Home Blogs?

[krisim]

I've taken a bit of a break from home decorating over the past year as we sold our house and relocated last winter.  We renting temporarily but will start building our new home this winter.  I'm hoping to find some inspiration blogs about home building, renovations or home decorations!  Please recommend ones that you like!

[krisim]

Oct 7, 2015 9:26:43 GMT -5 @sfgal530 said:

No blog recs, but we're 2 months from finishing our build so if you ever need someone to commiserate with... just PM!

Are you doing a custom build?

Thank you!  We are doing semi-custom (custom seemed too overwhelming and we have limited free time right now with our new jobs).  We are just at the very beginning stages.  We've decided on a builder and are looking at floor plans.  Our first home was new construction and we worked with the builder to finish the basement but are otherwise newbies to the building process!  Did you do custom?   Any good resources that you'd recommend?

[mrs.jacinthe]

My favorite blog is Victoria Elizabeth Barnes (the lover of giant fancy things), but I don't know how much her blog would help you with new construction.
You might like "decor and the dog", although Michelle just had a baby, so her posting might be sidetracked a bit for a while.
There's also "the inspired room", Emily A. Clark, or the Nester.

[downtoearth]

Most of my blog/website follows are getting smaller and more for DIY work to older houses, not much for new construction/design. Mostly I check in on Manhattan-Nest (I can't quit him and the archives are good), Sunset, Dwell, Atomic Ranch, Domino, This Old House. I have to admit that I still go over to House*Tweaking on occasion also. They are all pretty mainstream, but I follow a lot of their instagrams so I can get inspired.

Thanks to you guys and HGTV, I like Emily Henderson for interior styling.
emilyhendersonstudio.com/
or instagram instagram.com/em_henderson/

I also like Design*Sponge - they have a lot of interior updates (DIY and designer based) that are fun to look at.
www.designsponge.com/category/interiors
or instagram instagram.com/designsponge/

There is also one that I think I found through another design page, can't remember, that is called like JerseyIceCreamCo and I think is a couple or business partners. They are on my instagram: instagram.com/jerseyicecreamco/ and they have a website at www.jerseyicecreamco.com/

I also recently found Because It's Awesome on Instagram and she too has a blog/website.
becauseitsawesome.blogspot.com/ or instagram.com/tobe_reed/?hl=en

I don't know if I love any of them all the time since a lot are also lifestyle bloggers and have more money than us to decorate, but I get ideas and have pinned pictures from many of those. I'm sure there are many more.

ETA: Oh and I just looked on Instagram and I also follow Design Milk.  They are pretty modern and have everything from food styling to architecture to great interiors: instagram.com/designmilk/?hl=en and design-milk.com/

[sju]

We are under contract for a semi-custom home and have found houzz very helpful. After we chose the builder, plan and lot, we signed the contract with the structural options (we chose 8' doors throughout, a couple tray ceilings, etc). A couple weeks after contract we went to the design center for a day to choose our finishes.

[Blueper]

There have been some good ones posted already.  I spend a lot of time drooling over really fancy blogs like cotedetexas.blogspot.com/


I will never be have a room like this, but I like the floor stain and general furniture arrangements.  Some of her personal taste in her own home tends to be a little frilly for me though.

Another extremely fancy fantasy home blog that I drool over is www.chateaugudanes.com/captains-log2/
It's fun watching these people spend money.

[krisim]

Oct 8, 2015 7:41:56 GMT -5 sju said:

We are under contract for a semi-custom home and have found houzz very helpful. After we chose the builder, plan and lot, we signed the contract with the structural options (we chose 8' doors throughout, a couple tray ceilings, etc). A couple weeks after contract we went to the design center for a day to choose our finishes.

How did you prepare to make all of your design choices?  I'm so excited, but terrified of this day!  I've been pinning like crazy on Pinterest, but feel like I'm going to need to be more organized when it comes to picking out the finishes.

Also, did you feel like our design center has most everything you liked/were looking for?  I'm slightly concerned that I might not like the options that they have.  

Any other upgrades that you choose?    

[krisim]

Oct 7, 2015 11:46:21 GMT -5 @sfgal530 said:

Oct 7, 2015 11:26:41 GMT -5 krisim said:

Thank you!  We are doing semi-custom (custom seemed too overwhelming and we have limited free time right now with our new jobs).  We are just at the very beginning stages.  We've decided on a builder and are looking at floor plans.  Our first home was new construction and we worked with the builder to finish the basement but are otherwise newbies to the building process!  Did you do custom?   Any good resources that you'd recommend?

We did custom and I think you're really smart with your analysis of how overwhelming it is - it has basically been like a full-time job for me, especially as of late when it comes to deadlines, making decisions on a quick turn, etc. I'll be happy when it is done... I'm never doing it again!

As for resources, are you familiar with the website Houzz? I used that all the time because I don't speak architect / builder language. It's really helpful for decorating (we found our designer through Houzz), and just giving you ideas about stuff like cabinetry, layout, etc. It might be worth checking out so you can think about how you want your space, what features you might like, etc. I really went bonkers with custom cabinetry but there were just so many brilliant ideas I saw online that I had to incorporate, things I never would have thought of if it weren't for Houzz.

Thanks, I haven't spent too much time on Houzz yet, mostly on Pinterest.  I'm most excited about the kitchen and am concerned what other "upgrades" I might find! 

