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The kitchen is an incredibly important part of a house. And even more so when you are designing a home from scratch. I spent an inordinate amount of time measuring space, analyzing my kitchen workflow, and fantasizing about tailored storage space. Oh, and then the space had to look good as well!
The kitchen is really coming into focus now. For months, it has just been a large open space. The cabinets were installed last week, and I can finally visualize the kitchen plan. Even without the beautiful granite counters and plumbing fixtures, it looks great! In fact, it is more fun for the kitchen, as well as the entire house, to reveal itself in stages of completion rather than all at once. Thanks again to Progress Cabinets for doing such a wonderful job!
 With not much wall space for cabinets, the kitchen features a huge island in the middle -- more of a continent actually  These cabinets will house the ovens and "beverage station," for coffee and drinks (note cool wine rack buit into side in previous picture). Although they look very yellow against the primed white walls, the cabinets are a nice warm cream color  The island is done in a beautiful glazed cherry, and will feature a cooktop and prep sink.  The cabinet faces have nice details, with rust finished hardware that looks great and will blend nicely with the plumbing and lighting fixtures
The past couple of weeks have brought a huge surge in progress on the interior of the house. Although the counters and plumbing fixtures are not in yet, most of the cabinets are in place and the bathroom floor tile is being installed. Having spent so much time on the function and contours of the cabinets, it is a real thrill to see them in place. And the time on the knobs paid off — each of the selections really fits with the style of the space.
 The basement has an exercise/craft room with this great cabinetry where we can store art supplies as well as clean up in the sink  The kids jack-and-jill bathroom will feature two sinks in this cabinetry. And we got a great deal on granite, which will be a nice design touch in a children's bathroom. The tiles have a wonderful rustic feel that is interpreted throughout the house  The master bathroom cabinetry is a bit more elaborate than the other bathrooms. The tile is sumptuous in its wonderful color and texture variations. I can't wait to see the shower and tub deck completed!
After four different samples and another trip to the stone supplier, we now have the stone and a masonry technique that we love. It has been a real learning experience. I discovered that my ideal stone wall is actually solid stones that are load-bearing. But that is very expensive on the facade of a house. So the stone instead is a “thin stone” that gives the illusion of being thick and supporting the wall, but is actually more of a veneer. Nonetheless, I wanted it applied in a way that looked like it was supporting the house. Of course, this takes extra $ in materials and labor, but I think it will be worth it.
We finally got enough of a break in the snow for the workmen to start laying the stone on the exterior. They worked through the weekend, catching up on the delays from weather.
 Pallettes of stone for the house are on the front yard  A fire heats up the water used to mix the mortar for the stone  Stone being laid on the front of the house  The stone has somewhat of a dry-stack look, yet is robust and rich in color tones  Workmen lug up heavy rock and work high on the roof to complete the stone chimney
The placement and design of our stairs are an important feature of the house. We wanted stairs that were offset from the main entryway, and that flowed down into the space, acting as a bridge to integrate the living room into the house. As usual, I spent time on details that I hadn’t even given thought to before — the newels. Those are the large posts that support the railings. I wanted them to be square, fitting with the overall house aesthetic, and to be robust on the main level. I am very happy with how it all turned out!
 Main stairway  The stairs create an interior "courtyard" where you can look down from the railing on three sides above  Stairs are open to the living room, integrating the area and enticing us to turn on the fireplace and enjoy the space Continue reading Stairs are Complete!
Now that the walls are finished, we have several weeks of interior finishing — trim work, fireplace, and cabinets are being installed. It is particularly exciting to see the cabinets going in. The configuration and colors look great. And they are so functional! The family will have places to store things, surfaces for work and play, and basically no excuses for messy rooms! I will reserve a special post for the housewife nirvana that will be the mud room, but in the meantime, here’s a peek at some of the cabinets…
 The upstairs laundry room will be a cozy workable space, including plenty of storage cabinets, a sink and counter space where I will pretend to fold clothes  The exercize/craft room in the basement has great cabinets for storing art supplies and a sink for cleaning up messy paint brushes and hands!  The granite counters aren't in yet, but the hubby will have plenty of space for his morning beauty routine
We have been hit with another snow, and a big storm is on its way. All of this snow is slowing down the progress on the house — particularly the exterior. Since I cannot control the weather, I have decided to embrace it and have taken a few photos as a meditation on the beauty of the intersection of nature and construction.
