Screened Porch

When building our house, it was always meant for the back porch to be screened in. But when the budget was going over, we looked at things to postpone. The screened porch was one.

We’ve enjoyed the porch not screened in, but always imagined it finished.

We originally had the couch facing the house, as I thought we would put a TV out there.

Mom refinished a table to have out there to serve as our outdoor dining room. 

Before

After

We then rearranged and put the couch so that it faced out. We didn’t know why we didn’t do that sooner!

I was back and forth on screening the porch in. We sat on the edges of the porch and used it as seating. I didn’t want to take away the seats. But I really wanted to be able to eat outside without bugs!

We decided to go for it. We got an additional bid at a lower price, but once I said, “Let’s do this,” he stopped returning my calls! I then went back to my original contractor that gave me the highest quote and went with him. We had to wait four weeks, but it was worth it. Luckily I had time (I got the ball rolling in January and we were complete by mid-April.) 

The first day of work didn’t look like much. The material was on site and a lot of measuring was going on. The posts weren’t exactly lined up, so decisions had to be made on placement. He explained how he made sure the bottom of the screen was lined up because your eye would most likely look down. But if you look at a post, one post will have the screen centered, and the post next to it will have the screen off-center.

On Day 2, they got a little bit more framing done.  We joked that this was definitely not a DIY job for me. What took him four days, would have taken me four weeks (to find time). But when we were having a hard time getting contractors to call us back, DIY was being considered!

Day 3 finished the framing and some screen started going in. The screen was completed on Day 4.

The final product was amazing! I was shocked at how closing the porch in made it feel bigger! We have gotten use to that feeling now, but it really started to feel like a room!

Mom goes out on the couch and drinks her coffee every morning. The boys like to join her out there.

And we didn’t lose our seating on the ledge! It is still there if needed. My mom’s dog, Hunter, likes to walk on that ledge.

The contractor we used was well worth it and was definitely a perfectionist. And the boys really liked him. Little JCrew told him all about Star Wars. 

Loving the new outdoor room! No bugs!

Subcontractors

The planning of House #2 has reached the one-year mark. We worked with a really talented house designer, but it took a long time. We didn't get our final set of plans until May. Then in August, we realized we needed to make some major changes. We went back to her, but she was back-logged. We didn't get our final set of plans until mid-November. But the wait was worth it.

Back in July, we had two builders bid the house. One builder never got back to us. The other quoted us $250k over our budget. We then reduced our budget by another $50k and that is what led us to make the changes on our house.

But the quote from the builder was not a loss. The quote was broken down by line item. About half of them told us who they used for the quote and exactly how much it was. Those were our allowances. Allowances were items that our decisions would affect the price. For instance, if we wanted spray foam insulation vs blown-in or batts, the price would go up or down accordingly. Or if we wanted to pay for Anderson Windows or save choosing Plygem Windows. Our choices would drive the cost.

It was during that time, that we decided we were knowledgeable to build this house ourselves. The General Contractor/Builder is a Program Manager and Planner. He/she coordinates all the work of the subcontractors and plans out what needs to be done by when so there is no time lost.

We started researching what we needed to do. I could give our floorplans to a lumber supply company and they could provide a material take-off. That quote wouldn't include labor, but you'd double it to get the whole cost. And then you'd have to add the extra allowances.

For the most part, we steered away from calling those subcontractors from the builder's quote again for a new quote. But it was a good comparison to use when we received the new quotes.

I unknowingly called the lumber company that the builder used to quote the material. He recognized the plan and he alerted the builder. That was fine. There are several lumber supply stores that we could turn to, so we sent our plans to three others. Most subs like to talk to the builder and not the homeowner directly. I don't understand the logic, since the homeowner is making the decisions. But then again, there are prices builders don't want to disclose, because that could be a source of profit for them.

Our first stop to get a quote on our own from was the plumbing fixture store. I'll have to write a separate post about it. It was like Christmas. I found what I was looking for and didn't have to special order or settle. And the prices were great!

MAAX - Optik

We explained how we were building the house ourselves and asked for the builder discount. Most places offer this. The builder gets the discount, but the builder most of the time charges the owner full-price. It's how they get their profit. The salesperson was happy to give us the builder's price. He then asked if we had picked out our doors yet. I said we had not, and he then gave us the name of a lady.

That's how we got most of our names for subcontractors. The lady for doors, was actually from a lumber supply company just down the road from the house. I could have her do a material take-off for the whole house. Her husband is also a builder, and she gave us a list of all the subcontractor's her husband uses.