[krisim]

Oct 8, 2015 12:16:33 GMT -5 @sfgal530 said:

Oct 8, 2015 10:15:28 GMT -5 krisim said:

Thanks, I haven't spent too much time on Houzz yet, mostly on Pinterest.  I'm most excited about the kitchen and am concerned what other "upgrades" I might find! 

Should I enable you? 

Pull out drawer to hold cooking utensils

Toe kick drawer to hold step stool (since I'm short)

Tall narrow drawers to flank stove to hold cooking oils, vinegars, staples, etc. 

Spacers in pots / pans drawers to store lids upright

The most beautiful pantry I saw on Houzz

Easy access storage drawer / cabinet for baking sheets 

Not for the kitchen but... 

Awesome drawer for your bathroom - we put this into our new house and it has an electrical strip in it so I can plug my hair dryer, curling iron, etc., into it without removing it from the drawer. 

Pull out ironing board for your laundry room 

Wall-mounted drip dry laundry racks 

I personally find Houzz to be a million times better than Pinterest because it is JUST home stuff, and professionals categorize it so it mainly is right, whereas when I'd go on Pinterest I'd see the same photo pinned 20 times, and then some random recipe for a green smoothie would be incorrectly filed under home decor. I apologize in advance as once you go down this rabbit hole, you will literally waste dozens of hours looking at photos. Please pass along my apologies to your husband!

Well there goes my afternoon...   Thanks so much for the links, so many useful ideas! 

[sju]

Oct 8, 2015 10:13:52 GMT -5 krisim said:

Oct 8, 2015 7:41:56 GMT -5 sju said:

We are under contract for a semi-custom home and have found houzz very helpful. After we chose the builder, plan and lot, we signed the contract with the structural options (we chose 8' doors throughout, a couple tray ceilings, etc). A couple weeks after contract we went to the design center for a day to choose our finishes.

How did you prepare to make all of your design choices?  I'm so excited, but terrified of this day!  I've been pinning like crazy on Pinterest, but feel like I'm going to need to be more organized when it comes to picking out the finishes.

Also, did you feel like our design center has most everything you liked/were looking for?  I'm slightly concerned that I might not like the options that they have.  

Any other upgrades that you choose?    

It can be very overwhelming.  It helped that DH and I are on the same page design wise  Since we have been renting for 2 years, we have taken time to look at many model homes. There are so many options out there that I think coming up with ideas and design you both like before you go to the design center will be super helpful. 

With the semi-custom, there is a limit on the options you can do so that is already narrowed for you. We did a lot of upgrades on things that can't be changed or that are difficult (i.e. tall doors, study doors, laundry tub, wood flooring, tile) I kept in mind that I did not want to mortgage things we could do ourselves (I.e light fixtures, faucets).

The design center had options we liked but we struggled with bath floor tile because the rectangular tiles I wanted, were also the most expensive. So we ended up spending more on those. The frameless shower doors were cheaper going through the builder than replacing after the fact.  

In the kitchen, we did not add above cabinet lighting but did add an outlet for future lighting. We added a trash cabinet, pull out shelves, and the bump out for the fridge which includes a cabinet panel covering the side.  The house included granite but we upgraded to silestone. Luckily they had the one we wanted,  "lagoon".  

Be on the lookout for design center open houses. Some builders do that here.. We never went and our builder has not done one but I think that is a great chance that would save you time later.  What helped us was that the designer sent us an upgrade price list ahead of time along with a list of options with manufacturers so we could see those online.

I also read that when builders offer allowances on "free" upgrades, to go for structural changes first. 

HTH!

[krisim]

Oct 8, 2015 18:53:51 GMT -5 sju said:

Oct 8, 2015 10:13:52 GMT -5 krisim said:

How did you prepare to make all of your design choices?  I'm so excited, but terrified of this day!  I've been pinning like crazy on Pinterest, but feel like I'm going to need to be more organized when it comes to picking out the finishes.

Also, did you feel like our design center has most everything you liked/were looking for?  I'm slightly concerned that I might not like the options that they have.  

Any other upgrades that you choose?    

It can be very overwhelming.  It helped that DH and I are on the same page design wise  Since we have been renting for 2 years, we have taken time to look at many model homes. There are so many options out there that I think coming up with ideas and design you both like before you go to the design center will be super helpful. 

With the semi-custom, there is a limit on the options you can do so that is already narrowed for you. We did a lot of upgrades on things that can't be changed or that are difficult (i.e. tall doors, study doors, laundry tub, wood flooring, tile) I kept in mind that I did not want to mortgage things we could do ourselves (I.e light fixtures, faucets).

The design center had options we liked but we struggled with bath floor tile because the rectangular tiles I wanted, were also the most expensive. So we ended up spending more on those. The frameless shower doors were cheaper going through the builder than replacing after the fact.  

In the kitchen, we did not add above cabinet lighting but did add an outlet for future lighting. We added a trash cabinet, pull out shelves, and the bump out for the fridge which includes a cabinet panel covering the side.  The house included granite but we upgraded to silestone. Luckily they had the one we wanted,  "lagoon".  

Be on the lookout for design center open houses. Some builders do that here.. We never went and our builder has not done one but I think that is a great chance that would save you time later.  What helped us was that the designer sent us an upgrade price list ahead of time along with a list of options with manufacturers so we could see those online.

I also read that when builders offer allowances on "free" upgrades, to go for structural changes first. 

HTH!

Thank you!  This is very helpful!  We are meeting with our builder this afternoon, so it was very timely advice!