Change is good...

Well, we had our first big change today, and I think it's a good one. On the original plan, you entered into a sort of hallway from the garage with the pantry on the right leading into the hallway in front of the dining room and the mudroom/laundry room on the left. It was brought to my attention that perhaps we might prefer to enter directly into the mudroom from the garage, which is the whole purpose of having a mudroom, right? I think you could more accurately describe this space as a "drop zone" since you can leave jackets, shoes, backpacks, etc. and not have to clutter up the house with those items. The new plan enters directly into the mudroom, which in turn enlarged that space. This change allowed us to add two "lockers" (which is nice since we are a family of four) and make the pantry bigger (which was a concern of mine.) It also increased the width of the back wall of the kitchen. I'm really excited about that change, because now my cook top can be centered with the island. I like symmetry and I think that would have driven me crazy! So check out the two plans...before and after.

Here is the original:


And here's the new plan:


I liked the original because you could see the open staircase and all the way out the back of the house, but I think the new version is going to be more functional for us as a busy family. Tell me what you think!

Teachers and Kitchens: I Love them Both!

Teacher Appreciation Week

First, a shout-out to Gilly's wonderful teacher Sarah Szwilski who was nominated for a "Coolest Teacher" award. She, like many, many other teachers, works tirelessly to teach our little ones. Way to go, Senora Szwilski!!

Now, kitchen picks! As you know, the kitchen is probably THE most important room in the house. You want to make sure you get the cabinets and tile right from the start, because that's a hard change to make once they are installed. We all know that colors and trends change very quickly in today's world, so pick the most trendy accessories, paint, and fabrics you want. Those things can easily be replaced. However, you can never go wrong with classic picks for cabinetry and tile. Of course, classic means different things to different people. Some folks go with a cottage look, others a clean-lined, sleek look, and still others choose the tried-and-true traditional look.

Cliff and I choose a traditional look with a twist. We knew we wanted dark espresso-stained base cabinets and light uppers around the perimeter with an island that would be either stained or painted. However, Cliff's pick was much warmer in color than mine. Here, take a look:

My pick was much cooler with a painted gray island. It's not shown, but I would have chosen to do black and white counter tops:


So with the help of Jean Ann, the interior decorator for Jimmy Nash Homes, and Samantha of Creative Kitchen and Baths, we came up with a combination that took elements from both. The dark base cabinets are almost black, but you can still see the grain. The uppers are light cream with just a touch of glaze, and the island is the stained piece and will have a furniture look with curvy table legs:


The granite you see is similar to what we will be using for both the perimeter counter tops and the island. It will be honed to add a contrasting texture to the shiny Carrera subway tiles. To add a little "extra," we will be using this style door under the kitchen sink:


And we're using these knobs and handles (the center one) to give it a little sparkle:



Since we were able to make our selections within our budget, we are going to splurge on a carrera top on the bar that separates the kitchen from the great room. It will also be on the espresso stained base. Well, at least that's the plan. We'll find out when we get the quote back! It will look similar to this photo:

This is the door style we choose. It's also that gray color that I wanted for the island. See, even I have a hard time resisting, because I think home colors are trending towards gray right now. Because I do love it, I think I'm going to use it for the paint color.



I love how Samantha and Jean Ann were able to listen to both of our ideas, and come up with an option that we both really love. The end result exceeded my expectations, and I can't wait to see how it's going to turn out...now I'm REALLY excited!!! Since this space is so open to the rest of the house, it will really set the tone for the entire house. For us, it has the perfect mix of casual and dressy, light and dark, shiny and matte, clean lines yet still traditional...waiting is going to be very difficult!! You'll be the first to see it when that time comes. Have a great night and please remember all the folks impacted by this past weekend's flooding. They need all the prayers they can get!

YouTube - JimmyNashHomes's Channel

YouTube - JimmyNashHomes's Channel

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!! So much has happened since my last post! But first, here is the Beyond the Blueprints segment we taped about 3 weeks ago. Speaking of "oh my goodness," that's my first-ever TV experience, but I bet you could have figured that one out yourself. I think Jimmy and Cliff (my husband) are right...I have a tough time with only three minutes to talk. The most exciting news is that we have selected our cabinets, backsplash tile, and countertops for our kitchen. I will be posting those pictures tomorrow afternoon, so don't miss it. I'll show you how Cliff and I took two totally different ideas and with Jean Ann and Samantha's help, combined them into a space that we're gonna LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. AND we have floor joists! Come back tomorrow to see all the new that's going. Enjoy this beautiful day!

Do you have plans for lunch?

If you don't, make plans to check out Stella's Kentucky Deli at 143 Jefferson Street. They are committed to using Kentucky produce, meats and cheeses whenever possible. I had the chicken salad on 7-grain bread...fantastic with hints of lemon and rosemary. My sister had the hot brown. A bit unusual in that it was topped with locally grown sprouts. It was lighter than the typical hot brown, but so delicious. Since we were sitting by the dessert case, we were unable to pass up the pecan balls, which I had never seen or heard of in my baking experience. Well, suffice it to say that the three for $1.50 was plenty for us both. They were served with bourbon chocolate sauce and whipped cream. So rich! So make your way downtown and try out Stella's; you won't be disappointed.

Earl feels right at home!

It's been quite a busy real estate week! Hence, no post for the last seven days. So to get you up to speed, I have some pictures of the framing that was done in the basement. As of today, they are waiting on the weather to clear, which should be tomorrow, to bring in the I-beams and floor trusses.


We can walk over to the build site from the house we are renting. Earl was so happy it had rained that morning, because it was quite a walk for a short, stout guy like himself! He wallowed in the puddles and got a quick drink. I think he's going to love his new home!

The Realty Company, Take 1

Did you know that The Realty Company is a full service real estate agency that works hand in hand with Jimmy Nash Homes, but also offers personalized real estate services to ANYONE who needs the services of a Realtor? In this post, I will give you an idea of how we work with a new home customer. Later, I will tell you about the benefits of working with a smaller agency that really does give you MORE even if you aren't building a new home.


Often times, a person may want to build, but needs to sell the house they own currently. Of course, we handle listings for clients that need this service. It is beneficial to work with a specialist who will be there every step of the way. For example, if you choose to build a home and want to sell first, as a licensed real estate agent, I can list your home with that goal in mind. I will also help you choose a lot, pick a plan, and select the features that will make that home your own. I'll be there during reviews, walk-thru's, closing and follow-up. But it's not just me, your agent; honestly, the best part is that you get the entire Jimmy Nash Home team to make that goal become a reality. Let's see, you get your very own customer service agent, a Project Supervisor, an interior designer, in-house architects, other agents working to sell your home, Bo, our general sales manager and principal broker, and of course, Jimmy! And that's why he is the "customer builder" because all of us here at Jimmy Nash Homes work toward the same goal, which is providing a positive customer experience every step of the way.

So my positive experience of the day was showing up at our lot this morning and finding a tidy build site (very important, especially in an established neighborhood with close neighbors), a smooth, new concrete slab in the basement, and a house number in green neon spray paint. My only problem was I didn't bring my roller skates! Of course, there's always tomorrow....have a good night, now!

You gotta love Kentucky!! Have a great weekend!!