 Miniature snowscape forms on the screened porch skylight  Icles form on the roof over the front porch
 The snow-covered view off the back deck and screened porch
As I have mentioned in a previous post, I spent a lot of time working with a designer to create the look and function of our cabinetry throughout the house. I am excited to share that it is all being constructed now. I had the opportunity this week to go to the workshop where everything is being made. It is so gratifying to see the craftsmanship and effort going into the cabinetry instead of buying something from an anonymous factory. I have been very pleased with Progress Cabinets, who have worked with me for months on the design, selections, and now production of the cabinets.
 Sanding the wood frame  Cutting wood for the cabinets  Sink cabinets for the shared kids bathroom  Our cabinets waiting for the next step in production
The men are at work this week laying the wood floors. After spending so much time and attention on the walls, I was surprised to come to the house this week and see that the flooring is being installed. Each step is as transforming as the next.
 - Laying the floor
 The "great room" -- kitchen, dining and family room -- is starting to look more real with the beautiful wood floors.
The team has made tremendous progress in the past couple of weeks. With the walls completed, we have a real sense of the proportions and flow between the spaces of the house. Like Alice in Wonderland, various rooms have seemed to shrink and grow at different stages in the building process. Now they are all a uniform matte white, which makes everything seem bright and spacious.
 The main stairs help unify the space between the living room to the right and the entrance foyer  The open stair hall enables great views between the upper floor and main floor. With no paint or railings in place yet, the house has a very sleek and modern feel to it  This open loft area is upstairs overlooking the stair hall. We will have a large shared desk space put in for the kids to do homework and play. The arched windows add character to the space.  This cozy nook is in a kids bedroom. Who wouldn't want to curl up in this future window seat with a good book??!!
Our house construction is being managed by Ed Z. He is a real pro – on many fronts. In fact, he was previously a PGA Golf Professional! So just as a golfer plans his strategy from tee-off to sinking the ball on the putting green, Ed oversees the big picture and all the details of our house.
Ed hails from Michigan, where his parents ran their own construction company for 40 years. Ed has been on a job site since the age of five, learning the ins and outs of the business from his family. Ed moved to Charlottesville with his wife about 12 years ago. Excited by the building opportunities in the region, he sought out the best builders in the community and started to work for Mike Gaffney. As part of the team for 12 years, he is Vice President of Gaffney Homes.
I have been impressed with Ed’s ability to juggle all of the shifting schedules of the house construction, and still be willing to answer questions from his crazy client doing this blog.
 Ed makes sure that the construction runs smoothly Ed has been kind enough to share some of his thoughts with me, and you, on his homebuilding experience…
What is your role in building a house?
I oversee the construction of the home. I schedule and meet with subs and suppliers, order materials, coordinate deliveries and installs, while maintaining quality throughout the building process.
What are your favorite aspect(s) of working in home construction?
This is an easy question to answer. Many careers are out there that have intangible rewards, but building a home provides me with so much gratitude when you think of all the parts that go into creating a home. Building a home is made up of many different materials and requires the coordination of over 500 people to put it all together to our final product……..a QUALITY HOME. I have always enjoyed building or creating homes that I would be happy to live in, but knowing that a family will make their own memories in their new home is the biggest reward.
What are the biggest challenges you face in construction today?
There are always challenges in making sure materials arrive on time and you have enough work force to do the work. But this past fall/winter the weather has been the biggest challenge. The fall was very wet and this winter has been a snowy, and presented a cold challenge we have not seen for many years. We will persist.
What do you like about working with Gaffney Homes?
I have always enjoyed working with Mike, as well as everyone else on staff. We all share the same passion, “To create a quality product.”
Is there anything unique or different about building my house?
The plan or layout of your home is the most unique item. You have also chosen very nice quality finishes. But I can already feel the nice flow and warm spaces your home will have for many years of enjoyment for your family.
Thanks Ed, now when are you going to teach my husband to golf?!
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