Happy Thanksgiving Week
Well hello! I know we have so much to get caught up on. My home is still sllllooooooowly coming along. A crazy thing happened during our renovations, I had some sort of life-altering reality check.
Well hello! I know we have so much to get caught up on. My home is still sllllooooooowly coming along. A crazy thing happened during our renovations, I had some sort of life-altering reality check.
My daughter is a senior in high school and my son is a freshman at the same school. She is working her way through the college application process (it makes the ORC look like playtime in the sandbox) and he doesn't want to hang out with mom. And then it hit me, how do I want to spend my time when I am not catering to their every demand and assisting them through their teen years?
What was my passion?....other than design, the One Room Challenge™, and this site :).
So I decided to get a degree in real estate stalking. Yup! The state of Florida has deemed me qualified to sell real estate. During the last two months I have been working on the One Room Challenge™, coordinating electricians, painters, and everyone else who wanted a piece of this home project, working a day job (did I mention that I had a day job? We really do need to get caught up), and going to real estate school on the weekends. Whew!
I'll tell you all about my plans in a future post, but for now, let the shopping begin. I'm also working on renovating this site. It is long overdue for a fresh new look.
Source?
My sincerest wishes to you and your family for a healthy and happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for all of you checking in on me with your comments and emails. I will be spending the remainder of this week going through all of the One Room Challenge™ Guest Participants. I have been reading each and every post. Come by over the long weekend, and take a look. One of them has already been featured in House Beautiful!
Oh, and if you can, please consider dropping something off to your local food bank.
Knobs or Pulls?
Another decision.....
I really like the simplicity of small knobs.
Wettling Architects
The pretty sparkle of glass.
Nest Architectural Design
Anita Clark
And then there's the function and statement of the pull.
Elevation Home Builders
Architectural and industrial.
Blackstone Cabinetry
Sleek and interesting.
Ulrich
Which style would you select?
Wood, White & Marble
Wood
Indigo & Ochre Designs
White
Cave Interiors
Marble
Horizon Habitats
I wasn't planning on finishing my powder room, prior to moving in. It felt like one more decision I would want to obsess over, slowly and endlessly, until I knew I had seen every possible combination of wood, white, and marble. Unfortunately, I just found out that I can't get a CO (Certificate of Occupancy) on my home without a sink in the small bath.
I am under pressure to make a decision on a powder room vanity.
Do you have a favorite vanity? I would love a second opinion.
Home Renovation Sources - Naples, FL
Happy holiday weekend. I'm sure most of you are out and about and I will be soon, too. It has been great to learn, through emails, that many of you live in or visit the Naples area!
I wanted to share my home renovation resources with you. These companies have provided me with excellent customer service, and I would definitely do business with them, again.
Pool Company
:
- By far, the most honest pool company in this area. For the record, they were the fourth company to come out and see my job....company 1, never sent the quote...company 2, thought they were building a new pool (or at least we could have on that quote)...company 3, tried to sell me equipment I did not need.
Kitchen Cabinets:
- Ask for Jack or Jason, and tell them I sent you. They are fed up with me :). All joking aside, their prices are excellent and their service is fantastic. They never rush you and keep designing...until. If you happen to be there through lunch time, they will treat you to one of those green passion smoothies from Panera. Dollar averaging, that's an expensive drink ;).
Quartzite/Marble/Granite Slabs:
-
- Ask for Marco. Searching for
was like binge watching House of Cards......I just couldn't stop until it was over. Marco and I drove to several
undercover
non-retail stone yards. Interacting with the cast of characters at each yard reminded me of New Jersey.
Tile - I purchased tile from multiple sources. I could write a book about the process of how tile is imported into Florida and channels through the customs department in Miami. This process can take up to ten weeks. Start the tile search, early.
- Ask for Melony. Excellent source for floor tile.
- Ask for Olga. A great place to source tile you found online. Olga is a machine at locating your tile and dealing with the Miami brokers.
- Ask for Stuart. He definitely hates me, and I did buy tile from him. Apparently, you are not supposed to request a shipment quote directly from the Italian salesmen, that are representing the line you are interested in, while they are making a sales call to the store. Who knew?
- Huge selection and excellent prices. Be prepared to spend quite a bit of time walking up and down each isle. There is a lot to see.
I hope you find these sources helpful. I'll update this list, as I go...or when I remember.
See you at Starbucks in
.
Updates?
Art Event at The Pink Pagoda
