On 2nd Thought: If You Build It, They Will Come (By: Jessica)

A line from one of my favorite movies......
"If you build it, they will come"

"They" being "us".

Our family.

Me, Tobias, Leo, Cece, and Gertie.

We are building our forever home. The home in which we will grow up and old in.

Cece will have her 1st sleepover in this house.
Leo will practice basketball in this home's driveway
I will help Cece get ready for prom in this house....maybe even her wedding?
All future birthdays will be celebrated in this kitchen
Toby and I will retire in this house
Gertie will find new hiding spots in this house and this backyard will be where she will be buried.

This home is allllll ours. Toby and I designed it ourselves. We I scoured pintrest and magazines for the exact way we I wanted every room, nook, and cranny to look and be set up..

We put things in this house that we have always wanted.

A built in office/desk
A bench/table eating area
A jack-and-jill bathroom
The perfect size master closet...not too big or small
A basement with a guest room and bathroom
French doors.
A spot for a double oven.
A toy room
A mud area... not a mud room.
Storage. Storage. Storage.
A garage that is a little too big
A fire pit area by the water
An open floor plan where you can see straight through that house upon entering the front door.
One level

As of NOW (October, 2014) we have almost all the framing up. No roof, no walls, but designated rooms. Last night the kids and I walked through the house as Toby explained where each room started and ended. It was so fun and exciting! It made things seem more real and it gave me hope that, "yes! someday we actually will have our own home again!" It helped me stay positive, which is hard.

I have a picture in my head for what I want every room in our house to look like. I have a vision. Will our home end up looking like my vision? I don't know. I hope so. Regardless of how it ends up looking..... I think it will be fun to go back and see what I originally pictured in my head.

Here are my "visions" that I am hoping to make realities. Or at least close. I am very practical and I know what we can afford and what we cant, contrary to what Toby may think. It is safe to say that "I know what I want". I have a plan for every room of this house. I've had time to think about it, research, and make decision after decision. Will all my "visions" happen? Probably not. But maybe so.....

Lets start with the basement. Something that I am SO THRILLED to have! I've NEVER had a basement, EVER! This room will be for storage, entertaining, and playing. It will also serve as our guest room and guest bathroom. Toby would like the decor to be "horse theme" and I agreed but will not over-do it. The basement will also hold my Dad's work desk. SOmething that I inherited after he died. It will be my work space for my jewelry business. THAT area will not be horse themed. Here are some visions..

Basement Visions

Cute!

Love this idea! Especially for people (me) who fall down stairs often. Which also reminds me...I want the stairs to be carpeted.

really want to be able to do this!

My next project!! Have already found an old armoire on Craigslist!

looks simple, right?

Door leading to the basement, Just cause its pretty and different

Oh the kitchen. My favorite room in any house. I knew I wanted white cabinets that looked like bead board. Ive always loved that look and really wanted to have that in our kitchen!1 I also knew that I really really really wanted a double oven and an eat in breakfast area. It's happening!!! Eek!!

Kitchen Visions.....

have always wanted one!

Love this style of light

I have a slight obsession with coffee cups! Love this idea! Just hope I have a good spot for this.

Backsplash

pulls and knobs for cabinets

a must!!

Leo and Cece's rooms are so fun!! I know that they wont be fun for long. Eventually they are going to be teenagers and want to re-decorate their rooms in God-know-what type of theme! For now, I'm gonna enjoy decorating their rooms myself.

Kids bedroom visions

My mother-in-law has given me a beautiful vanity. ~~I want to paint it~~ My aunt is gonna paint it and give it to Cece. Similar to this.

Color scheme for Cece's room

because I always wanted one....

Color scheme for Leo's room

Love! Want to make one for Leo's room

Their bathroom is another important room.....to me. I initially wanted them to have their own... but then realized that we didn't have the space for that. So, I compromised. If they HAD to share a bathroom, I at least wanted them to have their own sinks. Done. Oh, and I tried to pick a gender friendly decor to last at least the next 7-8 years.

Kids bathroom vision

Love this idea and so easy to do!

color scheme for bathroom. (Primary colors)

just cute. Will do.

Our bedroom in our last (3) homes has always been the same decor. Dark brown and crisp white. I love it and Im sticking with it.

Master Bedroom vision

dark brown and white

will put a picture similar to this above our bed. **WILL NOT be taken by Hawkeye Photography

My bathroom is always the first room I design/decorate. I dont know why.... but I like to spend a lot of time making the bathroom a "decorated" place. My vision for our master bath was the very first one I started with. I love mint green and coral. I feel like it's "spa like", yet not too womanly for a man. Here are my thoughts.....

Master bathroom vision

maybe minus the pattern rugs....

When I started thinking of the laundry room, I immediately thought WALL PAPER! I love love love wallpaper! I am a little scared of it being "too much", so the laundry room is the perfect place for it. Its small and not as noticeable. Im going out on a limb here with the wallpaper. Im gonna try a patterned wallpaper. I have faith that it will be sharp! Not sure of color yet. Still debating if I wanna stay neutral or go bold...like navy blue or mustard yellow. We will see. I also know that this room is not THAT big and it's gonna also serve as our half-bath. Here's what I'd thinking....

Laundry room/half bathroom vision

pretty sure our washer and dryer will be front loading so we can have a counter and storage above.

The outside of the house was the easiest part. I knew (in my own mind) what I wanted it to look like The shape was hard to decide because we only had so much "lot". Do I love the shape of the house? I guess. It's not my 1st or 2nd choice, but it is what would fit and I'm OK with it. BUT.... there are a few details that I am going to add to the front of the house to make it "ours".

Exterior vision

I love the detail molding above the window

this is what our front door will look like. Except with black hardware

I love a little detail that's different and unique. "A conversation piece" my mom would say. I WILL find the most unique and cute door knocker. Not too silly or gaudy... still classy, but stands out a little bit when people come up to our door.

love this style of window box and shutter. Same colors and all. Maybe even the same flowers!

this is the garage door we picked out. Minus the top part.

Another room Ive always wanted was a mud room. But we dont have the space, so I had to settle for a mud "area". Here are my thoughts on this little nook.....

Mud Area vision

The toy room was a MUST! Never had one in the other homes and always talked about how much we needed/wanted one. When the kids get older and no longer need a toy room, it will serve as a great TV room.

Toy room vision

wall color

already have my boards!!!

very clever and looks nice

love the rug

what I'm looking for as far as toy storage

doors going into the toy room

The living room is the largest room and the most used. I wanted it to be open. That's about all I requested. OH... and french doors leading outside. Im a sucker for french doors!

Living room vision