#11 Master Bathroom Layout

angie schwab January 24, 2018

Like for most homes, the bathroom in our home needs to be a high-functioning room. It's where we typically begin and end our day. And I don't know about you, but our experience there can really set the tone for an efficient start to our day or a relaxing end.

While we LOVE designing for luxury, like most things in our home, we kept our master bathroom pretty simple and practical.

One thing we didn't want to miss out on is natural light. Initially, we put a window between the mirrors above the vanity and also a window above the stool (designer speak for toilet or commode).

After thinking through the placement of the latter window, we realized it would need blinds to provide a comfortable level of privacy. As a result, we decided to change the plan and raise both windows so that they would provide the natural light we desired at the height that doesn't require a blind.

The raised windows offers the function we need on the interior, however, the adjustment makes the exterior less attractive.

Landscaping can balance the look of the exterior allowing for raised windows and an attractive exterior elevation!

We're looking forward to having the open windows and natural light greet us in the morning as we begin our day!

Here's a sneak peak at some of the materials and fixtures we're considering for the master bathroom. Make sure to follow us on Instagram for more color and material selections.

#10 Circle Window

angie schwab January 16, 2018

On the other side of that beautiful circle window our daughter dreamed up is the mudroom. Below is a conceptual sketch by my design collaborator, Lindsey, showing a brilliant idea for built-ins around that circle window.

Can pretty be used to describe a hard-working mudroom? We think so.

After days of working out the details based on this concept, we placed the doors, walls, columns, and built-ins (both on the interior and exterior) so that things are centered and properly proportioned. We are really excited to see this built and installed!

#8 Architectural Elevations

angie schwab January 3, 2018

Back in post #4 we shared our daughter's house plan. If you squint really hard at this elevation drawing, you can see the porthole for the submarine she drew. Or, maybe it's just a really cool round window pouring light into our mudroom.

It was extremely important to us that we had clean roof lines on our new home, we love good curb appeal. We used the dormers (windows projecting from the roof) over the garage and house to break up each roof and we used a barrel arch over our front door to create a unique entry area. We absolutely love how it looks.

Angie worked tirelessly with the architect to make sure that the top roof line of the house and the garage were at exactly the same height and, from the front of the house, the roof over the entry hides the roof over the screen porch. If you run a vertical line through the center of the garage or house, you have two equal halves. Symmetry is really important to our vision, as it adds a sense of order and feeling of ease. The outer design gives us some major curb appeal and we couldn't be happier with the view from the road!

On the back side, we have an incredible view that stretches out over miles and miles. We needed to make sure that when an opportunity to sit back and relax presented itself, we could truly enjoy the view. The large windows and screen porch offer many spaces and opportunities to relish the endless view.

Though it may seem obvious - We can't wait to get into this place! Talking about it gets us excited, each and every time!

Happy new year to you and yours and here's to a fabulous 2018 for all of us!

#5 "There's no such thing..."

angie schwab December 20, 2017

A shed on our property was discussed in the initial planning phase of our project. After careful thought, we decided we should build for current and future storage needs right away in the garage. It's a big one; 30 feet by 43 feet to be exact. Too much garage? Our peeps tell us that there's no such thing.

Angie's favorite part? There are stairs from the garage to the basement. Brent and our daughter will have regular trips to the farm next door to visit their horse, Honey. When they return, they will walk down to the basement from the garage and straight to a dressing room just outside of the laundry room. Remember the compromise between the country boy and the suburban girl? The compromises continue and the house design accommodates the arrangement.

Brent showing our daugther the future stairs.

Future basement plans including steps from the garage to the laundry.

A pump truck is used to make the concrete foundation walls. Blue sky today!

Waiting for the concrete to dry (that's the technical term).

The amount of fill we need at this phase was underestimated. With the help of friends, we found some fill available close-by but this will still add more unexpected costs to our original budget.

Brent shows us just how much fill is needed in the garage alone.

#4 Change is Hard

angie schwab December 13, 2017

While this adventure is something that we took on willingly, our daughter didn’t ask for such a big project and change. And while kids are resilient, the truth is change is hard.

To help our daughter with the transition, we asked for her input on the house plans. You can see her drawing of our future home below, submarine-style. Her room is at the top.

While we’re not able to accommodate the overall shape, we LOVE her circle window idea. We incorporated her detail at the entry of our home. If you squint and open your imagination, you can see the porthole effect. Okay, not really - but, we’re thrilled to have her creativity and buy-in as we move forward.

Excavation begins. The culvert is delivered and ready to be placed underground.

Seeing the progress and getting a chance to walk around the construction site seems to be helping our daughter develop a context for everything. And while she probably wishes it would all stay a giant playground of dirt piles, she is showing some interest and even excitement about our family project. Whew!