River House Diary

I fell in love with a hunk of stone and that short-lived affair got me off track when I was collecting inspiration photos for the master bath. And I don't even like "busy" stone as a rule. A sexy hunk of stone; courtesy of Artistic Tile I was going to pair it with this cabinet. Bahama Breeze in cherry and with a French Roast finish; courtesy of Candlelight Cabinetry

I admit to getting a little off-track here. Zuniga Interiors had designed our Oakton house master bedroom with a bit of a British Colonial vibe. We will be using that furniture in our River house; so I was still thinking British Colonial. And I shouldn't have been. Each design decision you make eliminates many others if you want to keep the overall look and feel cohesive. These are favorite bathrooms that would work in a coastal home. Erika Powell designed bathroom; courtesy of Urban Grace My all-time tile swoon... Southern Living's 2013 Idea House designed by Phoebe Howard; courtesy of Southern Living And this one is so calm and serene. Master bathroom; courtesy of Crisp Architects And that custom apothecary vanity! Apothecary vanity; courtesy of Period Architecture

I sent our completed questionnaire to Zuniga Interiors for our Kitchen To-Go design. These are a few of the inspiration photos I included. This is probably my favorite kitchen of all time. I just love the white and wood cabinet combination. Coastal Living's 2011 Ultimate Beach House designed by Phoebe Howard; courtesy of Phoebe Howard There's a lot to love here -- the oversized lanterns, mixing metals, the subtle colors... Kitchen designed by Erika Powell; courtesy of Urban Grace Interiors And one for the eating area by Brittany Stiles. Dining room designed by Brittany Stiles; courtesy of Brittany Stiles Interior Design

"When one has finished building one's house, one suddenly realizes that in the process one has learned something that one really needed to know -- in the worst way -- before one began." -- Friedrich Nietzsche There are literally thousands of advice articles on the Internet about how to choose a contractor for your custom home. We followed none of that advice. TAB Premium Built Home house in Morehead City; courtesy of TAB  Premium Built Homes Pete and I lived in two houses in Virginia and extensively remodeled both of them. We were very lucky with our contractor, Harold Leff, and worked with him on both houses starting in 1990. It was a sad day in 2017 when he removed the lockbox on the front door of our second house! We appreciated the quality of his team, his eye for detail, his creativeness, and how easy he was to work with. He wasn't going to be the cheapest contractor in town, but you get what you pay for. We wanted to find another Harold when we buil...

Here are the front and rear elevation drawings of our house. Front elevation; courtesy of House Plan Zone Rear elevation; courtesy of House Plane Zone

After several rounds of changes the final house plan is finished! Main Level; personal collection Bonus Room Level; personal collection

"All rooms ought to look as if they were lived in, and to have a say, a friendly welcome for the incomer." -- William Morris The Internet disrupted the interior design industry as it did many other industries. No longer should designers be able to charge exorbitant prices for furniture, art and other decorative items that can be purchased online. Now, buying services provide access to private label goods and to-the-trade-only items. Designers who offer e-decorating services have learned to adapt. After trying a few other interior designers with different business models, I've learned I like using e-decorating services. It lets me be more involved and finish a room at my own pace. So I stuck with what works when choosing an interior designer for our river house. We used  Zuniga Interiors '  Interiors To-Go, an electronic decorating service for the master bedroom and sunroom of our house in Oakton, Virginia. Oakton house master bedroom; person...

"Where we love is home -- home that our feet may leave but not our hearts." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. Dad was a mechanical engineer by degree who worked at an architecture and engineering firm and then with a manufacturers' representative company, designing commercial heating, air conditioning and ventilation (HVAC) systems and selling the equipment. He and Mom were inveterate remodelers of every house in which they lived. (I got those genes.) They designed their last two houses, which they built; and Dad did most of the construction of their house on Dawson's Creek. Some of my fondest memories of Mom are sitting with her at the kitchen table and looking at house plan books. Building a custom home is a project I anticipate eagerly. After I retired in 2015, Pete and I decided it was time to move to New Bern. He was commuting by plane every week to Albany, New York, and figured it didn't matter where home was. So I started looking at house plans in ear...

Hurricane Florence made landfall just south of Wrightsville Beach as a Category 1 hurricane on September 14, but she outstayed her welcome by moving ever so slowly away from New Bern. While visiting she drove water up the Neuse River and dumped almost 36 inches of rain, causing record flooding. Our lot had some damage. Downed trees, which wasn't a problem as they were all where the house will be located; courtesy of Ted Jennings Our bulkhead needs some cosmetic repairs; courtesy of Ted Jennings The debris field indicates the high water mark and boy did our neighbor's roof take a hit; courtesy of Ted Jennings