Signs of life from the house

Sorry for the temporary lapse in posting.  But, we had a good excuse- we were in the States last week.  It was a whirlwind trip, but it was so good to get home.
House-wise, not much happened here.  Right before we left, the builders came to remove the staging, and put up a few boards as a small safety measure.

The back of the house

                                        The east side of the house (from the in-laws' driveway)
The builders also came last week Tuesday and took the crane away.  I don't have any pictures yet, but I have to say, now that the crane is out of our driveway, we've realized that we have a very large driveway!
My father in-law also called on Thursday to tell us that the chimney had been delivered.  They didn't do any work on the chimney last week, but at least it had arrived.

During our time at home, most importantly, we visited with my dad, sister, aunt, cousins, etc.  But we did manage to get a few important items for the house as well.
We asked my dad, who just happens to be a plumber, recommended that we go to Whites Plumbing Supply in West Haven to look for the kitchen faucets that we needed.  He said that he uses them a lot and recommends them to a lot of customers.  Well, he was totally right.  They were awesome!  A mix between a plumbing showroom and a supply house, all the salespeople were down to earth, kind, and they offered fantastic prices on their items! 
We quickly found ourselves looking into, ironically, Grohe faucets.  This is ironic because Grohe is a German company, and the faucets are made in Germany, but some are created specifically for the American market.  My dad said that Grohe has a great reputation in the States and the same can be said here in Germany. 
The decision went much quicker than I had imagined, as we settled on the Grohe Bridgeford faucet almost from the first moment we saw it.

And, even better, they offered a matching prep faucet for the island:

We also were able to purchase a good quality, yet relatively inexpenisve faucet for the vanity in our cellar bathroom:

And just when we thought we were on our way out the door, Joern found the pot fillers.  Honestly, we do not need a pot filler, and I never would have thought Joern would feel any differently.  That was until we stood there in the showroom looking at a bunch of pot fillers.  Joern found one he could absolutely not live without:

I can't wait to hear what our plumber has to say about this surprise, and very un-German, addition!

Surprisingly, we walked out with four faucets for about the same price (including conversion,) that a single faucet would have cost us here in Germany.  And, they are so my style!  Thank you guys at White's, and of course, thank you Dad for helping us out.  Getting our kitchen faucets out of the way was a relief!

Right before we left, I also managed to order my vanity lights from Pottery Barn for our master bath.  I had this crazy thing that we needed Oil Rubbed Bronze (ORB) light fixtures to tie in the ORB accessories I had purchased from Pottery Barn over the summer.  I went with the Sussex lights, which happen to be from the same line as the accessories.  The lights arrived on Thursday morning, and I have to say, I really love them!

image from http://www.potterybarn.com/

Of course, we also got to bring back a ton of things I had purchased since last summer.  Mostly textiles, but a lot of cooking items too, made their way over the Atlantic with us on Saturday evening.

Another big event that happened while we were home was that our architect confirmed the dates for our windows, and the date for the Richtfest!  Yup, that's right.  Our Richtfest is rapidly approaching, and will be held on April 9th!

It was surprising to see the house on Sunday without the crane.  I was also shocked when I realized just how gigantic our windows are now that the staging has been removed.

The next surprise was in store for us this afternoon.  Joern and I are suffering pretty hard from jet-lag, and I had to drag myself home after work.  I was completely shocked, and jarred awake to find Mr. Builder's son and another builder from the company working on- OUR CHIMNEY! 

The chimney is currently in pieces and must be put together using mortar.  But, Mr. Builder's son started by cutting a hole in the front of the house, where we will place a little trap door.  The cool thing is that the chimney sweep will be able to complete his mandatory annual cleaning through this door, thus eliminating the need from having him clean from the inside. This will save us tons of dust and mess!

                                           Mr. Builder's son cutting our a piece of our house.

And here is what the interior of the walls look like:

Oh, and the gratuitious photo of the saw used to cut out the blocks.  Mr. Builder's son did have to ask why an American company would make such a tool when they don't need this in the US?

We left the house around 5:00 and Mr. Builder's son and the other guy were finishing up for the day.

Yup, those are all pieces of chimeny around Mr. Builder's son.

Well, there you have it.  Relatively short and sweet, an update of the past week or so.  Besides the chimney, I don't expect too much to happen over the next few weeks.  But, I do expect to be busy enough preparing for our big partay!