When I went to pick out a roof shingle, she gave me the name of a place that would have better selection than she would. Turns out, our neighbor used them and said the company saved them a lot of money.

Word of Mouth - Who Referred Us to Who

Whenever I asked for quotes, I told each person to take a look at the entire plan and quote me for everything they could do. If I asked for a door quote, but they could also provide shingles, columns, shutters and siding, I wanted to see their quotes.

I did notice that windows must be a money-maker. Every time I went to a subcontractor, they asked if I had windows already. The first time, I said I already had that taken care of, and he asked, "Have you paid for them?" I said no, and he provided me a quote... that would save me $1000. I was good with that quote, but I still have people ask me if I have windows. And I let them give me a quote.

The shingle supply company provided me with a roofer. The roofer is good, was used by our neighbor and had the lowest quote.

I did have to keep on top of each person. Email is not their preferred method of contact. I can send them the plans that way, but they are phone people. They responded to my constant phone calls best. Most quotes created more questions, but they were questions that needed answers.

We ran into a lot of questions when I dealt with the plumber, electrician and HVAC. Since we chose to do ICF for the house, they all had questions about where things go. I was able to look up YouTube videos and send them, but I also called our ICF subcontractor for a list of subcontractors he has used that are familiar with ICF. During that conversation, he gave me great advice. Like, how the window and door jambs don't have to be extended! We can order normal jambs and have the trimming contractor extend the jambs. This would be a much cheaper alternative.

We finalized our list of quotes and it all came within budget. We've now submitted our number to the bank and we have a closing date on the construction loan. The ICF guy, the foundation guys and the lot surveyor have all been notified of the potential start date. We just need to order the windows because of the lead time. And you will be kept up to date as well. 2015 will be an exciting year!

An Update on New House Construction

I’ve been bad about providing updates on the construction of the house, so you’ll get an earful with this post, and then I will do a better job with the updates.

Building a house is a long process. I honestly did not think it would take this long. And we are still only in the planning phases! A co-worker of mine built a custom home and she gave me the best advice… it’s never too early to start the process.

I talked to her back when we were just looking at land. I wanted to pick her brain about the entire process. She said she spent three years working with her builder before they even broke ground. Looks like we are on the same path!

We had always toyed with the idea of building a house large enough for my parents to move in with us, and to have more kids. I researched floorplans and found one I loved and modified. I submitted my floorplan to a couple builders with our budget. Many told us it couldn’t be done.

Original Floorplan altered to meet our needs

My package I sent to builders included everything! What paint colors I wanted, cabinet details, flooring, brick colors, etc. I learned a small fact about the amount of corners on your house adds cost. My floorplan had A LOT of corners, so I went back to the drawing board.

A little less corners, but still too many.

I revised my plan to something that was totally me. I designed my house! (The pictures I have posted are NOT our final house plans. We started from scratch on the final design.) I wouldn’t have to pay an architect for something... however, that thought became invalid. A builder we were talking closely with provided us the name of three draftsmen / home designers. I called each one of them.

Pre-Planning

The first guy just told me his price and told me to stop by his home office at my convenience. His price at $0.90 per square foot scared me away and I never met him. The second guy named a similar price, but he gave me feedback to my design without having to pay him. He was not tactful in the way he delivered his comments, and at one point I silently cried on the other end of the phone, but I listened to his criticism and made some changes. The third name on the list, was a woman. I immediately liked her and her price. She charged $0.35 per square foot and knocked it down to $0.30 if you used one of her preferred builders (which we were). She took my design and made it better! She added things I did not think about. She used my pictures of things I liked, and incorporated them. Things I didn’t even know were important for her to know, she used. I showed her the outside of a house we liked and told her I knew our floorplan was not the same at all, but if she could make it look like that in some way, I’d be happy.

Exterior we liked. House too big.

And she did! And guess what the cool part is? She does it all by hand! She does not use a program. I did not realize this until after the fact. At least the changes I asked her to make were small! But, wow! Her skill blew me away.

Getting the final prints from her did take longer than expected. She had some family issues come up and that caused a delay. But the product that she gave us was worth it. We met with her the first week of January, and didn’t get our final prints until May 30^th. However, we had seen the 1^st revision on February 5^th and the second revision the week after. But we were anxious for the builder to get his hands on it to make us a budget quote.

