Way back when we hired the designers they had this project broken into three phases- 1. Schematic Design (basic floorplan and layout) 2. Design Development (Finishes, fixtures, furniture, etc.) and 3. Construction (a few hours were set aside to consult for changes during the construction phase so the design intent would stay intact). This was a very good way to break it down and would have worked really nicely....if we had hired a good builder on the front end. Since we lost the builder but still tried to proceed with the design, some things got lost along the way. Essentially, all the stuff I hate, like picking out faucets and doors, and paint colors, etc is now left to me. The pragmatist in me understands that as long as everything is functional it really doesn't matter. But of course, when you're putting it together and spending all this time and energy, you want it to look good at the end. Therein lies the struggle.
With the sobering HVAC quote and the knowledge that other large expenses lie ahead, sourcing things on the cheap has become really important. Since the interior doors we wanted needed to be ordered, our contractor wanted that to be done soon so they'll be ready to install in time. Unfortunately, those doors aren't yet common. Many places we called didn't have them, some weren't available yet, and we had a difficult time finding someone that really knew what they were talking about at HD. Even though the weather is absolutely gorgeous, we spent our Saturday morning as a family looking for 2 matching doors on the cheap. We went to the Habitat Restore. They had millions of doors, but many 6 panels and many too large. We went to a salvage store, but they didn't have any either. Scott called an antique place and they had one door for $55, but we have to have 2. Finally we wound up back at the trusty HD. This time we lucked out with a guy who really knew what he was talking about. He was able to get the door that we wanted (yay!) but it was going to be $250 each (boo!). He also pointed out that if we were looking for a solid door to really block sound (which we are) that we would be much better off with a raised panel. The raised panels in the middle allow for a thicker sound dampening. When he told us that a 2 raised panel door was only $100 each we knew what we had to do. So....I spent all that time researching, calling around, searching online, agonizing, and in the end it didn't matter anyway. Frustrating.
Right now we're at the point that compromises like these are happening all the time. I find a bathroom faucet I love for $160, but this one is ok and only $80 so we go with the cheaper one. There was this super cool exterior lock that is sleek, can be unlocked with just a fingertip, takes a picture of anyone who comes within 6 ft of your door, can be programmed to let in plumbers and then quickly relocked, etc, but it was over $300. We found a simpler Kwikset lock that was just a keypad for under $100 and decided to go with that since we'll have security cameras to perform some of the other features.
We scoured the city and found that Lowe's had cheaper tile than Buy Floors Direct (even though we were told that BFD would have the best prices in town) and were able to save $500 that way. It seems that we're scrambling to find the cheapest prices and yet I'm worried that we'll go over budget anyway. Scott did remind me that we're getting radiant flooring that is a significant 'splurge' but I definitely think it will impact my enjoyment of the space when I'm not dealing with cold feet all winter.
So now the 'give and take' officially begins. Wish us luck making it through this phase with our sanity intact.
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