited number of each item...where someone has poured their heart and soul into offering something thoughtful and unique.  You pay a little more than you would at your average everyday superstore but it's worth it because you're after something really special in the first place.  

So how does that translate to an entire neighborhood? 

Wedgewood is a small community, just 27 homesites.  We're offering four entirely new plans and two re-designed versions of our best selling plans.  Each plan will have up to three elevations (elevation is just a fancy word for front facade...actually facade is kinda fancy too but you get the gist...we're going to be fluent in boutique speak before long).  

So six plans with three elevations each gives us 18 different houses.  Which means when you drive thru the community you won't see the same house plan built over and over.  And to make sure you won't see the same house plan built over and over, we're committing to our buyers that we won't build the same house plan/elevation more than twice.  

Your home is a reflection of your own personal style...we want to protect what is special and unique about your home.  

Talk about a departure from the same old cookie cutter new construction neighborhood.  

Get ready...we open for sale next weekend October 22nd...and stay tuned...plan and pricing details to follow.     




Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Our Sales Team


Laurel, Alaina, Kendall.
Alaina calls these girls her 12' Sales Team.  Hi Girls.