Revisiting the bath showroom- AGAIN

Last week's visit was a successful to a point, but our dedicated salesperson wasn't there.  We made an appointment for today.
It turned out to be a very successful appointment, although we were there for three hours!
Our biggest problem was the price.  We needed to reduce the price of the fixtures, but I didn't want to change the look too much.  Problem is that most things here are either very modern or very cheap looking.  When we picked out fixtures on our last visit, we went with very classical, yet ridiculously expensive faucets.  Oy!
I was glad to have Joern today, not that I am not glad to have him everyday, but I was glad for his personality today.  He explained that the fixtures were just too expensive, that we wanted alternatives.  It took a long time, but we were able to come up with quite a few alternatives that satisfy us both.
Master Bath-
     Bathtub- not a price reduction, but we needed to change the size.  We found a large corner tub that fits
     perfectly.  We also found a much less expensive alternative to the faucet offered originally.

     Toilet- we decided that for the time-being, we don't need a Villeroy and Boch Hommage wall-hanging
     toilet.  We saved about 400 Euro by going with a builder-basic.  And, its pretty well hidden in our 
     bathroom.  If it is really disturbing, we can change it out later.
     Faucets- here is where we saved, big time!  Joern explained that the faucets were too expensive,
     and that we were considering purchasing all the faucets in America.  All of a sudden, our salesperson
     whipped out a catalog from Zuchetti, an Italian company.  He went on to explain that it is an Italian
     product and not German, but come on.  We don't need a Mercedes faucet.  I want something that looks
     good and runs.  Furthermore, after speaking with Fabio, one of Joern's close friends, who happens to
     be a plumber, he told us that this is indeed a very good brand.

    
     Shower- originally, we planned a very elegant shower with a rain showerhead.  After careful
     consideration, we decided that rain showerheads look quite similar, and by changing out
     the brand, going with chrome, and changing the mixer, we could save a lot.  Joern then asked about
     putting in four body sprays.  In the end, our shower will resemble the following picture.

Image from Improvementdirect.com

      

Kid's bath-
     Toilet- we decided to stick with the originally planned toilet.
     Faucet- changed to the same Zuchetti as in the master bath.
     Shower- changed to Zuchetti, similar to the one I liked originally, but looks very nice and much cheaper.

    
Guest bath-
      Toilet- kept the original, but added PurAir technology.  Its only about 200 Euro more, and for a guest
      toilet, PurAir keeps from embarassing situations.  Plus, it is right off the kitchen, so you don't want
      an embarassingly stinky sitation right off the kitchen.

     Sink- we kept the same pedestal sink we originally planned



image from Villeroy-boch.de

          Faucet- back to Zuchetti, this time a flatter faucet.

Image from Faucetgallery.com

       

Downstairs utility room/ bath-
      Toilet- builder basic, again, I can always change out in the future. 
      Faucet- we'll buy it in America, because you can't get a 3 hole faucet here for under 200 Euro.  This
      faucet will be a Home Depot special, we'll buy 2 or 3 50 Euro, Glaicer Bay faucets, and change out
     as needed. 

Kitchen-
     Sink- we're considering a Villeroy & Boch apron-front sink.  Good because it has two pre-drilled holes.
     Faucet- I really may have to buy these faucets at home.  I'm looking at a Delta Touch 2O faucet for the
     island, where we'll prep food, and just a normal pull-down spray faucet for the dish sink. 
 I have
     a few more months to research my options, but it really isn't looking like I will buy something here.

Well, there you have it.  We have to negotiate now with the plumber, to get him to reduce some more of the prices.  I'm interested to see how much farther down we can go with the price.

Our cellar is finished!

Obviously, the cellar is not completely finished, but the Rohbau (the skeleton) of the cellar is now complete!
Over the past few days, the builders were working hard on covering the pre-fab concrete panels for the ceiling of the cellar with steel mesh.

On Monday, the house looked like this:

 On Monday, Joern and his father also spoke with the driver of the excavator, who had returned to our building site last week in order to completely fill in the trench around the cellar.  They asked the excavator driver to remove some of the hill next to Joern's parents' house.  It was a good idea to take advantage of the presence of the excavator, and by removing some of the hill, it allows us to actually have a back yard. 

This is a good picture of the hill to be removed.

The excavator was also used to place large amounts of drainage stone around the house.

The builders worked on the add-on, drainage stones were placed on the ground and the add-on was insulated.

On Tuesday morning, the builders continued to work on the ceiling slab.  And this morning, final preparations were made for the concrete to be poured.  Mr. Builder's son (who is also a Mr. Builder,) came to work on the house too.

