I couldn’t be more excited to be getting close to kicking off our build again. Many of you that have been following along on my instagram page know that, unfortunately, we had to part ways with our previous builder. Construction has already been stopped for about 4 months, and instead of preparing to move into our home this Spring, we had to adjust our expectations and realize that having an end product that we are happy with is most important. I dislike the term “forever home”, but our intention is to plant roots in this house and build a life here for the foreseeable future. We envision Sloane spending her childhood here, coming back to stay with us when she is in college and visiting when she has a family of her own. I can see Chris and I growing old here and grandkids running around. We designed this home to work for us now and later, and we considered our needs at different stages of life. It was really important to us to get this right, so if takes a little longer… we are ok with that.
Our experience thus far, although not ideal, has honestly been a blessing in disguise! It has taught us so much not only about the home building process, but about life, business and legal matters (probably more than we even wanted to know!) Most importantly, it has taught us about ourselves and how we react when we are challenged, stressed and overwhelmed. People have asked me how I stay positive or sleep at night, for that matter! Truth be told, it has been consuming at times, but it’s a house. My family is healthy and safe, and I have so much to be thankful for. I focus on that and remember that God is in control and there is always a solution! If you want to know more about what we’ve learned so far and things to consider when choosing a builder, read my posts “before you break ground” and “what we’ve learned”.
We are moving on and super excited to announce that we will be using a prominent Dallas builder, Coats Homes to finish our project. I was thrilled to find out that Coats Homes would build in our area. I have followed them for a long time, and I have had their work saved on my Houzz and Pinterest pages for years! Their builds were such an inspiration to me when designing our home. Not only do I believe they understand and fully support my vision, but they will be able to execute it too! We couldn’t be in better hands. Take a look at their work below – it is beautiful!
This one has been on my Houzz page since 2017! I’m still inspired! Their work truly stands the test of time.
The quality of their work is so evident and every detail so well thought out.
At this point, we are about 30% complete with the house build so we still have quite a bit of this wild ride to go (hopefully not too wild!) Our walls have not been drywalled yet, so it was easy to see how the plumbing and HVAC systems were installed, and for our new builder to get a really good look at what has already been done and what needs to be tweaked. Our Coats Homes team has been fabulous so far, and they are currently in the process of bidding out the remaining work, meeting with subs, creating our project schedule and doing all of their due diligence in this pre-construction phase. We have a dedicated team of project management and construction professionals guiding us though this process and it is already running more smoothly then I ever expected! We are busy finishing our selections like appliances, audio/visual, counters, lighting, paint, etc. and checking lots of boxes! I will be taking you all along for the fun, and will be sharing the process and all the selections as we head into the next phase of this build. I know that the time leading up to starting construction again is being well spent and our project will be much more successful because of the work we are doing now. I am hoping to have most of the selections made before we break ground again, and then we can stand by and watch it all come to life!
I love that Coats has a flair for incorporating modern touches and still appreciates traditional character. It takes a special skill set to build homes “like they used to” in today’s world.
Another crucial part of our team has been our incredible designer, Christina Garcia, from Layered Dimensions. Christina has helped us with the designs and CAD drawings, and has been along with us on this journey from the beginning. She has played an integral role in helping us bring our vision to life and put it into a format that can be understood by everyone working on our project. She has made the transition to our new builder seamless, and I’m telling y’all that she is the real deal. Christina is beyond talented. Coming from someone that ran a design business for years, it is hard to find a designer that truly understands new construction and can execute at this level. Christina went to school for design, can free hand sketch and knows how to use CAD. She is so much more than cute concept boards – she is substance; minute trim details, cabinetry, and a big binder full of drawings and specs. This is what is needed when you are starting from scratch on a custom build and want it to go well! I will be writing a full post on why I chose to work with a designer and what that has looked like for our project. Yes, even though I had my own experience in design, I still needed help!
So, as we begin again, I will take you all along for the ride! Comment below if there is anything that you are specifically interested in seeing or if you have any questions about the home building process. I hope that I can be a resource and inspiration to you through this journey.
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