We are ready to get bids on the countertops, tub/shower surrounds, tile, etc. for our custom home. If you are interested in bidding on all or some of the items below, please use the contact form or comment below. After much deliberation, we have decided on the surfaces we would like to use. The materials [...]
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After grinding through subcontractor after subcontractor — and wishing we had personally done the footwork on some subs selected by our general contractor — choosing a painter for our home was a breeze. Maybe it’s just the nature of painters (are they always just easy going and generally positive?), but it wasn’t painful at all. [...]
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Choosing cabinets was, I think, the most difficult single decision on the entire house. It was grueling. Not just for me, but probably for the cabinet makers as well. With budget overruns in engineering, footings, lumber, electrical, and plumbing (oh, yes, you’ll hear about all that later), cabinets (unfortunately!) was one of the few places [...]
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The crew is building the custom closet organizers for the entire house. Having these done with finish work (instead of the cabinet-style closet systems) saves a bundle and still works just to your specifications. These easy closets make organizing a breeze. Half of the closets in each kids’ bedrooms and the guest bedroom will feature [...]
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We are party people. We love to entertain, especially by hosting dozens of teens. That works best for us if the party can spill out into a great backyard. To make that more feasible — and to make the fun last longer — it’s imperative to have a way to light up your yard. We [...]
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We chose the Heath Zenith Motion-Sensing Light for part of our security package. These lights are fairly unobtrusive — as far as security lights go. They are compact and match the soffit and facia. Features include: 250-watt single-light halogen 180-degree motion sensing Energy-Star rated Heavy-duty die-cast metal Manual override from an indoor switch The lights [...]
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There is just something about sheetrock. When lumber turns into walls and the spaces are all defined, it turns a construction site into a home. A sheetrock crew arrived Wednesday and it looks like they’re going to finish the entire job today. Sounds of drills and hammers and a bustle of people, that’s happiness in [...]
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A big milestone in the building of our custom home has been reached! Yesterday we passed the 4-way inspection. This process brings a city inspector out to the house to inspect the rough framing, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical. Our first inspection was last Friday. Most things were up to code, but we had a handful [...]
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Decorating an entire home from the ground up is quite a challenge. There are thousands of parts and pieces that make up a custom home. It can be overwhelming. In the last house, my breaking point was the day the builder asked what kind of thresholds we wanted. This came just two days after choosing [...]
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The water in Lindon, Utah, has about 15 grains per gallon, making it considered “very hard water.” Hard water is the bane of my existence. It leaves spots, ruins pipes, shortens the lives of appliances, and makes bathrooms and kitchens look terrible — on the faucets, in the sinks, on glass, on everything it touches. [...]
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Selecting and purchasing the lighting for an entire home is a major undertaking. There are tens of thousands of styles, dozens of finishes, myriad brands, and more varieties of bulbs than I can count. Wading through them all to find the ones that you want to live with for years and years can take lots [...]
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Our new, craftsman-style front doors were installed this morning. Both doors are on the porch; one is the main door, the other the office door. They were custom made to our specifications by Meadow Wood Custom Doors and are absolutely gorgeous! Both doors features a dark stain with light distressing. The main door also has [...]
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We are looking for a bid for the central vacuum system for the home. Apparently, we needed this bid yesterday. So, if you’ve got the goods, send me a bid, pronto. As per the drawings, we have 6,033 square feet under air (3,423 main; 2,070 basement; 540 upstairs), with another 1,353 in the garage. The [...]
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We are ready to get bids on the four garage doors for our new home. Please either comment below or contact me via the contact form. We will be selecting the doors as soon as possible. 2 size 8′h x 9′w 1 size 8′h x 10′w 1 size 7′h x 5′w (utility door) Our specifications [...]
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We are ready to select interior doors. The sizes are listed below, by floor. If you are interested in bidding, please either comment below or use the contact form. We’d like: White Hollow core Pre-hung Prefer very plain, flat panel craftsman look. The picture is of a Jen-Weld Craftsman III door. While flexible on style, [...]
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Our jetted tub was delivered today. Given that it snowed — SNOWED — all morning, the idea of watching a movie while soaking in a steaming hot tub of swirling water didn’t sound half bad. Last week I did some online research into various jetted tubs and then dropped by a local jetted tub manufacturer. [...]
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Our Jeld-Wen windows are now completely installed. We purchased them through Stock Building Supply. We chose white frames to match the white trim we’ll be using. We also went with a very plain window, no muntins or mullions. We even got rid of the transoms, except the one over the front door. Less lines, less [...]
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One of our main goals with our custom home was to build a home that required minimum maintenance. Because roofs are a major expense — and a worn roof can cause extensive damage — we researched roofing alternatives extensively. We looked at magnum boards, metal roofs, and other less common surfaces. When comparing the pros [...]
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The windows and shingles were delivered last week. One more step to drying in the house. Brad says the 4-way should happen next week. There’s a lot of work to do, so I suspect we’ll have heavy action going on.
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We have spent the past week looking for the exterior doors for our custom home. The variety and selection of doors is enormous and it can be difficult to compare from one product to the next. Make sure you know precisely what each manufacturer is bidding on, since there are many variables. We spoke to [...]
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