River House Diary

Last week we met with the cabinetmaker to discuss the design of the Den built-ins, and totally redesigned them on the fly adding another section for a total of six instead of five. The design was the cabinetmaker’s idea once he knew the primary purpose for the built-ins was threefold: 1) house a big TV, 2) store DVDs and 3) books. Pete should still have room for a 65-inch TV. He is a happy camper. Beginnings of the Den built-in cabinets; personal collection

The other vanity we purchased ourselves was the washstand and sink for the Half Bath. It was from Restoration Hardware and was a bit of a splurge. It still needs to be centered on the plumbing before being secured in place. Half Bath washstand and sink; personal collection

After the Laundry Room countertop debacle , I was second guessing my selection for the cultured marble countertop for Bath 2, the guest bathroom. I wanted to review it before it was too late -- and it almost was. The material had been ordered and the measurements taken but the template had not yet been made for fabrication. So we were just in time in case I wanted to change my mind. On the day before Thanksgiving we dropped by CreekKraft to look at a larger sample. This time I brought my tile backsplash and wallpaper samples. After reviewing our original selection and a couple of other options, Pete and I were satisfied our first choice was a good one. Crisis averted! Classic FHS cultured marble with our tile backsplash (blue) and wallpaper samples; personal collection

Things continue to happen at River House. The bathroom vanity we purchased for the upstairs bathroom was moved from our storage unit to the house and set nearly in place — it still needs to get pushed against the back wall. Bonus Bath vanity; personal collection

I saved this photograph of a Phoebe Howard designed kitchen in 2011 and it is still one of my favorite kitchens. Wave pattern on vent hood inspiration; courtesy Phoebe Howard Look closely at the vent hood. I’m stealing the waves. My waves still need to go back to the shop in Walstonburg for sanding and painting, but they are looking good! Wave pattern for vent hood; personal collection.

There is a half bathroom in the back hall near the door to the garage. We chose to tile the wall on which the toilet and sink will be installed in Daltile’s Premier Accents Pearl Herringbone Stone Mosaic Wall Tile , which is available exclusively from Home Depot. Yesterday, when we stopped by the house the tile had been installed floor to ceiling as we had specified. The photograph doesn’t do the tile justice. It shimmers! Daltile’s Pearl Herringbone wall tile; personal collection

When we stopped by the house Monday, they had not only installed the countertops and sinks in the kitchen, but also in the master bath. We chose the same quartz counters for our bathroom as we did in the kitchen -- Cambria USA Fairbourne . Cambria USA Fairbourne quartz; personal collection The sinks are Kohler Verticyl under-mount sinks (K-2882). I thought the rectangular shape worked well in our bathroom as the layout of the room is very rectangular. We also used these sinks in Bath 2 -- the guest bathroom. The 4" backsplash made out of the countertop material will be removed and instead we'll use the glass mosaic tile we're using in the shower for the backsplash.

We stopped by the house yesterday and several "pretty" things happened Monday in the kitchen. The countertops and sink were installed as well as the kitchen backsplash tile. I have been swooning over this tile since Zuniga Interiors sent us the design concept for the kitchen and it certainly didn't disappoint. Roca Tile USA Maiolica 3" x 12" ceramic tile in Aqua Crackle ; personal collection I selected a single-bowl under-mount sink for the island as I am not a fan of how most farmhouse sinks are installed. The cabinets, sink, and countertops have to be installed perfectly for it to look good and that doesn't always happen. For the countertops in the kitchen and master bath, I chose Cambria's Fairbourne quartz. Fairbourne features a creamy foundation highlighted with swirls of white and light beige. It blends perfectly with the CabCraft Canvas cabinets, allowing the tile to be the star of the kitchen. Cambria Fairbourne quartz ; courtesy of

I originally wanted a cast iron tub with a tiled surround in Bath 2; but to save money for splurges elsewhere in the house, we chose an acrylic tub/shower insert. However, we also chose to tile the walls above the insert to the ceiling and use the same tile as the vanity backsplash. The tile is Bedrosian’s Costa Allegro in Tide . It’s a mosaic made of 1-inch by 2-inch mini-bricks. Last Thursday the tile was out of the box and ready to be laid. Bedrosian’s Costa Allegro in Tide; personal collection On Sunday some of the tile was on the wall above the tub/shower insert. Bath 2 wall tile; personal collection

