construction progress-our new house

things are moving along on the new house!
we broke ground about 2 weeks ago, and will be starting framing today!
(SO exciting!)

here is a look at the last week:

 the lot is dug out and prepped for footings.

 the footings go in, despite two days of rain, and an early snow.

 the finished footings.

 the foundation wall forms arrive.

 the foundation walls start to go up.

 the forms are laid in place, and then filled with concrete.

 the forms are removed.

the foundation walls are complete!
it is so exciting to drive up and SEE something sticking out of the ground!
the windows that you see are in the basement, and when the lot gets backfilled, they will get window wells, and will be mostly underground.


if you want (almost) daily updates of our progress, follow me on instagram (autumnclemons)

design plans: california entry, dining + family room

thanks for all the votes on my door post. i will let you know what the final verdict is.

(when i finally choose...)

i thought i would share the idea boards for a recently completed e-design of a california home. this client has an open dining/living room and entry, and we tackled all three spaces at once. my client already had a fabulous persian style rug and great dining table that was staying, but needed a revised furniture plan along with new furniture, paint colors, lighting, window treatments and accessories.

interested in working together to create a more beautiful and functional space?
contact me at: autumnclemons@yahoo.com i would love to work together!
i am now taking clients for after thanksgiving.

which door?

i seriously can't believe that i am picking out the front door for a house that has not even been framed...
but i am.
typically, we would opt for a custom wood door, but we are going to go with fiberglass, because we need something that will withstand the intense heat of the western sun. my husband has had a lot of experience with wood doors, and they don't do well when painted a dark color and when they face either south or west.
the front of our house will face due west, and since we are so high on the bench of the mountain, we are going to get blasted by the sun. i know i want something pretty simple, with the windows on the top, but i can't decide which window pattern to go with. i kinda like them all.
which one is your favorite?

2 panes

3 panes

4 panes

6 panes

please leave a comment! there are some things that i have really strong opinions on, and others that
i just can't seem to decide on. this is one of them!
(another great source to look for doors is sliding doors @ www.barrier-components.co.uk.)
here is the elevation of the house, for reference:

windows + range hoods

did you notice that on the floor plan of my new house, there are windows on either side of the hood/range in the kitchen? it is one of the features that i am really excited about. that back wall is going to be an important feature in the house because it is open to the great room, dining room and entry.

here are some fabulous inspiration pictures o found of windows on either side of a range and hood:

love the copper hood here. the ceiling in this kitchen are at least 11', while ours will only be 9'. the transoms above the windows are a nice touch too...

mmmm. LOVE this one. the straight sided hood and arch detail are perfect. i would put some art on the hood if it were in my house....

isn't this one elegant?

i really love the maybe slab on the backslash, and that hood is so sleek.

both totally out of my price range, but fun to look at.

my range will not be this wide, but i like the simple lines of the hood. and those herringbone floors are GORG-eous.

simple and pretty. my windows will be wider than these, but i like the simple feeling
of this set up.

this is about the height that my ceilings will be. i really like the x detail on the cabinet fronts.

so classic and simple.

this is a pretty small kitchen....well, small for a "magazine worthy" kitchen. the wood counters really add some warmth to the white cabinets and white marble.

do you notice a pattern here? doesn't it seem like all of these kitchens are white??

what do you think about this look?

do you like windows on either side of a range? 

is it something that you have noticed before, or does it seem to be something

that has just popped up in the last few years?

all image sources here.

breaking ground

this weekend was an exiting one!
we broke ground for the house on friday evening. we cut into the side of the mountain, hauled off dozens and dozens of truckloads of dirt, dug the hole for the basement and prepped the area for the footings.

here are some pictures of the progress!

 friday evening---the digging starts.

 saturday--a lot of progress already. this is after 60 truckloads of first have been taken off the property.

the basement getting dug out and prepped.

oh, and we also accidentally obliterated the neighbors mailbox....

exterior elevations of our new house

here they are! 

the elevations of our new house! 

i am SO, so happy with the way the house will look...classic, clean and with just the right amount of detail. todd jenkins, of frank betz did a wonderful job, and we are THRILLED.

front elevation:

 left elevation:

 back elevation:

right elevation:

 roof plan:
we kept the roof lines very simple, to save money with the framing and roofing...as you can see from the roof sketch and the side elevations, what looks like a front "porch"is really just some pilasters ("half" columns applied to a wall) the setbacks were QUITE a challenge to work around....

i thought y'all would enjoy seeing the original elevation sketch that todd sent to us:



we liked it a lot, but wanted something a little bit "more nantuckety and less lodgey". that is exactly what we said to todd. when i opened the email that contained the new front elevation sketch, i was giddy!

we already have one change---we are going to eliminate the chimney stack. it will cost a fortune and my husband thought it would help prevent ice and snow damming---because we get a TON of snow up there.
what do you think??
do we have a winner?

last weekend (OLD news)

i have a confession.

it was my birthday last weekend. AND it was a "big" one.

(yep. that's right, i finally turned 30. har! har! just kidding...y'all know i am a tad older than that....)

*i am still not quite sure how i feel about it, but suddenly every one

in my family is "teasingly" calling me OLD. i am 18 months older than my husband, so the fact

that i am the first to experience this rite of passage doesn't help. 

at ALL.

to celebrate, my sweet husband took the day off work, and got the kids off to school. he then brought me breakfast in bed when i woke up at 10:30! (my day could have ended there and i would have been happy.) we picked up the kids early from school, and went for a drive in the mountains towards park city. after some shopping, a little snack, and a wonderful massage, we headed for dinner at talisker on main, on main street in park city. it was a pretty spectacular day. here are a few snippets:

 it was a rainy, chilly day, and the mountain drive was so pretty.

 halfway though the drive, my kids had to go to the bathroom, so we found a little outhouse on the side of the road. my 10 year old daughter charlotte, did NOT like the way it smelled!

 our "snack" at red rock brewing company---goat cheese and roasted garlic bruscetta, and friend green tomatoes...cuz birthday calories don't count.

 awesome railing in an elevator on the way to the spa at the canyons resort.

 a little shopping at the factory outlets. 

i got a cardigan that i MAY have worn every day this week...

 talisker on main.

 james beard award winning food.

 great, cozy atmosphere.

once again, i find myself at the mercy of public restrooms. 

can't help myself, i gotta take some pictures.

isn't this bathroom cheery?

 

love the wallpaper!

 seeing these sconces made me want them in my new house. i think these are by circa lighting,

but they may be ralph lauren....

 i never tire of checkerboard floors.

it's official. 

i am 40.

by the way, have you seen trailers to this movie?

(it looks completely hilarious. and also a little bit naughty....)