Steel mesh was applied on top of the add-on and on top of the pipes for the air-filtration system.

More steel mesh arriving.

All preparations complete.  Waiting for the cement truck.

 

 

The cement truck arrived around 1:00 pm today.  The builders worked pouring the concrete for the ceiling slab for about 4 hours. 

The builders left at 4:45 this evening, by climbing down from our now completed cellar ceiling slab.  The exciting thing is that with the completion of the cellar, the sub-floor for the first living floor of the house is also completed.  Tomorrow, we enter the next phase of building!

We also met with the plumber tonight.  He received the price list from the fixtures Joern picked out at the bathroom showroom.  Although their final price was quite expensive, it also included the price of the alternatives that they offered.  Our big homework this weekend is to work through the price list, and probably visit the supplier again to figure out what fixtures are a must, and which fixtures can be replaced with less expensive alternatives.

We're really rolling along all of a sudden.  It is so exciting lately to see what each new day brings with it!

Tee Hee Hee and Today's Update

I was reading a post on the Decorating and Renovating message board on the Nest today.  The post was about avacado bath fixtures.  It made me laugh because I have a secret adoration of all home things that are avacado.  It must come from having grown up in a house with avacado appliances and sink in the kitchen.  I hate to admit it, because I must be one of 10 million people who feels this way about that fantastically ugly color.  I remember how much my mom hated it. Maybe my feelings about avacado come from deep desire to spite my mother. I don't really know.  Please don't ask me to explain why I love avacado, but would love, in on another planet, to incorporate avacado green into my home.  It just would make me feel good.
Since I am the "Time Queen" right now, I decided, for nostalgia's sake, to Google 1970s avacado house.  I found tons of pictures that made me miss home. One of my new favorite sites that I found, Ugly House Photos contains the most fabulous pictures of homes in all their 1970s hideous glory.
As I perused the photos on my new favorite site, I saw a bunch of pictures from European bathrooms.  And guess what I found?

Check out that fantastic, TANKLESS, avacado toilet!  It looks like the plumber was really right- my exposed tank toilet is truly something out of the 1920s, because clearly, 1970s European toilets were already tankless! 

In other exciting news, the house is moving right along!  Sadly, I am having trouble uploading the one picture from above, showing the now completed walls for the staircase.  Boo!

But, the walls that run up along the staricase are now complete.  I can show a picture from inside the house though- very cool!

And now, we know exactly where the electrical access panel will be located.

The cellar is also becoming compartmentalized.  I walked along the wall and turned to the left, thinking I was walking into Joern's garage.  Then I realized I was lost in my house- I was actually standing in the entertainment room!

The wall between the fitness room and the foyer is also progressing.

And, there is something on top of my garage.  Looks like insulation?  Maybe that will be laid out on top of the garage?  Joern will clarify this next week :)

And the last picture, especially for my Hong Kong readers:

It appears that the excavation for the multi-family homes is complete!

I think I've found a solution!

In trying to make the best of my being unable to do a lot of activity, I scoured the net this morning in search of a solution to our Master Bath Finish Mixing Conundrum:

The Pottery Barn Sussex Sconce!

Surprisingly, the price is pretty good, and all of the accessories I scored at the PB outlet over the summer were also PB Sussex!  I need to order a second towel ring and a towel bar anyway, so I'll just add these beauties onto the order.  Then we're good to go!  I researched a lot about mixing finishes yesterday.  Turns out that in the States during the housing boom, finishes in bathrooms were frequently mixed as builders  rushed to finish homes and would  just throw "whatever" into bathrooms to meet deadlines.  Now that the housing boom is long past, designers and homeowners have come to appreciate an eclectic mix of finishes in bathrooms.   For us, it makes for a simple solution.  We'll have all the accessories and light fixtures in Oil Rubbed Bronze, and we'll have the fauctes, sprays, and the drawer pulls in either chrome or brushed nickel.  I will go to a bath showroom later with my ORB towel ring and a piece from the dark wood vanity to look at finishes for faucets.  But I have to say, I feel a strong sense of relief that we've gotten so far already.  The plumber will also feel a strong sense of relief that he doesn't have to search for a solution!  Hooray!

Progress

The builders were busy again.  Today, they put up the reinforcements for the garage ceiling slabs, which come Monday!  I am so excited to see what it looks like when our garages have ceilings!  WAHOO!!

