After a short material delay, we are (finally!) back on the project of building our dream home. Yay! Up next is…ROOFING. One of the main components of the exterior, it’s sometimes not given much thought. But it totally should be, it’s important! Metal, asphalt shingles, barrel tile…there are a bunch of options out there. Let’s dive right into them and see what we decided on.

*If you’re just joining us, this is the fifth installment of a year long series documenting the building of our personal dream home. So far we’ve tackled Inspiration, Floorplans, Location and Breaking Ground. 

Material Selection

There are a ton of different roofing materials out there, but the main choices in our area (North Central Florida) are:

• Asphalt shingles
• Metal
• Slate
• Barrel Tile

We’ve decided on asphalt shingles from our favorite supplier. We typically use them on our spec and custom homes with great results. They look rich, last and are cost effective. I’ve honestly never been disappointed with them on any house we’ve done over the past 20+ years. So…now that we’ve decided on the type of roofing, let’s work on…

Color

Although the shingles we’ve selected come in a wide range of colors, we are really narrowing it down to just a few in the gray color family. Here is a rendering of the color combination I originally had in mind for reference.

 

Black, gray or a dark charcoal are the only options for the color combo we are going for. Let’s take a look at the colors we are considering.

 

We then narrowed down to these two.

 

Now let’s see how they look on a house. Most roofing companies have a visualizing tool on their website and it’s super helpful. The one we used can be found here.

So, what did we ultimately decide on? Shadow Grey.

 

Installation

We couldn’t be happier! Shadow Grey asphalt shingles were the perfect choice! Installed perfectly by our trusty roofers.

So, now we have a roof. Up next…windows and rough-ins. Yippee! Thanks for following along in the process of building our dream home. Catch up on the series here:

Inspiration

Floorplan

Location

Breaking Ground

 

 

When you love Football and Interior Design (like me!), this can be the best time of the year! What better way to spruce up your home than to give it a Football Facelift? The real question is, can you actually add a few touches to your home without it looking super tacky? I think so! The key is to keep it light, general and not too heavy on the actual team. For example, if you love the Florida Gators (like I do!) then adding orange and blue touches throughout, with a few key Gator pieces, is enough. Everything doesn’t have to be logo-ish. Know what I mean? Restraint is your friend. Let’s walk through it together! (Make sure your scroll all the way down, the best is saved for last!)

 

Add A Few Key Pieces

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Set Your Table

 

 

Add A Few Pieces Of Art

source: b8sypaint.com

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Take It Outside

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Add A Few Pillows

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Use Your Team’s Color Scheme CAREFULLY Throughout

 

 

Or Admit You’re Obsessed And Add To Your Home Permanently

 

Do you decorate at all of football season? Any other sport? Id love to hear about it! Please comment below 🙂

Here’s a handy dandy graphic for your Pinterest boards!

Let’s jump right in!

 

1. Coordinate With Your Existing Home

4. Make It a Drive Thru

5. Get the Electrical Right & Consider AC

6. Customize for YOU

Now, this is the fun part! You’ve decided on your purpose(s), designated areas and gotten the structure right. Now it’s time to make the space reflect you! Interior walls don’t have to be boring! Check out how our client finished off the gym walls in his garage below.

Lighting, color, hard materials, window finishes…all the elements of a home come into play here, as well. This is your space, make it look like it!

 

7. Enjoy!

If you’re interested in building a detached garage in the North Central Florida area, let us know! We’d be happy to help! Evans Construction & Design

 

Here’s a handy dandy graphic for your Pinterest boards. Save it for later! 😉

What exactly does “breaking ground” mean? How do you go from a flat little piece of property to an actual standing structure? Let’s take a look together!

If you’re just joining us, this is the fourth installment of a series documenting the building of our personal dream home. We started off with INSPIRATION, tackled the FLOORPLAN, then discussed LOCATION.  Now, let’s dive into the fun part…BREAKING GROUND.

 

Process

One of the neat things about building a home almost anywhere in the US, is that the majority are built using the same standardized building process. One reason is that building codes are typically very similar across the country.  Another reason is cost, since this process produces a home pretty quickly at a reasonable price. If you ever watch a house being built, you’ll see it goes through the following steps:

So, where are we now on this project?