Porch style we liked.

 We met with the builder on June 4^th and he made mention he hoped our budget grew! We had wiggle room, but it didn’t grow. We left that meeting with a promise to get us a detailed budget we could take to the bank “soon.” Two days later, I emailed the builder to clarify his definition of “soon.” He stated it would be “at least a week or so.”   I counted down the days. My mom was placing bets on when the builder would call. I was hopeful. The builder had been so attentive with helping us stay in contact with the designer and her progress, that I knew he would be working hard to get us correct estimates.

In the middle of waiting, I contacted our HOA office. We had a problem. I was originally told that I could pick a builder not on the approved builders list for the neighborhood and get the new builder added easily. I was calling to tell the HOA who I selected as a builder and was told I could no longer pick someone not on the list. I thought I had clout; I thought my builder had clout. I contacted the builder to use his, and he was later approved to build in the neighborhood. Crisis averted. The HOA office just needed him to provide some paperwork.

Part of my mom’s bet was that I couldn’t contact the builder in order for him to meet my date I picked. And I didn’t. I just contacted him about the HOA issue to see if he had submitted his paperwork to the HOA office. He immediately called me and said he was working it and was sorry he was taking so long with the cost estimate. His office had just moved and he had no good excuse. This was June 30^th. He asked if Mr. JCrew and I had any plans for the July 4^th weekend. He had a few numbers to finish up and then we could meet. I said we were available all weekend. He then left it that he would call to let us know. We never received a call. I even emailed July 3^rd to clarify what he meant by asking if we were staying in town and that we were still available to meet. I have still not ever heard back from that email.

I was disappointed, but quickly moved on. We had our back up builders waiting in the wings to talk to. And they were already on the approve builder’s list. Our first builder led us to our amazing designer, so if that was his role in the whole process, I am grateful.

The next builder on the list we called was able to meet with us on a Sunday. We met with him and his wife on July 13^th and they have already impressed us. They were going to a home building convention two days after we met, and they were already promising to tell us if they could build our house within our budget within two days. I did have to email them to ask, but we got the green light. With a few changes we had mentioned at our meeting, they could build our house within our budget. He then gave us a realistic time frame of 3-4 weeks to generate a detailed budget we could take to our bank. Mr. Crew is getting anxious because of rates. We’re really in no hurry other than we don’t want to miss out on interest rates.

So, here we are… in the 3-4 week waiting time period. We have already had multiple accounts of communication so, we know they are working. I am considering it a birthday present. I don’t want to be anxiously waiting. I just know that I will not hear from them while I am still 31. It helps me stay mellow.

As time is passing, I am looking at more and more details and finalizing selections. As I’ve looked more into pictures the builder provided, the more I find out how much I like him. He built a showcase home in the 2010 Parade of Homes. I didn’t know it was his house until I saw pictures. I took a lot of pictures at his showcase home and put them in my package as things I wanted in the new home. I don’t know if he recognized his house or not. But to me, it’s another “God wink” that we are in the right direction.

We selected our lot in March 2013, and here we are July 2014 and still have not broken ground. There are so many things that pop up. I thought I was prepared and had planned for it all, but it is a learning process. I hope I haven’t bored you with details, but it’s where we are in the process for now.

We’ve never had a hard timeline, and for that I am grateful. Everything that is happening is happening with a purpose. The purpose may not be known, but we will see it eventually. 

Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF)

Last week I mentioned how I would LOVE to work with a builder and use green materials. It’d be an even sweeter deal if the work I did had some benefit (a house I could live in.) But just being able to make the community aware of new materials would be satisfying enough.

I did a post about Icynene Spray Foam Insulation a few weeks back. I remember when this product came out, because an acquaintance of mine in Florida was making good money being a specialist with it. His company was growing as more and more people learned of it and its benefits. We used it in our house, and it was a great decision!

Insulated Concrete Forms is not something we would use as an upgrade on our current house. Although, it could be used on an addition in some cases, an addition to our house would be to add more to the second floor. We wouldn't be able to use concrete walls on just the second floor when the first floor was wood framing.

ICF replaces traditional wood framing and sheathing. It comes in “blocks” and can be used for any shape house. Even ones with curves and bay windows. The forms are interlocking modular units that are dry-stacked and filled with concrete.

