If you’ve ever built or designed a new home, you know there’s a TON of decision making that goes into it!  Like, a ton!!  If you’re indecisive like me, it can get to be a little overwhelming.  The funny thing is, I always know what I DON’T like, but sometimes it’s hard for me to decide between things that I DO like.  That said, the more options I have, the harder it is to nail down my final selection.  Soooo….it’ll probably make sense to you when I say that I spent a total of 12 HOURS at the Drees Design Center finalizing all our color and design options for the new home we’re building.  If it wasn’t for their super helpful designers I’d probably still be there right now 😂😂.

The other day I asked you guys on Instagram to submit any questions you have about the house or the build process, and as promised, I’m going to answer them here for y’all.  So here it goes!

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Real quick before we jump in, I want to say in advance, THANK YOU SO SO MUCH for any and all affiliate links that you may use throughout this post.  I appreciate MORE THAN YOU know when you support the brands that help to support this little blog & our little fam!!  Also, this post is NOT SPONSORED in anyway, all opinions are my own and I’m happy to share them honestly! 🙂 

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–Why are you moving?

If you’ve been following along for a while you know that less than 2 years ago we moved to Chicago, spent 6 months in corporate housing, bought a house, renovated it, and then moved out only 1 year later.  (If you’re not already following me on Instagram or Facebook, below is a reminder of what our Chicago house looked like after the renovations). It’s been a crazy ride, but we’re moving back to Dallas now for my husband’s job.  It’s not typical for us to have to relocate so quickly but Matt works for an awesome company and his success there has allowed us to move back to Texas and be close to family again.  While relocating our family definitely has its challenges, and we absolutely LOVED living in Chicago, ultimately, family is what matters most to us and therefore it was an easy decision to come back home!

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-What floor plan did you go with for the new home?

Drees Custom Homes Bracken III Floor Plan.  The only differences our home has from the plan you see below is an extended patio, a 4th garage, and a 5th bedroom upstairs.  If you click the link above you can see the different elevations the home offers.  Our house is Elevation A.  Because we needed a quick move-in option (school starts soon and we didn’t want to be in the apartment for 8 months), we chose a home that was already being built; therefore we didn’t get to choose our elevation or any of the exterior color options.  They had already been ordered and completed before we purchased the home.

First Floor

Second Floor

 

-What size is the new house?

It’s 4,239 sq. ft

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-What are your paint colors?

Right now we only have 4 paint colors on the interior of the house so it keeps things super simple!  All the paints are made by the same company, PPG Pittsburgh Paints.

1. Trim & Cabinet Color: Delicate White (semi-gloss)
2. Wall Color: Swirling Smoke (flat)
3. Kitchen Island Color: Solitary State (semi-gloss)
4. Accent Trim & Indoor Door Color: Dover Gray (semi-gloss)

 

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-What backsplash, countertops and tile did you choose?

I’ve had tons of questions on the backsplash and I’m excited to say that I actually FOUND IT FOR Y’ALL!!!

Kitchen & Butlers Pantry Backsplash:  Emser Choice Beveled Glossy 3×6 in Color Gray  We did a herringbone pattern with 1/16th” grout lines.

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Shop Backsplash Tile

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Countertops:

Our counters are Polished Silestone (Quartz) in the color Calacatta Gold. The matte color is also very nice but I was told the sealant starts to rub and you can tell after some use.🤷🏻‍♀️(Also worth noting…the counters in these photos here are still covered with plastic to protect them during construction, so you can’t see the full design).

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Shop the Countertop

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Master Bath:

• Shower Tile: Daltile Anapolis Sail White Beveled Gloss 6×16
• Shower Accent Tile: Pinwheel Mosaic Tile in Silver, Natural Stone 

 

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Shop Master Bath Tile

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Guest Bath:

• Shower Tile: Emser Choice Beveled Glossy 3×6 in Color Fawn (same tile as kitchen backsplash but in a more greige color and in a brick pattern, also 1/16th” grout lines)
• Accent Tile: Daltile Color Wheel Chalkboard Matte 0780 (I couldn’t find this tile anywhere online so I linked some similar ones for y’all below)

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Shop Guest Bath Tile

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Kids’ Bathrooms:

• Accent Tile: Mosaic Tile in Gris Et Blanc

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Shop Kids’ Bathroom Tile

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 -Show us the lighting you went with!

*Outdoor coach lights (lantern style light with dark bronze metal & candle style light), *master bath chandelier (black lantern style light), *bathroom vanity lights (set of 3 chrome bar light), *living room chandelier (the beaded one), *study chandelier (round orb light with wood & metal), *dining room chandelier (large matte natural bronze light in rectangle shape), *breakfast nook chandelier (chandelier with candle style light bulbs, wood & metal) , *entry way flush mount light (I think you can tell which that one is), *island kitchen pendants (natural brass hardware with glass bowl around it), *foyer chandelier (HUGE natural brass lantern style light)

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-Are you adding hardware to your cabinets?  Pulls or knobs?

Yes we are!  We went with a combination of pulls and knobs.  Most of the cabinetry will have a pull handle and then the smaller drawers will have knobs.  If you saw my old house you know I love me some black hardware!! This time I decided to keep the black in the master bath but I went with a very natural (almost matte) brass in the kitchen and common areas.  This is the line of pulls and knobs we’ll have!

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Shop Cabinet Hardware

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-Are you doing a farmhouse/apron sink again?

Ummm of course!  I had to!!  Having that much space in the sink was soooooo awesome!  I also loved the faucet we had in our old house so I chose a very similar one this time.  It extends far enough to reach every inch of the sink, allows you to change the water stream, and has power clean!

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Shop Kitchen Sink

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-Are you installing wood floors?

We have wood floors throughout the whole first floor (with the exception of bathrooms, laundry room, and master closet.  We went with a handscraped wood (helps hide the imperfections and dog scratches).  Unfortunately, I do not have the name of the stain because it was just a number that the builder gave me…but I do have a request out to them for the details so I’ll update that if I’m able to get if for y’all!

Upstairs we have all carpet, again, except for the bathrooms.

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Alright, well I think that about covers everything!!  It’s so exciting watching everything come together!! I will be sure and update this post with more pictures once we close on the home and everything has been completed!!  Let me know if y’all have anymore questions about the design choices or process.  I’m an open book!

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Also, I want to say in advance, THANK YOU SO SO MUCH for any and all affiliate links that you may use throughout this post.  I appreciate MORE THAN YOU know when you support the brands that help to support this little blog & our little fam!!  FYI, this post is NOT SPONSORED in anyway, all opinions are my own and I’m happy to share them honestly! 🙂 

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Talk soon buddies!