Well, we’ve “cleared and scraped the lot“, which basically means two different subcontractors came in and did their thing. The tree people came in and cut down all the pine tress that were planted many years ago to harvest, took them away and left all the pretty oak trees for us. Then, the site guys came with their big equipment and cleared out and flattened the area we will build on.

Next, the area was “formed up and filled“. This means the house was measured out on the ground (exactly how the floorplan dictates), footings were dug around the perimeter and filled with concrete. Fill dirt was brought in by our fill guy and a stem wall was created to get the house to look nice and tall. Then, any plumbing or electrical that needed to go through the foundation was put in, like drains and floor outlets.

Next, our concrete people came and poured the concrete slab. Pretty exciting! I reminded myself of my own rule, which is “a concrete slab always looks too small”. (See my post on “3 Things That WILL Happen When You Build” here, which includes this one!)

 

Now, we are “framing“, which means the framing crew builds the walls and roof. This is definitely the most exciting phase, since you start to really “see” the house taking shape. The floor system, walls and roof systems are built, then OSB sheeting is applied to the exterior walls.  The house is then “wrapped” with a protective barrier, known as house wrap, that prevents water from infiltrating the structure.

So, now we have a real life house! I couldn’t be happier with the progress and how the layout is taking shape. It’s always scary to build a completely new floorplan that’s unlike anything you’ve ever built before. Yet, here we are doing exactly that! I’m excited to see this house start to come together.

 

Thanks for stopping by and following along with our project!  If you’d like to recap, you can find the first 3 installments in this series, “Building Our Dream Home” here, here and here.

Where do ideas come from? Well, not from thin air. Inspiration is a beautiful thing and I LOVE being inspired by great designers. Pinterest fads may come and go, but true design is timeless.

 

Here’s my completely unscientific, highly opinionated list of the best Interior Design books out there in 2019. Some are new, some are old, but all are truly inspiring and look great on a coffee table. Enjoy!

 

1.Beautiful: All-American Decorating and Timeless Style by Mark D. Sikes

 

 

2. Tory Burch: In Color by Tory Burch

Tory Burch sees the world in color, inspired by people, places, and ideas—all of which influence her brand, synonymous with print and color. In her first book, she explores what living in color means to her. The book is organized by color, each one brought to life through images of her own collections and travels; how she entertains; style icons; the works of artists, authors, and interior designers she admires; and the advice of business leaders—many of whom are interviewed within.

 

 

3. In the Spirit of The Hamptons by Kelly Killoren-Bensimon

Assouline began with an idea and a belief: the first, a notion that beauty, perfected, has meaning that is capable of transforming our lives; and the second, that a book—artfully crafted and highly considered in its visual content—can open our eyes and minds.

 

 

4. Ralph Lauren: 50 Years by Ralph Lauren

In celebration of Ralph Lauren’s 50th anniversary as a global fashion icon, Mr. Lauren has expanded upon his original 2007 book to provide further insight into his evolution, philosophy, processes, and passions as a designer.

 

 

5. Black and White (and a Bit in Between): Timeless Interiors, Dramatic Accents, and Stylish Collections by Celerie Kemble

Black and white décor is at once dramatic and understated, modern and classic, apparent in the work of iconic designers such as Dorothy Draper and Madeleine Castaing but just as present in design today.

 

 

6. Vogue Living: Houses, Gardens, People by Hamish Bowles 

Lavishly illustrated in full color, a book of thirty-six spectacular houses and gardens—whose owners come from the worlds of fashion, music, art, and society—drawing on stories from the pages of Vogue and Vogue Living as well as never-before-published images by iconic photographers.

 

 

7. Domino: The Book of Decorating: A Room-by-Room Guide to Creating a Home That Makes You Happy by Deborah Needleman, Sara Ruffin Costello, and Dara Caponigro

Domino: The Book of Decorating cracks the code to creating a beautiful home, bringing together inspiring rooms, how-to advice and insiders’ secrets from today’s premier tastemakers in an indispensable style manual.

 

 

8. The Joy of Decorating: Southern Style with Mrs. Howard by Phoebe Howard

Phoebe Howard, known affectionately as Mrs. Howard to her clients, has a penchant for creating stylish spaces, which has evolved into her own critically acclaimed brand of interior design. Mrs. Howard’s first book features several of her largest design projects and addresses the most common decorating issues and questions her clients and customers ask.

