Selecting the options for our kitchen was fairly easy because we pretty much knew what we wanted.  Luckily, the model home at our community features our selections, so it was easy to know and love what they will look like in "real life."

I love a timeless, white kitchen.

Ryan Homes Naples Kitchen Model

Ryan Homes Kitchen with Morning Room (source)

The only thing hard to picture about our kitchen has been the actual layout.  The kitchens above have become the "old" kitchen models as Ryan Homes frequently changes their floor plans.

Our kitchen layout moves the fridge to another wall, adding extra cabinet and countertop space.  We have a morning room, so we will lose the window above the sink in the first picture and instead have bar space overlooking the morning room, as shown in the second photo.

The refrigerator will now be on this wall, alongside the hallway leading to the dining room.  The pantry is on the right of the hallway to the dining room.

As mentioned, luckily our granite is installed in the model so it is easy to see what it will look like.  However, if you are interested in building with Ryan Homes, your granite samples to choose from are small squares.

Santa Cecilia Granite

The Santa Cecilia granite has two different shades to it, and can be either of the variations shown above (one has more gold to it).  So it is important that if you choose Santa Cecilia (and can't choose your own slab, which we are not sure we can at this point) that you love both variations.

Santa Cecilia Granite

You can see the different variations in color actually sometimes run through the granite as in the photo above.  Also note too when choosing a granite the granite names are standard.  We were able to go to Home Depot and pick up a small sample of our granite to have on hand.

Under-Cabinet Lighting

My father suggested we add the under-cabinet lighting and I am so glad we did.  It looks beautiful in the model, but it will also simply add more light in the kitchen, and it will be nice to not always have to burn the can lights overhead for our recessed lighting.

Timberlake Rushmore Painted Maple Glaze Cabinets

We are really happy with our cabinets, the Timberlake Rushmore Painted Maple Glaze cabinets.  The Timberlake brand also offers a "hazelnut" glaze but we were worried they would look too dark, and liked the look of the cabinets in the model.

The next step for our kitchen (besides it actually being completed) is coming up with a "design" plan.  We will want to find a kitchen island, choose and DIY a backsplash after move-in, and determine what color to paint, as well as a color scheme for decorative accents.  It should be fun!

Do you like a white kitchen, or do you prefer darker cabinets?  Both styles will be around for years to come.

The Wrath of Winter Storm Pax

Last week we had a lot of snow in the Charlotte area, much more so than ever occurs here.  Most of the southeast endured winter storm Pax.  Unfortunately for us, because Charlotte hardly ever gets snow, our city lacks snow equipment to plow the roads and the entire city shuts down.  It was fun taking my husband's truck (four wheel drive enabled) around to see our city covered in snow, but not so fun to see our lot covered in it.

During our Friday update on Valentine's Day, our project manager said he has to wait for the snow to melt before he can get through to the footings and get the city out to inspect and approve the footings.  Then the concrete blocks will be laid in preparation for pouring the slab.  He said all new construction is behind in the area due to the weather so he anticipated it would be hard to get the next steps done in a timely manner due to contractors being pulled every which direction to complete jobs.  However, he said even with the weather delay we were still on schedule and will begin framing in 2 weeks!

Soon enough, our house will start to form in front of our eyes.

The Study (Upgraded Formal Living Room)

We chose to upgrade the formal living room by adding a wall between that room and the dining room and adding a set of french doors to enter the room.  While I really like the idea of a formal sitting area, it had the potential to never be used and we thought a designated office area would be more practical instead of sacrificing one of the upstairs bedrooms.  This room is the only room downstairs we chose to leave carpeted (we would have loved wood but we had to draw the line somewhere as we priced out upgrade options).  The room could also make a great enclosed playroom area.  Here are some pictures from the model:

Ryan Homes Formal Living Room Upgraded to Study Option

Ryan Homes Formal Living Room Upgraded to Study Option

The Footings are Poured

What is a footing?  If you are anything like me and/or don't have a construction background, you likely have no idea.  The footing is part of the foundation and you can read more about footings here.  Basically, some concrete looks to be haphazardly poured in preparation for the concrete blocks that will be laid prior to pouring the concrete slab over the entire floor plan layout.  But, we have footings! Check out our red clay and concrete.

Left Side of Home (Garage) Footing

Our garage is on the far left side of the front of our home.

Front Door and Front Porch Footing

Front Porch Footings

We are building the Naples (reverse floor plan) Elevation D.  We have a front porch!

Morning Room Extension and Rear Fireplace Footing

In the above picture you can see the outline of our morning room extension off the kitchen and a small stick out for the rear fireplace.  You can also see the bit of yard on that side we will lose to the morning room compared to our neighbor's yard next door.

The next step is pouring the concrete slab over the entire thing.  Unfortunately, Charlotte is due for 4-6 inches of snow this week due to the harsh winter the southeast has had this year.  It is unusual for it to snow much in Charlotte.  We think this may delay the pouring of our slab, but we'll have to wait and see what our project manager says.

Oil Rubbed Bronze vs. Brushed Nickel Hardware

The standard plumbing hardware in our Ryan Homes community is chrome, so during the upgrade selection process we were able to consider upgrading to oil rubbed bronze hardware or brushed nickel hardware for all of the plumbing fixtures.  We are going to have bronze hardware on our interior doors, but for the plumbing we wanted brushed nickel.  Our fixtures will all be Moen brand, specifically from the Eva collection.

Ryan Homes Upgraded Garden Soaking Tub (James Joyce Model)

I am looking forward to our soaking garden tub.  We have one now in our rental and I love to relax and catch up on TV shows on my iPad.  The faucet shown is the Moen Eva Brushed Nickel Two Handle High Arc Roman Tub Faucet. The tub we are actually getting with our upgrade is the rectangular one below.

Ryan Homes Oil Rubbed Bronze Option (Naples Model)

Oil rubbed bronze hardware or (ORB) is known for showing water spots, so that is one thing to consider if you like the look.  Choosing between these two finishes is mostly just personal preference.