House Hunting... no more

About a month ago I went back out looking at houses and learning about the east Atlanta & East Point area in general.  We went to one so Shane could show me something that they were doing in the new versions of a floor plan that I liked.  Well, once I went inside and started looking around, I got to thinking that this house might work.  It was a little more than what we were wanting to pay, but it had most of the things we had on our very important items list: 

• centrally located- Mileage wise this home is at the halfway point between Calvin's work and mine.  Traffic will give Calvin a longer commute though. 
• an older neighborhood with no Home Owners Association- There are five houses being built along one lot facing the street but it is not a subdivsion by any means.  There is a community association but it is our choice to join or not.
• space for Grannie with no steps- We were looking for a home with a bedroom and bathroom on the main floor,  but didn't want it to be the master.  If the garage was on the main level, well, then that would be even better.  This one has the master bedroom upstairs and a guest room downstairs with a full bath.  This will work out perfectly!  The garage (yay!) is also on the main level.  (oh, and it has two seperate doors for the garage- I really like that)
• enough room to grow- At least two more bedrooms for when we have kids.  One extra for guests would be nice.
• Space for an at-home office for Calvin's business.  The bonus room upstairs will be perfect for this. 
• a deck for grilling/entertaining-  This home actually was supposed to have a screened in back porch but no back deck.  So, we aren't going to have the porch screened in and also added a gas line for a grill.  There will also be two speakers from the surround sound installed out there.  I think this will work great! Maybe we should get a ceiling fan put out there as well...
• a deck off that master bedroom- We aren't getting one this time around.  But the laundry room is upstairs! 

This home is also early enough in the build process that we get to pick everything out.  We went under contract Tuesday evening, and met with a designer Wednesday morning.  She was very good!  We got so much done in the two hours we were there.  We went in with not a whole lot of ideas on what we wanted and she really gave us good direction.  We chose a really nice red for the main exterior color, with tan trim, dark brown shutters, shingles, and garage doors. That was priority number one, and color is always a tough choice.  The other homes had already chosen some of the colors we liked- marigold yellow, green, and tan so it was kinda tough in a way.  Then we got to pick the style of stone for the front of the porch and the columns.  We went with something a little different and it seems like it will match the red nicely. 

After we got the outside colors settled, we moved on to the kitchen.  Cabinet color was easy- we chose a reddish color although I can't remember the name.  Then we picked this really nice light granite that has black and tan in it.  The floors are a medium brown that has red undertones.  The floors will be the same through the whole house except for the bathrooms, which will be tiled of course.  That was our next step.

We moved to the master bath, and I knew I wanted to upgrade from the white cultured marble that is standard and we have at home now.  I really am just not a fan of it.  At first, I really fell for this gorgeous blue granite that had a lot of mica looking pieces in it and we picked a light cabinet base.  The floors will be this really cool tile that has some texture and is wavy on the edges for the floor and straight edged for the walls.  The we saw the embellshment tiles and I really knew they were perfect.  Only thing is they didn't match the blue granite at all.   So we switched to a granite that is a perfect match.  The small tiles will be on the floor of the shower and as an accent around the shower and tub.  Also, they will cover the face of the tub.  We even picked out a nice watery blue to paint the walls.  Its good that we are doing this now because I know we wouldn't go back and do it for quite some time. 

After our bedroom we moved to the second upstairs bathroom, and it was kind of funny because we have no plans at all for the rooms on that end.  The decorator asked what kind of furniture was going in there and we told her nothing for a while.  So we put some neutral tile and stuck with the standard countertop.  We did pick a darker cabinet this time for contrast. 

Grannie's bathroom was next and it was kinda tough at first picking a tile that wasn't slick to help prevent slipping but we didn't want something boring either.  We found a really nice tile that actually is in the same style as the one we chose for the second bath but it is a deeper color.  Then we added some nice small subway style tiles for the accents.  We also changed the tub to a walk-in shower to make it easier for Grannie. 

After finishing there, we moved on to the kitchen backsplash.  I think the designer was getting our tastes by now because she pulled out this really cool tile set that looks sort of like brick when its installed.  They are subway style, and Calvin even reminded us to pick an accent tile.  We chose a really cool bronzey small subway shape.  Its going to look so nice!  We were even given homework of looking at a website for cabinet knobs & drawer pulls to save time when we meet again in a couple of weeks. 

It feels almost like a custom home, and that is so cool. Here's the photo album that will be updated ALOT: New Home