First signs of commitment

Let me fill you in on my progress and some of the inner struggles that having been waging war for the better part of a year now.

So, leading up until this point I have spent a lot of time going back and forth on whether or not I am going to take on this project. There were times when I put it on hold completely for one reason or another and there were moments when I was making my architect run around in circles really just because I was afraid to commit to a floor plan. When a month had passed and I had not been able to find a way to change the layout for the umpteenth time I realized that I must have something in place that I am happy with and that I could commit to.

Duane at Kara Mann Design has been wonderful in dealing with me. We have discussed at length anything from the proper layout of the master bath to how to save the economy without giving up our rights or our entire paychecks (I will leave the political discussions for another blog).In the end he has guided me through carefully and gracefully and when I think about it I have probably come back to some of the ideas that he and Kara had intially proposed.

More recently, since I have committed to 98% of the floor plans, I have begun to visit showrooms ranging from hard wood floors to low voltage systems (I will probably never commit 100% to anything throughout this process since that would put all credit and blame squarely on my shoulders) After visiting three different hard wood floor manufacturers, a audio visual specialist and falling in love with materials at a marble and granite warehouse I really can't decide which area of the house I am going to have more fun designing or enjoying after this whole thing is finished.

I will soon be posting more specific information on this blog. There will be pictures of the stone samples along with links to different design ideas that I am leaning towards. I will also try to post some of the floor plans but I warn you - if you propose changes in the floor plans at this point you won't be allowed to visit - ever. I joke. Better to have the obvious pointed out sooner rather than later.

I am going to get back to enjoying what seems to be the 14th overcast day in a row in Chicago. We better get this rain out of our system becuase I really won't need water from the sky when the basement is being dug out and the back wall of the house open to the elements. Due to city codes I can not have a swimming pool in my basement and I get written up for my driving habits enough by the city. I don't need them to have a problem with the way I live too.