Joern's garage

My garage

In other news, Joern went to meet with the plumber today at a bath showroom.  Joern and I had visited the showroom a few weeks ago, but our architect strongly suggested that we work with this company, as both he and the plumber work closely with this showroom.  Sadly, I just wasn't up to going, and in the end, it was probably the best as Joern was there about 3 hours.  But, thanks to Joern, who marched out the door today, with my ever-growing Inspiration Binder in hand.  What a fantastic guy to walk around with a 5 inch thick binder with flowers all over it, to go represent the both of us at the meeting with the plumber and the bathroom designer.

I guess it was easy to give the designer a good idea of my style through my Inspiration Binder.  Plus, I had chosen the fixtures I wanted anyway, so it wasn't too difficult.  I guess it was a little controversial that I wanted two toilets with "gasp" tanks mounted on the back, which almost never exists here anymore.  For me, there is no question in the children's bath that we'll have an exposed tank and floor mounted toilet- it just goes with the cottagey look of  the bathroom, the beadboard is definately the clincher.  Joern came home laughing about this discussion, when the plumber said, "Oh wow, those toilets are like ones from the 1920s."  So there you have it, we are sooooo old fashioned in America :)   But the designer agreed that because we have the large vanity that goes to the ground, he explained that the line of having the toilet go all the way to the ground would be the best look.  Score one for me!

Joern showed them the bathtub that we had picked out together last time we went to this showroom.  It is a corner tub, which I think is the best fit in our bathroom. 



We'll do a wall-hung toilet in the master bath, and a floor mounted one in both the children's bath and powder room.  In the cellar, its whatever is cheap!  Joern showed them the pedestal sink that I would like in the powder room as well.

What turned into a big problem without me were the faucets. The first problem was I wanted Oil Rubbed Bronze (ORB) fixtures in the master bath. I armed Joern with a ton of pictures and a towel ring. Turns out it doesn't exist in Germany. UGH! So, the plumber took the towel ring, and promised Joern he would look for something. Otherwise, our choices are pretty limited in finishes to chrome or satin nickel. Here are a few choices the bathroom designer picked out as possiblities:

Jado: Lighthouse Series

Kludi: Anlon series

Both are interesting, and okay. I am just not sure what on earth we will chose for our finish in the master bath if we don't find an ORB solution.

Joern also decided that he would like a rain shower head for the shower in the master bath, plus we'll have a hand-held shower head.  We'll have a hand-held shower head and faucet mounted on the wall for the bathtub.  In the kids' bath, we'll have a hand-held shower head that is controlled with a thermostat (good because you can set the thermostat.) 

Another piece of on its way to exciting news, Joern and the designer also found a possible kitchen sink candidate:

Dornbracht: Madison Flair

This is the first not totally modern kitchen faucet I've seen with a separate hand-held spray.  The only problem is that the sink probably doesn't have three holes for faucet and controls.  Maybe this is a sign though that there's hope?!

How do you decide?

Our house is a custom build and not a builder's design.  That being said, the perks of  a custom home are exactly that, the house is completely custom.  We choose everything!  We get to pick out whatever flooring we please, whichever windows we want, any doors, any roofing tiles, the world is ours. 
Yet, our plumber recently provided us an offer that inclued fixtures.  I know we should purchase our fixtures, well most of them through the plumber.  Although his prices may be a little higher than what we could get from an internet company, we get peace of mind that our fixtures will arrive in good shape, come with a warranty, and that the plumber's price will not increase for installation. We already have sinks for the master bath, children's bath and cellar, but otherwise, toilets, showers, the guest bath sink, all will come from the plumber.  The plumber offered us his version of "builder basic," Keramag's series, Renova Nr. 1. 
I know its a little ridiculous, but I had different views and ideas for my toilets.  Mr. B always brings up the fact that a toilet is a toilet, and well, you know how we use toilets, they're not furniture pieces.  On the one hand I see the practicality of this argument.  Maybe its because my dad is a plumber, or maybe its because I am attempting to recreate a New England colonial in my little house, but I'm not so happy with the practical approach.  
I really like Villeroy and Boch's Hommage collection, and Kohler's Portrait collection. 
The problem is that we're starting to reach the edge of our budget, something which makes me a little uncomfortable.  I think these are the decisions that are also difficult.  Should we go with the more expensive Villeroy and Boch fixtures, or stick with the more basic fixtures, accepting that we will change them out in the future.  Will we get around to changing them out, as dogs and children expand our lives, and our focus shifts away from our house as time passes? 
We are going to ask Mr. Haag for the prices of both the basic fixtures and the Villeroy and Boch Hommage fixtures.  But in the end, how do you decide?