 

 

9. Beauty at Home by Aerin Lauder

From an early age, Aerin understood that Estée’s passion for family was equal to her love of beauty. Now, Aerin has made this legacy her own. For the first time, she shares memories of the family celebrations and world travel that formed her sense of style.

 

So, there you have them! Don’t forget to Pin this to your Pinterest board for future reference.

Custom home built by Evans Construction & Design in Gainesville, Florida

Crystal Chandelier | Modern light fixture

 

A fireplace above the tub in the Master Bath? A gorgeous Kitchen with stone hood? Custom doggy door? This home in Alachua, Florida has it all! Really! From matte black plumbing to bamboo flooring, this chic and modern farm-fresh home is outstanding. Let’s take a look!

 

 

Master Bath

Faucets | Tub | Paint color | Fireplace | Tub Faucet | Hardware

Plumbing fixtures | Tile | Paint Color

Tub Faucet | Tile

Wall Color | Ceiling Color

Wall Color | Ceiling Color | Fan

Kitchen

Hardware | Stone Tops | Faucet | Lighting | Backsplash Tile | Paint Color | Travertine Flooring

Hardware | Stone Tops | Faucet | Lighting | Backsplash Tile | Paint Color | Travertine Flooring

Hardware

 Faucet

 Stone

 Flooring

 

Doggy Door Detail

Is this too cute?

Wall color | Flooring

 

Guest Bath

Wall mounted faucet | Tile | Tub | Wall color

Plumbing fixtures | Tile | Countertops | Sink | Tub | Wall color

Wall mounted faucet | Tile | Tub | Wall color

 

Interiors

Flooring

Fan | Wall color

Light fixture | Wall color | Flooring | Hardware

Flooring | Wall color | Faucet

Faucet | Flooring

Doors | Flooring | Wall color | Hardware

Light fixture

It’s hard to believe, but The Evans Edit blog made it’s debut 2 years ago, this week. Crazy!

My little idea to share my design tips and tricks has blossomed into a real, live thing. Fantastic. So, let’s recap!

 

In the past 2 years we’ve:

-Shared over 100 posts on how to design and style your home

-Connected with over 650,000 design enthusiasts EACH MONTH (!!)

-Won numerous ASID awards for Residential Design of Interior and Exterior spaces

-Have contributed to articles in The Huffington Post

-Brought the latest design trends to the East Coast Builder’s Conference

-Created a series to document the process of building our personal home

-Participated in two House Beautiful magazine’s One Room Challenges

-Helped over 50 families design their spaces, virtually online, in 3 countries

-Been nominated as Best New Blog by Domino Magazine

 

 

All this in just 2 years…and we’re just getting started!

Thanks for sticking with us. Many more exciting things to come in the next year!

Custom home built in Gainesville, Florida by Evans Construction & Design.

 

Gorgeous fireplace? Spacious chef’s Kitchen? Rich hardwood floors? This Dream Home has it all!

Let’s take a look! Links to products below.

Fan | Agreeable Gray Paint with Mega Greige Ceiling Accent

Fan | Agreeable Gray Paint with Mega Greige Ceiling Accent

 Kitchen Faucet | Pot filler | Backsplash | Lighting

Kitchen Faucet | Pot filler | Backsplash | Lighting | Cabinet Bar Pulls

Bathtub  | Tile

HandHeld Showerhead | Bathtub | Basketweave Detail | Tile

Delta HydroRain showerhead | Handheld Showerhead  | Basketweave Detail | Tile

Delta HydroRain Showerhead | Handheld Showerhead | Basketweave Detail | Tile

Pot filler | Backsplash | Cabinet Bar Pulls

Lighting

Pot filler | Backsplash

Cabinet Bar Pulls

Lighting

Bathtub | Tile

 Basketweave Detail

Showerhead | Tile | Basketweave Detail

Faucet | Sink

Faucet | Sink

 

Here’s a handy dandy pin for your Pinterest boards!

If you’ve been in the market for plumbing fixtures lately, you’ve likely seen the newest and most beautiful finish out…”Luxe Gold” by Brizo. It will stop you in your tracks!

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It stands out in a sea of Brushed Nickel, Chrome, Oil Rubbed Bronze and (now) Matte Black. It’s the perfect warm-gold.  It’s not bright brass from the 80s, not even close. They have everything you need for your Kitchen or Bath.