In Florida, most houses have their exterior walls made out of cinderblocks. It became building regulation after many bad hurricanes that all houses would be built using cinderblocks. I was surprised to move to Alabama and not see a similar building regulation. Being Tornado Alley, I’m shocked to see wood framing still being used on brand new homes. Even with a brick outer-layer, that house will be splinters after a small tornado comes through.

I forget the particulars on how I stumbled upon learning about ICF, but once I researched, it was a no-brainer. Why weren’t more people using this?

I researched the cost. Since it replaces both wood framing and sheathing and insulation, it was three steps in one. The cost is around 6-10% more than wood framing. Not bad if it replaces other steps in the building process!

Another reason why it is not widely used yet, is the learning curve. A builder does have to become certified. There are families in the business with years of framing experience. They have their timing and costs very efficient. Having them learn something new, would take time and money that they don’t want to spend. However, I have found one builder that is certified and will use it. Southern Construction and Design. They are approved builders in my current neighborhood.

I’ve seen a house going up on the other side of town and they are using ICF. I about FLIPPED in my seat when I drove by. I immediately called Mr. JCrew and told him I saw a local house going up using ICF. I don’t know why I got so excited. It wasn’t my house or even a friend’s house, but I was excited. I couldn’t see a builders name on any signs around, but I was curious to see if it is the one builder I know of. Turns out, there is someone else in the area that uses ICF that is doing that project.

ICF House being built that I saw in town.

I think it is a great option and definitely has its benefits:

• Energy efficient
• Structural Safety – restists damage and protect occupants from fire, wind, earthquakes and flooding.
• Comfort – even distribution of air temperature in the home.
• Acoustical Properties – provides improved reduction of “outdoor” noise
• Durability – ability to resist rot, decay, corrosion, pest attack and other forms of degradation. 
• Environmentally Sensitive – ICF walls can be made with a variety of recycled materials that can lower the carbon footprint of the structure.

Some benefits of ICF construction help to minimize the monthly cost of home ownership by reducing insurance premiums and energy/utility bills.. ICF Construction call allow up to 60% smaller heating and cooling units to service the same square footage. ICF homes can also qualify for green tax incentives.

One downside that I have come across only matters if you are crunched for space. An ICF wall is thicker than a wood-frame wall. If your lot can’t handle the added thickness of the exterior of the house all around, you would have to take away from the interior square footage. This would be a problem in urban communities where houses are built on top of each other.

I would think all builders and homeowners would want to build something that would protect them from harm. It’s an added bonus that it also cuts your energy bills in half.

Cost of ICF construction is very dependent on the familiarity of the contractor and trades people with the product. In most cases, there is a “learning curve” in any new construction process that requires building several houses to eventually economize the overall approach to construction. Therefore, the experience of the contractor is an important factor that will have an impact on cost and quality. Fortunately, ICF construction is a fairly simple method of construction using a system of conventional materials and it is easily leaned and understood by contractors, trades people and “do-it-yourselfers.”

In fact, when I was researching making my own furniture and looking at plans, I was on Ana White’s blog. She lives up in Alaska and is building a House for both her mom and her mother-in-law (a Momplex). They are building it themselves and used ICF. It was then that I learned, even a six year old can do it! (Seriously, check out the link. It gives a lot of information from a Do-It-Yourself perspective).

Now, there is an option to keep wood-framing and “upgrade” it to meet the energy efficiency of ICF, but it ups the price.

There are ways to increase the R-value of the walls, if you want. I believe this is overkill, but good to know.

During my research, I found out about ICF deck. It can be used on the floors!  ICF decking weights up to 40% less than standard concrete flooring and provides superior insulation. ICF roof decks are less common as it is difficult to pour concrete on an angled surface.

I haven't decided on the necessity of that one yet, but it's cool. Probably very useful in cold climates. 

Selling factors for me with ICF are the noise reduction and the safety against natural disasters. We aren't located in a Wind-gust belt, but we do have higher odds of having a tornado come through. And with cities losing more space to build houses, our neighbors are getting closer and the roads are getting wider. ICF would block all the traffic noise. 

If you're going to put the effort into using ICF, then you can't forget the windows and doors. You can lose heat/air through them as well. 

Houses today can last decades, but wouldn't it be cool to see them standing for centuries? Look at the building materials used for commercial projects; they are much different. They use steel and concrete for walls and metal roofing. Maybe people don't want their houses to be around forever. Some do look dated, but I think color is what dates a house.

If I were to build my dreamhouse, I'd want to pass it down to my kids, and I'd live in the in-law suite. But using wood-framing, I couldn't guarantee that.

