Plans Versus Elements: Battle of the Sexes

It goes a little something like this:

Tim: Hey, Nicole. Send me some examples of floor plans that you like.

Nicole: Okay. But remember, all that is important to me is just a few things: a BIG closet, a nice bathroom, a BIG kitchen, and good outdoor entertaining space.

Tim: Just send me some examples.

So I begin to go on Pinterest (for almost two months now,) and I started to pin everything that I liked. I even pinned things that were sort-of my style, but I thought were pretty. I sent him the link to my “Dream House” board and then got the following text:

Clearly, somewhere we got our wires crossed.

Here I am envisioning paint chips and butcher block counters, and all the while, my Structural Designer boyfriend is asking for ACTUAL floor plans.

Originally, we were heading down a different path. He presented me with this really cool floor plan he had been working on for years, but wanted to change-up because his ideas had shifted over the decade. I liked it. But.. it wasn’t really a dream I was a part of. So we decided to go back to the drawing board. The next plan was (again,) something he envisioned. It was more rectangular and had more of a southwest/rustic/industrial element feel to it. I liked it. I could live there. But.. it didn’t make my heart flutter, and finally, after months of discussing floor plans, I told him.

I just didn’t want to disappoint him.

That’s where the above conversation came into play.

I’m assuming, if you have ever built a house with someone, you know where I am coming from. It’s a delicate balance of what makes sense, what gets you excited, versus what is affordable.

So he took my suggestions and came back with this:

This would end up with all of the basic elements I wanted, as well as his two kids. The idea is to draw a house that we would grow old in, the one that would support bad knees and everything! Not too much to handle as we age. (We are trying to be smart about this.) The girls both want their own bathroom, and we want to be on the bottom floor. Another idea is to use some of that “open to below” space that is upstairs and turn that into a loft/game room. We made all of our edits (all four of us,) and have sent Tim back to the drawing board.

One of the biggest problems with trying to come up with a logical plan is having to consider the future. The girls’ eyes are bright and excited to have “custom” rooms with all of the bells and whistles, while you know as well as we know that after college, 9 times out of 10, kids move on. Then what are you left with? But you want to make sure they have someplace to bring their future families back home to. Then there is the issue of having too much house when you are in your 70s, 80s, and 90s. The other BIG one for both of us is this: We DO NOT want a spec house. You know the kind? You drive into any cookie cutter suburb and all of the houses are basically the same. That’s not our style – at all.

Then the idea is for the house to be built on the farm. We would have to invest in a very long driveway (because you would enter the property through the blueberry orchard/patch and cross over a little creek. It needs to be rustic, but still have a bit of a coastal breezy porch. Then we saw this:

And I think it is a perfect look for the area.

Again, this is just draft #1, and as you and I both know, I’m ready to jump to the interior elements part, but I have to slow my horses and remember… it is a process.

The next step is to finalize the plans, then contact a local contractor and see what we are looking at financially. Not only do we have to consider the drive way, leveling of the land and knocking down more than a few trees, we are going to have to think about the pool and patio area we want and all of the things that go with that.

Decisions. Decisions.

And did I mention I’m startng a new job in 2 weeks? LOL

But the ball is rolling and THAT is exciting.