 

Here’s just a very small sampling…

So, let’s say you’ve decided to use this lovely combination in your home. Amazing! But… you need some things to coordinate with it. Knobs…lights…mirrors… What goes with this gorgeous finish? Brizo makes a few things to coordinate but not much….like one light…seriously.

 

What coordinates?

You can MIX the finish with other finishes…maybe matte black? That’s a valid option.  But, let’s look at what will actually coordinate with Luxe Gold from other brands. Here are a few of my favorites. Don’t worry, all the links are down below at the bottom of the post.

But wait…

 

 

Is This The Same As Delta’s Champagne Bronze?

Before we dive into each of these items above( links are below) let’s address a mistake I almost made.

Is Brizo’s “Luxe Gold” finish interchangeable with Delta’s “Champagne Bronze”? I mean Delta OWNS Brizo…they look similar…they’re probably the same right?

No…no they’re not.

Brizo’s Luxe Gold is lighter, less “gold-y”. Delta’s Champagne Bronze is deeper and would mix easily with standard brass options. (Maybe we’ll cover that in the future!) But for now, let’s stick with

 

So let’s breakdown that Cheat Sheet. Scroll down for the all the links below!

 

Mirrors and Accessories

perfectly finished mirror

 

storage for your bath in the perfect finish

 

outlet covers if you want to be extra

 

 

 

Probably the most important item to coordinate…

Hardware

Honey Bronze finish from this line matches PERFECTLY

Lowes even has a matching option

Our favorite finish in a handle mixed with Lucite

Lowes again for the win!

Guess who makes this one?

And this one?

 

 

Lights for the Kitchen, Bath and Common Spaces

Hanging globe for Kitchen Island perfection

Funky wall light for Kitchen or Bath

Another option for the Kitchen Island

Beautiful Bathroom sconce, various sizes

Another beautiful sconce, other sizes too

This sconce has the PERFECT finish and comes in a bunch of sizes

Guess who makes this one? 😉

Perfect ceiling fixture

 

 

Or…Screw it and paint anything you want 😉

Just kidding, please don’t do that!

Cheat Sheet

So now we have a BUNCH of options to coordinate with the amazing Brizo Luxe Gold line. Here is a handy dandy Cheat Sheet for you, with links, along with one perfectly formatted for your Pinterest page.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

Pin this one to Pinterest!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

So, what do you think? Will you try this new finish? I am!

“Location, location, location!” You’ve heard it a million times before and it really holds true. Where you build is just as important as what you build.

When we considered rebuilding for ourselves, location was the prime determining factor. We loved the neighborhood we lived in and didn’t want to stray too far from it. Since there were no remaining lots for sale, we decided to stay put. But…one night while out running, a little red FOR SALE BY OWNER sign popped up that wasn’t there the evening before. I called right there, made an offer and took the sign down (shh). I ran home, told my husband and we gave the deposit the next day. Sometimes things just work out! Now we are starting the process of rebuilding just down the road!

If you’re just joining us, this is the third  installment of a year long series documenting the building of our personal dream home. We started off with INSPIRATION ( here), then tackled FLOORPLANS (here). Now let’s dive into LOCATION.

 

 

So, if where you build is just as important as what you build, how do you decide? Here are a few tips!

When looking at properties, consider the following:

• The size of the lot and closeness of neighbors
• Slope/flatness of land
• Direction the lot faces (Where will the sun be?)
• Natural surroundings (forest, field, water, etc.)
• Trees (Remember – tall, old trees can’t just be planted)
• The style of other houses in the neighborhood
• Access to resources (Will you need a well? Septic tank? New power, phone or cable hookups?)

Talk to a Professional! Although it is not necessary, having a professional such as a contractor look at the property you are interested in may save your some headaches down the line.

 

Once you find a lot you are interested in, research the property.

• Find information on the zoning, wetlands, septic connections, energy code, etc. These all affect what you can do. For example, zoning can affect the required setback distance from the street, the height of your house, and whether or not you can build an in-law suite.
• Is the lot in a historic district? If so, there may be additional requirements or restrictions on how your home must look and what materials it must be built with.
• Look into home values in the surrounding neighborhood. You may not want to build a $2 million house in a much less expensive area.
• Speak to the neighbors. This is one of the best ways to find out if the area is a good fit for your family
• What is the school district?

Keep all of these things in mind, do your research and enjoy!