One downside I thought of when researching ICF was that people may be afraid of renovations with ICF. It wouldn't be easy to knock out a window and make it a door, or vice-versa. House-flippers wouldn't like ICF houses. Although, I did talk to a local builder that is doing an addition in ICF. The addition includes an indoor pool and other extras, but that addition will be the safest place to be. You can swim during a tornado warning. Even the windows are strong enough to withstand the wind gusts.

Overall, I am excited for more homes to use ICF. Especially in areas that experience tornadoes, fires, hurricanes and earthquakes. It's really up to homeowners to decide if they want to use it. Builders are willing to use it, but the market has to drive it. The more people that hear about it, the more we will be seeing it used. I'm excited!

My Dream Job - Build A House

I went on a project hiatus back in February and filled my time working on a BIG project. I had discovered that I love the planning process just as much as I enjoy the project coming to fruition. To help me get through a necessary hiatus, I took on a project that involved a lot of planning, but it would be something I may never see. 

I designed my dream house, and it was so much fun. I lived and breathed this project for months. I created a package to show all the details and even made multiple floorplans. I didn’t have the right computer tool like an architect has, but I came up with a cool floorplan.

I used www.floorplanner.com. It’s free. It even creates a 3D view.

The 3D view helps you get a visual on hallway openings, door placement, window placement, etc. Some of those details are hard to see on a 2D drawing.

The only thing I wish is that it would create an outside rendition. All you have to do is tell it what type of house you want it to look like (Tudor, Craftsman, New American, Cottage, etc), and it would change the style of the exterior.

That was the main reason I used www.floorplanner.com because I thought it would. Oh, well.

Today I’ll share pictures of my dream house. This house has five bedrooms and six bathrooms. Enough space for three (or more) kids and my parents.

My current house is perfect in a lot of ways. It won’t be too big when my family is grown and left me, and the layout is what I fell in love with. Tudor is not my style of house, and the driveway could have been longer, but that’s all I’d change.

The dreamhouse’s garage is huge! Empty, it could fit five cars in there! I even added a small garage door to the back side so that a riding lawn mower could enter the backyard through the door instead of going the long way around.

And the driveway was long enough to hold six, possibly nine, more cars. With more kids and parents living under one roof, you need a place for the vehicles. (Looks excessive, but I was anticipating friends’ cars.) It looks junky when you have cars lined up outside your house 24/7, and it's a neighborhood covenant of ours not to have cars parked on the street overnight. I also added a semi-circle driveway in front of the house.

Originally, I had planned for the driveway to look like this:

I calculated the size lot I would need for this configuration and realized how hard it would be to find the perfect-sized lot to accommodate.

I had even gone so far to design the landscape already! That’s one of my favorite parts. I try to envision the views from inside that I want to create. I also took into consideration what views I wanted to take advantage of and what I wanted to obstruct. Of course, the landscaping is best done when the lot is chosen. I fictitiously picked a lot and designed according to it. Flipping the floorplan was the main change. You'll notice the flip in all the comparison pictures.

Since floorplanner did not come up with an outside sketch, I had to create my own.

That was the hard part. It was so hard to make it look like I envisioned.

Here was an actual picture that looked like the look I was trying to go for. Not the color, but the look/style.

Until I found this design, and knew this was the style. It was the only one Mr. JCrew and I could decide on. We liked everything about it.

Even the mix of stone with the brick. I like brick; Mr. JCrew likes stone, so this was our compromise.

Mr. JCrew and I came up with guidelines that a dreamhouse would have to fill:

• More bedrooms to accommodate more children
• An In-Law suite located on the first floor
• A larger shower than we currently have
• A space for all of Mr. JCrew’s books
• A wrap around porch
• A larger garage and a longer driveway
• Tornado Safe

I found an existing floorplan and made my tweaks. I used eplans to find a floorplan to modify. 

Finding a floorplan with an in-law suite is not impossible, but finding one with the suite on the first floor is!! Parents are older; they cannot be climbing stairs to get to their space! So, I looked for floorplans that had a guest bedroom on the first floor that I could convert: or space that allowed for an addition to be added easily.

The original floorplan had 15 exterior doors! That is WAY too many doors to be checking at night before going to bed! I eliminated 9 of those doors.

Mr. JCrew and I both want to be available to take care of our family and friends. The in-law suite would be for my parents, but we could take in anyone and everyone that needed it. I turned the extra bedroom on the first floor into a suite.

