STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

HeatherLynn · Gucci

My good news

member · Hermes

OMG yay - that's so exciting! Congratulations! Is the boy going to live w/you?

Elle · Hermes

Congratulations!

We've practically rebuilt the house we're in right now, and are planning on building our next from scratch so we don't have to deal with tearing out other peoples crap work!

I'd say definitely work with an archictect/designer of some sort - worth the money! Since they do this all the time they'll bring details to your attention you'd never have thought of otherwise. Even if you're not designing a place from scratch, they can do amazing things with pre-existing plans. Small tweaks can greatly improve the useability (and storage!) in a house, and it will improve your resale value and appeal.

Try to figure out an overall style/feel for the house. Magazine pics are good, but so is touring higher end homes on the market and taking pics yourself

. Also, try to figure out if there are any elements that are really important to you (granite countertops or a big bathtub or skylights everywhere, whatever) and plan those splurges into the budget now!

Oh, and Ikea cabinets are inexpensive and get really high ratings on consumer reports, fwiw.

Good luck!

Kelly · Hermes

congratulations! That's awesome!!

squishy · Coach

that's so freaking cool! sounds like laborious fun :)

blubirde · Chanel

Don't skimp on the important bits - the things that will be a total bitch to redo. You can always add nicer countertops or sinks later when you have more money (if that's a consideration).

I've also heard the same about IKEA cabinets - not super pricey and really great reviews.

Don't worry about size when the house is being built. Everything seems smaller then. When my parents were building their house we would walk around when just the frame was up and be dismayed at how much smaller it seemed than originally thought. But it wasn't. It just looked that way at first.

If you're doing a driveway and you have the space, add a couple extra feet on each side. You'd be amazed how many times people almost drive off a driveway (thereby ruining your landscaping). A few extra feet make a world of difference.

littlebean · Kate Spade

Congrats!

FashionPrincess · Hermes

OMG! Congratulations! PM me with the details (where, etc).

When we built our house we got some of our lighting and fixtures from Lighting Emporium but also Lowes/Home Depot had some great stuff at good prices. Although Lighting Emporium should offer a builders discount.

I am sooo excited for you!

Suasoria · Chanel

Oh, how exciting!

With a contractor, as with any relationship, communication is key. I love my house, but I hated the guy by about the fifth month of this 11-month project. I'm sure the feeling was mutual. (We loved his subs, and they loved us, so that worked out, at least.)

Pick out everything major as early as you can - appliances, plumbing fixtures, lighting, doors, windows - so that you can't ever be blamed for holding up the job. (And be decisive. Changing your mind costs you too much money.) The Internet is amazing - you can download and print out spec sheets and installation manuals for everything, so framers and plumbers and such can do a lot of their work even before the items arrive on site.

Allow for everything you might ever want someday while the walls are open (before drywall). Surround Sound? Speakers in every room? Ethernet ports? A burglar alarm system? Undercabinet lighting? Plasma TV over the fireplace or the tub? You have to wire for all that stuff now whether you install it or not - plus when you sell the house you can brag that it's "enabled."

On that note, don't skimp on the electrical outlets and light switches - you want to be able to turn on the hallway light from both ends of the hallway, for example. And dimmers! Everywhere!

On design/style issues, it really depends on how long you plan to live in this house. If it's less than five years then I'd strongly keep resale in mind when you're making cosmetic choices. Most people don't want to redo anything when they buy a house.

I'm sure I have dozens more tips but you'll no doubt come up with your own that work for you.

joy0302 · Kate Spade

Our house was already built when we got it so I don't have any advice with contractors, but just wanted to say congratulations!

BargainQueen · Marc Jacobs

Congratulations, be sure to post updates and any pics!

HeatherLynn · Gucci

Thanks girls! I am finalizing most of it today. This is something that has been in the process for awhile. =)

SC33- The boy isn't going to be living with me right now... but his little sister can't keep a secret and told me he bought a ring last weekend so hopefully soon he will be. =)

Sibeski · Dooney & Bourke

This may sound silly - but WINDOWS! Hubby and I love windows and wanted a ton in our house. So. We had a TON put in. However we didn't think about size so when I went to look at window coverings/drapery everything had to be custom made! I say...make sure you put in stock windows or put away a nice amount for coverings!

and...CONGRATS!!!!

jacL · Coach

Congratulations! My mother has had a few houses built when I was younger and lived at home (it was somewhat of a hobby for awhile, it seemed) and she let me be hands-on with the process so I have a little idea of what it is like--be prepared for a headaches but fun too!

blink · Coach

How exciting! My DH and I built our house in 2000, it was a lot of fun. Our builder wasn't a custom builder, but we enjoyed picking out the floorplan, tile floors, cabinets, fixtures, colors and extra features.

I would much of the design differently if I could do it I again though, hahaha, like pick hardwood floors over carpet.

It depends on what you like so I don't have too much advice, take your time and choose wisely. I would have opted for more crown molding, our builder has it standard in the front of the house, but for some reason we didn't opt to add it to the back and we regret it. One other option we had with our builder was in ground sprinklers, we chose to have them done and never regretted that. Other neighbors we knew didn't opt for the sprinklers and ended up having to move their own sprinkler all over the lawn each time they watered. Having in ground sprinklers installed later is a pain in the neck. I know several people who had the cheap minimum of appliances installed, because they were able to buy their own for less than the builder was offering.