We had a cold snap in coastal North Carolina with temperatures in the 30s. Our little short-term rental doesn't have much in the way of extra blankets and throws to snuggle in while watching TV. So we decided to purchase the throws Zuniga Interiors recommended for our Den. The throws are sold by Pottery Barn and I figured we have them delivered to my brother's house. Not so fast ... the Chunky Handknit Throws  were not available for shipping and could only be picked up at a Pottery Barn store. The nearest store is over 80 miles away in Wilmington. It's a good thing we're retired and have the time to take a day trip! Chunky Handknit Throw; courtesy of Pottery Barn

The vanity in Bath 2, or the guest bath, is CabCraft Dalton door style , a partial overlay style. Bath 2 vanity which is CabCraft Dalton door style; personal collection

In the Master Bath we used the CabCraft Allentown door style , a full overlay style. Master Bath vanity is 7-feet long; personal collection However, the island in the master closet is the CabCraft Dalton door style, a partial overlay style. This decision saved a few dollars. Master Closet island; personal collection

Most of the cabinets in River House are from CabCraft , a small company in Charlotte, North Carolina. In the kitchen, great room and master bathroom, we used Allentown, a full overlay door style. To save money, we used the Dalton door style, a partial overlay style, in the master closet, laundry room and the guest bath. With any partial overlay style you can see some of the cabinet frame. CabCraft Dalton partial overlay door style in the laundry room; personal collection I still am not crazy about the countertops. With no lights yet, it looks too gray and the pattern is definitely too busy. Upper cabinets with trim; personal collection

While we made our quick trip to Macon, Georgia, over the weekend, our kitchen island began to take shape. It acquired legs! The kitchen island grew legs in attained its final shape; personal collection Kitchen island from the Great Room; personal collection

The bank inspector visited River House today. His report stated the construction was 79 percent complete. During this inspection period our sewer system was installed, most of the flooring was laid and over half of the cabinets and trim work were completed. Left side of River House; courtesy of Trinity Inspection Services

Pete and I have both been surprised at how long it is taking to install the exterior siding . They were just starting it when we were last in North Carolina, which was October 1st, and they are still not finished. Exterior siding; personal collection

Our sewer service is provided by Carolina Water Service, Inc., of North Carolina., a private company with a very rudimentary billing system. They began sending monthly bills as soon as our application was approved in May. Each time we got a bill, I would have to call them to get the charges removed because they claimed they had no way to know when we began using their service. A few days ago, the sewer collection box and pump were installed. It still needs to be connected to the sewer line, but I no longer have to call to have the charges removed. It’s not operable yet, but our grace period is over. Sewer collection box and pump; courtesy of Pete Dagutis

As the vanity backsplash and above the tub/shower insert in Bath 2, we chose Bedrosian’s Costa Allergo in Tide . The tile is a 1” by 2” mini brick pattern. Today’s question from our builder was where to stop and start the tile above the tub/shower insert. We chose to have it stop at the edge of the insert. The area to be tiled is outlined in red; courtesy of Austin Bayliss

For the guest bathroom floor tile , we used DalTile's Emerson Wood 3D Cube Mosaic tile in Hickory Pecan. The tile has been laid but not yet grouted. It should blend well with our hardwood floors. DalTile's Emerson Wood 3D Cube Mosaic in Bath 2; personal collection

Nearly all of the time, the master closet floor would be the same flooring as used in the bedroom, which in our case would be hardwood. However, our closet is accessed from the bathroom or laundry room -- the three rooms flow together. So we used the same floor tile in all three rooms. To keep our feet warm during the winter months, we'll need to get some rugs for the master closet. The floor tile we used was Bedrosian's 12" x 24" Purestone in Beige. Bedrosian's 12" x 24" Purestone floor tile in Beige being installed in the master closet; personal collection

This is the bathroom floor tile that I flip-flop-flipped on color. And I am so glad I ended up where I did. I love it. This is Bedrosian’s 360 3/4” x 3/4” floor and wall tile in Lagoon. Bedrosian’s 360 3/4” x 3/4” floor and wall tile in the bonus (upstairs) bathroom; personal collection

When we visited the cabinet supplier in May, I selected countertops for the Laundry Room. We decided to use Formica as a cost-savings measure. This is the color I chose: Laundry Room countertop; personal collection We visited the house today to finalize the fireplace design and the countertops had been installed in the Laundry Room. I was surprised and more than a bit disappointed when I saw them. There is a lot more pattern than I anticipated from the wee sample. Countertop installed; personal collection Too late, I went to the WilsonArt website and looked up "Drama Marble," the name of our selection. The description on their website would have had me scrambling for a new choice if I'd read it earlier: "A striking white marble design with vivid grey, brown, and bronze veining..." Vivid certainly was NOT what I was going for.