I almost added a kitchenette for the suite, but I wanted meal times to be a time of gathering. The kitchen and dining room would be able to accommodate everyone and no one would be eating alone. The openness of the kitchen to the family room is my favorite part of the house.

The side porch was my second favorite  part. They call it a Friendship Door. However, the original plan had three exterior doors on the side porch. You’d have to open the door from the garage, walk across the porch, and open another door to get into the house. Imagine yourself carrying groceries from the car; doesn't sound fun.

I took out the back hallway and added a door through the pantry for quick access to unload groceries. But I think I would add that hallway back in. I like it. Some may feel it’s wasted space, but I know I’d like the feel and look of it.

The Pool Bath, as I call it, had a shower. I wouldn’t ever plan on having a pool to maintain, so I eliminated the shower and exterior door in that bathroom. Showers would be in bathrooms near bedrooms.

The upstairs did not have many changes at all. There was only a shower in one bathroom, and I turned it into a tub/shower combo. I added more of a wall and door to the toilet portion of the other bathroom. Two boys would be sharing that bathroom, and if someone is using the shower or toilet, the other child can still go in and wash their hands/brush their teeth.

The front porch doesn’t look like there was much change.

1. Four sets for French doors were removed.
2. The front door was recessed. 
3. The opening to the dining room was widened.
4. The porch was extended to wrap around.

Now, I even revised my floorplan to be all on one level. I have gotten use to living on one level and I enjoy it. I like having the kids close by, especially when they are small. And if this were to be our forever home, I wouldn't be going upstairs in my old age. So, I toyed around with the idea of putting all the bedrooms downstairs. This meant we would lose the playroom (okay by me) and we'd lose the formal living room (also, okay with me). The office would then relocate to the area where the living room was and the new bedrooms would occupy the space where the study was. Doing this added about 12 feet to the width of the house. The only down-side to this floorplan in general is how wide it is! It's hard to find a lot in a neighborhood wide enough. But I still love the layout. I pretend to walk through the house all the time.

I really had so much fun planning this project. I took so much into consideration. Sometimes I wonder if I missed my calling. I get so excited seeing dirt trucks on a construction site. I even get excited seeing the road construction going on. Building a new road is equally as awesome as a new house. Especially, if you have to build it over a river!

I even took into consideration the building materials and making the house as green as possible. I would use ICF framing to ensure comfort control and strength during tornado storms. Instead of a a storm shelter, the whole house would be storm-safe! I would use brick instead of siding. It is more expensive, but less maintenance in the long-run. I would use the Icynene Spray Foam Insulation again in the attic. I would also use the automatic timers on outside lights and motion-sensor lights inside. 

Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF)

I would REALLY love to design and build a house for a builder. When I was planning my dream house, I imagined striking a deal with a builder and letting him show the house in the local Parade of Homes Tour in exchange for discounts possibly. It would be great advertising for the builder! All they have to do was execute the plan. I planned every little detail, so there would be no flip-flopping with decisions during the building process. I would LOVE the opportunity to work with a builder and use new materials and educate the community. That’s usually what showcase tours are about; thinking outside the box. I researched builders that use ICF and not many popped up in my area. However, SouthernConstruction is licensed and they are also a Southern Living builder. I like Jimmy Bryan Construction, but he's not worked with ICF. The quality of his work is fantastic and they have GREAT customer service!

I had put too much work into this, not to share. It may be a dream of mine, but maybe I can be a part of someone else’s dream, too!

I have come up with other floorplans that I may share later. This floorplan is the one I kept coming back to because I could envision how we would use the space efficiently.

The inside of the dreamhouse I envision looks the same as my house. This is home, so I wouldn't change a thing. Same colors, same furniture, same everything. The only thing I would possibly play around with was doing something different in the kitchen. I'm not a fancy person, so although my dream house is larger, it's not fancier. My home is comfortable and I don't want to take away that feeling. 

And when I say, "larger" I want to note that the dream house room sizes are the exact same as my house. The bedrooms are exactly the same size! I didn't want them to be bigger. They are big enough. The family room is bigger and we added the in-law suite and a playroom. Basically, it's the same rooms we currently have in a different layout  (combining my parents' house with mine.)

I really do get excited when any new house is being built. I don't necessarily have to live in it, just be a part of the process. A fly on the wall, even! That would be my dream job. Any local builders want to partner with me?