After hours of analyzing, tweaking and rearranging, our draftsman has made our dream a reality on paper. The blueprints have been finished for Cedar Ridge! There is still a tiny bit of tweaking as far as window placement, but other than that it is absolutely PERFECT!
(note: you can click on any of the drawings below for a larger view)
We've opted for a rustic Craftsman-style home that will feature Cedar timber frame accents. There's lots of windows to let in light and allow us to enjoy the views. A screen porch was a must. This one will have removable glass inserts so we can use the room during all four seasons. A deck will go the full length of the back, giving us plenty of room to relax and enjoy the outdoors. There will be a flagstone patio off the lower basement level, under the deck. It will provide a lot of shade in the summer months.
A 2-car garage that will hopefully actually hold cars now that we will have a barn! I don't think I've EVER been able to park in the garage we have now! Here's to wishful thinking!!! :)
This photo is obviously NOT of our house, but it does showcase the exterior finishing we have selected. Shakes & stacked stone. I have always loved cedar shakes, mostly because that is what is used on a lot of the houses in New England where I grew up. But we found out that you can't affordably have them here, down south, because of woodpeckers. A very expensive, special-order stain containing pepper to deter them would have to be applied every other year! Too high maintenance (and expensive) for us! So we have opted for a high quality vinyl version of shakes, from CertainTeed. We haven't nailed down a color yet, but we are currently leaning towards the lighter color in the photo above that is at either end of the sample house. We will be doing stacked stone at the foundation line, also just like the photo above. The stacked stone will cover the exterior back wall of the walk-out basement, which I think will add a lot of character to that level. Stacked stone will also be used on the bottom portion of the front porch columns, which is a detail I have always dreamed of having.
This is the first floor. We wanted a very open floor plan, allowing there to be literally a "living" room...a place where we will do ALL of our living! Kitchen/dining/great room all connected and open to one another. The great room will feature a stacked stone fireplace, using the same stone as the exterior of the house, and bookshelves on either side of it. David is going to build a long window seat to go along the entire back window wall int he great room, which will be one of my favorite places to curl up and read a book! The kitchen has a large walk-in pantry, which is one of the MOST exciting aspects of this house for me. I think I will be a little lost at first, not knowing what to do with that much space!
This is the second floor. It's nice and simple, which is exactly the way we like it! Three bedrooms, one for each of the kids as well as a shared bathroom. The stairway being open to the great room should be a nice feature. I am looking forward to seeing it in person once it is completed.
The daylight basement (or the finished lower level as our contractor calls it) will not be finished our from the get-go. David & I will be doing it ourselves as we save up our pennies for it. However, my office/studio is down here and it will be one of the first projects we dig into as soon as we move in. I will have a large walk-in closet, which will be such a treat. I've never had a closet like this in any of my studios, so that will give me lots more storage space than I am accustomed to.
The Rec Area is David's baby. He's always wanted a pool table, so it will eventually reside here. The sitting area will have a TV to be used exclusively with the Wii and other gaming systems we have (and all the paraphernalia that goes with them can be corralled in there as well!!!)
Since all of this is finalized now, we are just waiting for all of the paperwork to process at the bank and we hope to be able to break ground within the next few months! It's hard to believe that that monumental day may be here very soon! We will be sure to keep you posted with any official start date that might be established!
